Showing posts with label Travel (Not Synth Related). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel (Not Synth Related). Show all posts

Sunday, 16 October 2016

Tokyo Akihabara Radio Center

This is where you can see some old school electronics.
.... the stuff that rebuilt Japan after WWII.
 Akihabara ‘electric town’ is famous for tiny retailers selling radios and electronic parts at cut-rate prices under the Sobu line tracks.
 It's a shade of what it used to be in the 50's & 60s but some of those "tiny hole in the wall" shops are still here, crammed together. It's worth a visit just for the historical aspect.
DIY old school with parts in open boxes and plastic containers.
Analog, digital, LEDS, knobs, jacks, resistors, capacitors, etc etc... the way it used to be before
the internet came along and killed off the little shops.
Most of thehe electronic shops that used to crowd both sides of this street have been displaced by game centres and animation shops. It’s also a great place to treasure hunt for old games.

 Akihabara is centered around Akihabara Station, located on the JR Yamanote, Keihin-Tohoku, and Chuo Local lines. Take the "Akihabara Electric Town" exit. (ラジオセンター), 1-14-2 Soto-Kanda.


 By subway : travel to Akihabara Station by the Hibiya line (H15), or Suehirocho Station by the Ginza line (G14).  




AKB48
For more travel pics:
http://djjondent.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/travel-postcards-index-my-travel.html

Friday, 14 October 2016

Bonsai - Narita, Japan

Some trees that just wowed me as I was waiting for that plane to take me home.
 
Mountain Maple ... 80+ years old.

 Chinese Juniper ... Over 100 years old.

The literal meaning of Bonsai is "potted plant".
But these are more than just potted plants.  It's an art form that is alive and constantly
changing..... an attempt to represent nature in miniature.

Bonsai, their growth, flowers, fruits and leaves are so beautiful.

Paintings of bonsai can be found in picture scrolls of the Kamakura period (1192-1333).

For more travel pics:
http://djjondent.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/travel-postcards-index-my-travel.html

Thursday, 13 October 2016

Queensland Bus trip - CROYDON TO MT. ISA

  DAY 2 - CROYDON TO MT. ISA 

* Travel from Croydon to Normanton 
* Normanton, where the largest salt water crocodile in the world was caught
* Travel through the "Channel Country"
* Free time in Mt. Isa
* Enjoy a great meal and room at the Irish Club

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This second day involves a 640km bus ride, between Croydon & Mt Isa, along route 83.
The average time for such a drive is approximately 7 hrs.

National Route 83 is the main link between outback Queensland and the Gulf of Carpentaria.

  Normanton, where the largest salt water crocodile in the world was caught.



 

 
Route 83 is a really really long road.
It's length is 1189km.
  • Northern Terminus: Burke Developmental Rd (NR1) & Gulf Developmental Rd (NR1) at Normanton
  • Southern Terminus: QLD-SA Border at Birdsville
  • Miscellaneous: Continues as Birdsville Track (D83) in South Australia
  • Suburbs, Towns & Localities Along Route: Normanton, Four Ways, Cloncurry, Mt Isa, Dajarra, Boulia, Bedourie and Birdsville

These small mounds are anthills.




Part of an anthill.

Mt Isa, Qld

This is still considered to be part of the Gulf Country.
It exists because of it's vast mineral resources... lead, silver, copper & zinc.
Mount Isa Mines is one of the most productive single mines in world history




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Day 1

Tuesday, 11 October 2016

Synthesizer shopping in Tokyo

Japan is a powerhouse in synthesizer manufacturing and I expected on a recent trip
to Tokyo to be swamped with shops selling all manner of keyboards.
However, they are not as common as one might expect.

Below are the ones I found. Please email me if you know of more.
The largest three are 5G in Shibuya-Ku and Echigoya & Ishibasi in central Shibuya.
Ochanomizu is the home of numerous guitar shops. I found two along the main street,
Kanda Surugadai that also sold synthesizers.

Ochanomizu:




..











Ishibasi in central Shibuya:
Synth website.


BEAM building, 2nd floor.
31-2, Udagawacho, Shibuya.



Echigoya (Shibuya):
It's right across the road from Tower Records.
 Its on the 9th floor:








Five G in Shibuya-Ku:
Le Ponte Building, 4F, 1-14-2 Jingumae
Shibuya-Ku, Tokyo 150-0001

EMS Polysynth

Moog Memory Moogs
ARP Odyssey & Roland Jupiter 8.



EML 500

Korgs:MS50, MS20, SQ-10 sequencer & The Korg vocoder.
Wow ... three Roland 808s
....

For more travel pics: