All about liquids

One of the first things I saw was the "jidou hambai ki" or the vending machine. The most common types sell drinks but you get ones selling pre-packaged foods, alcohol and cigarettes, not to mention even stranger items (which I haven't seen and won't mention here).

It's been quite a confusing day due to the drastic change in sleeping pattern and our sudden emergence in a relatively alien world.

It has also been a very wet day, with two typhoons threatening Tokyo as well as other areas.

We brought our sturdy Teutonic umbrella with us but even the cheaper Japanese ones look like they cope with the winds better. They're more domed with struts supporting the main ribs at a deeper angle. It looks like even umbrellas have different DNA.

Tokyo cyclists are also multi-taskers, riding whilst holding their umbrellas. I don't know if the roads and paint markings here are any less slick but it's not something I would do at home.

A splash of colour

...on a wet day...

Although a bit basic and (as pointed out by Björn) a little unresponsive, the iPhone's doing well so far.

A few years ago I would never (ever) have considered even attempting a night time shot on a phone camera.

Now that the X100s is on eBay I'm paging through the menu wondering which camera next.

The Nikon dSLR is a bit rich and heavy so I may well send that back to the kitchen. The recently announced Sony A7/A7R uses some nice ingredients and won't be super expensive.

I might wait to see what the people on the table next to me order...

I could have left it alone but I wanted a slight watercolour effect on a wet evening. Tastes may vary...

Before...

Headed for the weekend

It was one of those days dictated by work today.
Several steps forwards, several back...wondered why I bother.

I'm not a street photographer and I missed several interesting (better) opportunities but this lady sums up my feelings for the day.

ISO200, f/2.8, 1/170s, RAW