Neon Joy

We’re at the end of our fiscal year at work. Things are, well, a bit insane. And I’m a little cranky as a result.

I also feel it’s important that I not neglect sharing images from my trip to Japan as the year moves on and we march towards summer.

I’m not going to write a whole lot, but I want to set the stage for today’s share.

I spent the final hours of 2025 in Osaka.

I had about 4 of those the night of December 30 to take in the iconic Dotonbori district.

It was overly crowded, incredibly chaotic, and an absolute smorgasbord of sights and sounds.

I loved every second.

Photography was extremely challenging in those conditions. Not to mention that I’m not a street photographer.

Still, I set out to capture a bit of the city’s flavor in multiple compositions.

I focused on the brilliant neon signage above while also sketching impressions below of the people milling about the streets, grabbing a quick bite to eat, opening gashapon, and so on.

I did okay.

I was much happier with results from my phone for the most part.

I didn’t have to think as much about settings, which meant I didn’t miss out on moments that literally disappeared in less than a second if I wasn’t quick on the uptake.

I also made time to enjoy myself.

I ate freshly grilled squid, tanghulu, dango, and probably more that I no longer remember several months later.

Not gonna lie: I miss the vibe and would much rather be roaming about unfamiliar streets and sampling new foods than contemplating another relentless day of writing in the morning.

That feels counterintuitive in a way. Things seemed rather hurried that late December evening, too.

But I was speeding along towards the simple things in life: a child’s obvious happiness at something out of frame; a young adult’s quiet confidence as he strides down the middle of a busy street; a shared smile between cooks and customers as street food is prepared.

Without stepping fully onto my soap box as I’m wont to do outside of this blog, those gestures seem far more meaningful than anything else in the news cycle acting upon us and shaping our view of the world at large.

I may have mentioned this before in one blog post or another. I honestly can’t remember.

Either way, I’ll end by saying a big reason I’m drawn to photography is that I can get outside of my head and engage with what’s happening around me. And, well, bearing witness seems like a much better way to exist.

Eye of the Storm