Goodbyes and Hellos

Today was the last business day of this fiscal year.

I'm so bad at saying good byes...but this time around, I'm the one leaving my sector. And although my new position will only mean that I have to move a little bit down the office and I can still see everyone everyday, it's still good bye.

Spring means an end to many thing here in Japan. It's not only the end of the fiscal year for most companies but also the end of the school year, which means graduation season. It also means that these plum blossoms won't be around anymore either.

But along with good byes bring a new round of hellos, which is always a little nerve wrecking and at the same time a wonderful thing. So I'm looking forward to the fresh new start I'll be facing starting next week. I'm excited for April because it means many new hellos...and also the cherry blossoms all of us are looking forward to!

Are you ready for April?

Enjoy looking at more beautiful skies all around the world here.

Story of Isetan

This is Shinjuku Isetan, one of the biggest department stores we have in Shinjuku. It was chosen as the most popular department store among working women last year in Tokyo. It's always crowded with shoppers, especially on the weekends!

Shinjuku Isetan was first built in 1933. Then in 1935, they bought out their neighboring department store and it was rebuilt the following year (photo below) and not much of the building has changed since then.

Right after the war, Shinjuku Isetan was actually occupied by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers and used as one of its bases for about 8 years, possibly because Shinjuku was located between the General Headquarters near Tokyo Station and Yokota Army Base in Fussa (which is now Yokota Air Base). It reopened as a department store after the San Francisco Peace Treaty was officially signed by Japan and the Allied Powers in 1951.

I don't go in here often, but I like to sometimes just stop and admire the building and imagine all that it has seen.

Hope you all have a wonderful Friday!

Enjoy looking at more beautiful skies all around the world here.

Sweet and Yellow

I couldn't resist posting another photo of the lovely Winter Sweet blooms...the yellow color just brightens up my day!

Hope you are all having a wonderful Friday today!

Enjoy looking at more beautiful skies all around the world here.

Everywhere I Go

It seems ever since moving to Tokyo, where snow is not a regular occurrence, I find I have this need to make snowmen/women, no matter how small, every time I see snow.

Is this just me? I never had this need growing up in Michigan, a midwest state in the US, where we were bombarded by piles of snow each year. Nor did I have this problem when I lived in Sapporo, which is in the most northern prefecture of Japan, where snow is piled so high that it's still around in May. So it must be one of those symptoms you get when you are deprived of something.

Well, it's actually getting warmer lately, although it's hard to tell with all the wind. But I don't think I'll be making anymore snowmen/women in Shinjuku. I'm ready for spring!

Hope you're all having a wonderful Friday!

Enjoy looking at more beautiful skies all around the world here.

Oh So Blue

The sky is a gorgeous blue today.

I'm kinda a boo-hoo blue. The great thing is, I think I've FINALLY gotten over my holiday break and am ready to get back into the groove of things. (And yes, I have been back at work for over a week already...but, you know.) The boo-hoo thing is, my groove came back just in time for my super busy couple of weeks that are going to be crazy. So my posts may be kind of sporadic.

But I'm just very thankful that I actually have a job that keeps me busy. I just heard on the news that many of the people who lost their jobs last year in the earthquake and tsunami up north may not be able to continue to receive unemployment payments any more. So that means, no jobs and no support while they try to rebuild their lives. They must have so much to worry about.

So I'm really thankful I'm so busy. Especially with the sky is so blue.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Enjoy looking at more beautiful skies all around the world here.

Brrr

Oh wow. I'm feeling the cold every time I step outside lately.

Can you believe we only have one more day until the new year? Have you already decided on a new years resolution?

I hope you are all enjoying the last Friday of the year!

Enjoy looking at more beautiful skies all around the world here.

Painted Yellow

The golden ginkgo leaves are starting to pop up all over the city lately!

Some are still a little green while others are scattered all across the sidewalk. But either way they really brighten up the streets!

Hope you're enjoying a bright and beautiful day...Happy Friday!

Enjoy looking at more beautiful skies all around the world here.

Golden Glory

I was so excited when I found this ginkgo tree in all its golden glory the other day!

Spending most of the day in the office and getting off of work when it's pitch black outside, there really isn't much time to enjoy these lovely fall colors. But I have a whole hour of lunch break and when it's a sunny day like this, I can't help but walk around and take pictures!

Crossing my fingers for more days like this. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Enjoy looking at more beautiful skies all around the world here.

Ruby Red

Hello friends. I'm finally back on my feet after my long weekend trip.

It seems like while I was there, we stepped right into fall here in Shinjuku! The leaves are gradually turning different colors...and I'm loving every minute of it!

For those of you who read and/or commented on my last post...just wanted to let you know that my speech at my best friend's wedding reception went surprisingly well. I did end up crying a bit but my friends said they liked my speech so I'm happy with it! Thanks so much for the supportive comments and I hope you all enjoy a lovely fall weekend!

Enjoy looking at more beautiful skies all around the world here.

West Side Stories

This is a view of the skyscrapers on the west side of Shinjuku Station.

The building on the left is Hyatt Regency Tokyo and the one on right is the Tokyo Metropolis Government building. Shinjuku Chuo Park is right behind these buildings and it's a great spot to peek at the tall buildings through the trees.

It's finally Friday and I don't know about you but I'm ready to embrace the weekend. Hope you are all doing well this weekend, too!

Enjoy looking at more beautiful skies all around the world here.

Fall Skies

The sky was almost purple.

I love summer because I get off of work before sunset. As the days start getting shorter in the fall, by the time I get off work, it's already pitch black outside. I'll miss heading home under a pretty sky like this.

Happy weekend everyone!

Enjoy looking at more beautiful skies all around the world here.

Also see other wonderful reflections from around the world

at Weekend Reflections hosted by James.

River Deep

This is a part of Kanda River that was used as the outer moat of Edo Castle, which is now the Tokyo Imperial Palace.

Kanda River is a 24.6km river that flows through 9 cities of Tokyo, including Shinjuku. It was unfortunately also known as a river that would always overflow when a typhoon came. But in the 1980s they implemented a flood control system through underground regulating reservoirs and diversion channels, which drastically brought down the chances of any flooding. Thank goodness!

Hope you are all having a wonderful Friday and enjoy your weekend to come!  

Enjoy looking at more beautiful skies all around the world here.

Happy Feet

Sometimes my feet simply crave the grass, which is something we have very little of here in the city.

But Shinjuku if blessed with Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, a gorgeous park in the middle of the city, and I always head here when I have an afternoon off to be lazy. Hope you all enjoy a wonderfully lazy afternoon this weekend! Happy friday!





Enjoy looking at more beautiful skies all around the world here.
(In memory of Klaus Peter)

Below the Clouds

The clouds were all fluffy above Shinjuku.

And I was melting on one of the streets below it today. Although this is what I was expecting...it still hits me as a shock how hot and humid a place can become.

I hope you are all having a wonderful Friday and have a nice and cool weekend scheduled ahead!

Enjoy looking at more beautiful skies all around the world here.

Let It Shine

The sky was magnificent.

I thought it was a fabulous way to end this work week. So was learning that my friend Dimitri, who just completed his Project Biwa fundraiser for the earthquake relief here in Japan, has joined Skywatch Friday with his photos taken during his project! Hope you'll go see here!

And I just realized that Cafe Pasadena, who always has humorous posts with amazing amounts of information regarding the city of Pasadena in California, has joined Skywatch Friday, too! Hope you'll go see here, too!

Wishing you all a fabulous weekend with friends and family!

Enjoy looking at more beautiful skies all around the world here.

Quiet Evening

A lovely sunset over the city.

Is it just me or does that high-rise building on the left look like it's going to fall over any minute? Don't know about you but I'm ready to relax again. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Enjoy looking at more beautiful skies all around the world here.

Hurrying Home

People crossing the street and heading toward the station.

I don't know about you but I'm ready for this week to be over. So glad it's Friday today. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend ahead! And I hope all of you in Japan enjoy the three-day weekend!

Enjoy looking at more beautiful skies all around the world here.

All That Flair

This photo is for VP, who asked what the "Bell Bottom Bldg" looked like in a previous post.

This building is officially called "Sonpo Japan Headquarter Building" and was built in 1976, which is actually around the time when I hear bell bottoms were popular here in Japan. I grew up in the 90s when those saggy baggy jeans with teeny tiny t-shirts were popular so I never got to actually wear real bell bottoms. Which is a shame because I love styles from the 70s!

Anyways, back to our bell bottom bldg...it was designed by Yoshikazu Uchida, a famous architect who was known for his "Uchida Gothic" style. After the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923, he was in charge of the reconstruction of the University of Tokyo campus. This building was one of the last designs that he did and although he was not alive when it completed, it's still one of the most famous skyscrapers in the west Shinjuku area.

Do you think it looks like a bell-bottom?

Enjoy looking at more beautiful skies all around the world here.

Rise Up

These are the two buildings that are waiting for tenants to move in. The one of the left is the Shinjuku Front Tower I posted about on theme day and the one of the right is called Nishi Shinjuku 8-chome Project, which obviously is still a tentative name. I think it's scheduled to be completed at the end of this year.

I liked how the sky reflected on to the building's windows.

On a personal note, I'm heading down to Osaka to see my parents for an extended weekend today. Then after a couple of days back in Tokyo, I'll be heading north this time to spend a week volunteering in an area still affected in the aftermath of the 3.11 earthquake and tsunami. So I may not be able to have new posts ready for about 2 weeks but will try to go see all your lovely photos when I have the time! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Enjoy looking at more beautiful skies all around the world here.

See other wonderful reflections from around the world at Weekend Reflections hosted by James.

We Stand United

Our Shinjuku skyscrapers looming above the city.

From the left is Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower (newly built in 2008), Shinjuku Center Building (the tallest of the four buildings at 54 stories), Shinjuku L Tower (closest to the station), and Sonpo Japan Headquarter Building (also called "bell bottom bldg" because of its shape).

Even though I really like seeing this view...I was glad to leave all this behind and head home to start my weekend. Happy Friday to you all!
Enjoy looking at more beautiful skies all around the world here.