Yup, have been back for about 2 weeks or so now. Things have been pretty hectic at work since I got back, but they’ve pretty much settled down for now.

My recent trip to Japan proved to be just the pick-me-up that I needed to get things going. It’s always nice to revisit a city you so love, and going back to favourite haunts, not to mention exploring new places as well.

I finally managed to catch a glimpse of the fish auction at Tsukiji Fish Market, after having missed it on my first two trips to Tokyo. That said, hauling oneself out of bed at 4am in the morning to catch the first train out from Ikebukuro is certainly not everyone’s cup of tea, but the experience was still worth the effort (and the late night before, too).

That said, here are some of my favourite shots taken during this trip

Cheers, and in case I don’t check back in again this week, have a great week ahead!

First-time travellers to Japan are usually overwhelmed by the apparent difference in culture. You can probably find no other people on Earth who are more polite than the Japanese. However, although you may feel that it’s somewhat refreshing when you first arrive, you may eventually come to realise that there’s a certain coldness and efficiency that comes with these seemingly pleasant greetings. Still, it certainly beats New York, or even Singapore for that matter.

I’ve been to Japan three times in the past three years. My first trip was a sponsored one – my dad had just retired, and good ol’ SPH was kind enough to offer him a paid trip for two to any destination he wanted. So, off to Hokkaido we went. Looking back, I realised that my photos weren’t exactly top-notch. Then again, it isn’t exactly top-notch now either, but I do see an immense improvement in how I look at the world and how I shoot my photos. The little nitty gritty details just come popping out, and you appreciate the world more as you start opening your eyes to the the stuff that no one hardly pays any attention to.

So, on my other two trips back to Japan, I embarked on a voyage of experiencing what I failed to do otherwise. And the photos started getting better. Here are some shots from my 2nd and 3rd trips to Japan (in no particular order). Will upload some more once I manage to dig them out from storage.

Edit: You can find the slideshow here.