For this weeks PhotoFriday, “Slick,” I was going for the ‘superficially impressive’ meaning of the word. To be fair, I have no reason to believe that these guys are not deep and meaningful types… They were seen in Tokyo last year.

Please also vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “Animal.” I’m entry number 220.

This is about as “Near” — this weeks PhotoFriday theme — as I really want to get to a crocodile. Or alligator. Which ever this one is. It was in a farm, behind a fence, in Vietnam but still looked like a formidable creature.

Please also vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “Cars.” I’m number 193.

I’ve been busy and not had the time to enter the last few PhotoFriday’s, but here I am with an image for the theme “Gold” (always believe in your soul). I have quite a few pictures with bits of gold (you’ve got the power to know) in them, but here, in Kyoto, we have a whole pavilion that’s made of the shiny stuff.

Sorry for the Spandau Ballet puns (you’re indestructible).

This kind of feels wrong. Posting my PhotoFriday entry, this week for the theme “Sundown,” actually on a Friday is very much out of character for me. As an added bonus, I really like this image. It was taken in Kyoto, Japan last year.

Please also vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “Many” (quite by chance, it was also taken in Japan). I’m entry number 177.

This weeks PhotoFriday theme is “Many.” I saw these many pastries of some description in Tokyo.

Please also vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “My World.” I’m entry number 171.

This weeks PhotoFriday challenge is “Lines.” I have a lot of pictures that have lines in them but fairly few where it’s the most prominent feature. My first choice of image was of my old, broken MacBook hard-disk but then I realised that I had already used it for a PhotoFriday last year! So I switched to the above picture, taken in the Tokyo Forum.

Please also vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “Ride.” I’m entry number 155.

When I initially thought about this weeks PhotoFriday theme, “Ride,” my mind first went to cycling. Only I couldn’t find an image that showed bikes in motion which seemed to defeat the point. So, instead, I went for this picture that I took while riding on the Tokyo subway. (It might be a bit of a stretch but I really like this picture!)

Please also vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “Elaborate.” I’m entry number 161.

• Fukushima is a triumph for nuke power: Build more reactors now! – Despite multiple failures there has been no significant release of radiation.
• Japan Earthquake: before and after – Amazing and shocking.
• Why I am not worried about Japan’s nuclear reactors – I did think that the coverage suggesting a nuclear disaster was unlikely. This explains why my intuition was (probably) right.

How to interpret the PhotoFriday theme this week, “Best of 2010“? Something that signifies 2010 in some way? “Just” the best image of 2010? If so, by what definition of “best”? This is hard.

But in the end I went for the above shot, which was taken in the Tokyo International Forum.

Why? It’s no great shakes technically — the glare in the top left is even a little distracting — but there’s something about the muted colours, the neatness. And it says something about Japan that this guy, clearly not homeless, not a drunk, had no qualms just lying down and sleeping in a public place.

But ultimately the short answer is that it makes me smile when I see it.

I’m starting to think that they should call it PhotoSunday… but here is my entry for this weeks PhotoFriday, “Tranquil.” It was taken in Kyoto and is of a sand garden.

If you’re quick, you might also be able to vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “Chill.” I’m entry number 182.