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Lasik in Japan – 1 month check

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A quick follow-up post about LASIK in Japan. Last weekend I flew back up to Tokyo for my 1-month checkup at the Kobe Kanagawa Clinic in Shinjuku. As with my previous visits things went very smoothly. I filled out another questionnaire in English asking if I’d have any problems at all. I then met with an examiner who tested my vision.  I could read the bottom line of the chart with both eyes open (2.0) and when using just one eye I could make out most of the tiniest symbols. After that Dr. Takahashi checked the health of my eyes and gave me the all clear. I can now start scuba diving again. I have some drops to use if my eyes feel dry at any point, but this was my final obligatory check. Finally Ogata-san gave me a quick interview about my experience at the clinic. Richard Masuda, the international relations staff member, was there to help translate, answer any questions, and in this case take photos. I have been really pleased with the experience, …

Photography Fundamentals Workshop – February 1 & 2

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Photography Fundamentals Workshop Progress beyond the camera’s green automatic mode. Take better photographs of your friends and family rather than point, shoot, and hope for the best. This is a fun workshop rather than a lecture. As we cover new topics we will be taking photographs, reviewing the images, and discussing the results.  You’ll be learning by practicing each new skill. Don’t be the person with all the gear, and no idea. February 1 & 2, 2014 9AM to 5PM Class Size: Max 6 Location: Ishikawa, Uruma City, Okinawa Instructor: Chris Willson Price: US$250  Get in touch via email or Facebook to reserve your place. Class outline: Equipment – The anatomy of cameras, lenses, memory cards, filters and tripods. Learn what gear you need, and what will help you improve. Exposure – Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO, Camera Modes, Metering. Take control of image brightness and depth of field, to create the images you want. Composition – Angles, Repetition, Balance, Lines, Simplicity. Whether you’re a sculptor, a painter or a photographer, there are some artistic rules that …

The Cable Guy

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Is this the nerdiest selection of photographs you’ve ever seen? Are you fascinated by the variations in the way our gadgets are connected, or are you disappointed that this post did not include images of a beautiful location, a beautiful woman, or a beautiful woman in a beautiful location.

Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama , Arashiyama , Kyoto

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If you can’t make it all the way to the snow monkeys at Jigokudani in Nagano prefecture, you can have a similar experience at the monkey park in Arashiyama, Kyoto. As with Jigokuani, the monkeys here are wild and come to the park for the food supplied by the wardens. Monkeys that don’t want to be sociable can live out in the forest, but those who don’t mind a bit of human interaction will get a regular supply of grains. The most remarkable thing was that when you see the monkeys pressed up again the wire of a cage it is the humans on the inside. If you go into the rest area hut, you can buy nuts or seeds to feed the macaques. The monkeys then put their hands through gaps in the wire, and you give them the treats. Adults and kids, both monkey and human, were having great fun. I got a few good shots although it’s tough to beat the images of monkeys in the hot springs. Some of the monkeys …

Toy Stories – Paddington Bear

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Paddington Bear emigrated from darkest Peru to London. He was found at Paddington Train Station by the Brown family and had numerous adventures. The Paddington Bear stuffed toy was first created by Gabrielle Designs in 1972. Shirley Clarkson made the toy for her children Joanna and Jeremy. Jeremy grew up to be a car obsessed journalist, and remarkably a British icon almost as famous as Paddington.

Pokemon Mania Still Going Strong

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Pokemon may have been a brief fad in other countries, but in Japan, love for the strange battling creatures continues to this day. While exiting Osaka Station, I saw numerous brightly colored signs for the Pokemon Center, so I set off camera in hand to check out what was going on. The Pokemon Center turned out to be a section of a department store dedicated to selling Pokemon toys. Shelves were packed with keychains, glove puppets and action figures. Cleverly there were shopping baskets positioned at the entrance so kids could get all the items they desperately needed. Customers taking a break from shopping were playing Pokemon computer games. So there you go, Pokemon culture is alive and well. In the words of Pikachu. “Pika, Pika!”

LASIK in Japan – The 1 week check-up

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Read Part One about choosing the clinic and the LASIK operation here. A week after my operation I flew up to Osaka for the 1 week check-up. I could have returned to the Shinjuku office in Tokyo, but as I could do this at any of the clinics, I thought I’d spend a couple of days in Kyoto and get my check in Umeda, Osaka. The clinic was in a central Umeda skyscraper (not far from the enormous Yodobashi Camera). I checked in and then a couple of minutes later I had my eyes tested by the examiner. With either eye open I could read the second to bottom line on the chart. With both eyes open I could just about make out all the symbols on the bottom line. Awesome. I was back in the waiting room for a couple of minutes then in to see the eye doctor. He checked the health of my eyes, confirmed that the cornea had completely sealed and asked if I was having any problems. He explained about …