Snow Night Grid

Forest Fun

Kurohime Slope

Sun and Snow

Happy New Year

Great start to 2015 playing the the powder forests.

Buckwheat Noodles and Squid Tempura

Traditional Yamagata food for the New Year Holiday

Mountains Everywhere

Persimmon Tree

Road from Tendo

Yamagata City from the West

Boarder

Blizzard Mountain

Kite

Driving home from Work

Through the mountains and rice field, snow makes everything even more beautiful.  The mountains seem so peaceful with snow.

New Camera

Finally a manual camera, I love taking pictures in low light, and picked up a Sony M, the reviews were all terrible, but I couldn't resist the price.  First walk out in the snow through the neighbourhood temple garden.

Thai Basil Gourmet

Jewel Lights

Evening Walk

Coffee Time

Aesthetic Eating

Tokyo Station

Love the graphic for this train station sign.

Picnic Spot

Hand Knitted Trousers

I am so grateful for these woolen trousers, perfect for warming up and cooling down, at the beginning and end of yoga practice.  Perfect.

Funky Coloured Clouds

Just can't resist these cool colour cloud shots while riding around town.

Gourd Lamp

TUAD - Tohoku University of Art and Design

Beautiful morning view.

Hijiori Lantern - 肘折ランタン

Artists spend a night in a hot spring town and make a lantern, inspired by their stay in this little time warp of a bathing town, deep in the mountains of Yamagata.  This is Mise Natsunoke's.

A Detail

Love how these appears to be peeling off a layer to reveal the gold underneath.  Like meditating.  Sitting still for long enough to feel the gold.

Mise Natsunosuke

First stumbled upon his work at an exhibition in Tokyo - was very difficult to tear myself away from the paintings, fascinated and totally absorbed.  That was about nine years ago, now he is a professor  in the art university here in town, I haven't seen his work for nine years - just wonderful.  Love this.  Look at the shadows on the far left of these panels, they were made by hanging a large intricately designed cut out work, creating another layer, an ethereal element, a movement in the work.  Sublime. The exhibition feels like a journey, internal and careening with moments of peace.

蔵王ドッコ沼 Still Lakes

In full Autumnal glory!

Another of Yamagata's Waterfalls

We walked about two hours, and this was what greeted us near the end.  The map showed a waterfall, but we didn't expect this!

Forest Hiking

The Prana was tangible!

Small Shrine

On the way to the top of Gassan.

月山 - Moon Mountain

Mt Gassan is one of the three holy mountains that make up the Dewa SanZan.  A sacred training ground for the Mountain Ascetics, who've been in these parts a long long time.

Autumn Hiking

One of my all time favourite mountains to climb.  Mt. Gassan.  It was in particularly splendid form on this day!