Ginza, Tokyo
I read somewhere that Tokyo’s Ginza district has the highest land prices in Japan. This shot was from my latest trip. And here’s one I took a few years ago.
All posts filed under: Japan
August 15th, Yasukuni Shrine, Tokyo
This is the final series of images I shot on my latest trip to mainland Japan. August 15th is the anniversary of Japan’s surrender at the end of WWII. On this day, several thousand Japanese come to Yasukuni Shrine to pray for those Japanese soldiers who died in battle. At 10AM doves are released and there are prayers for peace. There are one or two WWII veterans in uniform, and surprisingly some younger men dressed in military uniforms / costumes. But things are a little more complex. The shrine is believed to hold the spirits of dead soldiers, and that with enshrinement comes absolution of all sins. The problem is that Japanese war criminals were also enshrined at Yasakuni. The presence of these spirits has led to international controversy over whether Japanese politicians should pray at the shrine. 2010 was the first time in 25 years that no members of the Japanese cabinet attended. This controversy has made Yasukuni Shrine, and in particular the August 15th anniversary, a place for protest by the more extreme …
Shinjuku Shoot – Charissa
So here’s the plan… I enjoy shooting models in the studio against a plain background. I enjoy photographing iconic locations in Japan. Now if you combined the two, and perhaps added a little off-camera flash, then hopefully you can create some interesting imagery. The set up… Model: Charissa Littlejohn Makeup: Jaylene Wu Camera: 645D with 55mm lens Strobe: Pentax AF400T triggered by PocketWizard Location: East Shinjuku, Tokyo The images… I’ve put slightly larger versions of the four images on Flickr. I’d be interested to hear which you prefer of the four images. Charissa loves number 4, but I think shot number 2 is my favorite.
Cosplay in Tokyo
I’m in Shibuya when I see a young man sketching outside the 109 building. I ask if he is a fashion design student (they sometimes come to Shibuya for inspiration) but it turns out he is American and he’s in Tokyo for a manga convention. The convention is taking place over at Odaiba on the other side of the city. I ask if there will be people dressed up as anime and manga characters (Cosplay). He says yes, and I know exactly where I need to go next. I arrive in Odaiba and it’s all a little surreal. I don’t go into the exhibition hall, but wander around outside through a sea of fake eyelashes, colored contact lenses and little rolling suitcases. There are plenty of other people taking photographs but being a gaijin and holding a camera the size of Texas does mean you get eye contact. Digital Discovery #7 If you are not trying to do self portraits in the pupil of the model, best not to wear a bright yellow T-shirt. Digital …
Switch 3 in Tokyo
Switch 3 are an Australian rock band that visited Japan a couple of weeks ago for a mini tour. I used to snowboard with the bass guitarist Mick Hoorweg so when I found out I would be in Tokyo at the same time as the band I met up with them to take some photos. In these shots they’re playing at The Eggman in Shibuya. Great band, and above all fantastic to see people following their passion and really loving what they do. Please check out their website to learn more. Digital Discovery #5 You can use medium format digital to shoot a rock concert. Whether this is sensible is another matter. Digital Discovery #6 Weather sealing on the 645D body and lens prevents flying beads of sweat from damaging the camera.
Hirosaki to Tokyo
Pop quiz, hotshot… It’s late in the evening and you’re in Hirosaki, northern Japan. You need to be in Shinjuku, Tokyo the following afternoon. You could A) Check into the Hirosaki Toyoko Inn (¥4,700), then the following morning catch the 9.09 train to Aomori, the shinkansen bullet train to Omiya and the local to Shinjuku (¥17,500). You would arrive in Shinjuku at 2.25PM at a total cost of ¥22,200. or B) Catch the 10.30 overnight bus from Hirosaki Station to Shinjuku Station. Arrive 7.30AM for a total cost of ¥8,000 And the answer is… Unfortunately an overnight bus trip does mean you look (and feel) something like this But, no rest for the wicked. I needed to head over to Yodobashi Camera to buy a small camera case. I couldn’t take my big Lowepro rucksack and a tripod where I was heading later that night. I found that the 645D and lens just fit into a Lowepro Toploader Zoom 55 AW, so with a slimmed down set of gear I set off to rock.
Hirosaki City, Aomori
Hirosaki City’s Neputa Matsuri is similar to Nebuta Matsuri, but with smaller floats. Some of these floats use dolls to recreate scenes from Noh plays, others are more similar to those of Nebuta Matsuri. I checked out Hirosaki’s five-storied pagoda, the castle, and Choshoji Temple. The temple was having some reconstruction done but you could still wander around. These wooden statues were a little disturbing. They certainly gave the impression that you were being watched.
Hakodate, Hokkaido (Day 2)
Hakodate is also famous for its warehouses made of red brick. This is of great interest if you live in a country where most buildings are concrete. If you’re from England, it’s a little strange to see people oohing and aahing over a brick wall. ( I shall resist starting a rant about the ugliness of most modern Japanese buildings.) Another building of note in Hakodate is the Goryokaku Tower. Constructing a new tower in Hakodate had seemed to me a little redundant as there is a mountain if you want night views of the city. However, the reason for the tower, and it’s pentagonal design is that it overlooks the Goryokaku Park and Fort. The fort is surrounded by a moat in the shape of a five pointed star (although it does have an extra mini point at the entry). The building at the centre of the star is a reconstruction of the Hakodate Magistrate’s Office. After visiting Goryokaku Park I decided to head up Hakodate mountain again to see if I could get the …
Hakodate, Hokkaido
From Aomori I took the train north to Hakodate on the island of Hokkaido. The train goes through the Seikan Tunnel, the longest (and deepest) undersea tunnel in the world. Hakodate is famous as one of the first international trading ports in Japan. Like Nagasaki and Kobe it is home to a wide range of religious buildings. Perhaps the most famous attraction in Hakodate is the “million dollar” night view from the summit of Mt Hakodate. On my first day it was a little cloudy so I didn’t attempt the standard night shot and got some shots of others admiring the view. It was crowded from the traditional viewpoint looking over the city, but if you just went around the corner you could get some nice shots looking west over the ocean. And for those interested in the 645D. Here’s a crop from the above image of the bottom right ship.
Aomori, Nebuta Matsuri – Pushing the floats
The giants floats of Nebuta Matsuri are pulled through the city by teams of exhausted looking men. On the final day of the festival the parade took place in the middle of the day, and as you might expect at 1pm on a sunny August afternoon it was blisteringly hot. Musicians accompanied the floats and were likewise melting in the sun. I got a few shots and then retreated to the shade, and air conditioning, of a museum.
