Flower Festival at IeShima Okinawa, Japan: A Million Lilies

Time for a Lily Festival

This post was originally created after visiting the 2011 Yuri Matsuri (Lily Festival) on Ie Island.

A quick visit to the Ie Village website, gave me this poster, advertising the 2017 event.

Visit the English version of Ie Island website for more details.

At the heading, you can switch to Japanese, French, Chinese or, Korean.

More than likely, Ryukyu Mike, won't appear during the matsuri, this year.

It is probably the biggest and busiest event held on that island.

So, for local families, wishing to attend, I would recommend going on weekdays. 

Make sure all reservations (especially ferry) are made in advance and, don't be late.

2011 Visit to the Lily Festival

There wasn't time to count them all but, I estimate there had to be a good 750,000 Easter Lilies at the IeShima Lily Festival in Okinawa, Japan.  The island advertises a count of over one million flowers. 

It's easier to just take their word for it, I think.

The main attraction is the hundreds and thousands of white Easter Lilies, in all stages of budding and blooming, dancing in the wind on the slopes facing the ocean.

This is where the annual festival takes place and visitors from all over Japan will be taking the ferry to visit during the next week.

There are plenty more white lilies waiting for me to get them developed.  I decided to give a few of the other lilies their 15 minutes of fame.

One of these days, I may have to start collecting books, or make friends with a local florist, so I can give you the proper names of these flowers. 

There just aren't enough hours in the day or days in the week for me to research them.  Do you suppose florists like beer?

It'd be a lot easier for me if I could just stop by a flower shop and take the photos.  If a florist told me the names of the things they'd get a free photo and could sit down once in awhile and drink beer with me.

The trip to the Flower Festival on IeShima this weekend was a real adventure.  It all started with me getting a black eye before I even got on the boat.  Wow.  It's a good thing it wasn't my shootin' eye.

People on the boat, get out of your way real quick when you walk towards them with a black eye and blood running down your face.  So, it wasn't all bad.  It was kind of like being a VIP. 

Or, they thought I was some sort of crazy, violent person.  Hah, I was just going to shoot Easter Lilies!

There are plenty of other interesting things to do on the island of IeShima in Japan besides taking photos of flowers so, I did them, too.  It may take me some time to get caught up, then you'll get the rest of the story.

Safe and sound, back on the main island of Okinawa, Japan is where I'm at now.  A million lilies were fun to look at and take pictures of but, there are critters and caves I want to go back and see. I'll show you some examples as soon as the development is done.

The next time I visit that island, I might just stay for a week.  That'll be sometime after my face stops lookin' like I'm some kind of criminal and the weather is a little warmer.  Maybe, in the summer.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE LILY FESTIVAL VISIT THE JAPAN UPDATE

Visit Map It Okinawa for travel details

See My Top Five Attractions on Iejima

Travel Photo: Sunset from a Bridge I Like to Sleep Under

Every once in awhile, it's a good idea to pack up the cameras and, get outta town.

It's too late to catch the sun going down tonight.

The northern areas of Okinawa have some nice, secluded places where you can camp, for free.

If I time this right, I can park the car and walk to a karaoke bar.

Get a little beer drinking and song singing done.

And, be up before the sun, looking for wild critters, to shoot.

Have a great weekend.

I'm outta here !

The Critters of UNESCO World Heritage Shuri Castle Pond

This Part of the Castle is Free

 

Today, the mission was supposed to be take pictures of a building on the pond.

The wildlife lens got left behind because, no critters were going to be shot.

Walking to the site Doc Graff and I  spotted these animals.

And he knows what that means.  Castle buildings can wait.

Because, I can be like a little kid in a candy store when there are critters around.

This turtle looked like he was trying to hitch a ride. That's what I'd tell the kids, anyway.

Moving around the pond, we saw all kinds and colors of fish.

The big ones are carp.  The little guys and turtles seemed to get along fine with them.

Nobody would pose so, plenty of digital film was used to capture these shots.

Who cares about UNESCO stuff, when these beauties are putting on a show ?

Not me.

The golden one was my favorite.

When I realized, about an hour later, we had to get moving, we ran across these ducks.

Some gals were feeding them.

Look at those little rascals.  

Click, Click, Click.  There was no sense passing this opportunity up.

Waiting for one to separate from the herd was the hardest part.

Just in case the boss thinks I wasn't at the Shuri Castle Pond, I took this photo.

Now I know, it can be called Ryutan Pond or, Iyugumui and, they made it in 1427.

Another thing.  I took five or six photos of the building, I was supposed to shoot.

  Got over 300 pictures of critters, though.

If you visit Shuri Castle you shouldn't miss this pond.

Everything there was FREE !

Crazy Things Happen in Wildlife Photography

Before finishing the first can of iced coffee, even before 8AM, there I was.

The cell-phone tells me I missed a call and have an answer memo.

Even if I could hear, I wouldn't answer the dang thing.

When some strange wild critter shows up, right at the front office door, I gotta gettum.

People driving down the highway and, walking by wonder what's going on.

Three cameras, clicking away,  clothes strung out over the sidewalk and, I'm talking to a bug.

For over three hours, I was watching this thing, being born.

Close to 1,000 photos were downloaded from the cameras and I'm still developing them.

After another three hours of research online, I gave up.

Five photos of the critter were sent off to the Bug ID experts and I got one reply.

Someone told me ( I ain't making this up ) "The best option to identify is rear it".

The thing is in a cage, right now.  But, I have no idea what to feed it.

Hopefully, it eats dirt. That's what I threw in there with it.

Once a positive ID is made, I'll show everybody some pictures of the critter.

Anybody who wants to be a wildlife photographer should know something.

Crazy things happen to you.  Be prepared.

Get Your Exoskeletons Out of Your Closet !

Have you got any bugs, butterflies, worms or any other kind of exoskeleton photos ?

Did you know something like 97% of the critters on earth are exoskeletons ?

Well, they're having a photo contest to help educate the world about these insects.

Visit the ARKive Blog and they will give you all the information on how to enter.

Even if you don't have a contest winning photo, it could still appear on ARKive.

Just load your critter photos to Flickr and add them to the ARKive Group.

One of my Coconut Crabs got in there that way.

No Flickr Account?  No problem.  Get a Free one here:

     

That way you can get exoskeletons and all your wildlife photos the exposure they deserve.

Walking Stick Insect

EVERY PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS BUT I'LL JUST GIVE A FEW TODAY AND LET SOMEONE ELSE TELL YOU THE REST OF THE STORY.

THIS HUMONGOUS BUG CAUGHT MY EYE ONE MORNING AS I WAS WALKING MY DOGS.

WE WERE HEADING TO THE BEACH ALONG THE EAST COAST OF OKINAWA.

MY CAMERA WAS AT HOME.  SOMETIMES, THAT'S WHAT I DO, I GIVE THE CAMERAS A DAY OFF.  AND THAT'S WHEN STUFF LIKE THIS HAPPENS.  SOMETHING LIKE THE BIGGEST BUG I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE SHOWS-UP !

SO, I TIED THE DOGS TO A GUARDRAIL, PUT THE CRITTER ON MY FLIP-FLOP AND SNAPPED THIS SHOT WITH THE CELLPHONE CAMERA, JUST TO GIVE IT A SENSE OF SCALE. I WEAR SIZE 11 CLODHOPPERS. I THINK THAT'D BE AROUND A SIZE 29 IN THE METRIC SHOE DEPARTMENT.  NOT SURE EXACTLY, BECAUSE IT'S REALLY HARD FINDING ANYTHING THAT FITS MY FEET IN MOST JAPANESE STORES.

A FEW YEARS AGO, I WOULDN'T BE CAUGHT DEAD WEARING PINK, ANYTHING. MY GRANDDAUGHTER PICKED THESE GEMS OUT FOR ME. WHAT'S A GUY GONNA DO ?

MY GRANDDAUGHTER COULD BUY ME A PINK-PLAID TUXEDO AND I'D WEAR THE DAMN THING JUST BECAUSE I LOVE HER.  THAT'S WHAT GRAMPAS DO.

ANYWAY, BACK TO THE BUG. IF YOU WANT TO LEARN ALL ABOUT THESE CRITTERS, CLICK ON THE TITLE TO THIS POST.  A GUY NAMED JOHN LOCKE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA IN CANADA HAS THE WHOLE STORY. I'M PASTING A TEASER FROM HIM (HOPE HE DOESN'T MIND) IN HERE:

"Advantages of Walking Stick Pets:


They don't smell, which means that you can keep them anywhere in the house without worrying about "stinking-up-the-place" (eg. a child's bedroom).

They eat lettuce, which means that you don't have to grow exotic plants just to feed the insects.

They can't "infest" your house so you don't have to worry about any "escapees".

They teach children to care for life so they can be an ideal first pet for youngsters.

They have a life span of about one school year, which makes them ideal for a year-long school class project.

They have no wings so they can't fly and escape.

They walk relatively slowly and carefully, so they dont't scurry like roaches which tend to give "insecta-phobes" the "willies".

They can be handled easily by children without fear of being bitten or squishing them.

They don't need daily care. They can be left for several days (up to a week) without care (they don't need a baby-sitter for a weekend trip).

They can be used to teach children (and adults) the value of life.
 
Dis-advantages of Walking Stick Pets:


They breed well if cared for properly.

Special Exotic Pet Permits are usually needed in most locations. In North America and probably most countries, these are usually only given for research or special purposes and not for general pet use."

THERE IS A WARNING ABOUT THESE CRITTERS BECOMING PESTS IF RELEASED INTO THE WILD AND RESTRICTIONS ON HAVING THEM IN THE USA AND CANADA.

TODAY I HAVE A WEE BIT OF A HEADACHE FROM CELEBRATING WINNING ROUND TWO OF THE IMMIGRATION BATTLE. I WANT TO THANK MY STUMBLE FRIENDS FOR ALL THE KIND WORDS AND INSPIRATION. WHAT A GREAT BUNCH OF PEOPLE !

TODAY IN MY SU MAIL I HAD STUFF LIKE THIS:

"I LIKE PRAYING MANTIS"  THAT'S WHAT GOT ME GOING ON THE STICK BUG.

" YOU'RE NOT A NATIVE?"  A RESULT OF ME GROANING ABOUT IMMIGRATIONS.

AND DOZENS OF MESSAGES CONGRATULATING ME HAVING GOTTEN THE VISA RENEWED.  PLUS, A FEW HORROR STORIES ABOUT THE HASSLES OTHER TRAVELERS HAVE HAD DOING THE IMMIGRATION GIG IN OTHER FOREIGN LANDS.

REALLY, I SHOULDN'T COMPLAIN. THE PROCESS OF RENEWING A VISA IS NO WORSE THAN RENEWING AN AUTOMOBILE LICENSE OR REGISTERING ANYTHING IN THE BEAUROCRACY ANYWHERE. A VEHICLE REGISTRATION, REGISTERING A CHILD IN A SCHOOL OR REGISTERING TO VOTE SOMEWHERE, IT'S ALL THE SAME.

KINDA WHY I LOVE MY GRANDKIDS, DOGS, WILDLIFE AND EVEN MY PINK FLIP-FLOPS. THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT A GOVERNMENT IS AND NEVER ASK ME TO FILL OUT A PILE OF FORMS, SUBMIT PHOTOS OR ASK ME WHY I WANT TO LIVE HERE.

THANK YOU ALL FOR DROPPING-IN TO VISIT AND HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND !

CHEERS,
MIKE

Butterfly ID: I FEEL SO DUMB !

The Critter was Identified a long, long time ago; I just forgot !

Well, so much for my idiotic idea to have a Contest: Name This Butterfly.

A whole flock of people, over 300 took a look but, probably really didn't have any more time than I do to research it. Or, they all lived in New Jersey, had Butterfly Phds or something like that and were disqualified. Could be they just didn't want the photo of butterflies reproducing hanging on their wall. Who knows? Anyway, I got the contest thing outa my system, for awhile, until I come up with another brillaint idea.

There really is a winner, sorta. A guy I haven't seen in years posted something about it on my Facebook account. I'll buy him a beer and give him a photo but, won't post his name without his consent. At least the contest got me back in touch with someone I haven't seen for awhile.

Last night I went through all the trouble of resizing, retrieving lost passwords, even making a donation to one of the best sites, I've ever come across for identifying critters.

This one is worth bookmarking. Don't laugh, it's called the BIRD FORUM.

The site, I think may be in the UK, or somewhere like that. They use different English than I do and when you donate money to help them run the place they charge you in pounds, I think.

Whatever it is, they must not be worth as much as the last time I donated because it took less dollars to pay this year than last time I sent them some.

Really, you don't have to pay a dime to use the site; IT'S FREE !

There's probably several million members, from all around the world and real serious bird lovers. They call themselves Birders. Well, I irritate some of them when I tell them I'm not really a Birder. I'm a Wildlife Dude. I like all critters, not just birds. They are a great bunch of people; they tolerate me, humor me and sometimes, tell me what a crackin good shot I made when I post a picture in the gallery.

Some of these folks are probably scientists. A bird, bug or a furry critter, if you want to know what it is, just submit a photo to their ID Forum and you'll get a reply. It won't be some bogus answer like you'd find on the Wiki-peoples sites, either. It'll be TRUE and you'll even get the correct scientific name, everytime.

So, why do I feel so dumb? I'll tell you why:

I POSTED THE RED HELEN (Papilio helenus) ON THE BIRD FORUM OVER A YEAR AGO !

SOMETHING NEW: If you want to learn more about photography, LOOK HERE:

A Little Crabby Today, Eh?

TODAY'S PHOTO/CRITTERS OF THE DAY: "AN EGRET AND A CRAB"
Cheers,
MIKE

Still Shoot Wildlife, Whenever I See Some

So, maybe it's been awhile!

I know everyone has to have been wondering what's up with all the sightseeing, travel and other things I've been posting here and what happened to the wildlife photography. I've been posting pet photos and even a weather report.

What ever happened to the critters like wild boars, butterflies and birds?
They're still here. I just haven't had the time or right weather conditions to go out chasing them.

This writing business keeps me real busy; even when someone else does the writing. Seems like everytime I can find somebody to write for me the subject isn't wildlife so, they need pictures of shopping, castles, festivals, castles or something tourists might want to see on Okinawa. So, that's what I have to shoot.

But anybody who knows me, knows that if a bird comes flying by, I could be on a mission to take pictures of Queen Mary and start shooting birds or snakes instead. I'd forget all about what I was supposed to be doing and take pictures of what I think is important.

So, I was on the way to shoot some wall in a graveyard. I saw this turtle and figured he wasn't in any hurry and neither was I. So, I shot a picture of him on my way to work.

As soon as I find the time, I'll get a name for him. Common name, scientific name, all that stuff. Right now, I'm too busy. More later.....

Cheers,
Mike