We're Back!

Just when you thought this blog was in the ground, I come around and surprise you with the comeback of the century!

This deserves some fireworks to celebrate I think:



First of all, Happy New Year (I know it is now already February, get off my back, jeez) Hope you all had a good Christmas/New Year break, and for my New Zealand based audience, that a grand summer was had!

Last I wrote I had just climbed Mt Kawanoriyama, immediately after which I was hit by the mother of all viral infections and was laid off for almost a fortnight, which was kinda gross, lost of a fair bit of weight and felt generally pretty rotten; but all good now!

To start things off, a little review of the last couple of months of 2018:

Claire and I went to Yayoi Kusama's Gallery, to see some polka dots and pumpkins (we were not disappointed)

Groups of illuminated, small pumpkins

One big, un-illuminated pumpkin. And a Claire.
We also went to a quirky gallery in Gaienmae that had some edgy, messy art which was kinda cool.



I did a program connecting foreign students with high school students to learn English, during which I had an obscenely sweet bubble tea with oreos





My parents and a family friend visited Japan for a few weeks

Obligatory Hachiko photo

Hachiko ft. Kool Kat & Kitten

Shibuya Crossing observation deck

Meiji Shrine 
Good luck rakes at the Tori-no-ichi festival, supposed to bring commercial success



Tori-no-ichi crowds 
The four of us in Odaiba (not New York, despite appearances)



The 20m high Gundam Statue that's five minutes from my room

Reflective floors and trippy light bonanza at TeamLab Planets

Immersive experience with light projections on milky water at TeamLab


Catching reflections at Hamarikyu Gardens

Disaster Art at the Mori Gallery

Getting my face printed into a coffee at the Nissan Ginza Cafe and Showroom



A whole collection of coffee based portraits

Tokyo Midtown outdid themselves this year with the winter illumination, this time with 750,000 lights (2017 was only 500,000)



Views over Tokyo at night

The Winter Decor at the local mall; who'd think you could walk down an Italian Boulevard while shopping for chopsticks?

Senso-ji Temple and Pagoda at night in Asakusa

I was also on a panel of UTokyo students interviewing the head of the United Nations Development Program, for which I was then myself interviewed for Japanese TV - this was a very cool experience for me




Claire and I climbed up Mt Takao to see some koyo (autumnal leaves)



I made several missions during the night to capture fireworks and other general illuminations in the area around my dormitory, getting some good colours and long exposures







I went back to New Zealand for a weekend for the wedding of two very good friends of mine, which gave me a little taste of summer at (what is for me) the normal time of year



I further developed my passion for craft beer, getting into some nice wee brews in the lead up to New Year


I took the third in a series of photos of me at the same spot (2011, 2017, 2018)






Christmas happened in a number of iterations, with a Christmas Cocktail Party, Christmas Eve and Carols with Claire and a Christmas Day Party - a lot of C's in that sentence!






New Years Eve was a relatively quiet one, compared to 2017-2018, but a few of us got together for dinner and then the countdown in Shibuya - was home by 3am (how pedestrian!)



This year photographically so far I've done reasonably little; I went to a yummy chocolate market with Claire and saw some cool glass art, met up with some friends from AFS all way back in 2011 (though I did see one in 2017 too), and then helped a friend build something of a modelling portfolio as he tries to break into that industry




A fellow NZ AFSer from my cohort in 2011-12


Varun and I in winter 2017


And again in winter 2018-19



Finally I've been seeing some gorgeous sunsets lately, and because I live so close to the water, I've been meaning to get out and catch some of them - a couple of attempts have been slightly less successful due to the conditions, but then I got this gem a couple of days ago - Japan is also the land of the setting sun, it would appear!



In terms of my other updates, I have now finished the coursework component of my master's degree - now it is purely research and thesis stuff. That means no more regular trips to Kashiwa, meaning I'm saving three hours a day not commuting, not to mention the almost $25 round trip! I've got a nice home office set up, and plan to make the most of that; a far more efficient and cost effective solution!

I have a friend from NZ coming to visit - he arrives tomorrow for a few weeks, so we have some adventures lined up, and then Claire and I will be going to Naoshima in a couple of weeks for nice long weekend of art galleries and adventure - can't wait!

There's going to be some more material coming up shortly, so you can probably consider this blog restarted; keep checking back and you'll be sure to get lucky sooner or later! 

Til then,

Troy :D

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