October 25th is Karate Day. This year James Pankiewicz, owner of the Dojo Bar, organized the first 100 Kata for Karate Day challenge. Kata are the set forms which train the mind and body in the various techniques of karate. When done properly they are also hard work, and doing 100 in a row is a martial arts marathon. The mayor of Yomitan Village allowed the event to take place inside Zakimi Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I had imagined that this would be bureaucratic nightmare to pull off, but James managed it. The event took place at dawn on the 25th with James’s own master, 10th-dan Toshimitsu Arakaki opening proceedings. Teams from numerous dojos came to the castle to perform their 100 kata. Even more amazing was that there were hundreds of other dojos across the world that got involved and were also performing their own 100 Kata for Karate Day. It was a real pleasure to photograph the event, and I expect to be there next year as the 100 Kata Challenge …

November 2nd to 6th, at the Tenbusu Building on Kokusai Street, Naha there will be a photo exhibition by 9 Okinawa based photographers. On the 2nd at 11AM there will be an opening reception party at the Tenebusu building. It will be a great event so please check it out. We’ll each be showing some of our favorite images of Okinawa. I’ll be there for the opening on the 2nd, and regularly during the rest of the week. Here’s one of my pics that will be on display.

Typhoon Vongfong brought strong winds and rain, but the number of injuries and the amount of damage was smaller than it could have been. Out at Cape Zanpa, power lines had come down, and the fence for the goats was on its side. The goats had sensibly opted to stay next to their shelter rather than escape. Up north, large waves had covered parts of the coastal roads with a layers of debris.  The expressways were closed until Sunday afternoon due to strong winds. Falling trees knocked down several power lines, and there were numerous small landslides. Typhoons however are just part of life on Okinawa, as Trevor and I drove around on Sunday morning to get pictures for news agencies, the main roads had already been cleared of larger debris. Teams from the electrical companies were out fixing the power lines, and road crews were cleaning small landslides.

The Lab Reports are all on the Chris Willson Photography page, but here are a few less dog centric shots from Typhon Vongfong. 12.51PM Saturday, the U.S. military bases have been on lock down for hours. Some Okinawans make a final rush to the 24-hour Family Mart convenience store before it closes at 1pm due to the strength of Super Typhoon Vongfong.