Rainbow

Poor dog

This friendly Golden Retriever never gets out of this cage - and "never" means really never - not even for a walk, as you can see in the excrements he's sitting in. The cage is in front of a house selling company, I guess the dog is meant to be some kind of decoration. They give him food and water, and once in a while the excrements are flushed away with a hosepipe, and that's it.

In Japan, there are many dogs living like this. In the immediate surroundings of our house I know already three of them. Instead of a cage it may be as well a short chain attached to a hut. None of them is ever being walked or played with or allowed to meet some fellow canines. Really a dog's life.

Last autumn gold

Park in the south part of Kitakami, close to the Waga River.

Chinese cabbage

While waiting for the green light to cross the street, this woman put down for a moment the giant chinese cabbage she was carrying. Chinese cabbage is very popular here and at this moment harvested everywhere.

Winter onions

How will these freshly planted young onions survive the coming winter, with one meter of snow pressing down their delicate leaves? I don't know how, but they will!

Modern japanese town

Seen from the platform of the bullet train station.

Men in Black

Taxi queue at Tokyo station.

Shrine corner in an old japanese farmhouse.

Late afternoon sun on the Kitakami river.

Red leafs

Autumn in the Iwate province.

Goose and god

The village goose of Tono Furusato-mura, taking its afternoon nap in front of a small buddhistic sanctuary.

Old watermill

... and inside detail: I think this mechanism was used to thresh or pound rice.

Kitakami shinkansen station

On the left side a statue of Oni-kenbai, a traditional sword dance, performed mainly in Kitakami and its surroundings.

Autumn colors (koyo)

Roof detail at an old farmhouse in Tono.