Butterflies in Flight from Tsuken Jima Okinawa

 

One of the Benefits of Digital Photography

 

 

When rainy season starts giving me cabin fever, I go through old photo files.

With thousands of travel photos stored on external drives, I can always find something.

These butterfly photos gave me some inspiration today.

Rice Paper or, Paper Kite Butterflies were flying overhead on Tsuken Island.

Every now and then, we get some beautiful weather during rainy season.

It was during the month of May, two years ago, when these photos were taken.

 Butterflies, in flight, are a real challenge for the photographer.

It's a good thing I saved these photos.

They cheered me up and, reminded me, it's time to make some travel plans.

It's just a short ferry ride, to Tsuken Jima (island) and it's a nice one day trip.

It would be a good idea to start paying attention to the extended weather forecasts. 

Butterflies aren't the only things that come to the island on a nice sunny day.

Did you know, they have girls in bikinis sometimes, too ?

It's easier to photograph butterflies, though.

They don't require model releases.

If you plan on going there to shoot girls in bikinis, you better ask for permission.

Being sort of shy, I'd rather shoot wildlife.

But, I'll pack a few model release forms, just in case !

More From Tsuken Jima

Wildlife Photo: Oriental Pratincole a Bird Found in Okinawa

What Sort of Beach Is a Pretty Beach to You?

Wildlife Photo: Coconut Crab on Tsuken Jima

Another Day Trip with Cameras to Tsuken Jima

12 Photos as Teasers to Go

 

 

This island requires a short boat ride, to reach but, it's an enjoyable attraction.

Beach bums, snorkelers and those who like biking or hiking can have a blast there.

 

The ferry sails from Heshikiya Port to Tsuken Jima five times daily.

It's less than half an hour ride and, I like to hangout on the decks enjoying the fresh air.

Some folks prefer sitting in the air-conditioned compartments, looking at walls.

 And, some of them fall asleep if, you can imagine that.

Not me, I'm usually the first one to jump ship, as soon as the dang thing quits rocking !

 Next thing, I do is ask for a tourist map, when I get inside the terminal.

It's always fun, to discover what attractions they are promoting for travelers to see.

I would have never thought of photographing these shisa if I hadn't seen the map.

There must be dozens of them, around home, I see every day.

The map was in Japanese but, I followed it up past the shisa and, found these signs.

The Carrot Lookout point was where I wanted to go first.

 It's been awhile since I visited this tower and, I wanted to see if Kin Town was visible from here.

There were a bunch of children, on bicycles, doing some sort of field trip.

Some of the teachers knew me so, they must have come from somewhere in Okinawa.

They were a friendly bunch of kids but, I was glad to see them depart the area.

It's hard to concentrate on the camera when everybody thinks you're Santa Claus.

Next time, I'll tell them I'm the Easter Bunny.

From the top floor of the Carrot Tower, I took this photo.

The island of Okinawa is out there on the horizon and, the Kin Power Plant is visible.

Leaving the tower, it was just a short walk to Tomai-hama Beach.

Jet skiers, snorkelers and swimmers seemed to be enjoying the warm weather.

On the way to the next location, I had to stop and shoot this image.

The orange-tiled roof, shisa, blue cloudless skies and flowers, made me do it.

And, who could pass by a carrot manhole cover, without shooting it ?  Not me.

This is not so much, a tourist attraction, as it is a sacred site.

The incense burner, on the left side of the photo is a clue that somebody worships there.

Would you go inside that cave ?

Some folks think it's alright to stash geocaches in a place like this.

That seems a bit sacrilegious, to me but, I'm no expert geocasher;  just a photographer.

Previous Posts About Tsuken Jima 

Geocashing: Everything You Wanted to Know

Wildlife Photo: Oriental Pratincole: Bird Found in Okinawa, Japan

Here is a bird that may be my excuse to visit Tsuken-jima, again

The Oriental Pratincole (Glareola maldivarum) is found throughout Asia.

But, has been spotted as far away as Australia and England.

Like, one time in 2004, over two million of them gathered at Eighty Mile Beach and had the 

Australasian Wader Studies Group scratching their heads, wondering.  Why ?

When the Map It Okinawa Dude and I went to Tsuken-jima we weren't planning on shooting birds.

We were looking for some caves so, I left the big lens behind.

Maybe, after this l'il typhoon blows-by, I'll make plans to go back to Tsuken-jima.

Take the Sigma 50-500mm lens and get some better photos of the critter.

Meanwhile, feast your eyes on what I found on another BLOG.

And, my hat goes off to the folks on Bird Forum who helped ID this bird for me.

I'd never seen an Oriental Pratincole before, in my life.

It looks like it's wearing some kinda Grannie Glasses with a string hanging around it's neck ! 

My mind's made up.

Back to that island I'll go and get some better shots for you to see.

Photo Essay: What Sort of Beach, is a Pretty Beach, to You ?

Recent comments on Mike's Ryukyu Gallery Facebook Page inspired today's post.

And, reminded me that I'm not done developing last month's photos from Tsuken-jima.

 The truth is, all beaches are pretty, to me.

Sometimes, though, it pays to hop on a ferry and go look for an island in the sun.

May 24, 2012 was one of those days here. Okinawa was under some dark clouds at 7AM.

The sun was shining on Tsuken-jima, though.

At 9AM on a sunny day, even a rocky beach has appeal, to me.

That's a woman, fishing, way out there. She added character to the scene.

 And this guy, let's just say, he was a character, too.

This beach had some development done to it and it made an interesting composition.

The sole, adult female on the beach was friendly and gladly gave us some directions.

Looking over the heads of those school girls, she's traveling with, way back under the clouds

and barely visible, is the island of Okinawa.

Past 10AM, usually, outdoor photography should be put on hold, until after 3PM but,

when the light is like this, I'll break some rules for a pretty beach.

Probably, not the ideal spot for suntanning, volleyball or snorkeling, this beach is OK, by me.

Using an 18-250 lens at 35mm, I snapped a shot (dead center) of the Kin Cho Power Plant.

 Rocks, shrubs, driftwood and shallow pools of seawater in the sharp coral, make a beach scene 

attractive, to some folks.

Look !  There's the Map It Okinawa Dude (lower left of the scene) doing his thing.

 By 3PM we were headed back to Okinawa.

Taking a parting shot from the ferry, I captured some of Tsuken-jima's white sand in the 

afternoon sun.  We walked all the way around the island and had seen every beach in one day.

They were all pretty, to me.

What sort of beach is pretty, to you ?

Peku Cave on Tsuken Island Okinawa: What's So Special ?

There Must be Thousands of Caves on the Ryukyu Islands

 

 

Much of Okinawa's written history was destroyed during the war.

At times legends, passed along by locals, are the only source for gaining relevant information.

The significance of Peku Gama (Cave) is part of Okinawan Karate history.

 

Credit for this bit of information goes to PhD Hokama Tetsuhiro.

Reading his book Timeline and 100 Masters, I learned more about the cave.

Two years ago, Map It Okinawa and I followed the sign to the site.

The entrance looked small and, we didn't really know much about it so, on we went.

Fortunately, I took a few photos, before leaving the island and saved them.

It seems, a Chinese man, named Peku, lived in there, years ago.

He was  a Karate expert who became to be known as, Tsuken Peku.

There are many stories of people from China, being shipwrecked and surviving in caves.

The Ryukyu Islands (Okinawa) were a major part of trade routes in the days of sailing ships.

Peku, taught his martial arts to Tsuken Akachu, a local resident.

Akachu is listed as one of Okinawa's Karate Masters.

Just guessing here but, I'll bet Peku taught the skills, in exchange for food and hospitality.

There are no historical dates listed for these events.

And, they came from conversations with village elders, according to Dr. Hokama Tetsuhiro.

Not in the habit of arguing with Karate Masters, I'll accept his written words.

Wouldn't you ?

RELATED POST: A Quick Visit to a Karate Dojo

TRAVEL TO TSUKEN JIMA

Travel Photo: Characters on the Ferry to Tsuken Jima

A Day-trip to Okinawa's Carrot Island

 

 

If you ever spot a boat with these mascots on the side, it's the ferry for Tsuken Island.

Three of us got aboard at 11AM and, did some walking and photography.

It isn't a very large island but, you do notice how peaceful it can be.

There are no taxi cabs, dump trucks or construction sites making a racket.

There may be a bird or two making some noise or, a farm tractor plowing.

But, you can pretty much, spend the day, hearing yourself breath.

It seems like, carrots are never in season, when I visit this island.

It must be winter time when the crop gets harvested.  I don't hop on boats in the winter.

Maybe, if someone tells me when the Carrot Festival takes place, er....

...if they have something like a Miss Carrot beauty contest, I'd go visit in January !

The mission today, was to get some GPS coordinates done and, head on home.

It took some talking to locals to find a few locations and a bit of hiking.

By 3PM all the sites we went to see were located and the photography was done.

More about this trip will be posted at a later date but, I can give a hint, now.

Peku Cave on Tsuken Island Okinawa: What's So Special ?

Wildlife Photo: Coconut Crab on Tsuken Jima Okinawa, Japan

An unusual find, during daylight hours, this Coconut Crab was spotted by RyukyuRu of

Map It Okinawa

Location: Tsukan Jima Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time: May 24, 2012  11:55AM

Pentax K5 with Pentax 18-250 at 78mm Manfrotto Tripod and shutter cable release.

Normally, you won't see the Coconut Crab (Birgus latro) out and about during daylight hours.

This photo was taken with available light.

Previous photos I've taken of this critter required the use of flash.

Related posts:

Coconut Crab Sesoko Island

Coconut Crab Ieshima

 

Travel Photo: An Unusual Fire Hydrant Spotted on Tsuken Island

Not to Be Confused with a Manhole Cover

 

 

Fire hydrants in Japan are not the type dogs lift their legs up, to pee on.

They are placed underground and, usually a signpost, nearby indicates their presence.

This one was the first, I've come across, that was decorated with a fire engine.

Usually, they are not painted or decorated in any fashion.

Few of them are round, like manhole covers.  Usually, they are rectangular in shape.

Travelers should know, parking a vehicle on one of these, could result in a healthy fine.

 Camera: Pentax K3

Lens: Pentax 18-250 at 25mm

Exposure: f/11   1/125   ISO 100

Location: Tsuken Jima, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time:  SEP 25  2015  12:40PM

Okinawa Photos Selected by TripAdvisor Property Owners

Ten More RyukyuMike Photos of Okinawa and One from New York

 

A great excuse to bring the cameras to lunch or, anywhere you travel, is TripAdvisor.

A few times a month, I've been known to do reviews for the outfit.

It's always a surprise when some property owner selects a photo to represent them.

The images are not something I'd enter in a contest but, somebody likes what they see.

That's proof, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I guess.

What's really neat about it is the exposure the photos get, around the globe.

There's no telling how many people read TripAdvisor each day.

But, I know, they do have "Over 100 million trusted traveler reviews and opinions."

Tsuken-jima Island

Tsushimamaru Museum

Nisshudo Cave

Gold Hall Cafe

Cafe Garamanjyaku

Richamocha Cafe

Natural Stone Garden

Seamen's Club Naha

Cafe Restaurant Gasuto

 Rawhide

Last But Not Least From New York State

 

Reds Restaurant Incorporated

Disclosure: TripAdvisor and these property owners don't pay me for reviews.

As an affiliate of TripAdvisor I receive a commission if you travel through my links to them.

Shucks, somebody has to pay for all the food I eat !