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50 Years of Bullet Trains

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Bullet Time

Bullet Time

Something I wrote for the Asahi Weekly back in 2002. (I am now aware that The Little Engine that Could is an American book, and said “I thought I could, I thought I could” on the way down.)

Trainspotting

Most English and Japanese people like trains. Both countries have an extensive rail network, both have groups of avid trainspotters, and both countries love Thomas the Tank Engine.

Possibly the two most famous fictional trains in Britain are The Little Engine That Could and The Hogwarts Express. The Little Engine That Could said “I think I can, I think I can,” as he struggled to the top of the mountain and then, “I knew I could, I knew I could” all the way down the other side. The Hogwarts Express left platform nine and three-quarters and took Harry Potter to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. If these fictional trains actually had to deal with the real British rail system, then the stories might be a little different. The Little Engine That Could would have decided that it couldn’t be bothered and Harry Potter, due to a derailment or a rail strike, would have never made it to Hogwarts.

Slow, unreliable, and expensive. Trains in Britain are about as effective as inflatable dartboards. Things in Japan, however, are different.
My first train journey in Japan was from Narita International Airport to Tokyo and then on to Niigata. Once I had bought my ticket, a station worker showed me exactly where to stand on the platform. Dead on schedule, the train I wanted pulled into the station, its doors opening directly in front of me. It was obvious that time keeping was something that was expected rather than hoped for by train users in Japan.
From Tokyo to Niigata I took the Shinkansen bullet train. If British trains are equivalent to old family cars then Shinkansen are like Rolls-Royces. Not only can they go faster, but they do it without making it look or sound difficult.
Britain now has some high-speed cross-country trains; it does not, however, have high-speed train tracks. This means that for the moment these new trains are restricted to a more mundane pace.

Japan doesn’t appear to be resting on its laurels. The Nozomi bullet train that runs between Osaka and Tokyo already travels at an amazing 280kph.But a current research project is developing a maglev (magnetically levitated) train that has been tested at speeds of over 550kph.

England seems to be great at creating fictional trains, but it needs to invest in the real ones as well. If it followed Japan’s example, England might even manage to get the new trains to run on time.

 

Shooting some stock video of a bullet train in Tokyo with my friend Damon Coulter. Must learn to shut up when filming rather than chat away with the intention of removing the sound later.

Bullet Trains

Bullet Trains

Ryukyu-inu

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Ryukyu Ken

Ryukyu Ken

Ryukyu-inu a.k.a. Ryukyu-ken is a rare breed of dog endemic to Okinawa. My friend Roy who owns Musashi said he had to have an interview before he could get a Ryukyu-inu. Roy had to agree to numerous conditions including not neutering the dog and allowing it to be used for stud if needed. Very much on the wolf end of the domestic dog spectrum, it’s an impressive animal.

Pentax 645Z for Wedding Photographers

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Pentax 645Z for Wedding Photographers

Pentax 645Z for Wedding Photographers

The Pentax 645Z may be the perfect camera for high-end wedding photographers. Of course it may seem like an unusual choice in an industry now dominated by Nikon and Canon, but the 645Z has some advantages over the competition.

Can it get the job done?

Shooting inside a gloomy church, a makeup room, or at the reception are now possible with ambient light. The new CMOS sensor in the 645Z means that you can use higher ISOs when required. This has been an issue with many other medium format digital cameras including its predecessor the 645D.

Rain, no problem. Weather sealing on the body and lenses means you can keep on shooting no matter how “ironic” the wedding day is.

Dual memory card slots, giving you redundancy in case of card failure.

The “weaknesses” of the 645Z compared to the top of the line DSLR’s in terms of focusing speed and frames per second may be an issue for sports photographers, but unless you have an actual runaway bride it shouldn’t be an issue at a wedding.

What makes it special?

Sensor size. 50 megapixels means you can produce huge prints, and have fantastic image quality. Using the 645Z to take a passport photo is overkill, it does not match the customer’s needs or budget.  Clients looking for a high-end wedding photographer, however, may see the advantage of larger file sizes, demand the best, and be willing to pay for it.

Dreamy bokeh when you need it.

The size of the camera itself also has its advantages, but it’s more to do with theatrics than image quality.

In the age of film, wedding photographers were often using medium format film. The person with the big Hassleblad, Mamiya or Pentax 67 was the person in charge.  As technology has progressed it’s now possible to shoot weddings with a digital SLR or something even more compact. Cameras have also become far more ubiquitous and this can lead to a few perception issues.  You can create amazing wedding images with a diminutive Fujifilm x100, but for some in the wedding party the fact that the photographer has a smaller camera than half the congregation can be disconcerting.

Weddings are performances.  The dress, the jewelry, the Rolls Royce, the enormous cake, they are all beyond the norm. A photographer with a huge camera is another actor in the play. Some photographers will scream obscenities reading this because “Wow, that’s a nice camera, it must take great pictures” is not what they want to hear. And yes, in reality, it doesn’t matter what other gear people have because the photographer has the experience, skill, and vision. But, maybe the same people who marveled at the size of your camera, will be the ones selecting the photographer for their weddings.

Pentax 645Z for Wedding Photographers

Pentax 645Z for Wedding Photographers

Any possible issues?

Cost – Switching to a 645Z system is going to be a significant investment. A couple of bodies and a selection of lenses is going to be around twenty thousand dollars.

Weight – The 645D with the 90mm, 25mm and particularly the new 28-45mm lens are going to give you a serious workout.

Sync Speed – The flash sync speed of 1/125 of a second, could be an issue for some photographers who shoot with strobes outside. In the following shot you can see there is some motion blur in the bouquet as it flies out of the bride’s hand. The Profoto B1 strobe freezes the action but the 1/125  of ambient light causes the blur. In this image I think the blur actually adds to the shot, but there are occasions that you might not want it. In those situations there are advantages to using a leaf shutter lens, and although there are no new leaf shutter lenses available for the 645Z, there are rumors that they are on the horizon.

Processing Power – You’re going to need a powerful computer to maintain a rapid workflow when processing the larger files produced by the camera.

Pentax 645Z for Wedding Photographers

Pentax 645Z for Wedding Photographers

In my opinion, the Pentax 645Z system is a fantastic option for wedding photographers. It’s definitely worth testing out at the very least. Once you take hold of the gloriously chunky grip, and look through the bright viewfinder, you may just be hooked.

Koenji Awa Odori, Tokyo

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Koenji Awa Odori, Tokyo

Koenji Awa Odori, Tokyo

Koenji Awa Odori, held in Koenji at the end of August, is Tokyo’s version of the Tokushima City Awa Odori dance festival.

Koenji Awa Odori, Tokyo

Koenji Awa Odori, Tokyo

The dances are similar, but the overall feeling is very different. The performers at the Koenji Awa Odori  wind their way along narrow streets, the sidewalks packed with spectators. Only in certain section are they on larger roads where they can spread out.

Koenji Awa Odori, Tokyo

Koenji Awa Odori, Tokyo

Taking photographs was easy enough as the dancers awaited the start.

Koenji Awa Odori, Tokyo

Koenji Awa Odori, Tokyo

Things were trickier when the dancing began as the number of spectators make it difficult to move from one position to another.

Koenji Awa Odori, Tokyo

Koenji Awa Odori, Tokyo

Overall, an interesting event, especially for those who can’t make it all the way to Shikoku.

Koenji Awa Odori, Tokyo

Koenji Awa Odori, Tokyo

Koenji Awa Odori, Tokyo

Koenji Awa Odori, Tokyo

Ryukyu Dancer Portraits

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Ryukyu Dancer in Yotsutake performance costume.

Ryukyu Dancer in Yotsutake performance costume.

Ryukyu Dancers wearing flower-shaped bamboo hats and Bingata kimono prepare for the Yotsutake dance as part of the performance of “a Cirque ~ Clown Macbeth” at the National Theatre Okinawa.

Ryukyu Dancer in Yotsutake performance costume.

Ryukyu Dancer in Yotsutake performance costume.

I have just realized it’s the National Theatre Okinawa not the National Theater Okinawa. Usually in Japan, the American spelling of words is more common. Does the use of theatre rather than theater show that the Japanese performing arts see themselves closer to British rather than American traditions.

チャーン – Okinawan Chickens

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Iha-san with his chan chickens チャーン

Iha-san with his chan chickens チャーン

While taking Bear for a walk, I saw an Okinawan man feeding his chickens. I stopped and had a little chat with him. A couple of  hours later, I returned with my camera  to get a few pics.

Iha-san with his chan chickens チャーン

Iha-san with his chan chickens チャーン

Iha-san is 60 and his hobby is looking after his chickens. Many of them are breeds that are only found in Okinawa and called Chan ( チャーン ) Some of his chickens have won awards at the local singing competitions. He showed me photos of him standing with a chicken under one arm, and a trophy in the other.

Iha-san with his chan chickens チャーン

Iha-san with his chan chickens チャーン

I’ve never been to a singing competition for chickens, but I’ll add it to my list of things to do. Which reminds me, Japanese chickens say kokekoko rather than cock-a-doodle-doo.

Iha-san with his chan chickens チャーン

Iha-san with his chan chickens チャーン