2012 in Okinawa Japan: A Digital Photo Review

A Month by Month Chronological Photo Essay 

 

It's impossible to post all of the sights seen, in one year on the Ryukyu Islands, here.

So, the random-pick-a-monthly-photo method was used, to browse through 30,000 files.

JANUARY

 The Fukugawa Waterfall

The Cherry Blossom Season was what you might call "too little, too late" in 2012.

So, we did some off the beaten path things with the cameras.

FEBRUARY

  

Cherry Blossoms Cornered at a Sacred Site

This had to be the prettiest cherry tree, to be found so, it had to be photographed.

Had the woman in the village office not given permission to shoot, I'm afraid.....

.....her words would have fallen upon deaf ears.

MARCH

  

Iris Festival 2012

Cherry Blossoms bloom during the winter months, in Okinawa.

The Iris Festival, though, is a sure sign of spring.

When the Iris flowers bloom, every kind of flower imaginable, gets the word.

And, everything starts blooming.  Yea !

APRIL

An Okinawan Mineo Band

On occasion (ahem-ahum) Ryukyu Dudes get invited to these night time events.

Well, this one likes to drink.  But, takes photography too seriously.

So, no drinking takes place 'til after the shooting is done.

Anyway, somebody got drunk, that night and left my umbrella on the bus.

Well, I know the guy who was driving and will hunt him down. 

Where's my umbrella ?

MAY

Shuri Castle Gate

This photo was taken to use in the Okinawa Then and Now Series.

The girls were paid for posing but, they got framed prints of the photos, too.

JUNE

Itoman Dragonboat Races

This was a most unforgettable experience.  

See, I have this notion that it's a good idea to mingle with the locals.

So, RyukyuRusty and I went down to Itoman the night before the event.

We partied with the people 'til the wee hours and got some sleep at the fishing port.

Well, the next day, one of us had a little run-in with the law.

Ain't sayin' who it was, cuz his Mom reads this stuff !

JULY

Red-headed Egret

These characters are called Cattle Egrets. 2012 was the first year I saw any around my town.

Now, I'm not sure if they just started migrating to Okinawa or, are always here.

We had dozens of them flying around.  But, there were no cattle with them.

They were easy pickings, with the Sigma 50-500mm

And one of them made it to Finalist in a photo contest for me.

AUGUST

The Terns of Komaka-jima

Some of the craziest things happen when you leave your biggest lens at home.

Three of us traveled to Komaka-jima to check the island out.

RyukyuRusty and the Map It Okinawa Dude went all over, exploring the place.  Not me.

These birds, from Australia, kept me busy, the whole time we were there.

And all I had on the Pentax, to shoot with, was an 18-250mm lens.

We will have to go back there next year.  That's because two of us are travel writers.

We sort of forgot something.  I need to make a checklist so we don't forget again.

People need to know if the crappers work !

SEPTEMBER

Ie-Shima at Sunset

Sunset photography can be tricky when clouds hug the horizon and block out the show.

But, every once in awhile, the sky turns some cool colors.

This sunset, from Motobu Peninsula gave me a great silhouette of Ie-Shima.

OCTOBER

The Character

If there was an award for Character of the Year, my vote would go for this kid.

Two framed prints were sent to the school, one for the main office and, one for the parents.

But, I still have no idea who he or, she might be !

NOVEMBER

On the Prowl

Firing away, in burst mode, at a fast-flying Grey-faced Buzzard Eagle got me this shot.

When you are panning the camera and, the sun lights up that gold eyeball, you know it.

Instinctively, you know, you have nailed a great shot.

The jury is not out, yet, on this one. The verdict, for the contest, is still pending.

DECEMBER

Ladies in Waiting

That's a title, I just made up.  This photo isn't going in any contest.

Right now, we are working on a big story.

It takes place over the course of two weekends. And, we're only half way there.

In a centuries-old Ryukyuan tradition, water is drawn from two separate locations on Okinawa.

Then, it is mixed and presented at a shrine in Shuri Castle.

The young ladies above, are waiting for it to start.

See the one on the left smiling ?

Well, I'm not sure if she knows me or, was just laughing because my beard got caught in the tripod !

Then and Now (Photos) Okawa Spring in Kin Okinawa

This photo of Okawa Spring was taken around 1955.

Photo Credit:  REMEMBERING OKINAWA

The above photo was taken July 20, 2012.

More Then and Now photos.

See Mapitokinawa for more details.

Photos: 2012 Super Moon Over Okinawa On Night Two

Things looked a little brighter for Super Moon enthusiasts in Okinawa last night.

The full moon was well above the water on the horizon by the time we saw it.

It didn't look half the size I would have expected after seeing other photos on the internet.

So, again, I played around with some wide angle shots.

A few others got zoomed-in all the way on. 

Then, I decided there wouldn't be any photo contest winners here.

So, backed off and took some more wide angle shots.

Cuz, there ain't no sense in cryin over split moonshine.

Or is there ?

Then and Now Photos: Gokoku Shrine Torii in Naha Okinawa

This photo of a torii, on a road leading into Gokoku Shrine at Onoyama Park in Naha Okinawa, Japan was taken this afternoon March 25, 2012.

The scene in the photo above is what I went searching for but, the landscape has changed.

My good friend Donn Cuson from REMEMBERING OKINAWA provided the photo and said it was from the 1949-50 time frame.

When he emailed it, he said, "Note the little kid as the base of the torii."

So, I told him, I'd see if I could find a volunteer to help duplicate the scene.

Moving closer to the Gokoku Shrine, notice the toriis have changed.

Arakaki Osamu and his family were visiting the shrine and he gave consent to have his daughter,  Cocono pose for us, to complete today's photo assignment.

Osamu and Cocono, thank you.

The Then and Now Series isn't really work, to me.  It's fun !



More Then and Now Photos

Then and Now Photos: The Stone Lion of Tomori Okinawa, Japan

The Stone Lion of Tomori is probably the most published and oldest Shisa (lion dog statue) on the island of Okinawa, Japan. The photo was taken June 18, 1945 during the Battle of Okinawa.

This copy of the original press release photo was provided by

REMEMBERING OKINAWA

The scene, as it looks now, comes from the camera of Russell Robertson (RyukyuRusty) and was taken just this week, on March 18, 2012.

Photo #3, also dated March 18, 2012, I took from a slightly higher elevation, to show more of the background.

As this Then and Now Series progresses we will put together some articles explaining exactly how it's done.  Right now, we're on a learning curve and gaining some valuable experience.

It's a lot of hard work and involves being willing to travel long distances at exactly the right time in order to capture the light and shadows to best duplicate the original scene.

The support I've received from Donn Cuson (Remembering Okinawa), RyukyuRu, RyukyuRusty and Doc Graff (Maybe, I should start calling him RyukyuDoc), make this possible and I owe them all an immense debt.

  Between the lot of us, I don't think we've accumulated a dime doing this business, yet.  But, we are having fun.

Most important is the unbelievable support we have gotten from local Community Centers (公民館) and individual Okinawans we've met on the streets or working their fields.


They learn what I'm trying to do and they smile.


That's good enough for me.


See the original article THE TOMORI LION by DOC GRAFF


MORE THEN AND NOW POSTS

Then and Now Photos: Naminoue Shrine ( 波上宮 ) Torii Gates

Some of the photos in an Okinawa Then and Now Series cannot easily be duplicated.

These six photos show the Naminoue Shrine ( 波上宮 ) Torii Gates over the decades.

This is a photo of the road leading to the shrine taken in 1931.

The staff at the Naminoue Shrine office gave consent to take a photo of their print hanging on the wall.

This photo provided by REMEMBERING OKINAWA was taken in 1945.

Another scene of the same site from the office walls is dated 1954.

This bird's eye view by RyukyuRusty was taken March 10, 2012.

Here's a final shot I took from a different elevation on March 10, 2012.

More on the history on Naminoue Shrine may be seen in THE SAMURAI ARCHIVES.

More Then and Now Photos

Sunday's Silly Sign (Photo) FEB 5, 2012 Crying Cigarettes

This Sunday's Silly Sign came from an ashtray just outside some very busy public restrooms in the northern part of Okinawa, Japan.

It was a rather difficult photo to take at night. Sitting down on the sidewalk, pointing a big DSLR camera at the Men's and Lady's room doesn't look so good.

So, in order not to seem like a crazy person and cause a big distraction, no flash was used.

It was bad enough the girls, standing in line behind me, were saying, : "So sad".

Maybe, they could hear the cigarettes crying !



2012 Nago Cherry Blossom Festival A 12 Photo Essay

Here it is, fresh off the Nago Mountain from today's visit to the 2012

Nago Cherry Blossom Festival.

These 12 photos should give you an idea what the Sakura (桜) are looking like this weekend.

This year happens to Nago City's 50th Cherry Blossom Festival.

Locally, it's called's Sakura Matsuri.

Climbing up, I have no idea how many stairs, I stopped plenty of times to take pictures and it's sort of a challenge  shooting photos without any people in them.

But, I really don't mind waiting for the right split second to get the shots I want.

That gives my legs a chance to rest.  Mountain climbing just isn't my favorite sport.

Everybody wants their picture taken with the Sakura flowers.

Those pink blossoms really stand out from the background.

We had some great weather today.  It felt almost like summertime.

This scene was shot at what I'm guessing is the halfway point.

After walking this far, I decided I had more important stuff to do.

So, I entertained everyone getting ready to take pictures of these cherry blossoms in front of stone lanterns.  

I made them wait until I cleaned the spiderwebs off the plants.

Then, I took a little detour off to the left to shoot this bridge.

Last year it was cloudy and raining at the Nago Sakura Matsuri.

So, I figured this photo was more important than climbing a bunch of stairs.

Coming back down the mountain I shot some more photos with downtown Nago in the background and cherry blossoms up front.

This little Japanese White Eye bird (Mejiro) showed up and I had a devil of a time getting focus on him.  They move around pretty fast.  I think when the trees are all in full bloom those birds get drunk, or something from sniffing the sakura.  I'll go back again next week  and get some better Mejiro shots with Big Bertha, my Sigma 50-500MM LENS.

The 2012 Nago Cherry Blossom was a blast for me but, I wish I'd have read the

 OKINAWA LOCAL TOUR GUIDE'S BLOG before I climbed that mountain.

I WOULD HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THE FREE SHUTTLE BUS THAT DRIVES YOU UP THERE !

First Cherry Blossom (Sakura, 桜 ) Photo for 2012 We Gotter Dun !

Today three of us piled in a car and drove north to see what the Cherry Blossoms (桜) were up to this year.  
They must be holding back, waiting for colder weather.  There aren't any in sight around Kin Village in Okinawa, Japan but, maybe some were blooming up in the higher elevations.

So, first thing this morning, I told Doc Graff and Ryukyu Ryu that my mission for the day was to shoot a Cherry Blossom.  That's all I cared about.  
Find my first Sakura ( 桜 ) for the year 2012, shoot a photo of it and take the rest of the day off.

Doc lives way up in those northern mountains and said he had checked Mt. Yaedake before coming down to meet us.  The description he gave of the Cherry Blossoms wasn't good.  Groan.

So, we went to another mountain instead.  There was only one tree with a few blossoms sprouting on it.  We almost missed it but, when I have my cherry blossom radar turned on, I holler when I spot anything that even faintly resembles one.  So, I hollered "CHERRY BLOSSOM" and Doc skillfully came back to earth and got us turned around on this narrow, mountainside road.  I ain't telling where it is because it was the only tree blooming.  The TV cameramen and newspaper reporters can just wait for Sakura Blossoms to bloom, like everybody else.  Hah !

There she is, my first Cherry Blossom ( 桜 ) Photo for 2012.  We Gotter Dun !

KABOOM ! 2012 Arrived Y'all. So, HAPPY NEW YEAR !

OK this isn't exactly how it went.

Last night I was having way too much fun to be fooling around with my camera.

So I dug this kaboom photo up from my stockpiles.

To the best of my recollections the sayonara party for 2011 was a blast.

People were singing, drinking, dancing, laughing and running to the powder room.

There was one guy I hadn't seen in years, an old friend, who showed up.

Once, after a barroom brawl, he sewed this man's finger back together while we were sitting at the bar drinking.  I can't tell you his name because he's a dentist.  They're probably not supposed to do those sort of things and I'd hate to see him get in trouble.  Don't you think the dentist or finger-sewing union would have something to say about that ?

The Old Year left.  The New Year showed up, right on time.

We didn't have any fireworks because somebody forgot to buy them.  I think it was me.

So, everybody just said, Happy New Year.

Then, started singing, drinking, dancing, laughing, maybe, some kissing and running to the powder room, again.

Around 4 in the morning I sneaked off to a dark corner of the bar to make sure nobody was sleeping on the sofa.  Then, that's what I did.

Somebody woke me up when it was closing time.  There were five or six of us left in the bar.

New Year's Day is when we make our visit to the temple.

We have a routine.  Everybody, who can walk, goes to the temple when we close the bar on New Year's day.

The photo above was taken New Year's Day of 2011.

There wasn't any crowd trying to get in at 6:30 this morning.

Only four people were ahead of us this year so, we got right up there.

Mr. T, my old friend who would make a superb emergency medical technician but became a dentist instead, was fumbling around in his wallet.  I think he was looking for coins.

So, I gave him some pocket change.  He stopped fumbling.

When you go up the temple stairs, you don't really go inside the place.

On the front porch you stop.

People pray or make wishes for the New Year.

There are boxes you toss coins into and boxes full of paper fortunes.

We tossed our coins, grabbed our fortunes and got off the temple porch to read them.

Everybody got good ones this year, I think.

If you get a bad one, you tie it to a tree.  Some people go back and try to get a better fortune and keep tossing coins until they do.  I think they are nuts.  Slot machine owners and temple keepers probably love those kinds of people.  Hah !

My fortune for 2012 is excellent so I stuck it in my wallet.   I'll read it later, whenever I find my wallet.

We went across the street from the temple to sit in a tent and eat some soba.

OKINAWA SOBA is some great food.

Sometimes, I call it Okinawa Sober 'cuz that's what it does for me.

It was daylight before we got home.  The dogs were jumping around at the door.

They helped me put their harnesses on and they took me for our first 2012 walk on the beach.

We had to hurry back up the hill to the house because I forgot to turn off the porch light and I had to use the powder room so bad, I almost went KABOOM.

HAPPY NEW YEAR !

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