One of the things I really appreciate about life in Japan is the railway system, in particular, the bullet trains or shinkansen (新幹線). It’s great to be able to jump on a shinkansen in Tokyo and be in Kyoto just two hours later. And last weekend, my wife and I did just that.
We caught a 6pm train from Shinagawa Station. By about 8:30 we were in our hotel room at the Hyatt Regency Kyoto swiping our way though an iPad app of tourist locations in the city. (more…)
The next morning we went snorkeling. Visibility was great. I saw thousands of beautiful tropical fish and some amazing coral formations. Unfortunately I still don’t have an underwater digital camera. I’ve been meaning to get one but keep putting it off. So this time I took some crappy (probably) pictures with a disposable underwater 35mm camera. If any of them come out OK I’ll post them here when I get back the prints.
That afternoon my wife wanted to make a Siisaa (シーサー), one of those clay dog, lion, monster things. There are a few pottery shops on the island where people can go and learn how to make one of these things. We found one and she went to work. The guy there walked her through making the body, adding the legs, head, etc. He was really fast. She was not. Continue reading
Back at the hotel… Amazing room, flowers on the balcony, the ocean in the distance… We paid for the whole trip as a package deal 3 months or so ago. This is the way to do it. By the time you get there you’ve forgotten exactly how much you paid, and the pain of paying has long since faded. Yes, I know this is irrational, but you should definitely try paying for a trip in advance. Trust me, it feels better that way. If you don’t think this makes any sense read “Predictably Irrational
That night we went to this open air village thing. They had a weird system where you sit at a table, look at the menu, and then walk to the booth to order. Than you sit back at your table until they call your number. Then you go get your food. And when you finish you have to take back your own trays. But the food was great, and Okinawan Orian Beer is great on a warm evening after a hot day. I had my 50mm f/1.4
The band was good too. They’re call Harvesta (ハーバスタ) and you can find them on MySpace here. Apparently these guys are playing Osaka and Tokyo in the next few weeks. Check them out if you’re in the area.
All images © 2010 by Jason Weddington, All Rights Reserved. No Use Without Written Permission. Contact me at the_wandering_eye [at] yahoo [dot] com for usage or licensing requests.
Miyakojima
A few months ago I signed up for the annual Tour Du Miyakojima, a 100km cycling road race on the Island of Miyakojima. Miyakojima is about 300km southwest of the main island of Okinawa.
The plan was to ditch the kids with their grandparents and to have a nice weekend getaway with just the two of us. And to race 100km on a bike somewhere in there. But as the race got closer the weather forecast looked worse and worse. It seemed like it was going to rain all weekend. The plan tickets and hotel were already paid for, but it was starting to look like a miserable weekend for a bike race. So I decided to leave the bike behind, and just spend a weekend on an island with my wife. I figured a weekend of relaxing would do me good, even if it was rainy. And of course I was hoping to make some good photos.
As it turned out, the weather was perfect! But I don’t regret skipping the race. It was pretty hot, and those guys looked miserable. And since I didn’t have the race to worry about we had a great time touring the island.
We arrived around 10:30am and had several hours before checking into the hotel. We spent the time driving around in a rental car and taking in the sights. Misakojima is beautiful. And unlike most places in Japan that are worth visiting, it wasn’t crowded at all. The roads were empty, the parks were empty. After 4 years in Tokyo, I felt like I could finally breath again.
One of the first places we stopped was Sunayama Beach (lit. “sand mountain beach”). Surprisingly enough, it’s a big mountain of sand that drops down to the water. We saw butterflies, pretty flowers, beautiful green plants, and the amazing emerald green of the Pacific Ocean. Truly island paradise stuff.
All images © 2010 by Jason Weddington, All Rights Reserved. No Use Without Written Permission. Contact me at the_wandering_eye [at] yahoo [dot] com for usage or licensing requests.
This morning we jumped on the bikes and took a ride to Ikegami Honmonji (池上本門寺). My goal was to make some good photos, but it was also a family outing of sorts. I dragged along the 5D Mark II and two lenses: 24mm-70mm f/2.8 and 70mm-200mm f/2.8.
Japanese temples are interesting places. In Tokyo they are an oasis of peace in the middle of a crazy, crowded, and sometimes insane city. We went early enough in the morning that there were still very few people there. It was a nice break from the crowded trains and tired people that I see on a daily basis.
I’m never sure about taking pictures in cemeteries. I’ve been here long enough that I no longer feel like a tourist. When you’re a tourist you point your camera at anything and everything, and think nothing of it. Everything is new and foreign, and photo-worthy. And the locals just think “stupid tourist” and go about their lives. But once you’re not a tourist anymore you start to worry about things like “is it OK to take pictures here?” And I assume that the locals, instead of thinking “stupid tourist” instead think “why is that guy taking pictures here?” I don’t know, probably I worry too much. People tell me I’m too serious. Continue reading