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.

Just Call Them Ladies of the Week

Ogimi Ungami 2019

 Ungami is a matsuri (festival) held in northern Okinawa on one of the hottest days of the year.

Luckily, some cloud cover and a gang of cooperative gals helped with the photography.

There is plenty of activity at this festival such as prayers, dance and boat races.

It can be frustrating, trying to compose decent photos at a matsuri.

Sometimes hundreds of photographers show up at these cultural events and, ruin the day.

Yesterday was no exception and we sneaked away from the crowds to find these ladies.

They were practicing dances before entering the congested area of the festival.

Prints will be made and brought to the Community Center, I promised.

The highlight of my day at the festival was being part of an audience of two, right here.

We were away from the crowds and got treated like royalty!

MORE: Festival in Ogimi

Final Night of Obon 2019 in Okinawa

Full Moon and Eisa

Just a quick post to show some of last night's activity under the August full moon.

This photo was taken shortly after 8 PM with 420 MM worth of lens on the Pentax K1.

Before leaving the house to chase Eisa, I climbed up on the roof for this shot.

That way, the heavy lens, and tripod could be left behind, to lighten my load.

This group was performing in a parking lot, as I climbed the hill into town.

Recently, children may be seen dancing and drumming along with the Eisa teams.

Some of them have uniforms, just like the big guys.

In town, you could hear the music and feel the ground shake.

If there was an award for the best jumping act by an Eisa team, these guys would win!

By 11 PM I was exhausted from watching Eisa and headed home.

Of course, all that work made me hungry so, I grabbed a chicken salad going out of town.

10 Images from First 2 Days of Obon

When Ancestors Spirits Visit

The past few evenings I've been out chasing the Eisa teams in Kin Town.

A few times the moon at less than 100% full, peeked through the clouds.

Tonight is the final evening of Obon and, the full moon, as well.

Here's a shot of the moon taken from my house on the 13th of August 2019.

Not completely round, it's at about 98% full but, I figured it would be best to capture now.

A typhoon to the north has been bringing plenty of clouds over our island.

Eisa photography actually began in the afternoon, where these characters performed.

It was at the old folks home in my neighborhood and the team was well received.

It would be after 9 PM before I saw any Eisa groups downtown

Notice, some little tykes are part of the Eisa crowd these days. 

It seems there are too many old folks and, not enough youngsters to perform Eisa these days!

The Chondara (sort of a clown) entertains those on the sidelines.

They also, bring cold drinks to the Eisa dancers, to keep them energized on these hot nights.

Narrow, dark streets are light up by floodlights on vehicles accompanying the Eisa groups.

Sometimes, the lighting blinds the dancers and photographers, too.

Close to 10:30 PM this dancer was well lighted in front of a white background.

He's performing in front of a restaurant, so new, I haven't figured out what it is named, yet.

Last night's moon was at a bit over 99% full so, I grabbed this shot, while I could.

The moon will be full at around 9:30 tonight but, may not appear over Okinawa.

Wait and see.

It's a good thing those drums are loud. We wouldn't want to see anyone fall asleep.

Look at the little guy (upfront), his eyes are wide open. It's past 10:30 PM.

Some of the most energetic Eisa drummers you'll ever see, perform with this group.

They really know how to jump and shout.

Close to midnight, I photographed this Chondara and, got thinking.

It would be best, to hurry home and get some sleep.

That way, I'd be refreshed for the final night of moon and Obon photography.

To be continued.....

12 Images from 2019 Shinugu (シヌグ) in Ada Okinawa

Different Sort of Matsuri

Activities take place at several locations, during this festival, starting and ending here.

The straw-roofed structure is known as an asagi or Kami-Asagi.

Consider it a worship house, a place where a priestess prays to the sacred deities.

Arriving at the village of Ada a bit late, I missed the prayers at this location and moved on.

Being a bit late gave me an excuse to skip climbing the mountains in the blistering hot sun.

The men (decorated with vegetation) came down from the hills on a trail bordering the river.

Following the drummer, they are chanting "Hey, Ho, Hoi" or something like that.

Three groups of men following drummers, converge on this field bordered with banana plants.

Women are waiting in the open space, where the men circle around them.

The guys used tree branches to shoo away evil spirits up in the hills above the village.

Down on the outskirts of town, they use the sticks to swat evil spirits out of their women!

It's not some sort of domestic violence. Just ritual smacks of the sticks on the gal's heads.

Look close enough and you can see them smiling or laughing.

At some of the homes in the village, I noticed mothers holding their children up to be swatted.

A sacred grove, in the center of the village, is visited by the chanting, drumming men.

Only about five minutes is spent here circling the area before, shooing away evil spirits.

Facing the sea, men kneel and pray for a good catch and safety during the season.

Rituals and prayers have been conducted in the fields, on the mountains, and along the shore.

After marching under the hot sun, it's time to get rid of the itchy decorations of the jungle.

A quick dip in the ocean cools our heroes off before they head back into town.

Many of them will jump in the river, to rinse off the saltwater before heading home.

About a three-hour break in the schedule takes place before the next events.

Evening Activities

A field in front of the Kami-Asagi becomes center stage for the rest of the festival.

To the sound of Sanshin (3 stringed banjoes) a ritual dance is performed.

Women give the orders here, instructing men on the planting of rice.

Let's just call this a pole dance, the men are doing. Women are watching the men smiling, too.

When they poke that thing into the straw roof, I guess that could be considered the climax.

As the sun begins dipping below the mountains, women perform dances in their kimonos.

Ahum, eligible females would be wearing white uniforms. Other gals are leading the dance.

Before long, it becomes dark outside and the dances become more quickly paced.

Visitors along the sidelines are sitting on mats eating and drinking alcoholic spirits.

Time for me, to put the cameras away and do some socializing before, heading home.

Related Post:  The Mountains and Ocean Are Calling Me

12 Images from Eisa Matsuri 2019 in Kin Town Okinawa

Hundreds of Photos Were Taken

Yesterday two summer festivals (matsuri) took place at Kin Dam.

The Kin Dam Festival and the 20th annual Kin Eisa Matsuri were held in a dam park.

On a July afternoon the temperatures outside are almost unbearably sticky hot.

The Dam Matsuri took place from 10 AM until 5 PM.  I skipped that one!

Arriving early enough to check some camera positions out, I stayed mostly in the shade.

The smells of food cooking in festival tents, drifted over my way and was irresistible.

So, I went and gobbled some food (you don't want to hear about) down.

Then, walked over to these Chondara dudes and asked if, I could take their photo.

Chondara, also known as Gajan Gani, are sorta friendly clowns.

After showing them how the photo looked on the camera LCD screen I said "Thanks" and left.

There never used to be children, doing the Eisa dances at festivals, in years gone by.

But, recently you may see kids out dancing with the adults almost anywhere.

Not sure if these are sisters or, mother and daughter, I didn't bother to ask.

Whoever the children are, they must practice plenty because they're really good.

The timing of their movements is excellent and, they even know how to chant and shout.

It isn't just the young girl children out there; boys get in on the act too.

These guys bang the drums, just like the big men do and, they do some high stepping, too.

One toddler was probably too small for the Eisa uniforms but, got to dance anyway.

Other little kids on the sidelines sorta kept cheering him on. Bet they envied him!

The light started fading as the sun crept down behind the mountains and I was glad.

A gentle breeze would soon start cooling things down out on that hot field.

It's difficult taking photos of the dancers, with all the guests surrounding the performers.

You're not allowed to just kick grandmas and grandpas, to get them out of the way. Rats.

Sundown Saved the Day

There are always plenty of people who know me, at these events and we get to chat.

The hardest part, is when they try bringing me some saki or beers.

Usually, I tell them I'm working and can't drink until I finish. They understand.

The Gajan Gani (Chondara/Clowns) from Nakagawa performed here.

They got their district started with the night's Eisa dances and, they were great performers.

Had there been a competition among the Eisa groups, these folks would have won!

Nakagawa, had some little tyke drummers, too.

This would be the last group I photographed doing their dances. Time to leave the crowd.

Hanabi or Fireworks Next on the Schedule

It happens to me all the time.  The fireworks go off right where you don't want them to be.

Heading away from the crowds, I set my camera and tripod up at the edge of a field.

The first few blasts took place almost directly overhead.

Knowing I probably wouldn't be getting any award winning photos, I didn't cuss.

All you can do is move the camera lens around and hope for the best.

It's alright to cuss, too. Just do it softly so, nobody can hear you. 

Shit...

The wind was blowing but, all the smells and smoke of the fireworks hung in the air.

Next year if this matsuri is in the same location, I'll distance myself from the explosions.

Like, get up on a hill away from the fairgrounds and maybe get some reflections in water.

It was a festival at a dam. Why didn't I think about reflection shots?  Dammit!

My parting shot. I'll call it, "Sunflower."

15 Harvest Moon Festival Photos

Plus the September 2018  Full Moon

It's not really called a Harvest Moon Festival in Okinawa, Japan.

Kangetsusai is what the festive event is named in this part of the world.

Tropical storms bouncing around the Asian oceans could have canceled this celebration.

A few hours ahead of time, I slipped out of the house to get my camera and lenses.

There was a good chance rain would hit on and off over the next few hours.

Accidentally, I left my iPhone at home in the charger so, nobody could contact me.

If it started pouring down rain, the wife would demand I get back in the house. Hah!

The first few performances on stage went smoothly and things were dry.

You can see the crowd sitting before the stage, watching some sort of royal dances.

The way lighting is set up on the stage makes photography challenging.

It's nice to get images of everybody but, zooming in on a few makes things easier.

Usually, I don't intentionally miss anyone, unless they are really ugly.

Just kidding. We can't say stuff like that anymore. Or, can we?

Look closely at this scene and, you may notice the angle of my camera has changed.

The red lantern in the center of the frame was overhead in my first few photos.

Climbing a flight of stairs, I found a balcony where I could stay dry if it rained.

All the kids doing Eisa had to be photographed so, I wouldn't miss someone special.

My granddaughter is up there dancing. She's not one of the ugly ones.

No expert on the performing arts, I just call these dudes, cupcake dancers.

That's because we aren't supposed to call folks fruitcakes anymore. Hah!

These ladies in green kimonos were easy on the eyes and, the stage was still dry.

People sitting on folding chairs in the audience didn't need umbrellas, yet.

One of these days I should learn the names of all the classic Okinawa dances.

This is one I've seen them do up north in the woods. Still, don't know what it's called!

The girls with the golden fans are posing in puddles on that wet stage.

A few umbrellas are visible in the audience but, most people ran away.

It started pouring like a typhoon hit us and, I'm glad I was sheltered on that balcony.

Somebody Tried Calling Me

That's when she discovered my phone was home in the charger. LMAO

Somewhere, I read that people who are forgetful are really geniuses. I must be one of them.

We'll just call this one "The Pink Ladies with Purple Hats."

Look at the reflections in the puddles on the plywood stage. It could get slippery.

These youngsters must attend some performing arts school. They are really impressive.

Some traditional Okinawa music is jazzed up and they dance to it.

The barefoot red bandana ladies, we'll call this group.

They're singing and dancing to an old Ryukyu tune, not YMCA.

Call them Real Men Do It with Spears Dudes.

They're barefoot in the puddles. I'm happy on my balcony, where it's dry.

Guys with white shoes and flowery hats are dancing in the plywood puddles.

The rain has stopped and, children are gathering in front of the stage.

This character called Miruku gets on stage and children go wild.

Miruku will toss candies throughout the crowd. 

Notice the silhouettes of children with arms outstretched reaching to catch flying candies.

The grand finale is the Shishimai and his handler.

The creature is activated by two youngsters under that hairy lion's body.

After four hours of composing festival photos and dodging rain, I decided to leave early.

The moon never did stay clear of rain clouds, long enough to be photographed.

Walking home with the camera and tripod, the rain poured down again.

Just as I entered the gate at home, I noticed the moon peeking through the clouds.

It's not my favorite moon shot but, it's probably the only one I'll get this month!