I took some photos down at Takizaki beach on Saturday. An amazing location, directly below Minamitane lighthouse and adjacent to the space centre. The weather was perfect, a sunny day with the occasional refreshing breeze coming in from the sea. Now is the time to make the most of the pleasant weather before the rainy season arrives and the humidity sets in!
I spent several days in Yakushima a few weeks back. I had a great time on the island, managing to do lots of hiking and cycling as well as taking lots of photos!
Hiking
With many of the routes leading through primeval forests and passing by several waterfalls, the hiking in Yakushimsa really is spectacular. Although it rained, (as it usually does when hiking in Yakushima) the gloomy skies did not ruin my time in the mountains as I was able to take lots of shots of the fast flowing rivers and streams.
I remember a few years ago, trying to take a long exposure in Yakushima by balancing my camera precariously on a nearby rock. This time however I came prepared and brought along a tripod and cable release. Shooting rivers or streams with fast shutter speeds can be problematic at times as the water can tend to look too “busy” and distracting. I much prefer the silky effect you see here which, as well as being pleasing to the eye, also helps guide the viewer around the composition.
The ancient cedar forests of Yakushima never cease to amaze me. The twists and turns of the branches both above and below you remind you that you a passing through a living entity that will still be around long after we die. The candy colours of the hiker’s expensive rain jackets and backpacks stand in sharp contrast to the gentle greens and browns of the forest - an intrusion on this tranquil, ethereal world.
Cycling
The highlight of my Yakushima trip was definitely a 12 hour bike ride around the island. There is only one major road so it’s very hard to get lost! I made lots of stops, taking photos of the many rivers, waterfalls and monkeys that I encountered on my journey.
Although famous for its mountains, Yakushima is also home to some beautiful beaches. Perhaps not in the same league as those here in Tanegashima but at on the day of my bike ride, some very strong winds helped stir up some giant waves, creating some great scenes at Inakahama beach.
Island life
All this hiking an cycling meant that I needed some days to rest and I used this time to go on walkabout around the island’s small towns and villages. I love to photograph everyday life in the Japanese countryside, be it out in the fields, fishing ports or down the many backstreets. Some of the architecture that you encounter look as old and weathered as some of the ancient cedar trees!
I came across a fair few dogs whilst wandering around the island. Some pleased to see me, some not so welcoming!. I liked the way the breed and behaviour of the dog reflected their master’s houses. The angry guard dog tied up outside a stark and uninviting apartment. In contrast, the smaller and cuter dog wasn’t guarding anything - merely dozing amongst potted plants and flowerbeds.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent in Yakushima and am looking forward to my next visit. In fact, I am already planning my next challenge : a three day hike over the island’s highest mountains, a journey which traverses Miyanoura-dake, the highest peak in Kyushu! たのしみ！
The weather has been getting warmer and the cold winds from Yakushima seem to have subsided, could it be that spring has arrived? Although it’s not as if everyone can enjoy the pleasant weather before the humidity and insects arrive - March and April are a very busy time here on the island.
Sugar cane needs to be harvested, rice needs to be planted. Teachers, some of whom are my colleagues, will be changing schools and moving to the mainland. Consequently, it’s the season of the leaving party and the drinking of the beer.
It’s not just teachers that will be leaving their schools, my students at both Junior High and Nursery School (pictured below) are moving on to “big school”. It was sad to say goodbye but I’m looking forward to teaching new first graders!
With spring comes spring vacation for the students. No lessons means no work and so I’m taking some paid leave next week to spend some time in Yakushima.
I’m not going to be running the Tanegashima marathon this year as I pulled a muscle while playing way too much football at school. However my legs are genki enough to cycle and so I’ve been out and about the last few weekends, taking photos of everyday life here on the island.
Shooting with my new gigantic 180mm Sonnar lens can be a struggle. Weighing almost 2 kg, it’s a bitch to haul around on your back but is capable of some very sharp and bokeh-tastic images - more next week!
A few weeks back my friend Ozeki kindly gave me a roll of Kodak TX-400, a black and white film noted for its high contrast and distinctive grain. Himself a fan of the film, he suggested pushing two stops and so I shot the below photos at an effective ISO of 1600.
I also learned some Japanese along the way. Upon arrival at the photo shop and wanting to request that the film be push-processed, I came across the kanji 増刊 (zou-kan), literally “an extra number”.
I have gotten pretty lazy when it comes to the language but when I come across a useful new word like this in day to day life , it inspires me to put more time into my study - be it only a for a little while!
I was pleased with the way the images turned out and look forward to shooting more TX-400 in the future. Many thanks to Ozeki for recommending such a great film!
おぜきさん，ＴＸ－４００を推薦してくれてありがとう！ ☆
Last weekend I attended the wedding of my friends Teru and Izumi in Nakatane. The ceremony was spectacular - speeches, singing and of course, lots of drinking. I really liked it when the happy couple walked amongst their guests and lit candles dotted around the room. Everyone got a chance to see the bride and groom up close and under candlelight, their beautiful clothes shone under warm light.
As luck would have it, just as guests were leaving the hall, a rocket was launched from Minamitane to the south. Yes, you read that correctly. We all ran to the windows and were able to spot the distant glow of the HIIA rocket. It’s payload Kizuna, not a very brave astronaut but the name given to a high speed satellite which will enable data communications of up to 1.2 Gbps!
I’m not an expert but this seems like a very fast connection and due to satellite technology, regions with a relatively undeveloped infrastructure (i.e. Minamitane) will be able to get fast internets - yatta! For more information on the launch and Kizuna, click here
Anyway, it was one of my favourite launches so far. As I was too far north, the view wasn’t spectacular but it felt good and also a tad surreal to be watching a rocket launch with lots of very merry wedding guests.
Although Japanese weddings start very formally with many speeches from mayors, principals and close friends, by the end of the evening and after lots of drinking, everyone is either very very genki or asleep! Congratulations Teru and Izumi!
Video of the rocket launch here, courtesy of Mads.
I spent Christmas and New Year back in England, my first trip home since arriving in Japan nearly four years ago! It was great to see my family and friends after so long. Seeing the change in people’s lives was interesting - friends with new jobs, partners and even babies! Oh, and my cat Rocket. He remains as fat and lazy as he always used to be.
I experienced a healthy dosage of reverse culture shock on my arrival back in Blighty. In fact, I guess it started during my long journey home. Now accustom to the ultra-politeness and hospitality of the Japanese, the off the cuff manner in which people addressed me in airports and shops was a bit of a shock. On many occasions I thought to myself, “this would never happen in Japan”, something which now makes me cringe. My up-tightness may have been due to the arduous journey which, due to delays and London fog, saw me change flights three times and totalled around twenty hours!
Having lived in the sticks for a long time, I felt more comfortable in the countryside as opposed to the urbanity of Liverpool which now resembles more of a construction site than a city. I wandered around parks and woods that I once ran around as a child and took lots of photos. I made good use of my new Kiev 60, a gigantic medium format SLR from Russia. Extremely heavy and cumbersome, it feels more like a weapon than a camera. Still, it’s capable of taking some nice images!
I was able to play music with some old friends and was lucky to jam with a blues band that my dad plays in. It felt so good to be able to play my drums again which have laid dormant for so long. Here in Japan, I have have limited access to a very old and dilapidated kit and so the sound of the maple shells and Zildjian cymbals sounded incredible!
I had a great time back home but as my final week in England approached, I started to miss Tanegashima a lot - my friends, the countryside, the sashimi. My stay made me realise how lucky I am to be living in such a beautiful part of the world and a member of such a warm community.
Bringing us back up to date, I am currently in training for the island’s Rocket Marathon. My time last year was 4:17 and am looking to finish under four hours this time. As I labour around the running track next to my apartment, weathering cold winds blowing in from Yakushima, I regret eating all those roast dinners in England but am looking forward to the the next challenge that island life has to offer!
This one was taken back in October. I met two of my students fishing with their teacher from Junior High. As I was talking to them, they got a bite and reeled in a very large and very angry squid (イカ). Mightily pissed off, it squirted the teacher with ink, covering him in black ooze. Fishing for squid can be a messy business!
I have been shooting a lot of Fuji Velvia 50 recently, a film famous for its brilliant colours and favoured by nature photographers worldwide. Unlike the negative films I have used in the past, Velvia comes in slide format and when holding the mounts up to the light, the colours really are incredible. The challenge came when trying to regain the qualities of the film as I began to scan the slides into my computer. Tricky to say the least but I think my scanner did a pretty good job with the photos below.
On the other end of the colour spectrum, Kodak T-Max 100 is a black and white film. I’m an absolute beginner when it comes to B&W photography and I guess the first challenge is the decision of whether to shoot in monochrome in the first place - would a scene look better in colour? I look forward to more experimentation with the aim of being able to answer such a question instinctively. Ganbaru!
Lots more photos here
The recent concert was a great success! Held at “The Corina”, a large concert hall in Nakatane, we played two eclectic sets -
Set 1
Foster On My Mind
Piano Concerto No. 21
Che Sara
Over the rainbow
Imagine
あの日聞いた歌 (traditional Japanese song)
Set 2
When The Saints Go Marching In
Summertime
Pavane
Gypsy Dance
Sing Sing Sing
Encore
WAになって踊ろう (Originally sung by V6)
As well as being great fun, playing in a large ensemble is really improving my playing. Looking back at my pre-Tanegashima days, I would say that my listening and reading have improved considerably. Your sensitivity to the music increases when you realise that the audience wouldn’t be unable to hear instruments such as the clarinet and flute if you were to bash through a tune Keith Moon style!
I was joined on percussion by Hiroshi, a great drummer who plays in local band “Four Cycles”. He played a variety of percussion instruments including bongos, cymbals, snare drum and shakers. Perhaps the highlight of the concert for me was when we were trading patterns during the drum solo section of Louis Prima’s “Sing Sing Sing”.
After the concert we all attended a large and very long drinking party. Everyone had work the next day but did that fact limit the amount of drinking? Nope! Kanpai!
