From Jinan to Tokyo

The date on the photo shows that I met my twin sisters Zunzun and Mengmeng in Chiang Mai in 20182. It was a pleasant shooting. If it hadn’t been for the night, I would have still To rush to Bangkok, we will probably eat from dinner to late night snack. After we parted ways, I wrote an article about their one-day travel photography trip in Chiang Mai. I wrote that article very smoothly because I wrote it when my memory was deep.

I found that my memory is getting worse. When I was about to write this article, I seemed to be unable to recall many things. I once boasted that I could recall most of the clips I took during my trip, and I could still recall the conversations when I saw the photos. , but it doesn’t work now. Over time, my mind becomes hazy.

The reason why I still want to write this article is because I wanted to update Xiaohongshu diligently a few days ago, but unfortunately many of my thoughts and ideas are becoming outdated like my brain, and there are very few readers. Suddenly one day, I saw several more likes. When I opened it, it turned out that they were all signed by Zunzun, and there was a perfunctory message attached. However, on a whim, I replied and said that I would write about them again.

So I dug out the photos I took of them in Jinan and Tokyo in 19.

 

We said goodbye in 18 and thought it would be a long time before we meet again, but unexpectedly we met twice in 19 and now it is almost 21. Looking through the photos again, it’s already I feel like I have known each other for more than five years. Some people are like this. As soon as they show up or speak, the time they get to know each other starts to increase exponentially.

I still remember the first time I met them at Tha Pae Gate in Chiang Mai, I said my stomach was not feeling well, and they said they understood me because they were sufferers of 365 daily diarrhea.

Tokyo

During the National Day in 2019, the two sisters took their old mother to Tokyo for a trip, and I happened to be there too. If the epidemic continues, and I mean if, then looking back, that period will probably be the peak period of my photography career. I had a lot of work at the time, and I was still taking photos for an artist. The time the two sisters were in Tokyo happened to conflict with my work, so I couldn't spend a whole day like I did in Chiang Mai. My time was so trivial that I only had time to spare. I spent more than an hour taking photos of them in the morning.

Because I had to work in Sensoji Temple next time, to save trouble, I made an appointment with them at Sensoji Temple. At that time, Sensoji Temple was as familiar to me as the ancient city of Chiang Mai, but I really didn’t want to take pictures of them there. I was already at Sensoji Temple. After taking a lot of photos, this place has no "playing" atmosphere to me. Fortunately, this is their first time here.

After meeting, without even saying a few words, they asked me where the toilet was ... I took them to the nearest small toilet, and all the familiar feelings returned.

The two sisters asked me how they matched their clothes. I looked at them carefully. My sister was wearing short-sleeved and wide-leg jeans, and my sister was wearing a thin sweater and denim shorts. One was short at the top and long at the bottom, and the other was long at the top and short at the bottom. It seemed like I am particular about it, so I said: " Auntie’s dress is the most suitable for me. "

I saw the mother of the two sisters standing aside wearing a pair of denim overalls, slippers on her feet, and a smiling face.

At first, the two sisters expressed that they wanted to take more photos of their old mother, so in my impression, it seemed like they spent the first half hour taking group photos...

I took a group photo of them in front of some famous buildings in Sensoji Temple, and I discovered that taking group photos as a souvenir is actually quite fun. The essence of photography is to take souvenirs!

Later, when the aunt got tired of taking pictures, or she wanted her daughter to take more pictures, she waved her hand and said: " Okay, you two can take pictures next. I have taken enough pictures and there are no poses. ”

That's about it. The two sisters had a feeling of "Well, mom has taken care of us, we can go on stage ", so they began to take over the position of the protagonists in the photo, laughing and laughing. In a lens that is already familiar.

 

There is an Inari Shrine hidden behind Sensoji Temple, which is a bit like the hidden place in the RPG game. It is dedicated to the Inari God who is in charge of harvest and wealth. There are many Inari Shrines in Japan, the most famous one is Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto, where the Chitorii Gate is very spectacular. The one in front of us now is just a very small shrine, but it is very exquisite and looks very ancient. It is also the quietest place in Sensoji Temple. I like it very much.

At Inari Shrine, the most common statues are fox statues, because foxes are the messengers of Inari God. So, the two sisters made a fox gesture, which was quite similar.

After walking around Sensoji Temple, they made wishes on " Ema " , and another person spent 100 yen to draw a lot, feeling a little hungry. Yes, we went to a convenience store and bought a rice ball for each of us. Eating rice balls is supposed to be a happy thing, but Zunzun suddenly snatched Mengmeng’s rice balls and wanted to take pictures with two rice balls. Mengmeng became ... angry and seemed to be getting more and more angry. He looked aggrieved, probably really angry.

This is a trivial thing. Little girls always have some thoughts that make people confused for a while, but it left a deep impression on me, so that every time I see rice balls later, I always think of Mengmeng's appearance when she is angry. , I have to write it down.

Finally, Zunzun said to his sister very seriously: "Yuan Meng, you have gone too far. "

Mengmeng curled her lips, and everyone happily walked around the streets and took pictures together with rice balls.

 

We walked randomly in the commercial street around Sensoji Temple. Because it was still early, there was no one on the street. If I hadn't made an appointment, I'm afraid the two sisters would still be sleeping at this time. As I write this, I suddenly hear "ding! " in my mind. Could it be that Mengmeng was angry when she woke up? It's just that the reflection arc is longer.

When we came to some advertising flags, I asked Zunzun and Mengmeng to hide behind the flags and poke their heads out. After taking a few pictures, Zunzun suddenly raised a flag to block Mengmeng's head ... These are two very interesting photos, but due to the rice ball incident, I am really afraid that Mengmeng will be unhappy!

Fortunately, I was overly worried.

 

Later, we also took some interesting photos. These photos were all in scenes that I am familiar with, but the photos I took before were all kimono photos. This seems to be my first time taking private photos at Sensoji Temple. Coming to Japan to take photos in kimonos is on the travel list of many girls, and most of the kimono shops in Tokyo are gathered at Sensoji Temple, so every time I come here, I take photos of kimonos.

I also asked the sisters if they wanted to wear kimonos. Looking at the photos now, I’m glad they declined the offer because they didn’t have much time, otherwise they wouldn’t be able to hug the telephone poles.

 

There is a small park in the corner on the edge of Sensoji Temple. It is square and square, with some simple children's play facilities. There are many such small parks in Japan. The standard equipment inside is slides and swings. In Japanese dramas, there are often lonely people in the sky. sitting on a lonely swing in the park and shaking slightly. But in fact, when there are children, such a park is always full of laughter and laughter, and the children can climb very high.

I like Japanese parks very much, because in such parks I can feel my childhood and youth, but domestic parks ... most of the facilities seem to be prepared for the recreation of middle-aged and elderly people , always looks lackluster.

When Mengmeng was sitting under the slide, Zunzun ran to the top of the slide. Mengmeng was afraid that Zunzun would kick her when he slid down. She looked very worried and hoped that Zunzun would not come down. I encouraged: " Come down, slide down and bump into it, it will look good, Mengmeng, you laugh! "

Mengmeng had no choice but to pretend to be happy, but she was always worried about whether she would be kicked by Zunzun. Zunzun happily slid down, spreading his legs at the last second, and they bumped into each other.

 

There is a small slope next to the park, and there is a temple on the slope that is rarely open. I plan to take another photo of my aunt and end the shooting. While taking photos of their aunt, the sisters suddenly jumped into the frame from behind.

The photos became very vivid, and I couldn't help but imagine that it would be really wonderful if my two lovely daughters jumped into my photos from time to time in the future.

 

After saying goodbye, I hurried to take kimono photos for more than an hour. After the photo was taken, it was lunch time. They had been waiting for me in an exquisite small restaurant for a long time. However, apart from remembering the decoration and the style of the dishes in that restaurant, It looked a bit like an internet celebrity, but I actually had no memory of what I ate.

It would be nice to have a plate of spicy water spinach.

After lunch, we formally said goodbye, and we haven't seen each other again. I think maybe it's because the number of meetings in 20 was used up in 19.

Jinan

In April 2019, I returned to China from Melbourne and arrived in Chongqing. After staying in Chongqing for ten days, I didn’t particularly want to go home. I opened the map of China and zoomed in and out, thinking of my footprints. I haven’t visited Shandong yet, so I flew to Qingdao as the air ticket was still very suitable. Since I arrived in Shandong, I remembered the twin sisters. After staying in Qingdao for a few days, I took a green leather car from Qingdao to Jinan to play with them.

From Melbourne to Green Car, it’s a big jump.

It has been one year and two months since we hurriedly said goodbye to each other at a pig's trotter stall in Chiang Mai and met in Jinan. Zunzun's relationship status has changed from "single" to " I was so in love" that I didn’t even see her on the first day I arrived in Jinan. Mengmeng took me to dinner and drank a little wine. I tried a bunch of craft beers. I didn’t quite understand the way, but I was still a little dizzy after drinking. I suddenly remembered how many days I had spent in Qingdao. Tian Que didn't even taste Tsingtao beer, which seemed a pity.

The next day, the two sisters made an appointment with me in front of a rather artistic renovated building on Jingwei Road in the old city, probably on Sixth Road. When I arrived, only Mengmeng was there, and she told me that Zunzun was in the toilet ...I guess it feels right.

We didn’t take pictures under the clean-looking cultural and artistic building because it didn’t feel right, so we went around Jingwei Road. I couldn’t tell or remember which road we were on, but I only remember that some of the buildings were really It's very old, so old that it seems to have been abandoned, with warnings of "Danger " hanging on it.

 

 

Jingwei Road has been in existence for about 100 years. Some of the buildings here have been renovated, while others have been left to age. Many facades in the alleys are dilapidated, but looking inside, there are still people there, maybe because of the The house ages together with people still living in it.

We were traveling through these places, chatting about what this era should be like, where we were going to travel next, and whether we were going to vlog . Then we saw a very broken door, and I said, you are here shoot.

 

Zunzun and Mengmeng's outfits always don't look like the twins I remember. Taking them apart, I always feel they don't match, but when put together, they don't look inconsistent, just like the same person wearing different clothes. When taking photos, no matter how large the span is, it will not be abrupt.

Speaking of which, Mengmeng posted a message on Moments some time ago, writing that Zunzun unlocked his phone with his face.

However, Zunzun and Mengmeng are still very different.

As the elder sister, Mengmeng is more elegant, while the younger sister Zunzun is more spirited, which can be seen when taking pictures. Zunzun has a wider range of movements and more expressions, and Mengmeng will refer to Zunzun's movements many times. Zunzun sometimes complains: " Why do you always do my actions. ”

Mengmeng's smile was gentle and uniform, as if she had practiced it. She was taking pictures with that smile almost the whole time. From such a smile, it is not difficult to see that she is very strict about being photogenic. From this point of view, even if the two sisters look exactly the same, they can be easily identified in front of the camera.

 

We walked all the way to the Baotuquan campus of Shandong University.

Mengmeng said that this was the place where they had played since childhood. It recorded the first time she learned to ride a bicycle, played on the slide on the bluestone steps, picked up locust flowers, and went on dates. In fact, there is no need to describe those details. Just with the words " From childhood to adulthood " , you can imagine those two figures running around in various places on campus.

I like to record scenes like this. When we walked through a pool with a rockery, we talked about whether they had taken pictures here when they were children. They tried to imitate how they looked when they were children. I like photos like this, which simply record the years and growth.

 

While strolling around, an auntie rode in on a scooter. The two sisters called mom in unison, which shocked me. The aunt stopped and shook my hand to say hello in an old-fashioned way. I suggested taking a few group photos, with the two sisters sandwiching their old mother in the middle, which was very warm.

In the photo, my aunt had her hands clasped together. I said, if I had brought my aunt to Thailand with me, this posture would be very suitable.

After taking a few pictures, the aunt got on the electric scooter and left. It turned out that she just happened to pass by on her way home.

You see, this is where they grew up. If they go out for a walk, they can accidentally run into their mother.

 

I saw two square stone pillars in front of a path. I thought they should not be empty, so I asked the two sisters to squat on them and pretend to be stone lions. People who come and go will look at them when they pass by, which makes them a little reserved. We waited until there were fewer people to take pictures. They are much cuter.

When they were getting off the pier, Zunzun jumped on Mengmeng, and they looked very loving as they carried each other back and forth.

 

 

 

We slowly walked out of the campus. There were some old residential areas and old shops. Even if it was my first time here, I seemed to be able to say " Everything is the same " In this case, because they were all like that era. The times are moving forward moment by moment, and existing things will one day be overthrown, but at this moment, it is still the same here.

 

 

The two sisters took me to a restaurant for lunch and ordered a lot of dishes, but ... I couldn't even remember any of them. I found that what can push me to remember food is often food. other things.

After dinner, they sent me back to my residence to pick up my luggage. With plenty of time, they walked around my residence again. It was an alley near Daming Lake. There were blue-brick houses in the alley, as well as old buildings with messy exterior walls. I liked those houses with many flowers.

When we really started to turn around the alley, time became tight again. The alley continued on and on, and we didn’t know where the end was. In the end, we had to give up exploring, saying that we would finish it when we had a chance. When we parted, we agreed to meet again in Tokyo in 5 months.

 

 

end

At this point, the memory is over.

But my memory is really bad, or it’s been a long time. I just remember that there are still a lot of things that I thought of at the time that I haven’t written yet.

Now Zunzun has grown her hair long. If she were not in front of my camera, I would probably be like the facial recognition system on their mobile phones, and I would not be able to tell who is who. They both have a partner, and in my impression they show off their affection more than each other, as if they have spent inseparable years and are about to usher in a big life change.

A few days ago, Zunzun sent me a message, inviting me to shoot her wedding in six months’ time. I generally don’t decide my schedule too early, and I’m not very willing to take wedding photos, but I still decisively agreed to her invitation. I'm just afraid that I won't be able to take good pictures, but thinking about it, since the subjects are them, I shouldn't be bad at taking pictures.

There has been no news from Mengmeng for a long time. I found out that she went to Suzhou with her boyfriend last month and didn’t even ask me to take pictures. I was really disappointed.

See you next year~