Tiny sensor revenge gallery thread!

[artington]

Mark, here in Japan people don't wear those face masks because of pollution. Fortunately, air pollution is not much of a problem even in Tokyo. I have read that 40 years ago it was beginning to get bad in Tokyo, but they started working hard to clean it up. It has been okay since I first started spending time in Japan in 1985. People in Japan sometimes wear these masks mostly in the winter to try to avoid catching a cold. I keep one with me, but rarely use it. When I am in a crowded place in the winter though I have started wearing it just like Japanese do. I first started doing this in 2009. Usually if I am riding a crowded Tokyo train in the winter I will put it on. Also, if I visit a hospital/clinic I will usually put it on. You can buy them everywhere and they are advertised a lot on TV.

This reminds me of a very amusing incident in Tokyo in the spring of 2009. At the time there was much panic about swine flu and the Japanese were particularly wary. Arriving at Tokyo's Narita airport I had to complete a questionnaire about whether I had been or might have been exposed to it. Now, I am quite allergic to dust or to changes in air quality - this often makes me sneeze. So, when a few days later I passed through the lift lobby into the vast entrance auditorium of a big office building, crammed with masked Japanese, I sneezed! Absolutely hilarious, the place cleared instantaneously!

[bakubo]

The link you provided states that the number of people participating in the ritual are declining. On the other hand, it's Wikipedia

Ah, I hadn't seen that bit at the end. Of course, there are fewer 20-year olds in Japan than there used to be so, of course, there are fewer who celebrate the day. As for whether the percentage of 20-year olds who participate is declining I can't say. I imagine it varies by place though. From what I have seen there are many, many young women dressed up in kimono walking around on that day, just like there were on the many other Januarys I have seen in Japan over the years.

[bakubo]

Those masks are almost useless anyway so I read somewhere, it's more about what surfaces, items etc. you have touched with your hands, the same things that other disease ridden humans have been touching...sooner or later your face or nose itches under that mask, and what happens then? you poke a finger under it to rub the itch....don't you?

I don't know how much good they do either. Japanese believe they help though. Doctors often use them too in hospitals when dealing with patients here in Japan and sometimes in the U.S. too. Nothing new about that. You can even see old movies where doctors and nurses where them.

You do still need to be very careful of your hands though and I am. I think most people are, especially in the winter.

When I am not in Japan I usually go several years without catching a cold. But, when living in Tokyo I usually catch 1-3 every year. It is mostly from riding the crowded trains.

[bakubo]

This reminds me of a very amusing incident in Tokyo in the spring of 2009. At the time there was much panic about swine flu and the Japanese were particularly wary. Arriving at Tokyo's Narita airport I had to complete a questionnaire about whether I had been or might have been exposed to it. Now, I am quite allergic to dust or to changes in air quality - this often makes me sneeze. So, when a few days later I passed through the lift lobby into the vast entrance auditorium of a big office building, crammed with masked Japanese, I sneezed! Absolutely hilarious, the place cleared instantaneously!

I can imagine that!

To get this back onto the photo track, here is a recent one I made with the S95:

[caporip]

The good old G12 in action at a gig again. This time the appropriately named (given the current weather) Nine Below Zero.

[bakubo]

Good going of the singer with the Canon G12!

How do you like the G12? From time to time I have considered getting one since it is one of the very few digicams left that has a VF -- even though it is a not so good OVF it is tons better than nothing. In December I got an S95, but almost got a G12. Actually, neither is really what I want in an always-with-me-carry-everywhere camera in my pocket (not shirt pocket) since the G12 is a bit too big and heavy for my pocket and the S95 has no VF at all and is actually so small that it is somewhat awkward in use. The new G1X is very slightly bigger than the G12 and the word is the OVF is slightly better, but it does have a nice, big sensor. Still a bit big for the always-with-me-carry-everywhere camera, but it still looks like it may be interesting as a companion to a DSLR when traveling since if the DSLR poops out you have a compact, everything included (lens, flash, OVF) camera that could get you by quite well until you got home. I usually carry a spare DSLR body, but I have been lucky and never needed it. Actually, something like the G1X might be a better choice than an unused DSLR body while traveling because at times it would be useful when I don't want to carry a big/heavy DSLR body + lens + flash (night at restaurants, etc.).

Okay, here are a few photos from the S95.

A Meiji-era drugstore in Uchiko, Japan had a display of old medicines:



A house in Uchiko, Japan:



Bench at an old streetcar station in Matsuyama, Japan:



A somewhat forlorn looking Shiba in cage:

[Birma]

Interesting pictures Henry. Why is there a barrier in front of the house?

I will never understand why Sony don't put RAW in their compacts. Having RAW makes the Canons a much more appealing prospect.

[bakubo]

Interesting pictures Henry. Why is there a barrier in front of the house?

I have seen these sorts of things many times in many places in Japan, but I never knew what they were. Today I asked a couple of Japanese people and they said they didn't know what they were either and didn't know what they were called. One did a bit of research for me and found this page that has some info so we both became somewhat enlightened about something that is not rare in Japan:

http://japanese.jptravel.net/2010/12/post_78.html

A poor translation:

http://translate.google.com/translate?u ... =&ie=UTF-8

Once we found the name for these things (犬矢来 -- inuyarai) then I could look it up in a dictionary:

犬矢来 【いぬやらい】 (n) short arched (traditionally bamboo) fence around walls of traditional townhouses, esp. in Kyoto (protects lower walls from fouling or damage)

It seems that possibly the exact origin is unknown, but maybe a long time ago it was meant as some sort of barrier to keep the walls of a building clean from dogs urinating on them (or maybe people too).

I did a quick scan of photos on my website and found a few more examples.

Gion, Kyoto



Pontocho, Kyoto



Inuyama



I assume that these days they are more of a decorative feature.

I will never understand why Sony don't put RAW in their compacts. Having RAW makes the Canons a much more appealing prospect.

Yes, I use raw all the time with the S95. Don't know why Sony doesn't have a raw mode for their digicams.

[Birma]

I'm glad I asked Henry - very interesting Before there was good sanitation, I can see this being a good thing to have around the house.

[caporip]

Henry

i rate the G12 highly. definite plusses are the veiwfinder, albeit limited, raw, build and double dials giving it a real flexibility. Its my carry round camera to work, just fitting in my pocket, as well as gigs. i was fortunate to borrow one from a mate at work to see how i got on with it and loved it straight away. The new Canon does look interesting but I'll be sticking to my G12!

[Dr. Harout]

Henry, those fences might be for protecting/preventing moisture penetration... just a wild guess.

[bakubo]

Japan has the lowest birth rate of any country in the world and a shrinking population. With this in mind it is one of the intriguing mysteries of Japan as to why they would discard what appear to be perfectly good children.



Fish in a tank at a sushi restaurant patiently awaiting their turn to be someone's lunch.



Gyotaku (fish print), ink impression on paper of a fish.

[Dr. Harout]

I love sushi....

[Birma]

The fish in the tank remind me of the start of the film Monty Python's the Meaning of Life

I like the giant pram picture. Good way of moving a group of small children from one place to another with minimum fuss!

[bakubo]

The fish in the tank remind me of the start of the film Monty Python's the Meaning of Life

Yes, I remember that!

Here are a couple more from the same sushi restaurant.