All posts filed under: Okinawa

Seiki Takushi 1939-2026

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RIP Seiki Takushi 1939-2026 Goju-ryu, Kobudo Matayoshi-kei Hanshi 10th Dan who passed away this week. Our thoughts go out to his family, friends, and students around the world. On July 27th 2026 he was awarded the title of Preserver of Okinawa Prefecture’s Designated Intangible Cultural Property: “Okinawan Karate and Kobujutsu” Photographed July 18, 2014 at the Karate Kaikan, Okinawa for the Karate Masters Portrait Project.

Nago Haari – Dragon Boat Races

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 On August 2nd 2026 the Nago Haari (dragon boat races) took place in the Nago City port, northern Okinawa. I was part of the Yambaru DMO team, but instead of rowing, I spent the race crouched at the bow taking photos. Thankfully, my extra weight didn’t slow the team down; we still crossed the finish line first! These wide-angle shots were with the Sony A7RIV with the 14mm 1.8 lens, held about 20 cm from the surface of the water as I leaned out of the boat. It was great to see so many different boats competing, with teams of local Okinawans and Americans. These telephoto shots were with the 70-200mm lens.

Okinawa Yambaru DMO

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Starting in April 2026, I have a new client, the Okinawa Yambaru DMO, for whom I will be working as their official photographer. The Okinawa Yambaru DMO has been created with the goals of promoting tourism in the Yambaru region, enhancing its appeal, and promoting sustainable community development.The DMO will collaborate with businesses, local government, and residents so that it benefits both visitors to the Yambaru and the people who live there. The Yambaru region is made up of the 12 municipalities of northern Okinawa Prefecture: Kunigami, Ogimi, Higashi, Motobu, Nakijin, Nago, Onna, Ginoza, Kin, Ie, Iheya, and Izena. I’ll be documenting cafes and restaurants. The endemic Yambaru wildlife both on land, and underwater. The local festivals and the farming community. Marine sports whether you surf, or stand-up-paddle. And the many other activities such as visting botanical gardens, studying with karate masters, or simply cruising around the island. This is a great opportunity to share my love of northern Okinawa with the world 🙂

Fodor’s Essential Japan

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The latest edition of the Fodor’s Essential Japan travel guidebook is now on sale. Yuki and I updated the Hokkaido, Western Honshu, Kyushu, and Okinawa chapters. This will be my 7th update for Fodor’s Japan. I got my start writing the update for the Okinawa chapter in the 2012 edition. Japan is a fantastic place to visit, and I love being able to share some of my favorite places with the world.

Manon & Jeff Wedding, Okinawa

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In October, I had the pleasure of photographing the beautiful wedding of Manon & Jeff. It was a delightful open-air ceremony at Sara-no-ue-no-shizen & il Gastro Sara (皿の上の自然& il Gastro Sara), location photography among the orchids at Bios botanical gardens, then the reception back at il Gastro Sara. The reception was fantastic with an amazing array of fine food created by the chefs at il Gastro Sara. Thank you so much for having me as your photographer on your special day.

Dan Antonsen – Goju-ryu Karate & Ryukyu Kobudo

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Dan Antonsen has studied Goju-ryu karate in the Meibukan Dojo under Meitoku Yagi and Meitatsu Yagi. He also studies Ryukyu Kobudo under Hidemi Tamayose. He was recently awarded the rank of 8th-dan. James Pankiewicz and I interviewed Dan for Series 3 of the Sensei: Masters of Okinawan Karate documentary series. The preview for the episode is now on YouTube.

The Queen & her Thunderbird

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Back in 2017, Zachary bought his wife Kelley a location / studio portrait session for Christmas. Kelley had amazing ideas inspired by classic Disney movies, so we went with a demure princess look amongst Okinawa’s cosmos flowers, then transformed her into an all-powerful queen. With Kelley looking magnificent (or possibly Maleficent), we shot in the studio, then headed over to Bise Village to get images at the beach and amongst the fukugi trees. Zachary was even willing to step in front of the camera so that Queen Kelley could demonstrate the true power of the crown. Over the past 8 years, Zachary has himself transformed into a legendary Thunderbird. It was fantastic to see both Zachary and Kelley in the new Netflix documentary (That’s Zachary (Zeke) in the Official Trailer thumbnail!). So happy to see them following their dreams, and their lovely young family. Hopefully we’ll meet again if they are ever back in Okinawa, but until then safe flights as you serve your Queen and country. Thank you to Audra Pesicka for her great …