G M Thomas FRSA

Mountain Day is drawing to a close. Back in 2019 I was on Rishiri Island. It's a rare moment when the summit of the extinct volcano is not obscured by clouds.

The laundry room, an installation by the Argentinian artist Leandro Erlich. Part of the Setouchi Triennale, Megijima.

This is both a pretty garden and an art installation by Shinro Ohtake. On Megijima and part of the Setouchi Triennale.
nature #garden #bloomscrolling #photography #outdoors #artinnature #nature #NatureBreak #PhotographersofBlueSky #gardenfeed #plants
@bskyphotos.bsky.social @botanical.bsky.social

It's Mountain Day, a public holiday today. Yesterday I was on Megijima, and this is the view towards Takatoyama, the highest peak on the island. In between on a lower peak is a statue of the founder of Nichiren Buddhism. It was carried there by hand by islanders who also had to carry the base.

Various ferries that have been seen in the central-eastern part of the Seto Inland Sea 瀬戸内海, Seto Naikai recently, and including a map of the specific region. More examples can be seen in the second post.

Megijima. August 2025

Japanese interval walking: the viral exercise trend that could put a spring in your step Alternating between fast and slow walking is particularly suited to people who do not do much regular exercise

Surely @theguardian.com is taking the p---
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

Fare thee well! and if for ever,
Still for ever fare thee well!

Absolutely spot-on.

After visiting 大竹 伸朗, Ōtake Shinrō's show in Marugame I went to Megijima 女木島 where he has a magical installation in a deserted school building.

Kisato Shrine. Takeura. Sakaide. There isn't a lot to see as the shrine is small and simple but this is clearly a power spot.
There are scattered large granite boulders among twisted trees, the sense of gods and an awe inspiring view over the Seto Inland Sea.

Sakaide. August 2025.
@bskyphotos.bsky.social

A proper Mom & Pop izakaya (and all the better for it). Small but serving wonderful food based on what's available that day. Found in #Marugame #Setouchi

‘Hiroshima’ Has Become Shorthand for the Atomic Bombings. Here’s Why We Shouldn’t Overlook Nagasaki Nagasaki survivors have struggled for more than seven decades to gain equal attention for the trauma and aftermath of their bombing

Something I wrote five years ago about Nagasaki, which was bombed 80 years ago today:

time.com/5876864/naga...

The Chronicle 4 March 1970.

A salesmen's fleet of Austin A40s being handed over to H K Wakefield, Ad Manager for Ogden's in 1967 (Source: Spring Salesman.) A later article from the Liverpool Daily Post 4 March 1970 announcing that Mr Wakefield was now also the Marketing Manager for Ogden's.... @historyofads.bsky.social

Apparently the excuse used to justify the padding of the Expo 2025 visitor numbers is because Dubai Expo did it.

Last night's special. Kofu Tori Motsuni is a dish of stewed chicken giblets like gizzard, heart, liver, and unlaid eggs, simmered in a sweet and salty soy sauce-based sauce. Delicious.

Marugame. August 2025.
@bskyphotos.bsky.social

Returning from supper I spotted this moon and stopped the car. It's the first time I've been able to capture the moon with an iPhone without it being a white blob.
#Marugane #Japan
@bskyphotos.bsky.social

Ships are beasts. Saw this massive AMPHITRITE HIGHWAY, a brand new vehicle carrier on its maiden voyage heading to Singapore. Sailing in the Seto Inland Sea a couple of days ago, it is owned by Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha 川崎汽船株式会社, sails under a Panama flag and is powered by LNG. #Setouchi

YouTube video by Alessandro Montosi "Hiroshima" (1953) by Hideo Sekigawa: Atomic Bomb Scene

"Hiroshima" (1953) by Hideo Sekigawa is an extraordinary movie, made by survivors. Recently undergone a restoration, involving Turner Pictures & NHK. A project organised & led by Tetsuki Ijichi of Rain Trail Pictures.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQy9...

More info here: shorturl.at/qvs5P

CELEBRATING A CENTURY OF THE YAMANOTE LINE. 1925-2025 山手線 In 2025, the Yamanote Line 山手線 celebrates its centenary, harking back to 1925 when it finally became a continuous loop. Across those hundred years it has not only become an iconic feature of Tokyo …

100 years of the Yamanote line grahamthomasauthor.wordpress.com/2025/01/02/c...

こども図書館船 ほんのもり号 令和7年度 春頃就航。こども図書館船「ほんのもり号」は、香川・せとうちの子どもたちに本の特別な体験を届けます。

Tadeo Ando is a star! Locally he has funded a floating children’s library Hon-no-Mori that's sailing around the Seto Inland Sea, delivering books and inspiration to children on some of the remote islands. www.honnomori-gou.com

Twenty-Four Eyes 35mm Import. Kinoshita’s heralded anti-war masterpiece stars Hideko Takamine as a pacifist teacher who takes special devotion to her class of first graders, a group of 12 schoolchildren who grow and m...

japansociety.org/events/twent...

A Nation’s Reckoning: Some of the Best Japanese War Films Japanese cinema has a long relationship with the depiction of the Pacific War that continues haphazardly to this day but unlike the largely heroic and jingoistic war films produced in Hollywood whe…

@jsfilmnyc.bsky.social is showing Twenty Four Eyes - one of Japan's greatest war films. Will be showing on 8/22. Ticket link in comment grahamthomasauthor.wordpress.com/2025/06/29/a...

As Expo 2025 exaggerate that now 15 million visitors have passed through its gates some images from my own visit to Osaka. (In fact only 13 million have visited, way below expectations but don't let facts get in the way of PR.)

2025.

The hypocentre.

Located on the site of the school.

Hiroshima 80th Anniversary. The girls high school was located 600 meters from the hypocentre, collapsed and burned completely. 301 lives were lost: 20 staff and 281 students, including 223 first-year students.
The heart-shaped frame for the paper cranes reflects the heart and soul of the school.