chinese new year

There was grand parade of Chinese new year around avenue d'ivry, which is the most biggest Chinese district in Paris. There were enormous amount of people to see the fete than I imagined. It was almost impossible to take punctures (but finally we could find the spot where was less people...) and after the parade, my friend and I stopped by a cafe to have a cup of coffee, and there was NO MORE COFFEE at the "cafe" !! That would give you an idea how many people were there.

des roses

I'm sorry for the absence....I've been busy (and tensed) this week because of these petits tests at school. phew c'est le weekend!!!

Tabac

Typical tabac which sells tobacco, stamps telephone cards, lotto and such. Usually Tabac has also a cafe. So there are always some people who is playing lotto, drinking beers day and night...
Yea, this is Paris! non?

le peinture

The same street. Unfinished paintings on the bike and there wasn't a painter around his/her works. They were there very naturally but less carefully on the street. That what made me felt that I am in Paris....not Louis vuitton at Champs-elysee.　

dimanche

It was sunday. There is always some performer on the passage infront of place des vosages. Le Jazz, restraunts, cafes, c'est le paris eh?

spring day

It was like a day in the spring. We didn't need to wear heavy coat, no gloves nor boots. I don't even know why I was enough attracted to take this photo but I was very much into this ordinary building, nothing was special. Usually I can't explain the reason, is it like that for every photographers? Or can you always explain why you wanted to take a photo at that moment?

apres la pluie

No, it is not today. But this is the view from my VERY small 20m2 apartement, that's the reality of student living in a foreign country and someone who chosed not to live in a suburb but real center.

une rue

It's near metro station of port d'ivry. I wish I have a time to take not-bad photos everyday or I have some space in my head just to think about taking photos. But unfortunately it's not like that. No time to stop walking to look around the city carefully, No time to consider my photos that I've taken, No time to chose the words I write.... I'd say, my life in Japan was a lot more busy than now. But sometimes, I do have a few busy days in low then I already feel stressed although for me it'd been always like this before. Look back what I'd been doing in Japan, it makes me wonder how I was okay, how these Japanese workers can keep living like that. Or not, maybe I wasn't okay, and maybe they aren't okay...

Station de Arts et metiers

There you go. The metro station of "arts et metiers". Fantastic isn't it?
I did some lil playing for today's St. Valentine's day as a girl who couldn't be offered any single flowers ::sob sob sob:: Even though tonight, there were more couples on the street than normal weekdays nights. A little bit fun and joke for your life, visit my other blog "bebe log" to see what I did :D

Arts et metiers

Small street around Arts et metiers station.
This area, I think we can call it Chinese district. I was charmed by these red lanterns under the street lights.




I love Chinese antique furniture and such but No offence, Chinese very red decoration sometime gives me a headache like photo of the supermarket on the right. But these pretty lanterns what I saw tonight were obscurely ornamented but they did gave me an strong impression like they are insisting "this is Chinese area".

And again, because of my low photo technique, the first picture doesn't look good as they are and the second picture doesn't look "noisy" as they are.....sigh

strasbourg st-denis

Around Strasbourg st-denis station
This is what I don't like at all about my photography that I am very BAD at taking night photos. (That's how I respect our friend Fabrizio who takes incredible night photos of Torino) They are blur most of the time and they are too yellowish. This happens more in Paris than in Tokyo. Although I find Paris at night is amazing almost like a dream land. But these romantic lighting makes my photos being more far from real Paris...

free paper

There are some free news papers published everyday such as 20minutes and Metro.
Ben Stiller's new movie "Night at the museum" (la nuit au musee)was a cover. Actually, Now this posters are invading Paris, everywhere at the metro station, bus stops. In Paris, it is hard not to know what is on the theater but we are forced to be imprinted these big titles in our heads. Anyway, maybe time for laugh, with the student card, 6euros for one movie during weekdays. Good to be student in Paris, a lot of discounts.

ceremony....

There was a ceremony today at the grand hall of Sorbonne university. I was there to receive my diploma which doesn't mean much at the society level but it means some for me. (well...if you want to see me in that "costume" (robe and hat) you can find a tiny picture on my other blog...)

P.S.
I added your webisites of people who post some comments so far (merci beacoup!)
I hope it doesn't that bother you but if so, plase give me a comment.

moss

Rail road which we can look down from avenue de choissy through the fence. I don't know the exact words to describe this view in any languages but this has been always what attracts attracts me. Moss on the stone walls, heavy but warm nature colours. This is the same condition as what we can often see around the temple/shrine in Japan. That brings me a nostalgia, deep meditation and calm.
Maybe this is a "zen" spirit, Although even I Japanese can't explain what it is, but the word "zen" is used very much for any sorts of products in France.

CGT

CGT (Confédération générale du travail)
The General Confederation of Labour is one of the five major French confederations of trade unions. It seems they were having a demonstration while I was sucking at school to wait a long line for my inscription. When I saw them on boulevard Raspail, it's almost finished and there were just some dust carts, police men and their stickers on everywhere. I don't think I am still in the position who is allowed to talk about French society yet so I won't. But being here for one year, I did see some demonstrations "of course". Manifestation(demo) is their culture, someone says. I wonder how much influence they can have to change something. Is that really effective? Usually when I see them on the street, I take some photos. Some of them (well...not a little of them) smile and wave at me. It broke my image of "demonstration" as the one who had never seen any of them in real before coming here. But as long as something like March 2006 against for CPE won't happen again(broken windows,violence, fire), that wouldn't make me sad...

calm

Rue Tornefort at Quartier Latin.
There is very calm neighborhoodjust near the lively and busy rue mouffetard.

through the window

Between Gare d'austerlitz and Quai de Rappee on line 5. My favorite subway line to ride at night to see outside, the seine river.That's the moment to make me notice, once again,Paris is beautiful. (I'm sorry for the blurriness...Lack of my skill plus capability limit of my compact digital camera Fujifilm FinePix...)

ferris wheel at place de la concorde

Ferris wheel at place de la concorde. You MUST try it. Very thrilling but after 2nd round (it goes 3-4rounds, depends on the mood of worker....french eh?:) finally you can open your eyes and enjoy the view.

lost cat

Poster for lost cat named "Mikado". Funny, I never seen any single cat on the street.

one of the best

Au Levain du Marais, one of the best boulangeries in Paris. One baguette for dinner. Luckily it was fresh. I wonder who can bring the whole, entire, complete, perfect, one baguestte to home. Me? No, of course no :)

modern in ancien

Very sunny Saturday in Paris. Everything was bright, even too bright. You know how we can't see anything but white at the piste under the sun. The same thing was happening to all these gray toned buildings. For me, this isn't a great condition to take a photos. Anyway, surrounded by all monotoned same looking buildings, there are some modern designs such as this "ministere de la culture et de la communication" , no choice but catch my eyes by one second. In Tokyo, like I wrote a little bit before, as for a total city view, it is a mess of every styles as you can imagine. European, Western, Asian, old, new, high, low, big and small...everything. But here, everything is "organized". I know some Frenches think Tokyo is more interesting than Paris. I think this is one of the reasons why these people find Tokyo is more variety. And I also think that is one of the reasons why so many people find that Paris is beautiful...

red tents besides le canal st martine

Yesterday's night after the concert, we went to have a dinner at "le cambodge" which serves amazing Cambodian cuisines with reasonable price. When we were heading to the restraunt, we realized the view of the canal st martine is different from our own memories. Both of us knew what is happening there by news but seeing that on TV and being there and "feeling" that atmosphere doesn't have a same impact on our minds. I was surprised and shocked. How it is changed. I remember, very hot summer day, I was there for picnic, lots of people sitting along the canal, having some beers, snacks, fruits, lovely trees. But now, instead of all pretty things, there are red tents which is a demonstration by "Enfants de Don Quichotte" for SDF (People living on the street).This is like I saw a dream in summer and now a real world.
My teacher was astonished when I told her a lot of "SDF" do exist in Japan. She'd never imagined that in such a "rich" country, she said.
There is always a reality beside a dream like a pretty canal and red tents.

Gustav Mahler Symphonie n° 6 "Tragique"

Today was the concert of Orchestra de Paris and they played Mahler's Symphonie n° 6 "Tragique" at salle pleyel. What is good to live here is of course there are more chance to see so called "arts". We don't have much occasion to listen to gigantic pieces of classic music such as Mahler at the concert in Japan. Personally I love Mahler but I am not one of these snobby classic fans. So, Of course, the seat wasn't the premier but the troisiem, which was my first and turned out to be very interesting experience to sit down behind the orchestra!The sound wasn't very balanced, especially because I was sitting right behind the 8 horns! (If you know this piece, you could imagine how they were loud!) Besides that, it is very interesting to feel their breathes, moves and human touch.
P.S. If you are interested to see more photos from today's concert, please visit my other blog, Bebe Log.

boulangerie?

It says "boulangerie" but they don't sell coroissant. This clothe shop uses old boulangerie (bakery)building as it was. I found the other shops like this before but so far just in the marais (le marais). I wonder if they are just too lazy or they want to keep this pretty old building for the good sake. There are a lot of new thing for me in Paris. That is what makes me wants to keep living as "etranger".

Please visit my other blog. You'll find more photos there! Bebe Log

flower shop

I don't like very much to be here in Paris in winter. No green but absoletely gray. Only flower shops, boulangeries and clothes shops are colourful.
Yes, I am a completely stranger here. I was born in Japan and had been living in Tokyo for long enough to get used to bright lights and messe. Sometime I miss it, especially when the weather isn't beautiful, like today.