All posts tagged: japan

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.

Sensei – Masters of Okinawan Karate Episode 1 Preview

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The karate interview series is back! Watch a 6 minute preview of Episode 1, then I give some updates on Series 3. Huge thank you to those who’ve already made donations as sponsors or supporters for Series 3. SERIES THREE  SPONSORS Martin Pinto – Essex Goju Ryu Karate Series Three – Supporters Artur Carballo Justin Sheehy Olaf Steinbrecher  Masaru Hoshi K.R. Ruiz Click here to learn more about the documentary series, and how you can help!

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 …

Filming begins – Sensei: Masters of Okinawan Karate Series 3

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We are embarking on creating Series 3 of Sensei: Masters of Okinawan Karate. We have filmed a fascinating interview with Tatsunori Matsuda of Okinawa Kenpo, and recorded the first pieces of B-roll. We’ve also got the go ahead to film interviews with Seisuke Adaniya (Matayoshi Kobudo / Shorin-ryu), Yoshio Kuba (Goju-ryu) and Kiyohide Shinjo (Uechi-ryu). The plan is to film at least 6 interviews with Okinawan masters in Series 3 so there are several other sensei that we will be reaching out to. We will also conduct several interviews with international karateka. I hope to start releasing the interviews in October 2025 around Karate Day and the Martial Arts Film Festival. If you’d like to watch previous interviews, learn more about the series, or support the project then please click the link below https://travel67.com/the-karate…/sensei-documentary/ Any questions just ask! A huge thank you to the organizations, dojos, and individuals who helped sponsor and support the first two series. SERIES TWO SPONSORS Martin Pinto – Essex Goju Ryu Karate Doug Perry – Okinawa Shorinryu Karate Cezar Borkowski …

Ryukyu flying fox / Ryukyu fruit bat (Pteropus dasymallus)

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A couple of pics of a Ryukyu flying fox that was taking a nap in one of our garden’s trees. We often see them flying around in the evening, but they don’t usually sleep in the trees right next to our house. The Ryukyu flying fox is a species of megabat, their wingspan is about 1.4 meters and they can weigh up to 500 grams. There’s no chance they are going to try and grab our cats, as they mainly eat fruits and flowers.

Ryoichi Onaga 1948 – 2024

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RIP Ryoichi Onaga 1948 – 2024 A student of Eichi Miyazato, Ryoichi Onaga taught Okinawa Goju-ryu karate for half a century in Murcia, Spain. A 10th-dan Hanshi, Onaga Sensei was also Vice Chairman of the Okinawa Goju-ryu Karatedo Kyokai. Through an introduction from Norihiko Masuda Sensei I was able to photograph Onaga Sensei on August 20th 2021. Condolences to his family, friends and students around the world.

Sanguwacha Festival, Henza Island, Okinawa

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Sanguwacha Festival is held each year on Henza Island, Okinawa, Japan. The traditional rituals combine the practice of cleansing in the ocean with prayers for a bountiful harvest and safe fishing. Two large paper fish are carried by teams of local school children through town and then out into the ocean. The elderly residents at the village’s day service came out to wave as the procession went past. At low tide, everyone was able to wade across through thigh deep water to the nearby island. There the local priestess gave a blessing over offerings of awamori, fruit, and containers of diced octopus. Back on the main island the women danced and sang as the giant paper fish made their way back to the village. A fantastic experience to get in amongst the action, using a wide angle lens to capture the scene. (Sony A7RIV with a 16-35mm lens)

On the road again – Fodor’s Travel Essential Japan

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Since 2010, I’ve been one of the updaters for Japan guidebooks by Fodor’s Travel. I started with just the Okinawa chapter, but now I also update chapters covering Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Western Honshu. It might seems strange to have a writer who usually lives in sunny Okinawa update the Hokkaido chapter but… I don’t have money, but what I do have are a very particular set of skills. Skills I have acquired over a very long career. Before I moved to Okinawa I lived for a couple of years in Hokkaido. And before I lived in Hokkaido I’d had the chance to do a fair bit of snowboarding mainly in Lake Louise (Alberta) and Red Mountain (British Columbia). International tourism is booming in Japan, and Hokkaido has become an extremely popular winter destination with great resorts and huge amounts of snow. So last week I flew up to Sapporo to check on the accommodation, restaurant and activity options for overseas visitors. I then visited the ski areas of Kiroro, Niseko, and Rusutsu before traveling to …

2023 Highlights

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2023 was a year of consolidation and preparation. Travel was limited, but the months were filled meeting fascinating people, and documenting their stories. The biggest change was Jasmine turning five. She has graduated from baby seats to booster seats, Duplo to Lego, and Paw Patrol to Bluey. My mum and dad visited in autumn, and it was great to reconnect. Yuki was amazed at just how many cups of tea we drank. 2023 saw the return of several major events in Okinawa, including the dragon boat races, competitive sports, and local festivals. I’ve met so many wonderful people from all different backgrounds. It was a pleasure to meet, photograph, and interview the Māori martial arts master Tuari Dawson. Recording him singing on the beach was unforgettable. I’ve continued my project to document the masters of Okinawan karate, shooting both indoors on the black background and on location. The Sensei: Masters of Okinawan Karate series has grown in popularity with hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube and Instagram. Series Two has included Okinawan icons such …