Supercars, architecture and longer nights. Random photos from July 2022.
Every month I take several hundred photos. While a few make it onto the pages of photowalk commentaries, or posts about aspects of life in Japan, many stay in my private collection, waiting for me to enjoy in a quiet moment.
This is a small selection of images from this month that didn’t make it onto a post, but I thought worthy of mention.
A skyscraper in Osaka
This was an experiment on my part. My Nokia 7.2 has a wide angle lens, and while I’ve happily taken landscape photos, I’ve not done much in an urban setting.
Came across this building during a wander in Osaka and had a lightbulb moment. I couldn’t get it in shot, so flicked over to wide angle. The effect isn’t as pronounced as I thought it would be. Seems Nokia’s software does a reasonably job of correcting any abnormalities.
Block 30
Seen while wandering around Kobe one weekend. I don’t know why it caught my eye, but it did.
BBQ under Shin-Kobe
One of the unintended consequences of Japan’s fascination with putting its rivers in concrete is its created a place for people to play. In the recent hot weather (before the rainy season descended on us in earnest), the river under Shin Kobe was turned into a impromptu BBQ.
A classic
I took this last year, but have only just got around to sharing it. I’m not 100% sure what the make and model is, but I think it’s a thing of beauty.
It’s behind you
Seen in Kobe, people walk across the road, with a Lamborghini in the background. Depending on where you are in the city you’ll find hypercars and luxury vehicles parked on the street.
The reaction to these is a mix of either vague disinterest or an approving look on the way past. There isn’t the hostility I’ve seen in the UK.
Advertising your Hawaiian restaurant
Japan has an affinity with Hawaii that dates back more than two centuries. There’s a large Japanese community in the US state, and a couple of times people have told me they like to go there because they don’t have to speak English. It’s on my bucket list, although I’m debating whether to delay until after independence(!)
The culture goes the other way too. Hawaiian themed restaurants are “a thing” here, and they vary from pancake parlours to full-on celebrations of the islands. This one, near Sannomiya in Kobe, has taken a novel approach to promoting its existence.
“I couldn’t find it,” is unlikely to be accepted as an excuse for arriving late.
For rent
At some point I’m going to write about the architecture in Kobe. It’s a mismatch of different styles and techniques, some original, many borrowed.
This is near “Foreigner Town”, somewhere else that needs a write-up!
Nights are drawing in
The summer solstice is long past. The nights are getting longer, and the point where the sun sets and the lights come on is getting earlier so much faster. In a few weeks it’s likely my Friday trips to Harborland will start and end in darkness.
This was taken at about 7:30PM at Umie, Harboland, using my Nokia smartphone’s “Night Mode”. To be fair, this is pretty much how the scene looked to the naked eye.
Himeji Castle
When my visit to the temple at Engyoji was over, I went into Himeji city for a spot of lunch. As is required by law, I snapped a few pictures of the impressive castle.
There’s a running joke in the house that the castle has the oldest one way system in Japan. When you visit the keep you join a queue that winds its way up through the building to the top, then back down again. You spend your time shuffling along, minding your head and admiring the many details and displays.
Although you might prefer some “self directed meandering”, I think it’s the best way to manage that many people in such a confined space.
And finally, a vending machine
Japan’s vending machines are legendary. While I have yet to come across some of the more obscure and, um, adult themed ones, this was an unexpected treat.
Fancy a spot of lunch? Pop in a crisp thousand yen note and prepare to chow down on some cracking karage (fried battered chicken to the uninitiated).
Read some more.
If you enjoyed this, take a look at June’s collection. I also post regularly about my photowalks and visits to random places in Japan.
My name is Ross Hori
I'm a freelance writer, designer and photographer. By day I create articles, features and reports. At night I take photos and write fiction. Find out more.
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