While I was in Mission, I took few shots while walking using Auto Aperture setting. The camera felt good, but since I was using the Sony SEL16F28 16mm f/2.8 Wide-Angle lens, there were occasions where I had to walk up to capture the details of the subject I wanted to take.

When I went to the Alta Plaza Park, I had the opportunity to test taking photos in various direction where light was coming at me directly versus shooting away towards buildings to see how colors would come out.

I like this photo. In other typical camera, the people in the shade might have came out too dark, but the camera was able to beautifully handle without putting out strong contrasts.

I like this photo. The color came out vivid, even I was taking it while walking. Even zooming into the cables, you see that the Nex 5N was able to process each cable line beautifully.

I switched over to iA mode (automatic intelligence mode), and shot the Mollie Stone grocery store while sun light is facing the camera. This shot was pretty cool, because I learned that the camera was able to adjust or process such harsh light and the image of the store was captured pretty nicely (although not perfect). I gives me confidence to use iA mode when I’m not sure what set up will give me a good quality output.

I’m a total amateur in photography, but I came to learn that I can trust this camera to take some great photos. I wish the camera had more lens options, as I like to take more photos of buildings and scenery, I don’t think this lens will do it. Not sure if Sony offers another wide angle e-mount lens as an option.

Because the Nex-5N is a touch screen, I’m constantly worried about scratching the screen… I highly recommend getting a screen protector sheet for the LCD screen.

Another one that I recommend getting is, a lens protector film. The lens cap is small and requires pinching the cap to take it off. There were many occasions where I almost dropped the cap, and in that process I worry about damaging my lens. Might as well grab a protector that has a UV cut filter.

Here is a quick overview of Hiroshima..
Hiroshima was proclaimed a City of Peace by the Japanese parliament in 1949, at the initiative of its mayor, Shinzo Hamai (1905–1968). As a result, the city of Hiroshima received more international attention as a desirable location for holding international conferences on peace as well as social issues.

Itsukushima is an island in the western part of the Inland Sea of Japan, located in the northwest of Hiroshima Bay. It is popularly known as Miyajima, the Shrine Island. The island is one of Hayashi Razan’s Three Views of Japan. The Three Views of Japan is the canonical list of Japan’s three most celebrated scenic sights,

Itsukushima is part of the city of Hatsukaichi in Hiroshima Prefecture. The island was the town of Miyajima prior to the 2005 merger with Hatsukaichi.

Itsukushima is famous for the Itsukushima Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. According to records, the shrine was established in the time of Empress Suiko. The warrior-courtier Taira no Kiyomori gave the shrine its present form. In 1555, Mōri Motonari defeated Sue Harukata at the Battle of Miyajima. Toyotomi Hideyoshi built a large building, the Senjō-kaku, on a hill above the shrine.

Taking a bullet train (Shinkansen) to Hiroshima from Japan. It takes a little over 4 hours.

This torii at the Itsukushima Shrine in Miyajima island. The tide will bring up and down the water depending on a day so worth capturing the shot during the morning and in the later afternoon.

Okonomi-yaki is one of Hiroshima’s famous dish. You can refer it as a Japanese pancake. It is so good. Must have if you’re in Hiroshima.

Atomic Bomb Dome, a world heritage site of UNESCO to remember the tragic nuclear bombing during World War II.

キャンパスはすごく美しくて、歴史を残しつつ、近代的なビルもうまく共存してる感じがあってすてきです。

クマが用を足した後、ベニールにうんこを入れた時に間違えて手についてしまった時、トイレを探すのに一苦労した記憶があります。。。
さすがにに週末だったのでビルはほとんどしまっており、なかなか開いてるビルをさがすのが困難でした。なので、事前にトイレの場所をチェックする価値ありかも。

日曜日に開いてるかわかりませんが、「IKE’s Place」って言うサンフランシスコでは有名なサンドイッチ屋がキャンパス内にあるので是非食べてみてください。オススメです。

HPのDavid Packardのエンジニアビル

オススメはラテで、他のお店と何が違うかと言うと雑誌がおいてあって、ほしければ買える感じです。お店に長居してくださいと言わんばかりな感じが好きです。

週末にはブルース系又はブルーグラス系のバンドがお店の前で演奏をすることもしばしば。もちろんWiFiもあります。

Info: Farley’s @ Potrero Hills

My wife and I took our dog “Kuma” and walked the park, and down the path to the beach where many dogs were swimming off-leash. Since Daly city is always in fog, it could get quite cold. However, during summer the day may turn out really nice.

I’ve also learned that the place is well known for Hang-Gliding. On a day where there is enough strong wind, people are flying close to the shore.

Since the park is friendly for dogs, there is a place for dogs to drink water, and there are multiple places with trash cans. This place is highly recommended for people who own a dog.

Fore more info: Fort Funston park in San Francisco

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Fort Funston Details:
In some places at Fort Funston the dunes reach heights of 200 feet or more. At the foot of these rugged dunes and cliffs is a wild and windy beach suitable for walking or horseback riding.

These great sandy bluffs, combined with the steady ocean breeze, make Fort Funston one of the premier hang-gliding spots in the nation—especially between the months of March and October. Fort Funston is a Hang-III (intermediate) site with a launch area and wheelchair-accessible viewing deck. For those interested in learning more about this daring sport, several hang-gliding shops in the Fort Funston area offer instruction, sales, and repairs.

I took my wife and out dog to walk the campus. We walked down the Galves St., grabbed a map from visitor center, cut through Serra Mall and the Oval Park, and went around the William Hewlett Teaching Center.

We stopped by the cafe in Jens-Hsun engineering center and bought Ike’s Place’s sandwich. Ike’s Place sandwich is a pretty famous sandwich joint in San Francisco so I was pretty delighted to find it in Stanford.

My dog seemed to enjoy the walk as the campus was pretty big and has beautiful landscaping. Here are some photos from the walk. Enjoy!

My dog Kuma and his new fake owners. He seems to be liking them…

More photos on my flick set

http://www.yelp.com/biz/plow-san-francisco

We walked around the neighbor and the walk turned out really nice. The view from the hill was gorgeous, and learned that the city has a really nice library. I really don’t mind chilling out at the library for some serious blogging while watching the gorgeous city of San Francisco.

After walking around we stopped by a caffee shop called Farley’s. The latte was really good, so I gave it a 4 stars on Yelp. Yay!

There were few other restaurants that looked really great, so I’ll definitely stop by and something out.

Potrero Hills SF, CA

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Potrero Hill is located on the eastern side of the city, east of the Mission District and south of SOMA (South of Market) and the newly designated district Showplace Square. It is roughly bordered by 16th Street to the north, Potrero Avenue (above 20th Street) and U.S. Route 101 (below 20th Street) to the west and Cesar Chavez Street to the south; although the city of San Francisco considers the area below 20th Street between Potrero Ave and Route 101 to be part of Potrero Hill as well, as outlined in the Eastern Neighborhood Plan.

The area east of Highway 280 is Dogpatch, generally regarded as a subdivision of Potrero Hiill. Dogpatch is mostly flatland and has many docks and most are built atop landfill. Dogpatch is a highly industrialized area with pockets of residences while Potrero Hill is mostly a residential area with some light industrial buildings. Dogpatch is regarded as part of Potrero Hill although it has its own unique characteristic and identity.

僕らが乗ったのはPowell/Hyde ラインでダウンタウンのPowellとMarketの所からフィッシャーマンズワーフまでつないでます。

このルートが一番長そうだし、観光客向けではあるし、観光シーズンの時には決行並ぶし待ちます。一時間ぐらいは覚悟した方がいいですね。カリフォルニアラインは決行一般人の人も使ってる感じで決行他のラインよりは空いてる感じです。

切符さえあれば乗り降り出来る感じだから、途中下車して写真とっては又乗るっていう手もありますね。Powell/Hyde線でPowellからHydeに向かう方面は車体の右に乗るのをオススメする。一回ロシアンヒルっていう有名なジグザグしてる道に一時停止するので、かなりのいい写真スポットですね。

Mountain View farmers’ market was awarded # 1 Favorite Farmers’ Market in the Bay Area by the American Farmland Trust’s America’s Favorite Farmers’ Market Contest.

You can do all of your shopping while getting to know the farm that grows your food. The Mountain View Farmers’ Market was also awarded # 2 Favorite Farmers’ Market in the State of California, and # 5 Favorite Large Farmers’ Market in America! With over 80 farmers and food producers.

It is right off the Mountain View Cal Train station, so the location is pretty convenient if needed to take a train from other city.

There are two types of clays that Heath uses, one from Sacramento and another from Colorado/mid-west. The majority of the process is pretty manual and requires a lot of experience. Each type of work is handled by a craftsman that mastered their work. I wonder what would happen if one person takes PTO or even a sick leave… I should have asked.

The end result of the work comes our and goes through some pretty intense quality control process. The second level graded items are usually sold at some discount in their store, so check it out. Heath has seasonal work as well, so it is pretty nice to see their work in unique design every season.

Here is a little description about the place… Mid Century design ceramic placing a strong emphasis on design, handcrafted techniques, and the reinvigoration of the company’s designer-maker legacy. Its dinnerware is used in the country’s top restaurants, such as Chez Panisse, Brasserie 44 at the Royalton Hotel, and The Slanted Door.

The ceramics aren’t cheap, but definitely worth the value if you like to own a piece of unique tableware that is very nice looking. To me the colors resemble the traditional/ancient colors in Japan described as “awai” color.

Right across from the Heath ceramics studio is a art center where many artists rent to work on their arts and show case. Worth checking that out as well.

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Salsiccia is a pizza made with housemade fennel sausage, tomato, bell peppers, onions, and mozzarella. The pizza is so addictive. The pizzas at Delfina is pretty thin, so don’t expect the the pizza to be thick and big.

The food at Pizzeria Delfina is inspired by the owner Craig’s memories of New York-style pies from his youth and pizza from the best pizzerias of Naples. The menu features six Neapolitan inspired, thin crust pizzas and two daily-changing special pies and a “piatto del giorno” from the oven. The food is Italian in spirit, using local, seasonal ingredients. The beverage program includes twenty carefully selected southern Italian wines, most of which are available by-the-glass.

Pizzeria Delfina

- Little expensive, but the empanadas sold at the little booth are great!
- Delica is a nice Japanese casual dining place. In Japan, that type of foods are called ‘cafe meshi’. Great stuff!
- Heath ceramic: I’ve been to the main shop in Sausalito off Golden Gate Bridge, but they’ve got great ceramics. Colors are very cute.
- I love salami. Boccalone Salumeria is a great place to grab some delicious salamis. The sandwich is so good.

For more info: http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/

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The Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market is commonly known as the Tsukiji Market (Tsukiji shijo-), is the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world and also one of the largest wholesale food markets of any kind. The market is located in Tsukiji in central Tokyo, and is a major attraction for foreign visitors.

The three major attractions around Tsukiji market are:
Touring the fish market
The market is the busiest between 5:30 and 8:00 a.m., and the activity declines significantly afterward. Many shops start to close around 11:00 a.m., and the market closes for cleaning around 1:00 p.m. Tourists may visit the market daily between 5 a.m. and 6:15 a.m. and watch the proceedings from a designated area.

Maguro (big tuna) auction
The auctions start around 5:20 a.m. Bidding can only be done by licensed participants. These bidders include intermediate wholesalers (nakaoroshi gyōsha) who operate stalls in the marketplace and other licensed buyers who are agents for restaurants, food processing companies, and large retailers. The auctions usually end around 7:00 a.m.

Restaurants only opened in the morning.
It is not surprising to find a very long lines around the restaurants right near the market. A lot of the Tsukiji visitors would stop by and eat the fresh cut shashimi right off the market. Historically these restaurants served the workers at the market, but as more tourists grew, restaurants became became very popular amongst the visitors. As you can see from my photos, you’ll find the fresh and great sashimi bowl or sushi.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

おもしろいと思ったのが、最近のアメリカと中国との条約で中国人の旅行者の受け入れが緩和され、アメリカに旅行することが楽になった事が背景にある。そこでロサンゼルス市が観光関連の事業を中国に２００６年に立ち上げて（アメリカ初）、その中国人旅行者たちの受け入れを加速させて、今回の結果がでた。
記事によると、メジャーなホテルは今、中国人相手のサービスにかなり強化し始めているとの事だ。
俺の予想。。。

１）中国人向けのおみやげビジネスがすげ～のびる。ただし「Made in China」はきっと買っていかないから。。。なんかアメリカ的な物かな？けど、ほとんどの物が中国産だから何があるのかな？

２）難民・不法滞在者が増える。ロスにはすんげー中国人が多いから、その中に一人や二人家族がいてもおかしくはない。アジアのスーパーマーケットを見て、「ここなら、俺もやっていけるぞ！！」っていう人が増えて、中国人人口が増える。

３）遊園地や中国人コミュニティー以外の名所に英語、スペイン語、日本語以外に中国語が普通に使われ始める。

４）ホテルでのトラブルが増える。ご想像にまかせます。かなりマナーが変わっている国だから、ハプニングは付き物でしょう。
今後、中国人の様子をいつもと違う観点でチェックしていきます。

オリジナルの記事はこちらです：
LA Times: L.A. sights wow first Chinese leisure tour group

1) One reason is that he is an African American, born in Pensylvenia USA. Understanding that no Japanese kids listen or sings enka songs, having an American coming into this genre is a break-through.

2) This kid is amazing. Enka is very hard to sing and this type of music requires clear pronunciation of Japanese. He must have picked up his Japanese skills really well from his grand mother.

3) Having a huge break-through in this genre, where it is typically hard for any Japanese artist to be successful (due to its conservative nature), Jero must be very skilled.

これからロサンゼルスに住む人、遊びに来る人、ちょっと治安状況を確認するのに最適だな。
これがリンクです。。。
www.lapdcrimemaps.org

結構やばいサウスセントラル付近の住所をいれた例です。
サウスセントラル

２００８年バークレー国際水テースティング大会(Annual Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting)で１２０ヵ所の水の味くらべでロサンゼルスが一位をとった。。。まじで？！？って感じです。なかにはニュージーランド、カナダの主要都市も入っており、かなり真剣な大会らしい。。。参加者のリストとオフィシャルサイトはこちら。

かなり怪しいと思われる方、元の情報AP通信の記事はこちらです。
AP通信: “Yummy Water: Los Angeles Winds Taste Test”
BBCの記事もご参考に: “Los Angeles is tops for tap water”
どうやらこの街で汚い空気意外の物で自慢できることができました。ごくろうさまです、水大会。
だめもとで、久しぶりに、キッチンの水をコップにそそいで飲んでみました。けっこう悪くなかったです。こんどから自信をもって飲むか。。

ちなみに、テースティングしてる審査員の顔が真剣でけっこう笑える。参考にどうぞ。