TRAVEL 67 : Chris Willson Photography

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Sanguwacha Festival, Henza Island, Okinawa

Published by travel67

Sanwacha Festival held on Henza Island, Okinawa, Japan. Ritual combining practice of cleansing in the ocean, and prayers for a bountiful harvest and safe fishing.

Sanguwacha Festival is held each year on Henza Island, Okinawa, Japan. The traditional rituals combine the practice of cleansing in the ocean with prayers for a bountiful harvest and safe fishing.

Two large paper fish are carried by teams of local school children through town and then out into the ocean. The elderly residents at the village’s day service came out to wave as the procession went past.

At low tide, everyone was able to wade across through thigh deep water to the nearby island. There the local priestess gave a blessing over offerings of awamori, fruit, and containers of diced octopus.

Back on the main island the women danced and sang as the giant paper fish made their way back to the village.

A fantastic experience to get in amongst the action, using a wide angle lens to capture the scene. (Sony A7RIV with a 16-35mm lens)

On the road again – Fodor’s Travel Essential Japan

Published by travel67

Since 2010, I’ve been one of the updaters for Japan guidebooks by Fodor’s Travel. I started with just the Okinawa chapter, but now I also update chapters covering Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Western Honshu.

Club Med Instructor Rodo in the powder, Kiroro Resort, Hokkaido, Japan

It might seems strange to have a writer who usually lives in sunny Okinawa update the Hokkaido chapter but…

I don’t have money, but what I do have are a very particular set of skills. Skills I have acquired over a very long career.

Before I moved to Okinawa I lived for a couple of years in Hokkaido. And before I lived in Hokkaido I’d had the chance to do a fair bit of snowboarding mainly in Lake Louise (Alberta) and Red Mountain (British Columbia). International tourism is booming in Japan, and Hokkaido has become an extremely popular winter destination with great resorts and huge amounts of snow.

So last week I flew up to Sapporo to check on the accommodation, restaurant and activity options for overseas visitors. I then visited the ski areas of Kiroro, Niseko, and Rusutsu before traveling to Hakodate.

Hokkaido has a good variety in the types of resorts available from quiet local ski hills to the huge Niseko multi-mountain area that has an abundance of international visitors.

You’ll have to wait for the guidebook for all the facts, but Hokkaido’s ski / snowboard resorts continue to be some of the best in the world.

Hokkaido’s rail system is still lagging behind the rest of Japan. The train from Kutchan (near Niseko) to Hakodate took around 4 hours, but there is light at the end of the local train tunnel. By 2030, bullet trains should connect Hakodate with Kutchan in around 45 minutes before whizzing on to Otaru and Sapporo.

Back in Okinawa, the airport had a new porter service for bags 🙂

Moo Business Cards

Published by travel67

For the last 10 years all my business cards have had a photograph of Japanese snow monkey on the back. Everyone I met on assignments, at workshops, at print sales, and at sessions got a monkey. I used Vistaprint to create hundreds of identical cards and I was good to go.

Recently, as my photography and video jobs have become more varied, I’ve wanted a wider range of images to show this variety. MOO allows you to create business cards with up to 50 different designs on the back. The front of the cards are all identical, and I now include a QR code to make finding my website easier.

The cards arrived couple of weeks ago, just before my assignment to Hokkaido. It was really fun to allow people to choose their picture, and the designs started many interesting conversations.

The cards are a little more expensive that my previous Vistaprint snow monkeys, but the print quality is fantastic, and I now always carry a selection in my wallet and camera bags.

After signing up I got a friends and family referral code so you should be able to get 25% off your order.

My MOO referral code https://refer.moo.com/s/45po7u

Okinawa green tree frog – Zhangixalus viridis

Published by travel67

While working in the garden cutting back the shell ginger (Alpinia zerumbet) I came across this cute Okinawa green tree frog (Zhangixalus viridis). Jasmine was interested to see the frog with its giant sticky toes, and bright yellow eyes. I got a few pics and video with the iphone before going back and getting the big camera.

The Okinawa green tree frog is a rhacophorid frog endemic to the Ryukyu Island chain. It is not uncommon, but although I hear a veritable frog chorus when it rains, I only occasionally come across them in the garden.

2023 Highlights

Published by travel67

2023 was a year of consolidation and preparation. Travel was limited, but the months were filled meeting fascinating people, and documenting their stories.

The biggest change was Jasmine turning five. She has graduated from baby seats to booster seats, Duplo to Lego, and Paw Patrol to Bluey.

My mum and dad visited in autumn, and it was great to reconnect. Yuki was amazed at just how many cups of tea we drank.

2023 saw the return of several major events in Okinawa, including the dragon boat races, competitive sports, and local festivals.

Ryukyu Guardian Lions v Taipei Predators 1st July 2023 at Onoyama Athletics Park. Chris Willson Photography http://www.TRAVEL67.com

Shinugu festival, an intangible folk cultural asset of Japan, Ada, Kunigami Village, Okinawa, Japan.

I’ve met so many wonderful people from all different backgrounds.

Ryukyu dancer Kana-san wearing traditional kimono and hanagasa hat. Yomitan, Okinawa.

It was a pleasure to meet, photograph, and interview the Māori martial arts master Tuari Dawson. Recording him singing on the beach was unforgettable.

I’ve continued my project to document the masters of Okinawan karate, shooting both indoors on the black background and on location.

James Thompson 10th-dan Uechi-ryu, photographed in Motobu, Okinawa by Chris Willson Photography http://www.TRAVEL67.com

The Sensei: Masters of Okinawan Karate series has grown in popularity with hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube and Instagram. Series Two has included Okinawan icons such as Higaonna Sensei and Matsuda Sensei. A huge thank you to the sponsors and supporters of the series.

I’ve also had the opportunity to interview international karate masters during their visits to Okinawa. In the last month I’ve released the amazing stories of James Thompson (Uechi-ryu karate / U.S. special forces), and Jean Frenette (Goju-ryu karate / stunt coordinator).

A huge thank you to all those who have supported my work over the year. Thank you for taking my workshops, thank you for booking me to photograph your events and your families. Whether it is military balls, university graduations, or piano recitals, it is always a pleasure to be a small part of your special day.

Chinami Piano Studio Recital, 9th November 2023, Okinawa, Japan. Chris Willson Photography http://www.TRAVEL67.com

Beach Session, Motobu, Okinawa Chris Willson Photography http://www.TRAVEL67.com

2023 was the first year I created calendars, which are now available at my Shopify store.

2024 is hopefully going to be a big year. The construction of a new studio / office beside our house will allow me to expand the business, while I hope to venture beyond the reef, and explore more of Okinawa, Japan, and the rest of the world.

Hope you all have a wonderful 2024! Thank you again for all your support.

Chris

Kenichi Yamashiro – World Ryukyu Kobudo Championships

Published by travel67

On Sunday December 3rd 2023 the World Ryukyu Kobudo Championships were held at the Karate Kaikan in Okinawa. It was particularly good to see Kenichi Yamashiro competing with so much power and technique at 76 years old.

Kenichi Yamashiro 9th dan Matayoshi Kobudo (age 76) competing at World Ryukyu Kobudo Championships

Yamashiro Sensei didn’t win, but his student Hiroshi Kawakami took 1st place in both sai and bo, so I’m sure he was pleased overall.

Hiroshi Kawakami, Student of Keichi Yamashiro & Hidetada Ishiki at the Workld Ryukyu Kobudo Championships – 1st place in Sai and Bo kata.

I photographed Yamashiro Sensei for the Karate Masters Portrait Project back in 2019 so I was pleased to be able to say hello.

Kenichi Yamashiro, 9th dan Matayoshi Kobudo,. Photographed March 1st 2019 at the Komesu Yamashiro Dojo

Kenichi Yamashiro was one of the key student of Matayoshi Shimpo Sensei. I’d love to interview Yamashiro Sensei in the future. Another key student of Matayoshi Shimpo was Hidetada Ishiki who I’ve also photographed and we interviewed for Series Two of Sensei: Masters of Okinawan Karate.

Warrior Poet – Māori Martial Arts Master Tuari Dawson

Published by travel67

Tuari Dawson has a passion for sharing his Māori culture, especially through the martial arts. He has made several trips to Okinawa to study Goju-ryu karate, and to find similarities between these two island nations.

Tuari and I met up on his recent visit, and I was able to record a quick interview at our local beach. Such a memorable experience, one of the highlights of my year. Of course I was in awe at him performing the haka, but I hadn’t expected that he was such as soulful singer!

Tuari has followed the Okinawan karate masters series, and has invited me to Aotearoa (New Zealand) to photograph and interview the masters of Māori martial arts. This would be absolutely amazing, so hopefully we will be able to make this possible sometime in the next few years.

2024 Calendars

Published by travel67

The 2024 Okinawan Spirit Calendar is available at the Chris Willson Photography Shopify store.

The calendars are created print on demand at numerous locations around the world. If you are based in the US or CA make sure to select the US & CA version so that it is created in the correct part of the world!

https://b0d25b.myshopify.com

There is also a 2024 Japanese Spirit Calendar that is also available.

I’ll also be putting in the option to buy individuals prints in the store. Currently there’s a Wagasa Kyoto Umbrella print that is available as a canvas or as a framed print.

https://b0d25b.myshopify.com

Shinugu Festival, Ada Village, Kunigami

Published by travel67

The Shinugu Festival in the tiny hamlet of Ada, is a celebration of traditions, with hopes for good health and a good harvest.

Denny Tamaki the governor of Okinawa, attended the festival for the first time. (Second person on second row, standing next to guy in the green shirt.)

The lady in the picture below told me she had to wait 2 more years to be 100. Full of life, every time she referred to herself she touched her nose with her drumstick. She bossed around all the younger ladies in the group. Young ladies who were only in their 70’s or 80’s.

Ryukyu Guardian Lions v Taipei Predators

Published by travel67

On July 1st 2023 the Ryukyu Guardian Lions took on the Taipei Predators in an off-season American football game.

I had the opportunity to shoot from the sidelines, and be up close to the action. I used a couple of Sony A7RIVs with the 200-600 and the 16-35 lenses.

I managed to get they key shots I wanted which included the quaterback 藤原慶太 throwing the ball, and defensive line Gabe Edwards shutting down the opposition. Wide receiver 池口伸之 had a fantastic run to score a touchdown that sealed the game.

As RGL won the game it was also good to photograph the celebrations, and gett pics of both teams.

You can find more information about the team at https://ryukyuguardianlions.com