my secret draws

k-chan's brother drove up to nagano on his new harley davidson bike (it's an awesome bike; got some real grunt to it) and as he was making some room to park his bike near my wood heap, i noticed an old chest of draws in the corner.
when i asked otoosan what they were doing outside, he said a friend gave them to him and that he was gonna chop them up for firewood.
me being me took a closer peek and nearly peed my pants!

i love antique furniture and couldn't believe it that he was gonna destroy these draws which have so much character, or should I say future potential!
i said that if he was gonna chop them up for firewood could i please have them, to which he replied that I was more than welcome. he wondered how i would get them back to tokyo though. good question.
i hope they will fit in my car...

while everyone was having a nap in the kotatsu (it's gotta be a national pastime), i pulled out a rag and a bucket and got to work giving my new find a good rub down.

check out what I found inside.
the top draw was lined with pages of an old newspaper dating back 45 years ago to 1965 (showa period; 昭和40年).
this simple find got me excited and i quickly pulled out the second draw to find this small envelope containing these black and white photos; all of them of landscapes from a trip to yamanashi prefecture.




in the bottom draw i found two boxes.
i was nearly too excited to even open them but my curiosity got the better of me.
the first box was empty... but it's kinda a cool box anyway with some hand written calligraphy on it.
inside the second one was this; an old weathered japanese chouchin; lantern, complete with a small white candle.

k-chan told me i should throw it away as the lantern has a family emblem on it; but i think it's too good of a find to just chuck away. what do you think?





in the next few days i'm gonna go to the local hardware store and buy some wood polish (oil) as the chest is pretty dry and needs some TLC (is "TLC" even used these days?!; i'm so outta touch...)
hope i can find somewhere for this find in my new apartment! (which i have yet to find...)

Canonet

my canonet may have just become a book end...

before i even finished my first roll of film this little piece of 1961 history has decided he's not up for the fast lane of today's digital generation.

before he becomes another handsome model on the shelf, i wonder if i should take him in for a once-over?

i was so looking forward to seeing what his roll would turn out like...



come to think of it, canonet sounds kinda girlie.

Ricohflex VI

a few months ago when i was in japan, k-chan's dad came over to me and asked:
「趣味はないのか？男はなぁー、趣味がないとダメだぞ！」
for my english speakers: "so what are your hobbies? a guys gotta have a hobby!"

what the heck are my hobbies??

i enjoy catching up with friends for a drink... not really a hobby
i enjoy sitting down with a good coffee while reading a magazine... not really a hobby
i enjoy shopping... again not really a hobby
i enjoy stretching my limbs at yoga... mmm, is yoga considered a hobby?!

hang on!! you know what, i do love taking photos!!
now that can be considered a hobby. right??
so that was my answer.

「写真を撮るのが好きかなぁ」
"i guess i like taking photos"

a few hours later he came back over to me holding an old leather case.
he put it into my hands and in typical japanese style he said:

「これ大した物じゃないけど。使えなかったら捨てていいからな」
"it's not much and you can throw it away if it doesn't work"

trying not to look too much like a kid opening a present at christmas, i slowly undid the clasp on the worn-out case.
inside was this; a 1953 ricohflex VI twin lens camera.
wow, now i was grinning like a little kid at christmas!!



i'd always wanted an antique camera but didn't really know where to start. now i finally have my hands on my very first antique camera!

looks like i have an expensive hobby on my hands too...

returning to hong kong i found a shop which stocks 120 film (this baby only takes 12 photos per film) so i have been busy snapping some shots over the past few weeks.
the lens is not in the best condition so i was finding it a bit difficult to work out if i was focusing correctly or even if i was pointing the lens in the right direction!
but hey, all this fluffing about may add "character" to my photos.




skip forward a few weeks.
with a finished "test" film in hand i took it in to get developed.
after a few days of worrying that my film would come back blank i was surprised to see that i actually managed to capture something using this new toy of mine.
i doubt these photos will get any oohs or aahs from critics out there, but i'm over the moon just to know that this baby works.

view from my room


taken in my garden which i share with 16,218 other people


a random street in wan chai