All posts filed under: Japan

Awa Odori, Tokushima

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The first stage of my trip was to Tokushima to take photos of Awa Odori (Awa Dance) the biggest dance festival in Japan. It takes place from the 12th to the 15th of August and was a festival I’d heard of but never seen. There are two main types of dance one for the women (wearing crescent shaped hats) and one for the men (danced by both men and women). It was a fantastic event to watch, but quite difficult to photograph as it is both an evening event (dark) and people are moving around (tough to focus). I shot a lot of film, most of which was junk, but there were are few diamonds in the rough.

Back in Okinawa…

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Flew back into Okinawa last night. Trip went as planned except that I spent 3 nights near Nachi Katsuura to get the shots I wanted of the waterfall so didn’t make it to Mt Hiei or Wakayama City. In Osaka I got film processed at Yodobashi Camera. 5 rolls of Provia 400F 120 16 rolls of Provia 100F 220 I still have 7 exposed rolls of 220 that I will drop off at Kitamura Camera later today. Big pile of transparencies means I will spend the next week with a loupe, light box and scanner. Hopefully will have some images ready for the web in the next few days.

Japanese Navy Underground Headquarters.

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I’ve lived in Okinawa for nearly 10 years but there are some places on the island I haven’t visited. Last week I went to the Japanese Navy Underground Headquarters for the first time. It was an interesting experience, a somber reminder of both the tragedy of war and the suffering it brings to all involved, particularly the young and old, stranded in the midst of a typhoon of steel.

10,000 Person Eisa Dance

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I should have mentioned this before the event, but today was the 10,000 person Eisa dance festival on Kokusai Street in Naha. Took the big camera and shot a roll and a half. Manual focus and medium format film is not ideal for fast moving dances – there is a good chance that many if not all the shots will be out of focus or have an arm blocking the face. Will have to wait and see if there are any keepers when I get the film back. Until then here’s one from a couple of years ago.

Yakushima Part 4: Waterfalls, giant cedars and naked men.

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On the afternoon of the eclipse I got a lift over to the other side of the island to see the Ohko-no-taki waterfall. Took the big camera and tripod, and before it started to rain I got several shots. This image was the best as it has some foreground interest (man looking up at waterfall) and even a tiny man with a tripod near the falls to show a sense of scale. The following day before heading back to the ferry I went to the Shiratani Unsuikyo Ravine. A long steep windy road takes you from the town of Miyanoura up into the misty mountains. A 424 hectare area of ancient Yaku-sugi cedar forest has been designated a “forest recreation area”. Visitors who don’t have the time or stamina to trek for hours or days into the centre of the island can follow a 90 minute loop on well kept trails, past waterfalls and through verdant forest to a couple of the ancient cedars the island is famed for. One unexpected photo opportunity on this trip …