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Shimbashi

Near Shimbashi Station October 2019

Shimbashi is a business and entertainment district in Tokyo. Many “salaryman” (office worker) and “OL” (office lady) work in this area of the city because many business offices are located there. There are many affordable bars, izakayas, and restaurants in the area. Shimbashi station has seven different railway lines converge on Shimbashi including the Yamanote line (central Tokyo), Yokosuke line (Yokohama & Kamakura), Keihin-Tohoku line (Shinagawa & Yokohama), and the Ginza subway line (Asakusa & Shibuya). Shimbashi is known for being Tokyo’s first railway terminal, for the Tokyo to Yokohama line, from 1872 to 1914. During the night time Shimbashi becomes an intoxicated “salaryman” territory, full of karaoke, izakayas, bars, and on weekends many taxis to take home the drunken after missing their train or subway. Shimbashi is full of people and it’s a very busy district of Tokyo during the evening commute hour.

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Guadalupe River Mural

 

Pow Wow San Jose and the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy have partnered together to create several murals along the Guadalupe River in downtown San Jose from 2020 to 2021.

Kristina Micotti is the artist that recently painted the murals at the Guadalupe River Trail at Santa Clara Street near the SAP Center in San Jose. She was commissioned to paint these murals through Pow Wow San Jose and the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy. The murals are located on both sides of the Santa Clara Street underpass and along the Guadalupe River Trail.

Art can be method to give people hope and can inspire people for a brighter future for all.

 

https://www.instagram.com/kristinamicotti/

https://www.powwowsanjose.com/pwsj-2021

https://www.grpg.org/

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Amtrak #532

amtrak

 

 

Capitol Corridor: Northbound from San Jose-Oakland-Emeryville/SF-Sacramento-Auburn

 

 

From the horizon

 

 

amtrak # 532

 

 

passes by

 

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Sakata Yamagata Prefeccture

 

酒田のラーメン 月 Ramen Tsuki in Sakata http://www.sakata-mangetsu.com/tsuki/

 

Sakata is coast port town in Yamagata Prefecture along the Sea of Japan. Sakata was developed by merchants in the 17th to 19th century to trade rice and local products from Hokkaido to Kyoto and Tokyo. Currently the city produces some of finest sake and rice in all of Japan. It is also located near Mount Chokai and it’s network of spring water and waterfalls. The area also consumes the highest consumption of ramen in Japan.

http://www.city.sakata.lg.jp/homepage/Multilingual.html

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Earthy Glow

 

Salt pond at Alviso Slough Trail at Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Alviso

 

Unusual winter

 

creates

 

surprise of nature

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American Avocet & Black-necked Stilt

The American Avocet bird is a relatively large shorebird with an upturned bill, long neck, and round head. It feeds by wading through shallow waterswhile looking for crustaceans, insects, and fish.  Breeding Avocet’s are brown, black, and white while the non-breeding Avocet’s are white and black.  It is found in wetlands, salt ponds, and evaporation ponds. During winter also uses inter-tidal mudflats, and flooded pastures. It’s habitat is from Washington and British Columbia, east to Minnesota, and south to California and Texas. 

 

The Black-necked Stilt has colourful rose-pink legs, a thin black bill, and black-and-white feathers. They are often seen moving through wetlands in search of food while making high pitched yapping sounds. You can often view Stilts on salt-marshes, flooded fields, or salt pans. Black-necked Stilt’s are found in wetlands from North America and the Caribbean south to central Argentina.

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Yokohama Chinatown

 

Yokohama Chinatown is the largest Chinatown in Japan and started in 1859 when Japan opened to foreign trade. The Chinese migrants opened institutions and temples such as Yokohama Kanteibyo (Guan Di Miao) 横滨关帝庙 which became a center for Chinese immigrants. After World War II a goodwill archway of Paifang was built and the area was recognized as Chinatown. Yokohama Chinatown has over 300 densely packed Chinese shops and restaurants. To access Yokohama Chinatown please either take JR Negishi Line get off Ishikawacho Station or take Minatomirai Line and exit Motomachi-Chukagai Station.

 

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Babe the Muffler Man

 

Babe’s Muffler Service in San Jose has been in business since 1953. In order to attract more business, “The Muffler Man” was created in the 1960’s. There are more than 220 muffler statues throughout the United States. The City of San Jose designated Babe as a historic Landmark. The statue of Babe The Muffler Man is located at 808 The Alameda in San Jose near the San Jose Sharks hockey arena.

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Hara Model Railway Museum Revisited

 

The Hara Model Railway Museum in Yokohama is a special place to visit.  But due to the covid-19 pandemic, the Railway Museum is closed indefinitely.  You can start off by experiencing real train driving by trying Ugotetsu (a train simulator).  Nobutara Hara, the creator, has a nice display of his HO Gauge Models.  Mr. Hara has an impressive collection and knowledge of model train history.  The Hara Museum has some very colourful dioramas or three dimensional miniature railways.  It is definitely a worthy side trip to visit the Hara Model Railway Museum.

 

https://www.hara-mrm.com/english/index.html

 

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