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.
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.
The karate interview series is back! Watch a 6 minute preview of Episode 1, then I give some updates on Series 3. Huge thank you to those who’ve already made donations as sponsors or supporters for Series 3. SERIES THREE SPONSORS Martin Pinto – Essex Goju Ryu Karate Series Three – Supporters Artur Carballo Justin Sheehy Olaf Steinbrecher Masaru Hoshi K.R. Ruiz Click here to learn more about the documentary series, and how you can help!
Back in 2017, Zachary bought his wife Kelley a location / studio portrait session for Christmas. Kelley had amazing ideas inspired by classic Disney movies, so we went with a demure princess look amongst Okinawa’s cosmos flowers, then transformed her into an all-powerful queen. With Kelley looking magnificent (or possibly Maleficent), we shot in the studio, then headed over to Bise Village to get images at the beach and amongst the fukugi trees. Zachary was even willing to step in front of the camera so that Queen Kelley could demonstrate the true power of the crown. Over the past 8 years, Zachary has himself transformed into a legendary Thunderbird. It was fantastic to see both Zachary and Kelley in the new Netflix documentary (That’s Zachary (Zeke) in the Official Trailer thumbnail!). So happy to see them following their dreams, and their lovely young family. Hopefully we’ll meet again if they are ever back in Okinawa, but until then safe flights as you serve your Queen and country. Thank you to Audra Pesicka for her great …
Denny Tamaki has been the Governor of Okinawa Prefecture since August 2018. 2018年8月から沖縄県知事に就任した玉城デニー氏。 After becoming governor, Tamaki began studying Uechi-ryu karate under Yoshimitsu Matsusaki, of the Uechi-Ryu Karate Karate-Do Kenyu-Kai. Tamaki explained he started studying karate both for its health benefits and because of its cultural significance to the Okinawa Islands, the birthplace of karate. 知事就任後、玉城氏は上地流空手道を上地流拳優会の松崎賀充先生に師事する。玉城氏は、空手の健康効果と、空手発祥の地である沖縄諸島の文化的意義の両方から空手を習い始めたと説明した。 The Uechi-Ryu Karate Karate-Do Kenyu-Kai is now led by Kiyohide Shinjo Sensei, and I have photographed many of its masters. Although Denny Tamaki is a relatively new student of karate, as the Governor of Okinawa, he is the chairman of the Okinawa Dento Karatedo Shinkokai, and is chair of the committee to inscribe Okinawan karate on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. 上地流拳優会は現在、新城清秀先生が主宰し、私は多くの師範を撮影してきた。 玉城氏は空手の門下生としては比較的新しいが、沖縄県知事として沖縄電燈空手道振興会の会長を務め、沖縄空手のユネスコ無形文化遺産登録委員会の委員長も務めている。 In December 2023, I had the opportunity to attend the end of year training for the Matsusaki dojo, and photograph Denny Tamaki for the Karate Masters Portrait Project. 2023年12月、私は松崎道場の年末稽古に参加し、空手マスターズ・ポートレート・プロジェクトのために玉城デニー氏を撮影する機会を得た。 Although it was a cold blustery day in December, Denny Tamaki and Matsusaki Sensei were happy to head down to the beach for some final training, and a few more …
One of the highlights of the year was writing and photographing an article for Tokyo Metropolitan Government with BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions. It was great to interview fascinating people, and to work with the team at BBC StoryWorks. The photography was varied, shooting both day and night images of Tokyo, and portraits using studio strobes and natural light. The little LOVOT robots were some of my cutest subjects! Looking forward to more assignments. For those outside of the UK, you can see the full article here. Images were shot with Sony A7RIV cameras using the 16-35mm and 24-105 lenses. When lighting the meeting at Tokyo Innovation Base I use the Profoto D2 strobe with an umbrella deep white L with diffuser.
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)
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. 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 …
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. I’ve met so many wonderful people from all different backgrounds. 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. 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 …
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.
TRAVEL 67 : Chris Willson Photography 