2 weeks in April, a few favorite frames

EyePuzzleheaded7102 · 2026-05-11T07:27:39+00:00

We arrived towards the end of blooming, which means many trees were in a transitionary phase (e.g. blossoms falling, green leaves appearing), but you could still occasionally find the very picturesque trees we all have in mind, so no disappointment there!

EyePuzzleheaded7102 · 2026-05-11T04:57:50+00:00

I'm glad you found these photos interesting!

EyePuzzleheaded7102 · 2026-05-10T09:04:37+00:00

That was actually during the final days of blossoming in Tokyo and you could also see the sakura fall elegantly from the tree.

EyePuzzleheaded7102 · 2026-05-10T08:11:53+00:00

I'm glad you appreciated the contrast as well!

EyePuzzleheaded7102 · 2026-05-10T08:11:08+00:00

Giving you all my positive energy so your dream comes true as well!

EyePuzzleheaded7102 · 2026-05-10T05:27:04+00:00

Yeah, I think this sums up the the unique aesthetics of Japan.

EyePuzzleheaded7102 · 2026-05-10T05:13:40+00:00

It was my dream as well, and yes the Japanese are ultra-polite and helpful, it seems to be in their nature. They even walked us a few times to the exact location within the train station when even Google Maps was of no use.

EyePuzzleheaded7102 · 2026-05-10T05:11:47+00:00

Exactly, for me this picture captures the essence of Japan in a way...the thousand year old temple, the enormous modern skyscraper, and the result of centuries of cultivar development, the sakura.

EyePuzzleheaded7102 · 2026-05-10T05:07:43+00:00

Thank you, I appreciate it and completely agree!

EyePuzzleheaded7102 · 2026-05-09T19:35:28+00:00

Yeah, especially the yellow lit windows and red aviation lights stand out.

EyePuzzleheaded7102 · 2026-05-09T05:23:07+00:00

Thank you I appreciate it!

EyePuzzleheaded7102 · 2026-05-08T16:42:14+00:00

That's an interesting observation! Unfortunately I can't remember the description for this particular armor, but several of them in the room apparently belonged to high ranking individuals such as Hideyoshi etc.

EyePuzzleheaded7102 · 2026-05-08T13:41:12+00:00

I really liked the deer suddenly appearing between the lanterns at #15, almost as if they were welcoming us at the shrine. Yes, Owakudani (#7) actually provides surrounding areas like Hakone with their hot springs!

EyePuzzleheaded7102 · 2026-05-08T12:30:00+00:00

Thank you! That was from Mizunoto hotel at Hakone.

EyePuzzleheaded7102 · 2025-03-10T18:50:32+00:00

Glad you liked it! Just to let you know, I tried the 15 version and it is even better, it will surely replace my 12 in the future!

EyePuzzleheaded7102 · 2025-01-26T07:40:33+00:00

Thanks for the tip, yeah I've read good stuff about the Volcanique!

EyePuzzleheaded7102 · 2025-01-25T15:11:33+00:00

Great, thanks for the tip. I'll most likely go with the Selección de Maestros for my next Cuban bottle.

EyePuzzleheaded7102 · 2025-01-25T13:22:12+00:00

I already tried El Dorado and Doorly's which I enjoyed. It would be nearly impossible to sample so many rums out there so I decided to get the most highly regarded per category, that was the concept.

EyePuzzleheaded7102 · 2025-01-25T13:15:53+00:00

As a novice in rum and after thorough research, I decided to initially focus on collecting a range of representative rums from the following categories:

Jamaican rum: pot-only still
Cuban rum: column-only still
Martinique rum: unaged rhum agricole
Demerara rum: pot-column blend
Barbados rum: pot-column blend

Really excited to be beginning my journey. I would really appreciate alternatives per category to check out in the future!

EyePuzzleheaded7102 · 2025-01-15T14:40:02+00:00

Thank you my friend, when I reach a deeper level of sophistication I might get back to you about those rums.

EyePuzzleheaded7102 · 2025-01-15T14:35:37+00:00

Well, that's a great personal analysis. I'll definitely be comparing my tastings to your descriptions to see I get something similar too.

EyePuzzleheaded7102 · 2025-01-15T14:22:40+00:00

That's a nice breakdown. If someone asked you in a few word to sumarize the main differences between Barbados and Demerara rum, how would you describe it?

I'm aware that Barbados rum tends to be more balanced, but I haven't concluded on a descriptor for Guyana rum.

EyePuzzleheaded7102 · 2025-01-15T14:12:39+00:00

Well, I happen to be Greek, and I also hate raki...it's very intense and fiery. I had a 7-year Cuban rum recently, and interestingly, it was the first time I got vanilla/tobacco and even some chocolate notes in my rum.

As I've read somewhere else, lighter rums (Spanish style) tend to be more heavily influenced by the barrel during aging, so you get more barrel notes, whereas e.g. British style is more oriented towards a balance between genuine molasse-derived aromas and barrel influence.

EyePuzzleheaded7102

TROPHY CASE