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Ishigaki-Japan.com

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Ishigaki-Japan.com

Ishigaki-Japan.com by Richard Shaw

Quick announcement to say that fellow Brit Richard Shaw has created www.Ishigaki-Japan.com a great new website about Ishigaki and the surrounding islands. Ishigaki is one Okinawa prefectures southern islands. I spent three weeks there a few years ago, and it remains one of my favorite places in Japan.

If you haven’t seen them already please check out “ Southern Comfort – Life on Ishigaki Island” and the “A tale of two islands -Taketomi & Iriomote” over at http://www.TRAVEL67.com

Umitamago Aquarium, Oita

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Basketball playing dolphins, Umitamago Aquarium, Oita

Basketball playing dolphins, Umitamago Aquarium, Oita

There are many aquariums in Japan. They vary in size, quality and role (education / research / entertainment). The Umitamago (Sea Egg) Aquarium in Oita seems to be aimed at entertaining and educating children about the ocean. It is far more hands-on than other aquariums, you can play basketball with the dolphins, feel the leathery skin of dogfish and rays, and even touch “Ponta”, “Mee” and “Bubu” the three resident Walruses.

Meeting a Walrus at Umitamago Aquarium, Oita

Meeting a Walrus at Umitamago Aquarium, Oita

The role of zoos and aquariums in modern society is a complicated issue. Are they little more than animal exploitation with profit the ultimate goal, or do they have a role in educating and inspiring visitors to cherish the oceans and marine creatures from zooplankton to whales?

Walrus, Umitamago Aquarium, Oita

Walrus, Umitamago Aquarium, Oita

Tokyo Megacity Book Launch

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Tokyo Megacity by Ben Simmons Book Launch

Tokyo Megacity by Ben Simmons Book Launch

On Saturday, photographer Ben Simmons will be giving a talk at Tower Records in Shibuya to launch his new book “Tokyo Megacity.” A great opportunity to meet a fantastic photographer.

I can’t think of a more appropriate place to launch a book about Tokyo than overlooking Hachiko Crossing! If you’re in Tokyo, check it out and say hello to Ben from me!

Noguchi-gera ( Pryer’s Woodpecker )

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Just got back the film from the couple of days I spent trying to photograph the Noguchi-gera. The Noguchi-gera is a rare woodpecker that is endemic to the forests of  northern Okinawa. It is the prefectural bird of Okinawa and is designated as a natural treasure of Japan.

The photographs I’d taken were disappointing, but this was hardly surprising. There were several factors that made this a difficult shot. The bird was far away, the bird was moving, the day was overcast, and above all, I was using the wrong tools for the job. A large piece of film or a large sensor isn’t much use if you have to heavily crop the image to see the bird. I would have been better using my little 35mm film camera with a 67 to 35mm adapter on the lens. Even better would have been to have used a cropped sensor digital camera which would have increased the size of the bird in the image even further.

Here’s the best of the images. It serves as a good reminder of what the bird looked like, but I’ll think of this as merely a first (and second) attempt.

Noguchi-gera, Pryer's Woodpecker, Sapheopipo noguchii

Noguchi-gera, Pryer's Woodpecker, Sapheopipo noguchii

Protecting your Camera Equipment from Mould

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Here’s an email I received today from a friend based on Ishigaki (one of Okinawa’s southern islands).

I’ve just discovered the power of Ishigaki’s mould. I left my favorite  macro lens out on the desk for about 2 weeks….every day I told myself that I should pack it away before it gets mouldy. I finally got around it to and guess what – inner element completely smeared with mould which looks like it might have cut into the glass. How stupid. Lesson learned. I really need to get some dry-storage, especially as I’m about to buy a nice Tokina 11-16mm wide lens which I really don’t want to suffer the same fate.

Mould is a serious problem in Okinawa, especially during rainy season. Lenses and film are particularly vulnerable. A mouldy lens can be sent to a specialist for cleaning but more than likely the mould will have etched itself into the coatings and a repair will be more than the cost of the lens. I imagine mould could easily create havoc on a digital sensor.

The cheap solution is to store your gear in an airtight container along with desiccants and fungicide. Regularly replace or recharge the desiccants so that the humidity is always controlled.

A far better option if you are living in (rather than just traveling through) a humid area is to purchase a dehumidifier cabinet. These work similar to a refrigerator except they keep the interior at a constant humidity. I have three large cabinets, two filled with transparencies and one filled with camera equipment.

Dry cabinets are available at most camera stores in Okinawa, however, they’re cheaper and there’s a better selection at Amazon.co.jp. It’s not just photographers who need them, in many offices in Okinawa computer discs and electronics are also stored in these cabinets.

A final tip is that you should get out in the sun and use your gear. A good dose of sunshine will help combat the growth of mould, and there’s no point having a camera if you don’t get out there are take some pictures.

Onbashira- up close

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Crop from center of sixth image in the series

It’s hard to see on the smaller images but this crop shows just how dangerous this event is. The rear of the tree is off the ground and there are several limbs and at least one head near the rapidly closing gap between trunk and ground.