Blinding Lights

I found this little bridge at Seibu-en Amusement Park. Below the bridge runs, not water, but hundreds of blinking blue and green lights.

It's impressive to say the least.

Here is another view from above. You can see that my camera could hardly take in it's brightness. There were lights everywhere and it was amazing.

Click below for photos of wonderful bridges around the world!

Sunday Bridges hosted by Louis

Standing Silhouette

My camera doesn't take very good night shots. But I really like this one just for the scene.

The couple were in line for the whirling swing ride at Seibuen Amusement Park and this is right before they were let in. It was really pretty all lit up.

Field of Blue

It was super duper cold and I was shaking all over...but I did manage to get this shot of the illumination at Seibu-en Amusement Park.

The whole park is lit up with colorful lights. It's pretty amazing. The theme is "Fantasy World" and the lights decorate the amusement park until January 10th from 4-9pm.

Slide and Glide

Winter season without ice skating is like Christmas without a tree.

Growing up watching every national and international figure skating competition in the United States, I always wanted to be Kristi Yamaguchi and secretly thought that Victor Petrenko was kinda hot. And although I could never manage to throw myself into the air to do a jump or get all bendy and do a Biellmann spin, I've always loved skating and go to the rink every chance I get.

The skating rink at Seibu-en Amusement Park is open from 10am-4pm on weekdays and 10am-9pm on weekends. I'm seriously considering getting a season pass.

Hooter Alert

Taking a break from the autumn leaves...here is a cute little owl.

I can almost hear it saying, "HOO wants water?" Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Sweet Memories

I think I need a vacation to recover from the vacation...can't seem to keep up!

Today almost felt like it was spring outside. We had a beautiful 18C sunday afternoon. But the colors of the trees remind us that we still have a while to go before it's truly spring.

And I've finally was able to post some photos from DC. Mind you, I did a whole lot of relaxing and didn't really take a lot of photos of the city...but here are some that I caught here and there:

(from my window on the plane)

(The National Archives Building)

(Cutting of the cake at the wedding reception)

(I loved the moody metro stations - Dupont Circle)

(So THIS is where I lost it - Big red shoe @Union Station)

(Union Station)

(Another shot of Union Station)

(I really adore the architecture in DC - F Street)

(9th Street NW)

(Washington Monument)

(Ronald Reagan National Airport)

(Smithsonian Castle Information Center)

Oh, and the wedding? Absolutely wonderful!

It was so great seeing the happy couple getting married, surrounded by friends and family. You can tell they are very much loved and I wish them all the best!

Ok. So that was a bit more than "some"...but I couldn't stop uploading photos! Hope you enjoy them and get a chance to visit this lovely place, too! Even without a wedding to go to, I think it's one gorgeous city :-)

(Suddenly back to reality - Tokyo Bay)

PS: I'm behind on all my comments (so sorry!) but will be by soon!

Not Winter Yet

I always think that if it's going to be this cold outside...it might as well snow. But no sign of snow yet.

PS: Hoping to post a few photos of DC after things settle down this weekend :-)

Time

Can you believe it's the last month of this year already?

Well, as usual, the first day of each month is CDP community's Theme Day. The theme for December is "Time."

I was at Koku Park again and I noticed a lot of runners on the track. The 21st Tokorozawa City Marathon is coming up in a few days and I guess everyone is in running mode. A lot of the runners had a fancy wrist watch, which I'm sure they use to time themselves, and kept on glancing at it while they ran.

The marathon starts from 6:45am on Sunday, December 5th. There is the 2km, 3km, 5km, and half marathon race. I will be on the sidelines (if I can get up that early) and rooting the runners on!

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Matsugaoka Regulating Reservoir

This is the Matsugaoka Regulating Reservoir.

At first I thought it was just filled with rain water. But then I actually spotted birds, fish, and turtles enjoying the water in the reservoir. It was nice to see so much nature in a man-made lake.


See other wonderful reflections from around the world at Weekend Reflections hosted by James.

Well Ridden

This is Higashiharai Park (東原井公園). It's a teeny weeny park with two benches, a sandbox, and two animals on springs.

When I passed by there was no one there. But, from the looks of the handles, it seems like a lot of kids have ridden on both the panda and koala.

I remember I really liked this when I was little, too. My sister and I used to bounce around like crazy. I'm surprised we didn't pull the thing out of the ground!

I imagine many kids made the same kind of memories here, too.



Rest in Peace

These are the lovely roses that are growing in the Akitsu Fure-ai Park I posted about the other day. There were many types of roses growing around the graves and walkways.

I really liked how the place was like a park, very cheerful but yet peaceful. There were a lot of benches placed along the paths and many families were resting there, sometimes with their dogs, chatting and reminiscing about their loved ones.

Sail Away

Took a walk and stopped by Akitsu Fure-ai Park, a local garden cemetery. I'm not sure but I think it's a pretty new concept here in Japan. The non-religious cemetery is very peaceful, filled with flowers and plants.

I found this particular headstone interesting because of the picture next to the family name "Kobayashi." Maybe the person buried here liked to go sailing.

See other wonderful reflections from around the world at Weekend Reflections hosted by James.

Favorite Fall Fruit

I forgot to post photos of when I when I went fruit u-picking, this time "Nashi (梨)!"

Nashi is what we call Japanese Pears, although they are more like apples. They are really crunchy and juicy, which is why I love them! 

Like the grapes, the Nashi were also wrapped to protect the fruit and we would have to rip the bottom of the bag open to look inside to see which one we wanted to pick (although there's really no need to actually "pick" any because all of them are well-made)!

The lady in the photo above told us that the Nashi this year were small compared to recent years. But they look pretty big to me! Yum!

Arahata Fujizuka 2

Continuing on from yesterday's post...we are climbing up Arahata Fujizuka, a man-made miniature replica of Mt. Fuji in Tokorozawa.

Arahata Fujizuka was created during the Meiji Era by the community of people living in Arahata as a way to come together as one. This 10-meter (approx. 33 feet) fujizuka was completed in 1899 and opened with a festival on July 1st, which is still currently the day that Mt. Fuji opens its climbing season. 

On June 27, 1969, Arahata Fujizuka became Tokorozawa city's designated cultural asset. It is still a popular place for people who live near the area or people like me, who are just curious to see this historical place.

We left off at the fifth station yesterday.

If you've ever toured Mt. Fuji, you'll know that you can take a bus or drive your car up to the fifth station. I've done this a couple of times and enjoyed the view from the fifth station. And as I said yesterday, you can start your climb from the first station, but most climbers tend to start their journey to the top of Mt. Fuji from here. I think it takes about 5-7 hours depending on how fast you are. But because this is a fujizuka, it doesn't even take 5-7 minutes to get to the top. Thank goodness!

So on with the journey...the photo above is the sixth station marker "Roku-go-me (六合目)."

The path is really narrow with only space for one person. But this fujizuka has steps that are clear of weeds and still very sturdy. This may be due to the Arahata Fuji Preservation Society, who come to repair or clean and patrol the area often.

Next, the seventh station marker "Nana-go-me (七合目)."

Closing in to the top, the eighth station marker "Hachi-go-me (八合目)."



Almost to the top, the ninth station marker "Kyu-go-me (九合目)."

And here we are at the top. There is a small Asama Shrine and a 360 view of the surrounding area. I couldn't get the whole view, but you can see a panorama view below.

It was a bit cloudy when I took this photo. But when the sky is clear you can actually see Mt. Fuji from here, as most fujizuka's were made in places with a view of what the Asama Fuji religion considered sacred.

Arahata Fujizuka almost lost this view in 1923 when the Great Kanto Earthquake hit, and the section above the eighth station collapsed. But just as it was made, the community got together again to rebuild.

I really like how this Arahata Fujizuka is not only treasured because of its historic importance but also because of the community that surrounds it. I think I'll go again in the winter when the sky is more likely to be clear and maybe get to see Mt. Fuji like the people used to in the old days!

Thank you to everyone who took the time to read all this! And an even bigger thank you to all who commented! I had a lot of fun writing about fujizuka's and learned a lot, too!

I hope you'll take a look at more beautiful skies all around the world here.



And also go see the view from the real Mt. Fuji in Toshi's blog here!