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Jalala Cat Café in Akihabara
Last week, I went to the Jalala Cat Café in Akihabara. It is one of many places in Japan where you can pay to spend time with cats, petting them, playing with them or even feeding them. This particular cat café has about a dozen cats of different breeds, all roaming around freely or napping. Very relaxing!
Tsukiji Honganji Bon Dance Festival
Mid-summer is the season for obon, the traditional Japanese festival of the dead. It is the occasion of festivals featuring taiko drumming and group dancing. The dancing takes place in a circle, with predefined moves depending on the songs. Here are some photos of the Tsukiji Honganji Bon Dance Festival held at the Tsukiji Honganji Temple in Tokyo.
Happy new year!
The photo above was taken on New Year’s eve inside the Madeleine Church. I had walked by the building a few times but I had never realized it was a church (since it looks like a Greek temple) so I entered to check it out. Inside, there was this modern-style nativity scene depicting Mary and Joseph watching a picture of baby Jesus on a flat screen TV. The faces of the white mannequins (an army of angels apparently) also change from time to time. Very strange and slightly creepy… It was designed by Gaëtan Duthu, a young French designer.
Via Rhona: Geneva to Haute-Savoie along the Rhône by bike
Last week, on the day of the “Jeûne Genevois”, I went for a ride along the Rhône following (loosely) the route known as Via Rhona, that goes from Geneva to the town of Valleiry in Haute-Savoie (actually it is just a segment: The complete Via Rhona goes from the Rhône Glacier to the Mediterranean Sea) . I had already tried it before but I was not able to finish it then. Now I went all the way and, although it was quite cloudy with occasional rain, I had a great time.
Apollo 11
Tomorrow will mark the 40th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11. The Big Picture has some fantastic photographs taken during the mission.