Sunday 5th - Yuka

Sunday 5th February 2006. A couple of pictures from a Sunday afternoon spent with Yuka.

Sunday 14:41 Yuka came over for a late Sunday lunch. This picture didn't come out so well as we had the light behind us.

Sunday 14:41 That's a bit better. Chie declined to be in a picture today, as she wasn't feeling her best!

Sunday 17:15 A rather grotty karaoke place near where we live, that we spent a slightly dissatisfying hour in.

Tuesday 7th - Snowy Day

Tuesday 7th February 2006. A one off snowy day.

Tuesday 08:09 Those now famous rooftops we can see from the balcony of our apartment.

Tuesday 08:09 My little collection of trees/plants struggling on bravely through the adverse weather conditions.

Tuesday 08:09 Yes, it was all looking quite bleak!

Saturday 11th - Shinjuku

Saturday 11th February 2006. Day in and around Shinjuku - afternoon in the park, and evening out with Hide.

Saturday 14:52 No, we haven't gone anywhere fancy on holiday, this is in the greenhouse in Shinjuku Gyoen (one of Tokyo's largest parks).

Saturday 14:56 Me, hiding behind a leaf.

Saturday 14:58 Bananas! B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

Saturday 15:03 I think these were some kind of citrus fruit?

Saturday 15:06 Avocado!

Saturday 15:08 Erm.... some kind of grapefruit.

Saturday 15:09 What a nice bit of landscaping there.

Saturday 15:09 Just to prove it is all a greenhouse.

Saturday 15:15 Outside in Shinjukugyoen.

Saturday 15:49 The grass had all turned this sort of sandy colour. Weird.

Saturday 16:51 I took a fancy to this odd building, for no particular reason.

Saturday 18:14 Aha, met up with Hide now, in a nice little foreign beer bar near Shinjuku station.

Saturday 18:14 Me and Chie in the same bar.

Saturday 18:54 Outside this bar - partly just to remember the place, as I thought it might be worth another visit.

Saturday 19:13 The next venue was a Tsubohachi where I had these kind of filo pastry things, that for some odd reason appeared to require a photo.

Saturday 19:13 Me and Hide.

Saturday 19:16 The menu at Tsubohachi.

Saturday 22:16 The last venue of the evening - my manager's favourite karaoke bar in Shinjuku. Hide was suitably impressed!

Sunday 12th - Whisky Live

Sunday 12th February 2006. At the annual whisky exhibtion with Watanabe-san.

Sunday 17:19 Here's me with Akuto-san (the Ichiro behind the Ichiro's Malt series) from Chichibu Distillery.

Sunday 17:22 I think this chap was someone rather important in the Japanese whisky industry, and embarassingly I have forgotten his name.

Sunday 17:37 Watanabe-san and another Japanese whisky dignitary.

Sunday 17:38 Me and the previous dignitary - lovely kilt there!

Sunday 17:41 Richard Paterson (one of the most famous men in whisky) plus a couple of his colleagues on the Jura stand.

Sunday 17:45 There's Dave Broom up on the little stage.

Sunday 18:00 Me, a guy I met once before called Mike, and the famous Dave Broom.

Sunday 18:05 A general picture of the exhibtion hall - I think things were starting to wind down by this point.

Sunday 18:05 Taken from another angle, and therefore looking a little more lively.

Sunday 18:12 Me with Hamabe-san (who I'd met once before) and another whisky dignitary whose name escapes me.

Sunday 18:46 I don't think this was my idea - but this picture is worth the embarassment for the little cheeky glance Akuto-san is giving over one of the girl's shoulders.

Sunday 20:38 Aaaaahhhhh... the salt. Me and Watanabe-san went for a bite to eat after the exhibition, and I was amazed to find this make of Sea Salt, produced near to where my Dad lives in North Wales.

Sunday 19th - Old Friends

Sunday 19th February 2006. A day spent with old friends!

Sunday 18:52 Chie and Kanako in our flat, with some confusion over hand signals occurring.

Sunday 21:54 Later on met up with Dale too.

Sunday 21:54 Kanako, Chie and Dale.

Sunday 21:54 Dale and me, with me looking a bit daft.