A couple of experience recently that didn’t last as long as they normally do; yet I still enjoyed them (no, not that).

First off was Gravity, ninety minutes of entertainment where a cinema ticket normally buys you at least two hours. It’s classed as science fiction, and so it is; but not of the sort that involves aliens or time warps. Instead there is the shuttle and space stations and Sandra Bullock and George Clooney in space suits. Clooney behaves exactly as you might expect Clooney to behave in a space suit (or any suit), and Bullock gives a nuanced performance as a scientist not entirely comfortable with being where she is; and ultimately being extremely uncomfortable with being where she is once all sorts of shit starts happening.

Our trip to Japan finished with two days in Osaka. This was very clearly earmarked as a shopping opportunity for my wife and I spent much of the time trailing around after her as she sought the wide range of gifts required for friends, colleagues and family.

However, we did spend one morning going to Osaka castle. The castle is protected by a twin moat and some extremely thick stone walls.

Warning: camera rant, reader discretion advised.

A year or so ago, I penned a piece heralding the arrival of the Sony RX1. Having previously declared that the future is mirrorless, I reckoned that the RX1 rammed another nail into the flappy mirror encumbered DSLR coffin.

The RX1 was the first mirrorless camera (Leica excluded) to feature a full frame sensor. It also featured a spiffy built-in Zeiss lens and took lovely photos; as you should expect for a camera costing nearly $3,000.

Out third and last full day in Kyoto and we staggered down to breakfast. Out legs were still aching from the hours of walking and climbing over the previous days and we were exhausted. Although we had a full day ahead of us, it would be interrupted because we were going to spend our last night in Kyoto at a different hotel.

As we relaxed over breakfast, we discussed the various options for the day and places we might go and visit. I felt we should continue to consume as much as the city as possible while we still had time, but had some sympathy for she who must be obeyed when the word “walking” was raised. So in the end we just went to play with some pussies.

My wife had discovered a “cat cafe” on the web and was keen to check it out; partly because she was missing our cats, but also it seemed like an interesting cultural oddity. With accommodation at a premium in Japanese cities, people who want cats are often unable to keep them; so they go to a cat cafe for a cuddle.

This one was hard to find; an anonymous entrance led into a lobby with a lift. Enter the lift and only then did we spot a little paw sticker next to the second floor button. We then had to pay 800 yen for an hour with the cats and some extra if we wanted a drink. I enjoyed just relaxing and watching the proceedings, while she who must be obeyed pursued assorted pussies around the room.

Was guilty of some bitching in a previous post about the purple flaring of the Panasonic 7-14mm on the E-M5. I was pissed off to the extent that I looked on eBay for an indication of a sale price.

But on reflection, it is still the best current M43 mega-wide lens, producing cracking images at 7mm when the light source is not shining at the lens, like this and this:

The first batch of body-only E-M1s will arrive in Thailand next week and almost all are reserved. But when I walked into Big Camera today they still had one available; which means I will have a shiny new E-M1 in my hands next week!!

The bad news is that it is not for me. It’s for one of the readers of this august journal who a year ago was a perfectly contented wedding photographer with two big Nikons and enough lenses to trigger a massive excess baggage allowance. But he saw the light and all the Nikon gear has departed, to be replaced by two Olympus E-M5s and a selection of tasty lenses. Naturally he needs an E-M1 as soon as possible but does not want to pay inflated UK prices. Enter the Pattaya Days Micro Four Thirds Gear Acquisition Service™. For a small fee (a beer), the proprietor will obtain the gear of your choice, on the understanding he will sit and drool over it before handing it over in a slightly sticky condition.

End of our second day in Kyoto and we drag our weary bodies into the Gion district. Here you will find hostess clubs, fine restaurants and geisha ladies hurrying down the narrow lanes to their next appointment.

Our target was a teppanyaki restaurant, much recommended in the guides as serving some of the best teppanyaki in Kyoto. I am not a fan, finding teppanyaki to be generally too greasy to be enjoyable, but was prepared to discover an entirely different taste experience in Japan. But the guides had not helped the business because once we arrived at the location we found it had closed down. But in the same street, next to a little canal, there were a number of other restaurants so we checked them out. Most had no sign outside that described what lay within; which probably meant that whatever it was, was prohibitively expensive. But one seemed to offer a set dinner for a set price; so we stepped inside.

We were met in the entrance hall by a lady who wanted to know if we realised that they served raw seafood, did we have any allergies, and did we know that they didn’t accept credit cards. Having answered all the questions correctly and removed our shoes, we were ushered into a room with a long table, with two other customers on one side and five chefs on the other. We took a seat next to the window looking onto the canal and waited to see what would happen.

Over the next hour or so, what happened was ten courses of some of the most exquisite food we had ever tasted; washed down by a generous carafe of sake. With limited English, the chefs did their collective best to explain what was being served and how it should be eaten.. We did our best to just savour the food and the occasion. The bill at the end was close to 4,000 baht equivalent; but it was an unforgettable meal and worth every yen.

The light was dim and it wasn’t really a time to take photos; but here are a few taken mainly at F1.4 and ISO 1600 and a stomach full of sake (in other words, focus is variable).