All posts filed under: Japan

RX-78 Gundam model in Odaiba, Tokyo in HDR

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In an earlier post I talked about the construction of the huge Gundam statue in Odaiba, Tokyo. John Burgreen of Okinawa HDR was up in Tokyo a couple of weeks ago and managed to get this fantastic image of the behemoth. What is HDR? HDR stands for high dynamic range. The photographer takes multiple shots of the same subject varying the exposure so that some shots accurately expose the shadows while other shots accurately expose the highlights. Combine all the photographs in Photoshop and you produce a image which doesn’t lose detail in areas that would normally be too dark or too bright. Read more at the Wikipedia page here. HDR is an exciting development in digital photography. Some people love it, some people hate it. In my opinion, it is a technique that is difficult to do well, and can’t remedy an otherwise poor photograph. But, get it right and the images produced can be stunning. John’s Gundam photo is an example of HDR done well.

Suzuki Swift Sport – A quick review

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Now that I have had my car for a couple of months, I thought I would make a few brief comments. Exterior: The motoring press has made a lot of comparisons between the Swift and the Mini. Many comment that the new body shape of the Swift is a copy of (or homage to) the Mini. I am not so sure. If anything, it looks like Suzuki have been borrowing from (inspired by)  the designers at Audi. Compare the front of the Swift and the TT. . . . . Perhaps my favorite external feature of the car, are the subtle twin exhausts. It may seem like a strange pet peeve, but the asymmetry of a single exhaust on a car niggles me. However, a single central exhaust like on the Porsche Boxster just looks a little odd. Of course no exhaust would be even better, but the Tesla Roadster is a little out of my price range. Interior: One of the best features of the Japanese spec car is the option for  grey Recaro sports seats rather than …

Shamisen Rock

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In the interview with sanshin player Byron Jones I asked if he could play Hendrix. Yesterday I found this video by shamisen player Kevin Kmetz proving that you only need three strings to rock! I believe the Japanese dubbed version of Iron Man began with this song 🙂

Okinawan Bus Driver Kills Boy

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From JapanUpdate Okinawa’s weekly English newspaper: City bus strikes, kills bike-riding youngster Date Posted: 2009-06-25 A seven-year-old boy is dead after being run over by a Nanjo City bus Monday afternoon. Nanjo City Police say the fatality occurred as a city bus driver on the Baten Branch run in Tsuhako, Sashiki area of Nanjo City, on Route 331, encountered the young boy on a bicycle in front of him. The bus driver reportedly tried to get the youngster, Kousei Chinen, to move to the side of the road, and tried to pass him. When the bus driver sounded his bus horn, the noise surprised the elementary school student and caused him to lose control of his bicycle. Chinen fell from the bicycle, and beneath the bus. The driver, realizing what happened, stopped the bus about 100 meters from the accident. A passenger aboard the bus ran to the youngster, saw his school nametag, and called him “Kousei chan, Come on, please. Can you hear me?” The boy was transported to a nearby hospital, where he …

Island Icons – Sanshin Virtuoso Byron Jones

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After mentioning Byron Jones in the previous post I thought I should put up the entire interview for those who didn’t see it in the magazine. Sanshin Virtuoso Byron Jones was born in Quantico, Virginia. In 1985 his father, a colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, was transferred to Camp Foster on Okinawa. Byron attended high school on base, but developed a deep interest in the local Ryukyu culture. At 19, he started playing the sanshin, a traditional Okinawan three-string instrument, which would become his passion. As his proficiency increased, he gained a reputation in the local and national media as “more Japanese than the Japanese.” Byron now teaches the sanshin at various places including the University of the Ryukyus. What is your musical background? I played the clarinet when I was in the 4th Grade, and in high school, one of my friends taught me to play guitar. I saw a sanshin for the first time while visiting my friend’s house and immediately wanted to learn how to play. It wasn’t possible to rent …

Okinawan Sanshin in a Pussycat Dolls’ Song?

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Listening to the local radio station the other day I heard a song by The Pussycat Dolls. The tune would have been forgettable except for the fact that it sounds like an Okinawan sanshin is playing in the background. Does anyone happen to know if it really is a sanshin? The song is called Whatcha Think About That  The Okinawan sanshin is a three stringed instrument, similar to a banjo. It is a close relative of the shamisen that is played on mainland Japan. Here’s a shot of professional sanshin player Byron Jones that I took for Okinawa Living. 

Fender Japan Stratocasters

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The Fender Stratocaster guitar is an American icon. So why you may ask am I writing about it in a photography blog about Japan… Imitation may be the highest form of flattery, but in the early 80’s Fender USA was trying to deal with a flood of foreign-made Stratocaster-like guitars. Fender decided to make the best of a bad situation and set up Fender Japan to produce Japanese Fender guitars for the Japanese  market. Fender Japan was particularly good at producing vintage reissues. So good in fact that Dan Smith, Fender’s Director of Marketing said:“Everybody came up to inspect them and the guys almost cried, because the Japanese  product was so good – it was what we had been having a hell of a time trying to do.”  Fender Japan guitars are not officially exported to Europe or America, these markets are supplied with Fenders from Mexico or, for the higher end models, from the US. There is a healthy used market however. My friend John exports Japanese made guitars to musicians and collectors all …