Just ordered a new set of business cards. Love the fact that I can have a huge range of images on the cards.
Moo gave me a family and friends discount referral code, so if anyone wants to try out the cards, you should get £20 off.
Moo referral code https://refer.moo.com/jftxck
The bats in the tree are the Ryukyu flying fox (Pteropus dasymallus) and in Okinawa Main Island we have the subspecies Orii’s fruit bat (P. d. inopinatus). The bats were feasting on the fruit of the areca palms (Dypsis lutescens). They were so busy chewing away, they didn’t care about me taking pics.
Sony A7RIV with Sony 70-200mm lens.
RIP Seiki Takushi 1939-2026 Goju-ryu, Kobudo Matayoshi-kei Hanshi 10th Dan who passed away this week. Our thoughts go out to his family, friends, and students around the world.
On July 27th 2026 he was awarded the title of Preserver of Okinawa Prefecture’s Designated Intangible Cultural Property: “Okinawan Karate and Kobujutsu”
Photographed July 18, 2014 at the Karate Kaikan, Okinawa for the Karate Masters Portrait Project.
On August 2nd 2026 the Nago Haari (dragon boat races) took place in the Nago City port, northern Okinawa.
I was part of the Yambaru DMO team, but instead of rowing, I spent the race crouched at the bow taking photos. Thankfully, my extra weight didn’t slow the team down; we still crossed the finish line first!
These wide-angle shots were with the Sony A7RIV with the 14mm 1.8 lens, held about 20 cm from the surface of the water as I leaned out of the boat.
It was great to see so many different boats competing, with teams of local Okinawans and Americans.
These telephoto shots were with the 70-200mm lens.
Starting in April 2026, I have a new client, the Okinawa Yambaru DMO, for whom I will be working as their official photographer.
The Okinawa Yambaru DMO has been created with the goals of promoting tourism in the Yambaru region, enhancing its appeal, and promoting sustainable community development.
The DMO will collaborate with businesses, local government, and residents so that it benefits both visitors to the Yambaru and the people who live there.
The Yambaru region is made up of the 12 municipalities of northern Okinawa Prefecture: Kunigami, Ogimi, Higashi, Motobu, Nakijin, Nago, Onna, Ginoza, Kin, Ie, Iheya, and Izena.
I’ll be documenting cafes and restaurants.
The endemic Yambaru wildlife both on land,
and underwater.
The local festivals
and the farming community.
Marine sports whether you surf,
or stand-up-paddle.
And the many other activities such as visting botanical gardens,
studying with karate masters,
or simply cruising around the island.
This is a great opportunity to share my love of northern Okinawa with the world 🙂
The latest edition of the Fodor’s Essential Japan travel guidebook is now on sale. Yuki and I updated the Hokkaido, Western Honshu, Kyushu, and Okinawa chapters.
This will be my 7th update for Fodor’s Japan. I got my start writing the update for the Okinawa chapter in the 2012 edition. Japan is a fantastic place to visit, and I love being able to share some of my favorite places with the world.
Portraits of Tuari, a master of Māori martial arts. He is holding a patu, which was made by his father-in-law.
It was a real honour and a delight to photograph Tuari, and I am so pleased he could make his way up to my studio in Motobu. My goal is to visit him in New Zealand, as Tuari has offered me the opportunity to document Māori martial arts on location in beautiful Aotearoa.
For those interested in the technical specs….
I photographed Tuari in my studio with the Sony A7RIV and the 70-200 GM2. The keylight was a Profoto D2 strobe with a gridded soft white beauty dish. The rim lights were two 1×4′ gridded softboxes with Proheads powered by a pro-7A 1200W generator. The background is a black felt on a Manfrotto / Lastolite EzyFrame.
On his previous visit to Okinawa, I did a quick interview with Tuari and took some pics of him on the local beach here in Motobu.
It is always a pleasure to hang out with Tuari, often swapping anecdotes of our adventures/misadventures around the world. One of my favorite stories is about the time he was Jonah Lomu’s body double for a McDonald’s commercial, where for insurance purposes Lomu was not allowed to run through a wall….
In October, I had the pleasure of photographing the beautiful wedding of Manon & Jeff.
It was a delightful open-air ceremony at Sara-no-ue-no-shizen & il Gastro Sara (皿の上の自然& il Gastro Sara), location photography among the orchids at Bios botanical gardens, then the reception back at il Gastro Sara.
The reception was fantastic with an amazing array of fine food created by the chefs at il Gastro Sara.
Thank you so much for having me as your photographer on your special day.
Dan Antonsen has studied Goju-ryu karate in the Meibukan Dojo under Meitoku Yagi and Meitatsu Yagi. He also studies Ryukyu Kobudo under Hidemi Tamayose. He was recently awarded the rank of 8th-dan.
James Pankiewicz and I interviewed Dan for Series 3 of the Sensei: Masters of Okinawan Karate documentary series. The preview for the episode is now on YouTube.
A little girl, with little curls, came to see the hills. She read about a naughty rabbit, and went in search of thrills.
She walked up Orrest Head, and looked down at the lake. But now that she was seven, it was just a piece of cake.
She hiked up Wandsfell Pike, and the view was just the best. Mum took another photo, while Dad had a little rest.
The Red Arrows roared above, a mountain victory!
Then holding hands, they wandered home, for buttered scones and tea.
TRAVEL 67 : Chris Willson Photography 