All posts tagged: okinawa

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.

Parts Unknown – Okinawa

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In 2015, I had the amazing opportunity to work with the team producing the Okinawa episode of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown. I worked as a fixer & location scout before filming, and Yuki worked as crew interpreter during filming. It was a fascinating experience and I’m glad that Bourdain was able to see some of what makes Okinawa so interesting. The full episode is now available on YouTube, and it’s nice to rewatch and see friends such as James Pankiewicz, Tetsuhiro Hokama, and Kenny Ehman featured in the show. You’ll even spot Yuki buying the famed egg sandwiches in a Lawson convenience store. Watching the episode is now bittersweet after the passing of Anthony Bourdain, but I’m glad that with the whole series now available on YouTube, more people will discover the show, and Bourdain’s love of food and travel. And just in case you don’t spot it.

Michael Mosley

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It is sad to hear the news that the British writer, TV presenter, and broadcaster Dr. Michael Mosley passed away in Greece early this week. He is most famous for his books and shows explaining the science behind healthy living. In 2022, he came to Okinawa with the BBC Science Unit to film a section for the series “Secrets of the Superagers.”