All posts filed under: Okinawa

Yanbaru Wildlife

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Spent the day up in the Yanbaru region of northern Okinawa with wildlife photographer Mark Thorpe. Found a few interesting critters including mayflies and tiger beetles, both of which required a little patience before they’d stop for a pic. We then met up with wildlife artist Ichiro Kikuta to get some advice on the best place to find the endemic Yanbaru kuina. He advised us to head out at dusk to a small river where the birds would bathe each evening. We staked out the spot, and  just as the sun dipped below the horizon, a family of Yanbaru kuina came down to bathe. Splish, splash, taking a bath.

Prime Cuts – Okinawa

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  In a previous  blog post I wrote about working on the Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown- Okinawa Episode. (Season 6 Episode 3). I was mainly a location fixer organizing a few things behind the scenes. I  was also asked to help with a reenactment where they wanted to visualize the story of Minoru Kinjo. Now a well known sculptor, Kinjo-san was a young boy when the Battle of Okinawa took place. The reenactment never made it into the Okinawa episode but they were shown recently in the “Prime Cuts” special which shows scenes from the season that never made it into the main episodes. Anthony Bourdain explained about the Okinawan reenactment: The idea was to illustrate and give background to a very complicated Okinawan story, Okinawan history. Ultimately, I don’t think it was right for my show, but a noble effort. And beautiful.  The Prime Cuts episode shows Minoru Kinjo telling his story intercut with the reenactments filmed  on the beach in Yomitan. My friend Hayakawa-san, his wife, daughter and grandson acted as the Okinawan family, …

Hannah Hooper Yoga

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Early Saturday morning I was out at the beach in Nakijin Village shooting some promotional images for Hannah Hooper Yoga. Hannah wanted some simple clean shots she can use as illustrations and backgrounds for her new website. I used both the 645Z and the K-1 and a Priolite HotSync Flash to add light removing the harsh shadows on Hannah. We also took a few portraits with some softer lighting. Finally we moved to a beach in Motobu that has beautiful rocky walls. A great morning out in the sun. If you’re ever looking for a yogi, check out Hannah Hooper Yoga. 🙂

Woodblock Artist Naka Bokunen – 10 years on

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It’s been 10 years since I last photographed Naka Bokunen, and his star has continued to rise. In 2006, I interviewed him at his small gallery on Route 58. In 2016, I meet him at the beautiful Bokunen Art Museum at the heart of Depot Island in American Village. On this occasion all I needed was a couple of quick images for a client, but it was great to see his new mountain exhibition at the gallery. Here’s the original interview from Okinawa Living Magazine. Island Icon – Naka Bokunen Bokunen was born on the small Okinawan island of Izena in 1953. As a child, he always carried a sketchbook, and drew pictures of the island’s creatures and landscapes. At that time, he never imagined a career as an artist, and thought he would become either a fisherman or a carpenter. His talent, however, did not go unnoticed. One of his teachers recommended that he attend an art-based high school on the main island of Okinawa. After graduation, Bokunen became a graphic designer and set …

New Threads

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DOJO Okinawa is a new clothing line by my friend  James Pankiewicz. Great t-shirts and kariyushi wear with designs inspired by the Ryukyu Islands. You may even recognize a few of the pics that make up the “Karate Action” and “Okinawa Places” kariyushi shirts. You can buy the shirts online, at the Ryukyu Piras stores in Naha or Chatan, and at the one and only DOJO Bar in Naha City.   Also check out and like their new Facebook page.

A day in Kyoto

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I’ve visited Kyoto numerous times before shooting cherry blossom, festivals, and the fall colors. On this trip I thought I’d spend a day shooting some portraits of Yuki in a kimono at various locations in the city. This will allow me to provide clients with some new model released Kyoto images. We started at Ryōan-ji the Zen temple known for its beautiful rock garden. There were hordes of visitors at Kinkaku-ji “The Golden Pavillion” but we found a quiet spot for tea. Ginkaku-ji “The Silver Pavillion” was similarly busy, but I only needed a break in the crowds for 1/125 of a second. We then strolled along the Philosopher’s Path. Quick pose under the umbrella at Chion-in temple, then through Maruyama Park to Kiyomzu-dera. I wasn’t the only person taking pics, and Yuki wasn’t the only person in a kimono or yukata in Kyoto.  A boom in international visitors plus cherry blossom in full bloom meant that the city was not particularly tranquil. I did however get the pics I wanted and I can always find …

Fodor’s Japan 22nd edition

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This is the third edition of the Fodor’s Japan guidebook that I’ve helped update. For the 22nd edition I travelled around Kyushu and Okinawa checking to see what changes there have been over the last couple of years. It’s great to be able to share amazing places with a worldwide audience. The book is now available for pre-order at Amazon.

Roller Derby

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The Japan Open Roller Derby Tournament 2016 took place at Okinawa Comprehensive Park on March 25th and 26th.  Here are a few pics from Saturday’s Pirate City v Misawa Killa Geishas. This was the first time I’ve ever watched Roller Derby, so it took a little time before I could work out what was happening. Basically, the two teams of women on skates travel around a small flat oval track in the same direction. The teams get point by having their appointed “jammer” (wearing the  star helmet cover)  lap the oval. The rest of the team blocks the opponents jammer and assists their own jammer. Player can’t use their hands, elbows or feet to block. So the teams often create a defensive wall , checking the jammer with their hips. Contact, however, is fierce and the hits were hard. There are going to be a lot of sore and bruised players today. Overall it was a great experience to watch and photograph. All the teams were great, but the Danish team Copenhagen dominated the matches …

Oshiro-san, the loom maker

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  A new project I’m working on is documenting  Okinawa’s traditional textile industry. Oshiro-san makes looms, shuttles, spinning wheels and other equipment from his workshop in Haebaru. His customers are usually Okinawan weavers, but he has once sent a spinning wheel all the way to Texas. Oshiro-san, now 57, began to learn the craft from his father at age 22. He is now teaching his oldest son. Images shot with natural light, Pentax 645Z with 35mm lens.

Jahana-san

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  Today was the second day of the North & South intermediate level photography workshop. We shot at beaches, a waterfall, a cave, and a world heritage site, but the highlight was meeting Jahana-san. Full of smiles, laughter, and information about how and why people used to poop into the pig pens, Jahana-san was a delight to chat with and photograph. 80 years young, he asked where all the members of our group were from and explained he’d visited Mexico last year, Cambodia last month, and hoped to go to Canada before his legs gave out. Legend 🙂 Thanks to Anna, Liesa, Kevin and Yuki for an awesome weekend.