Travel Transportation Shot: Queen Zamami

Visiting Outer Islands

Just a quick post before the laptop gets thrown in my backpack.

The cameras and lenses are packed away for a three day excursion, off this island.

Weather permitting, it will  be a blast and, I'll return with 100's of seagoing images.

For sure, all the sailing sabani crews, are praying for calm seas and blue skies.

WiFi service may be a little tricky, at times so, I may not be able to post every day.

This will be by 5th year in a row, taking photos of the sabani races.

Previous Sailing Sabani Race photos may be seen by typing "Zamami" in the search block above.

If, for some reason, the seas and wind, don't cooperate, I'll try something different.

Maybe, take some photos of museums and nightlife, for a change !

Photo Location: Tomari Port Naha, Okinawa, Japan

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

5 Images Shot Under Sunny Skies in Kunigami

November Is Becoming a Favorite Month

The heat is tolerable and the typhoon threat should have ended for the year.

Ideal weather, for being outdoors, led to a trip on the northeast side of the island.

There was no plan, other than, get out of town and, shoot some cameras.

The first interesting subject that popped up was, this abandoned boat.

It's got to be the original, Queen Izena ferry. How cool is that ?

It makes you wonder, why no one thought of putting it on display in a museum.

Someone did, paint "Clean Yo Beach" on the side. That sounds like a good idea.

A little farther north, these rocks caught my attention.

During low tide fishermen, climb them and, sit out there, hoping to catch some big ones.

If, I had to go fishing for food, I'd starve to death. It's not in my bag of tricks.

But, some folks can stay out there all day, not catch any and, still be happy.

One of my friends says, "A bad day of fishing, beats a good day, stuck at home!"

The big lenses stayed home today and, that was a mistake.

The Osprey was perched on an offshore rock and, this photo was taken at 350MM.

If a larger lens was used, I believe, there was a fish in that guy's talons.

That's alright, a bad day with the camera, beats being stuck in my office.

This Japanese sign, cheered me up, when I spotted some funny English on it.

"Think Globally, Act Yanbarly" sounds like a nice thing to do. Don't you think ?

Yanbaru or, Yambaru, is what the northern area is called, in local dialect.

People around the globe should act like Yambaru folks and, the world could be a better place.

Somebody, coined a new phrase and, wants us all, to act Yanbarly.

Well, I'll drink to that as soon as, I get out of this office. Go out and be Yanbarly, to everybody.

This last photograph was taken, heading south on the highway, to get home.

Confirmation is pending but, I think it may be a special rock formation.

If, my suspicions are confirmed, there's a juicy story, I can tell you, later.

Unlike many news outlets, these days, I think, it's important to tell the truth.

So, we'll have to wait for an expert's opinion before, I can give you the details.

Giving some rock in the ocean, a false name, wouldn't be a very Yanbarly thing to do.

Don't you agree ?

Travel GIF: Ferry Headed to Iheya Island from Unten Port Motobu Okinawa

Planning an Island Hopping Trip

 

 

Today, I was out with a professor, doing the kind of investigation I love best.

Anyone can get online and make plans for future events but, you can't believe the internet.

It's best to go out and see things for yourself and, talk to real people so, that's what we do.

Where the Flip-flops Meet the Road

 

The first thing on the list of things to do, was locate a monument, I heard about.

Well, with the help of some locals, who speak local dialect, we got it done.

While, I was up there, I noticed the ferry leaving the port and, shot this series of photos.

The professor, mentioned, we should go visit Iheya island sometime soon.

My only question was, "With or, without the women ?  That makes a big difference in plans."

He agreed.  That's because, he has similar experience, to me. 

See, guys can sleep in tents, caves, on park benches or, almost anywhere.

The gals, want luxury hotels, shopping trips, steak dinners, flowers and, souvenirs.

Gathering Travel Information Links 

 

Chris Willson Made the trip, with some other photographers and, wants to return.

And, he brought up a good point. There were no fantastic sunrises or sunsets.

That's enough reason for me, to make it a couple of days visit.

Camping and reasonable prices for renting transportation, I found here. 

But, it was written in 2012 so, I'd have to check and, make sure things haven't changed.

Japan Times

This article, written last year, gives some ideas, of the kinds of things, I like to do.

Culture, history and, taking little boats, to uninhabited islands, nearby. Yeah. 

Costs for passengers and vehicles on the ferry - Okinawa Island Guide.

Tips for Izena and Ieheya from Ippei and Janie is another great source.

Formulating the Plan 

 

When, I do all the math, I figure it would be under 500 bucks for a few fun-filled days.

Throw a wife or two, into the formula and, things get a little more expensive.

So, we need to let the women know a few things about the journey.

The ferry boat, bounces around in the sea for, something like an hour and a half.

There's really nothing, they would want to see, over on that remote island.

They don't have any great places to do shopping so, it wouldn't be much fun.

We could give, each of them 300 bucks, to waste on this island, shopping and, stuff.

Then, just the guys make the trip for three days and, everybody would be happy !

Come home, with a gazillion photos of the great outdoors and a nice sunburn.

And, still have enough money leftover, for a month's supply of Orion Beers ! 

Another Day Trip with Cameras to Tsuken Jima

12 Photos as Teasers to Go

 

 

This island requires a short boat ride, to reach but, it's an enjoyable attraction.

Beach bums, snorkelers and those who like biking or hiking can have a blast there.

 

The ferry sails from Heshikiya Port to Tsuken Jima five times daily.

It's less than half an hour ride and, I like to hangout on the decks enjoying the fresh air.

Some folks prefer sitting in the air-conditioned compartments, looking at walls.

 And, some of them fall asleep if, you can imagine that.

Not me, I'm usually the first one to jump ship, as soon as the dang thing quits rocking !

 Next thing, I do is ask for a tourist map, when I get inside the terminal.

It's always fun, to discover what attractions they are promoting for travelers to see.

I would have never thought of photographing these shisa if I hadn't seen the map.

There must be dozens of them, around home, I see every day.

The map was in Japanese but, I followed it up past the shisa and, found these signs.

The Carrot Lookout point was where I wanted to go first.

 It's been awhile since I visited this tower and, I wanted to see if Kin Town was visible from here.

There were a bunch of children, on bicycles, doing some sort of field trip.

Some of the teachers knew me so, they must have come from somewhere in Okinawa.

They were a friendly bunch of kids but, I was glad to see them depart the area.

It's hard to concentrate on the camera when everybody thinks you're Santa Claus.

Next time, I'll tell them I'm the Easter Bunny.

From the top floor of the Carrot Tower, I took this photo.

The island of Okinawa is out there on the horizon and, the Kin Power Plant is visible.

Leaving the tower, it was just a short walk to Tomai-hama Beach.

Jet skiers, snorkelers and swimmers seemed to be enjoying the warm weather.

On the way to the next location, I had to stop and shoot this image.

The orange-tiled roof, shisa, blue cloudless skies and flowers, made me do it.

And, who could pass by a carrot manhole cover, without shooting it ?  Not me.

This is not so much, a tourist attraction, as it is a sacred site.

The incense burner, on the left side of the photo is a clue that somebody worships there.

Would you go inside that cave ?

Some folks think it's alright to stash geocaches in a place like this.

That seems a bit sacrilegious, to me but, I'm no expert geocasher;  just a photographer.

Previous Posts About Tsuken Jima 

Geocashing: Everything You Wanted to Know

Travel Photo: Characters on the Ferry to Tsuken Jima

A Day-trip to Okinawa's Carrot Island

 

 

If you ever spot a boat with these mascots on the side, it's the ferry for Tsuken Island.

Three of us got aboard at 11AM and, did some walking and photography.

It isn't a very large island but, you do notice how peaceful it can be.

There are no taxi cabs, dump trucks or construction sites making a racket.

There may be a bird or two making some noise or, a farm tractor plowing.

But, you can pretty much, spend the day, hearing yourself breath.

It seems like, carrots are never in season, when I visit this island.

It must be winter time when the crop gets harvested.  I don't hop on boats in the winter.

Maybe, if someone tells me when the Carrot Festival takes place, er....

...if they have something like a Miss Carrot beauty contest, I'd go visit in January !

The mission today, was to get some GPS coordinates done and, head on home.

It took some talking to locals to find a few locations and a bit of hiking.

By 3PM all the sites we went to see were located and the photography was done.

More about this trip will be posted at a later date but, I can give a hint, now.

Peku Cave on Tsuken Island Okinawa: What's So Special ?

5 Tourist Attractions on Izena Island Worth Visiting Again

Three Days and Two Nights

 

 

Consider it a whirlwind tour with a camera, chasing the good light.

It consisted of, waking up Friday, Saturday and Sunday between 3 and 4AM.

We climbed aboard the New Izena Ferry at Unten Port in Motobu and sailed away.

At the ferry terminal, on Izenajima, I photographed a tour map on the wall.

All the tourist brochures were written for Japanese or, Chinese.

But, the poster on the wall had some English descriptions for the attractions.

So, we decided to find the five sites that were listed, in language we could easily read.

 

Number One

 First on the list was the statue of Sho En, pointing back towards Okinawa.

It was in a park, not far from the minshuku, we stayed at.

When Map It Okinawa dude and, I were leaving, I joked about a shot, I should have taken.

Driving off to scout another site, I noticed the statue had a straw hat on its back.

Researching this Sho En guy, I'm finding conflicting information.

One source, says he wore his topknot sort of lop-sided.

That would have shown up if, a photo was taken from the rear of the statue.

Then, we'll have to decide whether it was a fashion statement or, he had a bump on his head.

Some other conflicting information exists, concerning this Ryukyu king.

One source says he came from Iheya, another Izena Island.

The folks on Izena, sure seem proud of his heritage and, that fact he became a king.

Number Two

 Izena Castle Site is a must-see, for any one visiting this island.

The castle, also known as, a gusuku, looks like a big pile of rocks, about 100 meters tall.

There doesn't appear to be any rooms to hide in so, it's different than most fortresses.

Map It Okinawa, climbed to the top and saw some sacred sites along the way.

A summer storm (thunder, lightning and rain) hit while he was up there.

My cameras got thrown in the car and, I hid under one of those tiled roofs.

One of these days, I'll climb, when its not raining.

Number Three

 Castles and royalty statues are alright but, I liked this photo best.

Agi Gitara and Umi Gitara are two rocks in the scene above.

Agi is still attached to land; Umi is the one in the ocean.

The story goes:  They were two lovers who wanted to become one, with each other.

When they died (some say suicide) the gods hooked them up for eternity.

The gal rock (in the sea) and dude rock on land, will see each other, forever, from a distance.

Ain't that romantic ?

Anyhow, this was a challenge, shooting this photo and, I want to do it again.

Number Four

 

 

 

  Izena Beach is a great place to visit and get some sunshine.

They have campgrounds, toilets, showers and, the price is right.  It's free.

There weren't many people there when we visited so, we may have to go back.

What if a bunch of girls in bikinis, showed up ?

These are things, you must consider.

Number Five

 

 

 

The last tourism location we found was the most difficult, as far as searches go.

There were signs posted along the highway and, they had arrows pointing directions.

Maybe, some souvenir hunters, borrowed a few.

If you are just looking for old traditional Okinawan homes, you'll find plenty.

This one is special. The buildings and grounds are huge.

Not much (in English) can be found via the internet. I will find out more, later.

There are some sacred sites and important trees associated with the area.

So, that gives me another excuse, to return to this special island.

Untethered for Awhile

On the island of Izenajima, they have internet access.

Just as soon as, I got off the ferry, I noticed Wi-Fi access signs in the terminal.

In the backpack, with all the rest of my traveling gear and camera stuff was a laptop.

To make the most, of my time on the island, I stayed un-tethered.

Chasing the cultural, historical sites, along with sunrise and sunset locations was fun.

But, it requires some, mingling with the locals, who know the island.

We were out there, sampling the local spirits, past midnight, daily.

With only 3-4 hours of sleep, each night, the internet, didn't seem all that important.

Back at the office, I'm online, again. And, have jackhammers out front of the place.

There's one last reason, to go visit Izena Island, in the near future !

 

 

 

Travel Photo: Sesoko-jima Bridge (瀬底大橋‏)

This photo was taken from the Sesoko Island side of the bridge, looking back towards Okinawa.

There is a nice, little park to the left, as you enter the island.

Shade trees, restrooms and parking are available there.

And, behind the park, you can find a road, leading to the beach below.

When the bridge was completed (FEB 1985) it was the longest one in the Prefecture.

It is only 762 meters long and, has since lost that distinction.

Kouri Island, has a bridge that's more than twice as long, these days.

This bridge has made travel to the Sesoko Island more convenient, though.

Before the bridge was built, you had to take a ferry, which made 10 round trips a day.

Loading a vehicle on a boat can get expensive.

Crossing the bridge, is free.

It makes you wonder.  What happened to the ferry boats, they put out of business ?

Tell your youngsters to learn bridge building not, ferry boat driving.

Photo Specs:

Camera: Pentax K3

Lens: Pentax 18-250 at a focal length of 250mm

Exposure: f/16   1/30   ISO 100

Related Link:

Nice to See the Cops Today on the Sesoko Island Bridge

Aboard Okinawa's Queen Zamami High Speed Ferry

Motion GIFs Display the Action

 

 

The trip on this boat, going from Naha to the Kerama Islands is fast.

In less than an hour, after leaving Tomarin Port, you can set feet on Zamami-jima.

Some travelers, go below and stay in the air-conditioned spaces.

But, I like to hangout in the fresh air and watch normal people doing touristy things.

Those folks, staying down below and, watching TV, just don't know what they missed.

Related Post

12 Photos from the 2014 Zamami Jima Sailing Sabani Race

Butterflies in Flight from Tsuken Jima Okinawa

 

One of the Benefits of Digital Photography

 

 

When rainy season starts giving me cabin fever, I go through old photo files.

With thousands of travel photos stored on external drives, I can always find something.

These butterfly photos gave me some inspiration today.

Rice Paper or, Paper Kite Butterflies were flying overhead on Tsuken Island.

Every now and then, we get some beautiful weather during rainy season.

It was during the month of May, two years ago, when these photos were taken.

 Butterflies, in flight, are a real challenge for the photographer.

It's a good thing I saved these photos.

They cheered me up and, reminded me, it's time to make some travel plans.

It's just a short ferry ride, to Tsuken Jima (island) and it's a nice one day trip.

It would be a good idea to start paying attention to the extended weather forecasts. 

Butterflies aren't the only things that come to the island on a nice sunny day.

Did you know, they have girls in bikinis sometimes, too ?

It's easier to photograph butterflies, though.

They don't require model releases.

If you plan on going there to shoot girls in bikinis, you better ask for permission.

Being sort of shy, I'd rather shoot wildlife.

But, I'll pack a few model release forms, just in case !

More From Tsuken Jima

Wildlife Photo: Oriental Pratincole a Bird Found in Okinawa

What Sort of Beach Is a Pretty Beach to You?

Wildlife Photo: Coconut Crab on Tsuken Jima

Travel Photo: View of Ie Jima from Motobu

Barely visible, on the horizon, silhouetted against a cloudy sky is, Ie Jima.

The island is only a 30 minute ferry ride away.

It looks small from the Motobu Peninsula in Okinawa, Japan.

Three days driving and exploring, on foot wasn't enough to see the whole place.

It looks like the cameras need to be packed and it's time to hitch a ride back over that way.

Have You Ever Been Itchin' to Hop on a Boat and Get Away ?

Man, am I ever ready to go.  I just know one of these ferry boats is waiting for me.

In Japan, they have nice ferries to take you to other islands.

 They have tatami rooms for those who like to stretch out on a straw mat.

Some folks like to sit in the air-conditioned compartments.

Not me.  I like to hang around outside in the fresh air and diesel fumes.

 By the time we spot some land, I'm right up front watching the crew.

And, I'm one of the first people itchin' to hop off the dang boat !

Do you ever get an itch to hop on a boat and get away ?

Well, don't scratch.  Just do it.

Visit my homepage for today's Feature Photo

Sunday's Silly Sign (Photo) May 8, 2011

          What can I possibly add to what's already been said in the Sunday Silly Sign above?

This was posted at the urinal in the men's room at the terminal for the ferry on Ie Island Okinawa, Japan. 

Visit my Homepage for THE PHOTO OF THE DAY