All posts filed under: Japan

A Well Preserved Specimen.

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Went to the import food store. Bought ridiculously priced jar of Mackays Spiced Ginger Preserve so that I can have freshly brewed coffee and ginger jam on toast for breakfast. Opened jar… “made in traditional open pans with 100% Natural Fruit to create that special “home-made” taste and flavour.” I have a cunning plan… this midge may have landed on, and possibly sucked the blood of the Loch Ness Monster. Unfortunately for the midge it did this just before landing in one of Mackays traditional open pans. I shall extract the blood from the preserved midge, extract the DNA from the blood, and then splice the DNA with that of the Japanese giant salamander to produce a new creature the likes of which the world has never seen. I shall call the creature Ginger as a clever nod to its humble beginnings. I shall keep Ginger a secret until the next time Tokyo is attacked by Godzilla. Ginger and I will save the day then return home for tea and toast.

Manza-mo

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Preparing for a couple of events next month. Today I’m making some prints of images that are currently not available through the prints section of the website. This one of Manza-Mo stood out. I think the Canon imagePrograf printers are able to produce much better blues than the equivalent Epson models. Something that is vital when producing images with vivid blue skies and a turquoise ocean.

Hokkaido in the Fall

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Just back from a three day weekend in Hokkaido. Attended a friend’s wedding in Sapporo, met another friend’s baby in Yoichi, and glimpsed some  amazing fall foliage. There used to be direct flights from Okinawa to Sapporo. Now you have to change in either Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka or Fukuoka. It makes the journey longer, more expensive and less environmentally friendly. Hopefully they’ll bring back direct flights in the future.

Hachiko & Greyfriars Bobby

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Hachiko was an Akita dog that used to meet his owner at Shibuya station when he came home from work. One day his owner suffered a stroke while at work, died and never returned to the station. Hachiko, however, would return each night to the station ever waiting for his friend and master. A bronze statue of Hachiko stands near the main crossroads in Shibuya. It is one of the most famous meeting spots in Tokyo. Over on the other side of the world in Edinburgh, I photographed the statue of Greyfriars Bobby a Skye Terrier who spent  fourteen years guarding his owner’s grave. Although unlikely, if I ever make it to the grave of Bobbie, the Wonder Dog in Oregon, I will have completed the Super Dog Triple.

Kamakura Festival

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Along with the horseback archery, last month’s festival at Kamakura included a parade of sacred horses and Shinto priests from Hachimangu Shrine. The weather was cloudy with sporadic rain but I was able to get some portraits of the priests and a few shots of the parade.