Japan: On the Monorail to Port Island

To be honest, I am not too happy about the shots below. Except for the first picture, I just shot out the window of the monorail going to Kobe's Port Island. I didn't have any time to prepare my shots, which I dislike. Ah well, some of them offer some insight into what Japan looks like.

Crappy, crappy, crappy. I was in a rush to get to the monorail, so this picture turned out nothing like I had hoped. In the backgroud you can see a train go by.

The monorail runs somewhat above another railway station and I just shot down.

A dream for every concrete/steel lover. Look at those highways!

More highways. I think they are the epithomy of what's wrong with the Japanese construction industry, but at the same time I really enjoy they way the cut through the cities. As soon as I have time, I will try to shoot some of them at night.

Bad everyday weather.

Quotes (I)

Lately, I have to read book after book for my research. Every once in a while I run across delicious quotes. I thought I'd share a couple. Here is the first one:

Salvador Giner (1985: 254) wrote of civil society that "the impression of the notions used may perhaps be more symptomatic of the object described by them than a reflection of carelessness on the part of its interpreters. In stark contrast to the clearly defined boundaries of its 'opposite' entity, the state, those of civil society must always remain unclear. For the state, demarcation is all, whereas for civil society ambiquity - the ambiguity that stems from a certain kind of freedom - is all." I disagree. (p. 23)

Schwartz, Frank J. (2003). "What Is Civil Society?" In: The State of Civil Society in Japan. Schwartz, Frank J. and Pharr, Susan J. (eds.). New York: Cambridge University Press.

Nikon D80 + Nikon AiAF 50mm, f/1:1.4

I bought a new camera and more importantly a new lens. I just couldn't help myself, but I am very happy about it. Here are a few very random first shots:

Kobe: Caffé Latte Mild...

...tastes like cigarette butts.

Kobe: International Relations Textbook Fun

So, I've decided to take international relations this semester. Turns out it is quite a bit harder than I expected it to be. The book itself does not pose too much of a problem, because I can look things up, but listening for 90 minutes to a teacher trying to explain realism and other political-philosophical concepts is not that easy. Luckily, there is no final exam, just a single report. Good times...

Kyoto: Billy's Bar

Japan always appears clean because there's always someone that will clean up right after somebody made a mess. In bars, clubs and other estalishments you can see that Japan is just as dirty as other countries. And the Japanese, too, forget to flush when they are done it seems:

Kobe: McDonald's

The McDonald's near my dorm is amazingly well lit. I only ate there twice so far, since I really, really don't like McD's food. Today I went again, just to take some pictures.

Beat the Devil

This time on Art and Sausages: Beat the Devil. An interesting short film with an interesting cast. James Brown? Yeah, he's alright. Clive Owen? I like him. Gary Oldman? Awesome! And as a special bonus Marilyn Manson just to top it off.

Heal me!

I'm currently a bit ill. Fever and a cough. Great stuff and so much fun! You should try to catch it too.

I heard Vitamin C is good for your health:

Kobe: Rough Rare (Club)

So, yesterday I went out around Sannomiya. Well, probably shouldn't have with my broken foot and all, but I was just too damn bored to be staying in my room on a Saturday evening. So after scouring around for a while and getting slightly pissed in two bars, we decided to go to a club called 'Rough Rare'.

As an indie/alternative fan, I found the mix of Japanese rock-ish music and Coldplay, The Killers, etc. quite nice. I tried to request Linda Linda by The Blue Hearts, but they either didn't hear or deliberately ignored my wish. Ah well... The club itself stretches over three floors. Each floor has it's own DJ and dancefloor which makes it quite easy to escape crappy music by just going up or down a floor. One thing I especially liked about Rough Rare were the drinks. They weren't that special, but when you use your best sad puppy-eyes-look on the barmaid she'll make them double.


The Blue Hearts - Linda Linda