A Second Visit to Neo Park in Nago Okinawa Japan

Bird Show Is a Must See

On the first visit to this attraction, I forgot all about the bird show advertised on TV.

So, a week later, the second trip to Neo Park was made.

At the ticket counter, the gal told me 11:00 and 14:30 were the showtimes.

With an hour to kill, I wandered around and spotted this brilliantly colored bird.

After returning home, I found out this bird is an endangered species.

More about the Gray crowned crane at National Geographic.

Four or five different birds were displayed, flying from one handler to another.

They fly low, so close to the audience, I thought someone might get hit in the head.

Now, I know why they insisted I sit down on a bench to take photos.

It was so hot and humid (that day) one raptor refused to cooperate and stayed in a tree!

Someday, I'll go back and get better photos, when the light is right and it's cooler outside.

It's best to check the Neo Park website before planning a trip up there.

It closed for two days due to the typhoon but, Google Maps wasn't notified.

Also, Neo Park has an Instagram Photo Contest you may want to check out.

The website may be switched to the English language for information.

Obon in Okinawa Is Here Now Without the Eisa

This is the first year (I can think of) that Eisa got canceled during Obon.

So, I blew a wad of money to get a children's book, to take home.

Inside, you'll discover it has English, Japanese, and Uchinaguchi (Okinawan dialect).

But, my favorite part is this:

Open some of the pages (wide) and the Eisa characters pop-up in your house!

If, you can't find the book at a local gift shop, Google It.

ISBN978-4-9906517-1-8

Well, I have things to do. Happy September and stay safe during this typhoon.

12 Photos of Singers on Stage at a Xmas Festival

Christmas Is Sneaking Up Fast !

 

 

If you haven't got your shopping done, you'd better hurry. 

Maybe, tomorrow, I'll pick up the Christmas cards, the wife keeps reminding me, to buy.

Anyhow, I finally got around to developing these images from DEC 4, 2015, in Kin Town.

A big part of the event, was the local talent, who got a chance to enter this karaoke contest.

Someone should, designate a person to take notes for me; I forget lots of stuff.

Like peoples names and, what kind of song, they were crooning.

The men folk, tend to sing mushy love songs and, it makes the women go wild.

They keep running up to the stage, giving the guys flowers. Yuk.

One good thing about being deaf in one ear is, I don't hear everything going on around me.

And, I can get real close to the speakers, blasting music, close to the stage.

When a crowd of excited people, start dancing and bumping into me, I simply back away.

Get off to the sidelines, somewhere and use the zoom lens.

No notes, no name. Just a pretty gal, singing a tune. If she wants her picture, she'll find me !

 Here, we have a group of men, singing and showing off, their belly muscles.

And, the gals behind them, were dancing in cardboard box costumes.

Wait a minute, I think I remember. They were singing YMCA.

You remember stuff like that, after somebody, with too much alcohol bumps into you.

That was my clue, to get away from the stage and, zoom in, to catch the action.

It can be tricky, trying to shoot these performances, on stage, at night.

The stages are small and, lighting can be harsh so, shots have to timed, to motions.

It's a good idea, to catch the rhythm and, watch the background.

It's no fun, editing photos if you have an image, with a pipe, sticking out of the singer's head.

When, I can isolate the subject, in front of a dark background, I fire away.

And, the stage scaffolding sort of, disappears.

Black backgrounds, make the rest of the colors, pop.

It looks like, I may be getting out of fashion. Plaid making a comeback, this year ?

This, living doll, stood right where, I wanted her to be and, didn't wiggle around a lot.

The background and lighting, were just what, I wanted and, I like they way, I got her eyes.

But, my favorite pose, would have been if, she got that mike, out of her face.

Maybe, she was whispering. I don't know because, my left ear quit working.

 Nobody pays me, to do these hometown events so, I don't hang around until the end.

The winners of the karaoke contest, I have no idea, who they might have been.

It could be, everybody, gets a prize; I'm no judge of music but, they were all good.

This dude, even had his dog onstage, for the act.

I'm not sure, if the little guy was supposed to sing. He didn't even want to give his paw.

It seemed like, all the dog wanted, to do, was get off the stage.

And, the master probably said, "You blew us out of 1st place, buddy!"

Poor little pup. I'll give him a picture, too. If he wants one.

Editor's Picks (Photos) for the Month of March 2014

One Flower -- One Person -- One Bird

 

 

With half the month spent indoors, due to foul weather,  there won't be any complaints.

Things should be warming considerably and we'll be hitting the trails more often.

There are some exciting photo shoots, lined up in the upcoming weeks and months.

Here are the latest images selected by the judges in the photo contest for March.

 2014 Iris in Okinawa

Okinawan Master of Karate

Stalking Heron

A Cherry Blossom, Spider and a Contest

Not Far From Home

 

 

Within the lower city limits of Nago, Okinawa this blossom surprised me.

So, I guess we could say this is Cherry Blossom Report #2.

An abandoned road, the jungle is reclaiming, is where this was found.

Whenever you see me take off my flip-flops and wear hiking shoes, it's rough country.

This is probably not a place you would want to go flower viewing.

Sometimes, you run across spiders, that look like they could chew your head off.

Spiders don't scare or, surprise me, out there.

It's those sticky webs, that can get all over you, that get me growling.

The spiders just run away.

The Contest

 

This was saved for last just to keep some people reading.

It's not my contest but, I got invited to participate as a blogger and photographer.

Sponsored by Kerala Tourism there's a chance, I could go to India.

Maybe, I should check all my email accounts daily.

Yesterday, I discovered my two day old invitation and, went and signed-up.

This morning, I had an acceptance email and created a contest profile.

Immediately, after that, I sent a message to a good friend in India.

Then, off to shoot stuff with the cameras, all day, we went.

When I got back, I had one vote and, some news from my friend.

There's no tigers (in the wild) in the state of Kerala. They only have them in zoos. Groan.

That's not my style, shooting animals in cages.

There must be all sorts of wildlife in Kerala, I could shoot, though.

So, if you still want me to go, just VOTE. And, if I'm one of the winners, I'll make you a promise.

If a tiger escapes while I'm in the neighborhood, I'll shoot it for you !

Editor's Picks for the Month of April 2013 (Photos)

Contest Judges Selected These 3 Photos

 

April is always a busy month for photographers in Okinawa, Japan.

There isn't much time left at the end of the day to process photos for contests.

 It's always nice to see the judges select a few for recognition.

The story behind each photo and camera information may be seen via title links.

The photos are at much higher resolution on the website.

Sunny Day in March

The Iris and the Dragon's Tongue

Black-tailed Gull at Red Beach Okinawa

Editor's Picks (Photos) for the Month of March 2013

Strange Things Happen Sometimes

 

There weren't a lot of photos entered in contests this month because March keeps me too busy.

These photos were the only ones to receive Editor's Picks.

The strange thing is, they were both taken at the same location in Okinawa, Japan.

 Long Life Stone in Okinawa

 

Green Tree Frog of Okinawa, Japan

The photos were taken on different days at locations only a few hundred meters apart.

And the frog photo made it all the way to the University of California.

That Stone Garden in Motobu must have some good ju-ju, is what I'm thinking.

What I plan on doing is a TripAdvisor Review on that place.

Maybe, if you visit Shizen Sekitei (自然石庭) you'll start having good luck, too !

The Million Views Contest Winner Announced

The Winner is Emi Iwasaki, a Facebook Fan from Tokyo, Japan !

This is a continuation of the events that took place Sunday night.

In case you ever decide to do a contest redneck-style, bookmark this page.

After the winner's name was drawn, the model ran around posing with it.

The Ryukyu Dudes let her have some fun and that was alright, I guess.

We weren't paying her.  So what the heck.

RyukyuRusty was shootin' the camera and the rest of us were drinking beer.

After awhile I yelled at her to quit fooling around and said.

"Would you please hold still and let the cameraman get a picture of the winner's name" ?

 Probably, I shouldn't of done that.

  She almost cried.

So, I went over there and gave her a l'il hug and everything went back to normal.

The tux is only worn for special occasions.

Now, I have to get the beer and wrinkles out of it before St. Patrick's Day.

 Probably, you wouldn't want to be so formal, if you did a redneck contest of your own.

Some of those Bib Overalls from Walmart would be OK.

I hate gettin' all dressed up, too. 

Back to the Winner

Emi Iwasaki tells me that she loves southern islands, especially Hawaii.

She studies and teaches Hawaiian Hula Dancing.

On a visit to Okinawa back in April, Emi found my Facebook Page.

So, she has been following and liking photos there all along, without me knowing.

Facebook should fix those pages for old people.  I don't like wearing my reading glasses.

Anyway, Emi typed in there "I want to see more of the Ryukyu Islands".

CONGRATULATIONS EMI

YOU WON !

Million Views Contest: How We Gotterdun

As promised we drew the winner's name in true redneck style.

These photos by RyukyuRusty, will show you how we gotterdun.

The Million Views Giveaway blog and Facebook pages were printed.

Each contestant, who made a legitimate entry, had their name snipped out of the page.

Lucky for us, nobody was using the pool table.  This was a serious operation.

 To be fair and square about it, the criminals trying to enter twice, had to be eliminated.

But, they only got eliminated, once.  So, they still had a chance to win.

 The pretty girl, who wants to be a model, did some practice poses.

That was while I was doing the paperwork.

We had to arm wrestle a few times because that's what rednecks do when they aren't playing pool.

She won every match, easily.  That was so I could buy the beers.

Next, we folded-up all the contest entries so they all looked the same size.

They were placed in this guy's hat.  I stepped out of the scene, to keep things honest.

That's my hand, over there, and I'm telling the model, "Reach in and pick one winner".

We had to hurry and get this contest over before everyone was falling-down drunk.

There she went.  She pulled a winner's name out of the hat.

She held the thing up in the air just like she was a professional model all her life !

There's  more to how we gotterdun.  Even a photo of me wearing my tux.  But, I gotta run.

To be continued.....

A Million Views: It Happened Sometime Last Night !

One Million Views !!!

This happened a lot faster than I could have ever imagined.

The Blogger thing just took-off and hit 1,000,000 overnight.  Before I woke up.

The view-meter was at 1,000,061 when I got here this morning.

Here is the Screenshot

 

The contest is over. It will probably be this weekend before we determine the winner.

One million views, on a blog from Okinawa, Japan is a pretty big deal.

Call me a redneck, if you'd like. There's a little secret, I should probably tell you.

Five years ago, I didn't know how to turn a computer on so, I called a friend named, Joe.

And, he came over. He showed me where the power button was and hooked me up.

Then, we got the internet thing and wired me to the World Wide Web.

Through many trials and lots of errors, this blog got where it is today.

And, I made some great friends, around the world, along the way.

This internet thing, I used to be scared of may really take-off, someday.

Dontcha think ?

 

What Happens Next

 

The Blog and Facebook Pages, where contest entries were made, will be printed.

With the Ryukyu Dudes assistance we will pick the winner.

As promised, this will be a random selection, done redneck style. 

No fancy machinery, other than a pair of scissors and somebody's baseball hat.

Snip all the names from the contest entries and throw them in a hat.

Then, somebody just reaches down and pulls out the winner.

We'll find a pretty girl.  Thataway, nobody can say the contest was rigged. She does the picking.

Maybe, I'll even wear a tuxedo, or a T-shirt that looks like one.

Dang.  I hate getting all dressed up.

This thing is gonna hafta wait 'til the weekend.  But, we'll getterdun. 

Meanwhile, I'd like to thank everybody for visiting here.

Now, this whole internet thing gets me wondering, sometimes.

Do you suppose that meter would break if it hit, let's say 1,000,000,000,000 views ?

September 2012 Editor's Picks (Photos)

Ie-Shima Sunset

A Fisherman in Nakijin

Things have gotten horribly busy around here this month.  I love it that way.

Only two photos were entered in a contest and I probably won't have time to do any more.

Speaking of contests: Don't forget to read the rules and get your name submitted for the:

ONE MILLION VIEWS GIVEAWAY

Photo: Editor's Pick for the Month of August 2012

Yabuchi Cave in Okinawa, Japan

This was the one and only photo entered in a contest for August 2012.

With the end of the month and Typhoon Bolaven, fast approaching, I doubt I'll enter any more.

The day was spent indoors, researching on these blasted computers. Groan.

And, half the time, it was sunny outside. Groan some more.

Photo details and caption may be viewed by clicking on the title.

For the latest on Typhoon Bolaven CHECK HERE

RYUKYU LIFE ONE MILLION VIEWS GIVEAWAY !

It could happen anytime now. So, I have to keep an eye on that meter.

When it hits the one million mark, it's time to give something away.

The Panasonic MW-20 Digital Photo Frame looks good to me.

I figure I can load up about 150 photos from the Ryukyu Islands on an SD card.

And then, give it to one of my followers along with the digital frame.

This contest is sponsored by Mike's Ryukyu Gallery.

Here Is What You Have To Do To Enter:

Make the comment on this blog post, or under the Facebook Page post for this contest:

“I want to see more of the Ryukyu Islands.”

That will get you entered into a random drawing.

Only one entry per person, please. Multiple entries will be deleted. Let's be fair.

The contest starts as soon as this post is published. It ends when the view-meter hits 1,000,000.

Who Is Eligible:

Anyone (18 years of age, or older) around the world, except employees of Ryukyu Life.

Shucks, I'm the only one who works here.

Not eligible: Someone living in a country that doesn't have good relations with Japan or

the USA. Start your own giveaway if you want.

How The Winner Will Be Selected:

In typical redneck fashion, this blog post and the Facebook Page will be printed.

Then, we'll use a scissors to cut the entries and toss them in a hat, drum, or bingo machine.

We don't get a million views around here often so, I have no idea how many entries there will be.

All I know for sure is there will be some celebrating going on with beer.

And, maybe we'll get some pretty girl do do the random drawing, maybe not.

Anyway, someone other than me will gitterdun, all nice and legal-like.

Speaking Of Legal Stuff, Here's The Terms And Conditions:

 

• To enter you must be 18 years of age or older.
• Multiple entries are not allowed so, please only comment once.
• Enter using, only a real name.
• No entries will be accepted after the view-meter reaches 1,000,000.
• The winner's name will be drawn at random by a real live human being, not a machine.
• Once selected I will notify the winner through Facebook, or this blog. I am aware of privacy issues and respect your privacy.
• I will need the mailing address for the winner.
• Purchase and shipping costs will be paid by Mike's Ryukyu Gallery.
• Taxes for contest winnings are the responsibility of the winner.
• The prize is non-transferable. It will be awarded to the winner.
• No cash will be awarded in lieu of the prize.
• Entering this giveaway binds entrants to the terms and conditions listed above. That means you agree, or don't enter this contest.

This contest is in no way sponsored, or endorsed by any of my affiliate companies.

It is just something I am doing on my own for my followers.

A few years ago, I would have never thought 1,000,000 views was possible for

someone writing on a Google Blogger in Okinawa, Japan.

It would be impossible without those who follow me regularly.

Thank you and good luck !