The National Art Center, Tokyo,
The National Art Center in Roppongi, Tokyo. Designed by architect Kisho Kurokawa. Lovely.
The National Art Center, Roppongi, Tokyo
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Asakusa Samba Festival, Tokyo
Asakusa Samba Festival, Tokyo
Dancing in the streets at the 33rd Asakusa Samba Festival in Tokyo. 22 teams including local Japanese and Brazilians bring Samba to the roads around Asakusa Shrine.
Asakusa Samba Festival, Tokyo
The event is watched by around 500,000 spectators so the streets do get a little crowded.
Asakusa Samba Festival, Tokyo
Some participants went with the iconic sparkly Carnival outfits, while others wore costumes more representative of their region in Japan. This is why you have dancing okonomiyaki.
Asakusa Samba Festival, Tokyo
Overall, a fun event, very different from the traditional religious festivals that I usually cover. Maybe I should start checking out the prices of flights to Rio.
Asakusa Samba Festival, Tokyo
Asakusa Samba Festival, Tokyo
Asakusa Samba Festival, Tokyo
Asakusa Samba Festival, Tokyo
Asakusa Samba Festival, Tokyo
Fuji Television Studios, Odaiba, Tokyo
Fuji Television Studios Building, Odaiba, Tokyo
Fuji Television Studios Building, Odaiba, Tokyo designed by Japanese architect Kenzo Tange.
Fuji Television Studios Building, Odaiba, Tokyo
Photographed using the Pentax 645Z with 25mm and 90mm lenses, with polarizer.
Fuji Television Studios Building, Odaiba, Tokyo
Gundam Statue, Odaiba, Tokyo
Gundam Statue, Odaiba, Tokyo
There’s an 18-meter Gundam statue in front of DiverCity Tokyo Plaza, Odaiba, Tokyo.
I know nothing about Gundam, so I shall turn to Wikipedia.
The Gundam Series (ガンダムシリーズ ) is a metaseries of space opera anime created by Sunrise studios that features giant robots (or “mecha”) called “Mobile Suits” (MS); usually the protagonist’s MS will carry the name “Gundam.”
Sounds a bit like the giant robot suits in the very mediocre Pacific Rim movie. The statue was pretty impressive, and worth checking out if you’re visiting Odaiba.
Gundam Statue, Odaiba, Tokyo
Okinawa – International Destination Weddings
Pre-wedding 645Z 1/60 2.8 ISO400
Okinawa is a popular wedding destination for mainland Japanese, and more recently couples from Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China. I teamed up with the Marine Bijou wedding chapel, and model Yuki to produce some stock imagery that I can use in future projects.
Marine bijou wedding chapel, Kise Beach Palace resort, Okinawa
I shot with the Pentax 645Z allowing me to provide clients with huge data files if needed. For the “pre-wedding” images I used only natural light then switched to Profoto strobes in the chapel and on the beach.
Marine bijou wedding chapel, Kise Beach Palace resort, Okinawa
Outdoors in the blazing sunshine, one assistant (Chris) held the Profoto B1 in a white softlight reflector, while another assistant (Cody) held a large Lastolite diffusion panel that put Yuki into soft shade.
Kise Beach Palace resort, Okinawa, Japan
The strong tropical sunlight really brought out the colors in the ocean, while the diffuser and powerful strobe allowed us to avoid harsh shadows.
Kise Beach Palace resort, Okinawa, Japan
I got a great series of images so a huge thanks to Marine Bijou, the make up artist, Yuki the model, and assistants Chris and Cody.
Kise Beach Palace resort, Okinawa, Japan
If you’ve found this blog because you’re looking for a wedding photographer in Okinawa, then you can either go through a resort facility such as Marine bijou, or contact a wedding photographer directly: Pete Leong Photography or Adam L Photography.
Or you could just forget about hiring a photographer, and have the bride take selfies….
a Cirque ~ Clown Macbeth ~
Traditional dancer or the Udui Haru group
I’m starting a new project documenting the traditional dancers of Okinawa. The first group I have met with is Udui Haru and their teacher Keiko Miyagi. The group were part of a performance of Macbeth on Friday along with the theater group Ryukyu Cirque.
Traditional dancers or the Udui Haru group
The director of the production is Makoto Inoue, who also plays the role of Macbeth. Dancers Riko Sugama, Hitoshi Tamaki, and Chinatsu Higa play the roles of Lady Macbeth, the gatekeeper, and King Duncan.
Traditional dancers or the Udui Haru group with dancer Riko Sugama
The performances are at the National Theater Okinawa, in Urasoe on Sept 19, Dec 17 and Feb 6. Curtain up at 7pm. Well worth checking out, a unique blend of Shakespeare and the traditional Okinawan arts.
Riko Sugama as Lady Macbeth and Makoto Inoue as Macbeth – dress rehearsal for a Cirque ~Clown Macbeth ~
Nao by Aldebaran Robotics
Nao an autonomous, programmable humanoid robot by Aldebaran Robotics.
Along with Pepper, Aldebaran Robotics produce Nao, an autonomous, programmable humanoid robot. Nao is far more advanced than it’s younger sibling. At around US$8000 dollars, it is not really a consumer product, but an innovative way to study robotics. Nao has taken over from Aibo as the robot of choice for educators, and teams of Nao compete in the Robot Soccer World Cup.
Nao an autonomous, programmable humanoid robot by Aldebaran Robotics.
Of course, Nao is far from human. In fact, as I told the robot at the Softbank store in Tokyo, “You’ll never be a real boy”.
Nao made his opinions on the matter quite clear…
Nao an autonomous, programmable humanoid robot by Aldebaran Robotics.
Pepper by Aldebaran Robotics
Pepper a humanoid robot by Aldebaran Robotics
Pepper is a humanoid robot by Aldebaran Robotics and SoftBank Mobile. They are currently on display at a few special Softbank stores in Tokyo.
Pepper a humanoid robot by Aldebaran Robotics
Pepper will go on sale in Japan in 2015 with a price tag of around US$2000 dollars. This is a lot of money for a household gadget, but amazingly cheap for high-tech robotics. It is a fraction of the price of Paro the robotic seal or Aibo the robotic dog.
Pepper a humanoid robot by Aldebaran Robotics
My guess is that there will be some kind of obligatory monthly wifi contract you need to sign up for when purchasing Pepper. This would provide updates for the robot and be the main source of income for Softbank.
Pepper a humanoid robot by Aldebaran Robotics
Total Immersion – Action Asia Magazine September/October 2014
Action Asia – Okinawa: Japan’s deep south
The September/October issue of Action Asia magazine is now on sale (print and iPad) and has a four-page feature on scuba diving in Okinawa. It’s always good to see your writing and pics in print, especially when it will help boost tourism to Okinawa.
Action Asia – Okinawa: Japan’s deep south
I have several more features for other magazines coming out over the next few months, but until they’ve been published I can’t say when, where, or the subject. Stay tuned 🙂
Tsutomo Nakahodo 10th dan Shohei-ryu (Uechi-ryu).
Tsutomo Nakahodo 10th dan Shohei-ryu (Uechi-ryu).
Tsutomo Nakahodo 10th dan Shohei-ryu (Uechi-ryu). Photographed at the Naha Budokan Sept 1st 2014. Nakahodo sensei is the 58th Okinawan karate master I have photographed, it’s been a busy few years!
Tsutomo Nakahodo 10th dan Shohei-ryu (Uechi-ryu).
Tsutomo Nakahodo 10th dan Shohei-ryu (Uechi-ryu).
TRAVEL 67 : Chris Willson Photography 