A Surfer's Day ~On a Shore in Japan~

He was born and raised in a coastal town. He has been living his life with surfing and loving it since he was a kid. It has been a part of his life rather than a leisure activity.

As he grew to adulthood, he began to travel around the world for waves. However, he says he still loves the waves on the shore of his hometown.

On this day, he got up at 4 o'clock and entered the sea to surf with the sunrise, as usual.

A Surfer's Day ~On a Shore in Japan~ [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Sep. 17th, 2012

Haneda Airport (Tokyo International Airport)

Tokyo area has two major airports. One is Narita Airport and the other is Tokyo International Airport, which is usually called Haneda Airport.

Haneda Airport has been mainly handling domestic flights since Narita Airport, which was initially named New Tokyo International Airport, opened in 1978. However, Narita Airport is located about 60 km away from central Tokyo and not available for takeoffs and landings during the night. The airport is not very accessible or convenient for a lot of travelers.

In the 1990s, the government planned to redevelop Haneda Airport as one of the main international airports in the Tokyo area. It is located beside central Tokyo and is able to handle flights 24 hours a day. A dedicated international terminal was finally opened in 2010.

The terminal has brand new facilities including a unique shopping mall. The mall mocks the streetscape of the Edo Period, which lasted from the begining of 17th century to the middle of 19th century. You can enjoy shopping and meals in the atmosphere of old Japan while waiting for your flight.

Haneda Airport is the 5th busiest airport in the world. Planes take off and land every 2 minutes during rush hour for its large number of domestic flights, while it currently handles only a few international flights. The full-scale operation of international flights at Haneda has just begun. The more advanced development of runways and surrounding facilities is needed urgently.

Haneda Airport (Tokyo International Airport) [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Sep. 18th, 2012

Visit to Grave in Japan

In Japanese Buddhism, people traditionally visit their ancestral graves around equinox days. They place flowers, foods and drinks that the deceased used to love, offer incense sticks at the tombstone and tell her/him how they have been doing these days.

I also visited my father's grave on the autumnal equinox day with my mother, sister and her kids. We bumped into my cousin in front of the tombstone. My father would have been glad to listen to our stories and to meet his grandkids, whom he had never seen during his life.

Visit to Grave in Japan [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Sep. 22nd, 2012

Misaki Port, Miura, Kanagawa

Misaki Port, located at the tip of the Miura Peninsula in Kanagawa Prefecture, is known as a hub of distant water fishing for tuna. It is also a popular tourist destination for people from the Tokyo area and the Yokohama area. Only a 1.5 hour train or car ride from central Tokyo takes you to the calm and quiet seaside town, where you can enjoy good and reasonably priced tuna, marine sports and glorious views.

Misaki Port, Kanagawa, Japan [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Sep. 18th, 2012

Rilakkuma at Shopping Mall

I bumped into Rilakkuma, one of the most popular characters in Japan, at a shopping mall near my place on a Sunday afternoon. Rilakkuma is a combination of two words: 'relax' in Japanese pronunciation and 'kuma', the Japanese word for 'bear'. He (or she?) was surrounded by many shoppers offering them fun and relaxation.
Rilakkuma at Shopping Mall [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Sep. 9th, 2012

Local Shopping Arcade at Akabane, Tokyo

Due to the rise of major supermarket chains and large shopping mall chains, local shopping streets have been declining for these several decades all over Japan. However, there are still many shopping streets supporting local people's usual life. Many of them are shopping arcades. Without having to worry about getting wet even on a rainy day, you can get ingredients for dinner, articles for daily use or something else there at reasonable prices.

Local Shopping Arcade at Akabane, Tokyo [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Sep. 5th, 2012

Way-out Parking Lot in Tokyo

In urban areas of Japan, many buildings were torn down after the collapse of the bubble economy in the early 1990s. The following long continuing recession has been constricting the redevelopment of the vacant lots where the buildings once were.

Nowadays you can see numerous vacancies among buildings being used as a pay-by-the-hour parking lot. They usually have an automated payment machine and are unmanned, but the one I came across while hanging around the other day was a bit different. Check the video to see what it was like! By the way, are they open 24 hours a day?

Way-out Parking Lot in Tokyo [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Aug. 29th, 2012