Autumn Run

Time flies and it is almost November. I noticed during my weekend run that there definitely were signs of autumn. I enjoyed the peaceful jog in a cool Saturday afternoon.

Leaves of persimmon have changed and now bearing fruits.

Grapes

Kiwi fruits

These sakura flowers are confused about the season.

Tokyo Sky Tree construction

Last week, I happened to pass by the Tokyo Skytree construction site. It is a new tower that will be the tallest in Japan - 634 m.

The expected date of opening is July 2011. On the day I took these photos, the height was 164 m.



Here is the homepage that introduces the project.

Harajuku to Shibuya

Yesterday, I took a nice stroll from Harajuku to Shibuya.

Here's Omotesando Hills, a high-end shopping mall..

There was a happening - someone called the fire department.

Many people crossing Jingu Mae intersection

An interesting graffiti at Miyashita Park.

The famous statue of Hachiko, the faithful dog, sits right by Shibuya Station. It is a very popular meeting place.

The Morning After a Storm

Tyhoon Melor (No. 18 in Japanese designation) ripped through central Japan on 7 and 8 of October. It was expected to hit Tokyo directly on the 8th, so I had to put things in the yard away during the day before to get ready.

The typhoon was the first one to make a direct hit on Japan since 2007. I learned from in the news that at least two people were killed and tens of people were injured.

It rained all day on the 7th in Tokyo - this was definitely an influence by the storm far away. In the morning of the 8th, we had a lot of rain and wind. Some public transportation systems were stopped and many schools were closed --- but to our surprise, by lunch time, we had above our heads blue sky, although it was windy almost all afternoon.

Here are the photos in the nearby park in the morning of 9 Oct.

Many leaves fell on in the playground.

Fallen acorns on my usual running trail.

A tree fell in Inokashira Park.

Beautiful sunrise over Inokoshira Pond.

Business as usual at JR Mitakadai Station.

Kanto Mura area

To watch my son's soccer games, I spent much of last weekend at Kanto Mura Ground. Besides soccer, there are other fields for baseball, softball, futsal, etc.



There also is Ajinamoto Stadium, the home of the Division 1 J-League Soccer Team, FC Tokyo.

The soccer courts are right by Chofu Airport. It is used for general aviation and Izu Islands commuter service.

Here, a Dornier Do228 is being serviced.

I knew that Chofu Airport was an important base for the Japanese Army until 1945, so it got me researching for information. The airport was originally for both military and private use, but as the war progressed, it was very much occupied by the Japanese military.

After the war, the airport was taken by the US Military until 1956. Kanto Mura means the Village of Kanto and it actually was where the US Military Family housing used to be.
I found a homepage dedicated to that.

Close from the airport is Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) Air Station in Fuchu. This used to be the 5th US Airforce Headquater.

Right by the entrance sit two airplanes - F104J and F-1.

Again, I feel lucky that our country has never seen a war for 64 years.