How many people take photographs either back at home or whilst on a round the world travel adventure? And how many actually get them printed rather than leaving them on a hard drive or photo sharing websites? For us; physical prints are a big part of what we love and we want to share our travels and photography with as many people as possible.

In less than two weeks we are leaving the UK for part two of our travels, we are having a leaving party (BBQ, music and a few drinks) to send us on our way in style. Several friends and relatives are having birthdays soon, which gives us a great reason to print some digital negatives and make something tangible whilst adding a little bit of creativity to it all. We hope they like them… If you would like your very own print please see here…

Toast and jam for breakfast. Destination today: to re-visit the Harajuku and Shibuya district and delve deeper into the backstreets. We have both agreed that our favorite places to visit in Tokyo so far were the fish market and Harajuku. The fish market is so different from anything we have ever seen or had the pleasure to document, you could spend a whole week there, if your stomach can handle it! You really get to know the local tradesmen and atmosphere that goes with such a busy market place. Harajuku in contrast offers current trends in fashion and art. There are some great little backstreets to explore and plenty of coffee-shops where you can watch the passers-by. In search of a cafe recommended in the Lonely Planet we found that the Bape cafe is not longer around! Not to be disappointed we settled for the Freshness Burger Company, Dave had a good ole cheese burger whilst I opted for a veggie one. You can’t eat Japanese food everyday…can you?

Following lunch we found one place that really stands out for us s a highlight so far; the Design Festa Gallery quietly positioned away from the main hustle and bustle of the Harajuku area. An artist’s studio complex, something that looks like it should belong in Berlin. Graffitied walls, personalised art studios, illustrations that spill onto the stairways and lovely white spaces with which to exhibit your work. We love these kind of places, somewhere that really gave a real feeling of what is happening in the Tokyo art and design scene.

Moving on from the Design Festa we walked down to Shibuya crossed the famous Shibuya crossing (several times) just so we could get loads of photographs of people crossing, it’s a pretty cool experience actually (photography geeks!) Deciding that we’d had enough of the pizazz going on in this area we once again resided to the friendly Sakura Hotel before going out in search of Sushi. With so many food choices it’s really difficult deciding on somewhere to eat that we know will offer the food we like and at a good price. Noodle bars, Japanese pubs, conveyor-belt style, street vendors and so on. We can safely say that we haven’t always made the best choices in this department with a 50/50 success rate! Settling on an underground sushi restaurant we were faced with food that we would never encounter back in the UK and tasted a few things we would not want to go through again! Helen’s stomach was turned upside down and Dave almost gagged! All part of the experience.

Tomorrow we are leaving the Tokyo metropolis behind to seek out a slightly more peaceful guesthouse based in the Mt Fuji area.

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f2.0 & Olympus PEN, 17mm f2.8, processed in Lightroom 3)

So I finally left my home of 4 years this week & moved in with my parents who live closer to Liverpool. This has been one of the major hurdles for me in the build up to our trip. Not just in the sense that I have managed to accumulate a lot of things during my time on the lovely Burns Street and getting it out of there in time before new tenants were to move in! But the fact that I’ve really loved living there, it’s been my own place to do what the hell I want, when I want & I’ve loved it! So having to let go of it (a material thing) has been really difficult for me, but I feel that the excitement & planning involved with notworkrelated has kept me well distracted & it was only this week that got to me.

This move means we are getting closer to our leaving date…I have so much sorting out to do & we still have travel plans to finalise, but I guess this is part of the parcel of going away for a year…at least that’s what my parents keep telling me. I will enjoy my time here with them though & make the most of seeing my family whilst we’re still here. Over the next few weeks I’ll be seeing close friends, catching up with my brother, his girlfriend & their beautiful daughter Sukie, as well as buying our last minute items for the trip, so no doubt we will have a few more updates before we go.

So fairwell to my happy home that has given me a real sense of security over the last few years, I will miss my home and friends in Leicester, but now it’s time for someone else to enjoy living there.

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f2.0, processed in Photoshop)

Well, after four years I have left boxer to begin my travels around the world. Cheers Boxer for the opportunities that you gave me & all the friends I have made. I will miss you all (even the sheep & the giraffe!). Leaving party photos can be seen in the leaving post…

Another step towards the trip, 21 sleeps to go!

(Photos taken on a Olympus E-P1, Pancake 17mm Lens f2.8)

When you’re leaving for a whole year to travel around the world, it would be rude not to say bye bye to friends & family. As we both have friends in different parts of the UK we decided that the only real way to get to see people would be to have several dates lined up in various places & try and see as many friends as possible.

The first leaving party was with friends of Dave’s from his homeland near Wolverhampton & Helen’s friends in Leicester. The date was set & starting venue picked. Bring on the party! Thanks to all for making the effort to travel over & come out with us. We both really appreciate it. Cheers guys!

Here are a few photos from the night… (Sore heads were felt the next day, thank the lord for Bank Holidays & the hangover cure that is bacon sarnies with red sauce!)

(Nikon Coolpix, processed in Photoshop)

Leaving party with boxer: