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.
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Friday, October 26, 2018
Images from 3 Nights of October 2018 Full Moon
Before Sunrise on October 23 2018
The Chinese calendar sometimes places the full moon differently than a Roman calendar.
That was the case this month. I won't argue with the Chinese or Romans either.
For this month's full moon photography, the plan was, to catch the moon setting in the West.
Waking up at 2:30 in the morning, I would walk to the beach with the dog and a camera.
By the time I wandered home, the sun would be rising.
Scene at 5:22 AM October 24 2018
Its cool enough in the mornings to wear a light jacket and, the mosquitoes aren't awake, yet.
The moon shines and fades as clouds blow by.
My preference would be for clear shots of the moon but, some folks like to see the weather.
It didn't rain and wasn't too windy. Clouds kept drifting in and out of my scenes.
October 25 2018 at 4:52 AM
Clouds and moisture in the air can change the colors captured in the moon.
There are ways to change the color after taking photos but, I leave them natural.
So, what you are seeing is, exactly what I saw, except for cropping and enlarging the scenery.
Shortly after 6 AM, this was my parting shot.
Standing on a seawall at Kin Port, I caught the moon reflecting over the bay.
A few minutes later, it would be setting behind the clouds.
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Sunday, October 14, 2018
12 Fireworks Photos from the Kyuzo Toyama Matsuri in Kin Town
Away from Festival Grounds
Kyuzo Toyama is considered the father of Okinawan emigration.
Kin Town is celebrating the 150th year of his birth during this annual festival.
Grounded by doctor's orders and heavily medicated, I didn't attend the matsuri.
Having been to this festival dozens of times, I came up with a plan. Stay home.
Under orders, to not leave the house, I simply went up on the roof.
Normally, the bursts of fire would appear off to the west of my position.
This year the wind decided to carry the show off towards the north.
Having the camera and zoom lens mounted on a sturdy tripod made things simple.
It was easy to swing the contraptions around and capture a few good shots.
The camera was taken off Auto Focus and, I focus to infinity.
That way the lens won't be continually searching in the dark for fireworks.
Starting things off, I use an exposure of f/11 1/60 ISO 100.
Hanabi can be tricky and you learn to adjust the shutter speed, quickly.
Some photos were exposed 0.3 seconds, others to 1.6 seconds. I go with the flow.
There are advantages to being up on a roof shooting festival fireworks.
Number One: Nobody can walk in front of the camera and ruin your shot!
My method of shooting is, use continuous firing mode or rapid fire.
That means, I hold the shutter button down and fire bursts of 3 or 4 images at a time.
Everyone has their own preferences for fireworks photography. That's mine.
If, you Google "Fireworks Photography" there are probably a dozen other ways of doing it.
A tripod makes things a lot easier and eliminates camera shake somewhat.
But, I have also steadied the camera resting on a fence, wall, or rock and, done just as well.
An advantage I discovered this time around, to being farther away pleased me.
The wind seemed to clear the smoke surrounding the fireworks, more quickly.
Smoke can ruin some great shots when it clouds-up images.
Hanabi, translated to English, would mean, flower fire. What flower is this?
Maybe a dandelion or one of those weeds growing on your lawn?
Grand Finale
The Mad Moment, when all Hell breaks loose gave me flashbacks.
They must say, "Times up" and load everything they've got in their mortar tubes.
Not very pretty but, this photo shows some buildings silhouetted in the foreground.
I could email you a digital copy for only 5 bucks!
Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Sunday, October 7, 2018
Moon Ending a Phase Over Okinawa Japan
Another Phase We're Going Through
This was the first time I plotted and planned on shooting around the New Moon.
Almost every month I get out there for three nights of moon photography.
The weather and cloud conditions were perfect for some New Moon shots.
I narrowed it down, to where I'd get the skinniest shot of the October moon today.
Y'all won't be seeing any New Moon images from me, I hate to inform you.
That's because the New Moon isn't visible from earth even, on a cloudless evening.
Today's Photo Stats
Camera: Pentax K-1
Lens: Sigma 50-500 + 1.4 converter for focal length of 700 MM
Exposure: f/11 1.6 sec ISO 100
Location: Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan
Date and Time: OCT 8 2018 at 5:58 AM
More about the moon and its phases - Time and Date
Saturday, October 6, 2018
Smiling Moon Over Okinawa After the Typhoon
Shortly After 4 AM
All is well on the island of Okinawa and the typhoon that brushed us is long gone.
Over the past week, a few storms hit us and, some folks got upset.
Downed power lines, cars, and buildings taking a beating and fallen trees were everywhere.
Loss of electrical power meant food spoiling, no internet and no way to charge cell phones.
We even had to go without water for a few days; catching what rainwater we could.
Over on Facebook, I saw lots of folks whining and complaining, like it was the end of the world.
Crybabies need to take a look at Indonesia and see what the earthquake and tsunami did.
Then, thank your lucky stars, we are safe, sound, and have a smiling moon up in the sky.
NOTE: It's a few days before the New Moon.
This photo was taken while the moon was at 14% and the image was rotated slightly.
There was no sense showing one of those Dick Cheney crooked smiles.
Don't we have enough things to complain about already?
Friday, October 5, 2018
Testing a Japanese Tea Named Healthya - Gonna Burn Some Fat
Look for These Bottles
It's a little more expensive than most green teas -160 or more Yen per bottle.
The taste is kind of bitter. One bottle a day is what's recommended.
It's only been about a week since I've started drinking the stuff.
KAO Corporation, the manufacturer has a website for Healthya Green Tea.
It's all in Japanese but Google Chrome will translate (somewhat) for you.
When's a good time to drink this special green tea? I had to take a screenshot.
Drink some at work, when you're chatting or, even when going down!
You don't have to drink it when you exercise but, you should exercise anyhow.
Companies in Japan may spend 3 years getting health products endorsed by the government.
So, I know this tea isn't some sort of snake oil. It's approved by scientists.
Apparently, 14 healthy fat people were used in this controlled experiment.
The ones who drank healthy tea lost 140% more fat than the unfortunates.
Not a large selection of the population but, it's hard to find lots of fat people around here.
They should take this tea to the USA, where people aren't so skinny.
Eight Weeks We'll Give It a Try
Not very scientific but, saving lots of money I used to spend on coffee and beer.
The doctors have me monitoring weight, blood pressure and oxygen daily.
So, after two months of drinking this nasty tasting tea, I'll see what happens.
Along with the consumption of tea, exercise and diet are important, too.
Well, I eat lots of salads, exercise like a nut and get plenty of sleep.
If this healthy green tea does anything noticeable for me, I'll let you know before Xmas!
Read more about healthy green teas:
Thursday, October 4, 2018
The Cloud and Tablets
Weak Typhoon Blowing Outside
The storm named Kong-Rey is keeping most folks indoors today and probably tomorrow.
Okinawa Typhoon Pics & Info is the weather site I like to follow and, you should too.
They are accurate and will get you laughing on the most miserable days.
Being cooped up indoors for a few days at a time can make folks grouchy.
So, I'm always looking for things to share, to brighten up the day for my readers.
This was the funniest thing I've seen all day on the internet and, I wanted to share it.
It doesn't really have anything to do with Okinawa. Except it gave me a good laugh.
When I complained there was no SHARE BUTTON on Facebook, I got a message.
The image was messaged to me by a real angel and, she's here in Okinawa.
The owner of Salty SUP and Kayak sent the photo so, I could share it with you.
That's the kind of things Ryukyu People do; help each other out.
It's called "yuimaru" by Okinawan's. We all help each other.
If you're living on this island and are interested in Yoga, Fitness or Stand Up Paddle (SUP)
Visit Christine and hookup on one of her Facebook Pages.
Whenever this stormy weather clears, I may go down south and shoot some SUP photos.
It looks like a lot of fun, paddling down rivers or in the ocean.
But, I'll probably stand and shoot from the shore. My beard looks terrible when it's wet!
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
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