All posts filed under: Japan

Onbashira – the bold and the brave

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Riding a tree trunk as it slides down the side of a mountain is as safe as it sounds. There are injuries, and numerous participants have died. The Onbashira festival, however, has taken place for over 12 centuries. Every 6 years, tradition takes priority over health and safety, and with a heady mixture of religious fervor and adrenaline, the men go for the ride of their lives. The kiotoshi (tree falling)  part of the Shimosha Onbashira takes place over three days. Friday 8th of April 2016, was the first day, with three different teams riding in the afternoon. Having shot the first team with a 300mm telephoto lens, I switched to the 90mm so that I could put the action in a little more context. When the tree trunks finally comes to a stop, all the members of the team scramble together to celebrate and then start to drag the trunk onwards. The men with white helmets and riot shields at the base of the hill are to stop dislodged stones from hitting the crowds. As …

Cherry Blossom at Himeji Castle

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Himeji Castle is Japan’s greatest castle. It’s the largest and most visited. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and several parts of the complex are National Treasures. The city of Himeji is one of the stops on the shinkansen bullet train running between Osaka and Hiroshima so it’s easy to reach. The castle is visible from the train station at the opposite end of the main street. Himeji is also known as Shirasagi-j0 or White Egret Castle, this is in contrast to the Crow Castles at Matsumoto and Okayama. Years of wear and tear had left the castle somewhat rundown, so a major renovation project took place recently. The castle reopened to the public on March 27, 2015 and now has bright white walls and pale grey roof tiles. The cleaning meant that my older images of Himeji needed updating and there’s no better time to do it than while the cherry blossom is blooming. Luckily we got the blue skies I wanted for “postcard” shots of the castle. Finished off with a few pics in the last …

Onbashira – Suwa Taisha Kamisha

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Onbashira is a traditional log riding festival held in held in Suwa Town, Nagano Prefecture every six years. Tree trunks are dragged from the mountains to the Suwa Taisha Shrine to be raised as sacred pillars. Kiotoshi “tree falling” is where men risk their lives riding the tree trunks down a steep slope. This takes place in two locations, first there is  “Kamisha” near Chino, then a few days later there is “Shimosha” near Shimosuwa. On the three days of the Suwa Taisha Kamisha the “tree falling” is followed by  kawagoshi “river crossing.” A small rope is towed across the river (in one case by an ugly duckling with swans) which connects to the larger ropes that drag the tree trunk. Dignitaries are carried across the river. Then the brass band wades across! The tree trunk, bedecked with a couple of dozen men, is dragged from the riverbank. Rescue services stand by to try and prevent any of the participants from drowning. An amazing spectacle to witness.

Deer, deer, deer

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  Wet day in Nara Park. The local deer were too busy munching on fallen cherry petals to notice the rain. The less patient, and more ingenious deer, had a novel approach. Four legs good, two legs awesome.

Fodor’s Japan 22nd edition

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This is the third edition of the Fodor’s Japan guidebook that I’ve helped update. For the 22nd edition I travelled around Kyushu and Okinawa checking to see what changes there have been over the last couple of years. It’s great to be able to share amazing places with a worldwide audience. The book is now available for pre-order at Amazon.

Cherry blossom blooms in Okinawa

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Cherry blossom is blooming in Okinawa. At Nago Castle Ruins the dark pink blossoms add color to the stairway leading up to the shrine. The white pieces of paper tied to the branches of trees at the shrine are omikuji or fortune papers similar to what you might find in a fortune cookie. They are usually sold from machines at Shinto shrines. After you’ve checked your fortune most visitors tie the paper to something at the shrine before leaving. Hanami or cherry blossom is also a popular time for Japanese to dress up in yukata (top two images) or the more formal kimono (bottom two images) .

Oba-san

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This is the lady who always makes my workshop students and me delicious satandagi donuts. As I was captioning images I realized I don’t know her real name as she is always referred to as Oba-san (auntie) or Oba-chan (granny) by everyone. Will have to remember to ask her real name next time I see her!

Reforming a house in Japan

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On April 3rd 2015, I moved into the new house. I was well aware that it would need some renovation work. Inside was mainly cosmetic and could wait, but the outside needed immediate work. Some of the drains at the house had been detached by previous typhoons. Leaks had occurred where water pooled up on the balcony and flowed in through air vents. Other water leaks had been caused by air vents missing hoods. In Okinawa rainy season is May to early June. It’s wet but the rain is falling vertically. However in  July, August and September there are typhoons. If you have an ocean view,  you are going to get hit by the full force of the wind and horizontal rain. The first job was to buy a power washer and clean the dirt off everything within reach. This enabled me to reveal any cracks in the concrete and assess the problems. Most homes in Okinawa are built out of reinforced concrete with a core of steel rebar. They are strong and able to withstand …

Buying a house in Japan

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2015 has been a busy year, just one of the reasons is that in March I bought my first house. It was a relatively quick and painless process, but it was difficult finding information about all the associated fees in English so hopefully this post will help others. Back in December 2014, I was browsing the internet housing website Suumo. I wanted to check out the prices, and see what was available in northern Okinawa.  One property in Motobu caught my attention, or to be more specific the view from the house looked amazing. The website showed an approximate location so I decided to drive over. I found the house, and although there were no FOR SALE signs, I knocked on the door. The owner came out a little surprised, but was very friendly.  We had a brief chat and I had a quick look at the exterior. Although it was cloudy, the view was as I’d hoped, fantastic. The next day I called the toll-free number of the Sumo website and was connected through …

Heshikiya Eisa, Katsuren, Okinawa

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Obon (or bon) is a traditional festival to honor the spirits of ancestors. In Okinawa families often have picnics at the tombs where the remains of previous generations were laid to rest. Eisa are traditional Okinawan folk dances usually performed during Obon. There are huge commercial gatherings of dancers such as the All-Okinawa Eisa Festival in Koza, but small local events take place all over the prefecture. Last weekend I drove down to Heshikiya on the Katsuren peninsular to photograph their local eisa event. The dances begin around dusk, but I like to arrive early to get some portraits and preparation shots before the event begins. At the Heshikiya Eisa all dancers are 25 years old or younger. As with many parts of Japanese life there is a clear hierarchy of members, and as with many of these hierachies it is based on age. In this group, the oldest  take on the senior chondara roles (black jacket). Next are the chondara with the traditional brown and white costume, and then the younger drummers. Women can …