Yesterday I had the privilege of attending an Okinawa Kajimaya. It's a celebration and this one was for a lady I had never met before. And she had one heck of a celebration!
A Wedding Hall was where it took place and there was live entertainment and plenty of food and drinks. The lady being honored is barely visible in this photo. She's dressed in pink and sitting in the wheelchair in the lower right corner of the picture.
So, I maneuvered into a position where I could get a close up of Nakama Yasu, who to me, is the Lady of the Year. A Kajimaya is a celebration of longevity in Okinawa. If I live to be 97 years old I might have one, too. Then, have a big party where all my friends and family take a group photo.
The word "Kajimaya" means "Pinwheel". In Okinawa they believe, as we age, we become more like children. So, the Lady of the Year got a pinwheel to play with and so did all the children. Guess what?
I GOT A PINWHEEL, TOO. I don't think any other middle-aged man there got one, but I did !
Have a look at photos of wildlife, festivals and travel sites here. Sharing tips for travelers with a twist of humor is part the life I enjoy in Okinawa, Japan. Photos and text Copyright © Michael Lynch. All photos contain traced digital watermarks. You may contact:http://www.ryukyulife.com/ for licensing.
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query Kajimaya. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query Kajimaya. Sort by date Show all posts
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Before and After Photos of an Onstage Dancer
Kajimaya Celebration
When someone in Okinawa reaches the age of 97 a big party takes place.
Kajimaya ( カジマヤー) is the word for pinwheel.
Pinwheels and, other gifts are given to the elders on this memorable occasion.
At 97, you can start acting like a kid again; you're on the way to becoming 100 !
In the morning, some events were held and, two senior women were honored.
There were speeches, presentations and a parade around town in a decorated vehicle.
Flowers and brightly colored pinwheels, decorated the automobile and village streets.
Then everyone went home to feast and rest up for the evening activities.
A wedding hall, inside Moon Beach Resort, is where this photo was taken.
It was fairly crowded with friends and family of those being honored.
Using an external strobe, mounted on the camera, I wasn't impressed with the results.
Using Adobe Elements the 6 million pixel image was cleaned up a bit.
Harsh shadows were lightened or, removed, to make the girl stand out as the subject.
And, some of the white background got moved around to clean up the wall behind her.
before posting the photo online, resolution gets lowered and it is shrunken.
That's to keep the enemy from borrowing and printing my images, for free.
Internet image thieves get a surprise from me, whenever they decide to swipe a photo.
Something as simple as Adobe elements, installs an invisible watermark, for me.
And, my tracking service, catches them when they post any of my photos online.
A nice legal-like notification, asks them if, they'd like to go to court.
Too busy, to catch that girl and ask her name yesterday, I'll see if, I can find her.
She has a humongous, high quality print, coming if, she feels like signing a model release !
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Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Some of the Activity at a 97th Birthday Party in Okinawa
4 Motion GIFs of Events at a Kajimaya
In the Ryukyu Archipeligo a Kajimaya is a big deal.
Today, I got to attend one because one of my neighbors, attained the age of ninety-seven.
We had a little parade in the streets but, I haven't looked at those photos, yet.
For now, we'll just look at what took place at the party indoors.
The younger generation entertains the crowd with some sort of hilarious dance.
A bit more formal, were these gals, dancing with silver and gold fans.
Everybody likes watching Hula dancers so, we had some of them, too.
Now, I'm not sure if you should call that blue thing a parasol or, umbrella.
But, the gal in the blue kimono sure knows how to dance with it.
After a few hours of celebrating, the birthday girl got tired.
And, she had somebody take her home so, she could go to sleep in her own bed.
And, that's what they did.
Man, I can hardly wait to turn ninety-seven !
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Ryukyu Classical Dance
A Young Lady Performing Yotsudake
Probably one of the most colorful outfits worn in Okinawa is seen in this dance.
This photo was taken last year at a Kajimaya celebration.
Camera: Pentax K3
Lens: Pentax 18-250MM at 55MM
Exposure: f/4.5 1/50 ISO 200
Location: Moon Beach Hotel, Onna-son, Okinawa, Japan
Date and Time: OCT 19 2015 7PM
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Photo of the Week: Celebrating Kajimaya
In Okinawa When You Turn 97 -- It's Time for a Party !
Pictured above are Ito Tomoyoshi and Yamashiro Katsu.
Last Sunday, in the Yaka District of Kin Town, festivities were held in their honor.
They only have to wait three more years.
Then, when they get to be 100, the Prime Minister of Japan sends them a letter.
They will probably be the youngest centenarians in town !
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Wednesday, October 20, 2010
50,000 Views as of Last Night
This blog has limped along for a few years, now mostly under its own power while I thought I was doing more important things.
So, now I think is a good time to thank everyone who has been faithfully following me and spreading the word when you see a post that’s important enough to share with your friends. There is a crowd of you who communicate with me daily, inspire me, pump me up, and sometimes make me fall off my barstool laughing. I look forward to hearing from you every day of the week but know sometimes that’s not possible.
Tonight a big project has popped-up and rather than try and rush a half-baked blog post I’m going to show you what the Google Analytics say were the most popular over the past month:
Photography Tip:JPG vs RAW 4,140 Pageviews
Okinawa’s Guinness Tug-O-War: TheRope (Photos) 1,702 Pageviews
World Water Day 1,386 Pageviews
The Lady of the Year: Photos from an Okinawa Kajimaya 855 Pageviews
Photography Tips: Travelers Be Aware 678 Pageviews
Hopefully we'll all still be friends when this blog hits 99,999 and I have to upgrade or rewind my speedometer !
Cheers,
Mike
While still developing some shots from a week ago Sunday, I looked over at my other laptop and noticed it dozing off so, I smacked the lazy mouse and hit the refresh button. And BINGO, the speedometer hit 50,000!
So, now I think is a good time to thank everyone who has been faithfully following me and spreading the word when you see a post that’s important enough to share with your friends. There is a crowd of you who communicate with me daily, inspire me, pump me up, and sometimes make me fall off my barstool laughing. I look forward to hearing from you every day of the week but know sometimes that’s not possible.
Tonight a big project has popped-up and rather than try and rush a half-baked blog post I’m going to show you what the Google Analytics say were the most popular over the past month:
Photography Tip:JPG vs RAW 4,140 Pageviews
Okinawa’s Guinness Tug-O-War: TheRope (Photos) 1,702 Pageviews
World Water Day 1,386 Pageviews
The Lady of the Year: Photos from an Okinawa Kajimaya 855 Pageviews
Photography Tips: Travelers Be Aware 678 Pageviews
Hopefully we'll all still be friends when this blog hits 99,999 and I have to upgrade or rewind my speedometer !
Cheers,
Mike
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