Showing posts with label Motobu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Motobu. Show all posts

Friday, May 17, 2019

2019 Hydrangea Report #1 from Motobu Okinawa

A Dozen Images Were Shot Today


This morning a visit was paid to Yohena Hydrangea Garden.

The flowers we were hoping to see blooming are known as Ajisai locally.

The rainy season got a late start this year so, the Hydrangea blossoms aren't ready yet. 



flowers, gardens, Hydrangea, Ajisai, Okinawa


In no particular order, other than the way, they came out of the camera, here you go.

Chasing the best available lighting, I composed images of many flowers.

Volunteers can give you the names of these pretty things. I'm too tired to research.




Ajisai, flowers, gardens, Motobu, Okinawa


Before the sun came up today, I was out walking and, covered lots of territory. 

They say you need to walk at least 10,000 steps a day to stay healthy.

Well, I got over that and, am trying to walk 20,000 steps each day.




flowers, hills, gardens, Okinawa, Hydrangea



It was supposed to rain today so, I wore a water-resistant jacket.

The sun came out as we climbed the hills and, I looked back to capture the views.

That's when it dawned on me, I left my jacket and iPhone (step counter) in the car.




flowers, Hydrangea, gardens, Okinawa


Well, I already had 16,000 or more steps on the counter so, no need to worry.

It may have added another 1,000 or, two to the contraption, climbing those hills.

If, you're wondering what these pink flower thingies are, send them to a botanist.

They can probably give you an answer, quicker than, I can.




flowers, hydrangea, gardens, Okinawa


From past experiences, I pretty sure this is a Hydrangea. The blue thing.

The blossoms were scarce. When the time is right those hills will be crawling with the flowers.

They come in colors like pink, white and blue. Maybe purple, too.



flowers, gardens, Okinawa



These yellow rascals seemed to be doing quite well and, I should know their name.

But, somebody in your crowd probably can identify the beauties so, why should I.

Huh?



flowers, gardens, hills, Okinawa


Way down in the lower corner of this photo is the red-tiled roof of Yohena's house.

Here's documentation of blue sky (in the rainy season) we're supposed to be having.

Climbing hills and bending your body are good for you when you're 17 years of age.

Today I discovered, I'm not 17 anymore.




flowers, gardens, house, Hydrangea, Okinawa



We must have walked every inch of Yohena Gardens today and seen every hill.

Sometimes, I think we even got onto somebody else's property, up in the hills.

The Hydrangea flowers might have been disappointing but, the nature walk was great!



flowers, gardens, Hydrangea, Okinawa, Yohena


The woman who planted (some 10,000 or so) Hydrangea in those hills, went to heaven.

She lived to be around 100 and won many awards for her gardens.

Her son, let me know, the full bloom period should be around May 25-Mid June this year.




Ajisai, flowers, gardens, Hydrangea, Motobu, Okinawa, Yohena


Leaving the gardens, I couldn't help but, shoot one more scene with the tiled-roof house.

That's where Mrs. Yohena would always be happy to greet guests to her gardens.

Of course, we promised to return, when the flowers are in full bloom.




flowers, gardens, Okinawa


This purple specimen is another one I'll have to pass on sharing the identification.




flowers, gardens, Okinawa


In the parking lot, I spotted this beauty, which reminded me of a gal I used to know.

Shucks, I forgot her name too! 



Important Information: Yohena Hydrangea Garden Website




Friday, February 1, 2019

Peek at Cherry Blossoms in the Mountains of Motobu

Sakura Season Has Begun


A trip was made to Mt. Yae in northern Okinawa to check out the blossoms today.

The flowers are blooming in scattered fashion this year.



cherry blossoms, Sakura, Okinawa, flowers, festival


One tree may appear to be in full bloom and the next one might be bare.

So, you'll see families gathering around the best blooms for photos.




festival, flowers, sakura, Okinawa


Not wanting to bother people for model releases, I just photographed the trees.

This year, for the first time, requests were made for donations on the drive up the hill.

Normal sized cars and motorcycles are asked to give 500 Yen.

This is to help maintain the trees, roads, and facilities associated with the festival.

That's a reasonable amount so, I gave them a thousand Yen and said, "Keep the change."




Cherry Blossoms, flowers, festival, Okinawa


Last year's typhoons got the cherry trees confused and they were blossoming in Autumn.

It's rare to see the pink flowers and green leaves sprouting at the same time.

Normally, the blossoms are gone before the green leaves cover the trees.




flowers, Sakura, Okinawa


It may get busy on the mountain this weekend especially if the weather cooperates.

The fresh air can be a little chilly but, it's refreshing when hiking up those hills.




Cherry Blossoms, Okinawa, Sakura


Folks who have to go to work on weekdays should get up there this weekend.

Something tells me, it won't get much better than this in the coming weeks.

For directions try Google Maps


Thursday, June 21, 2018

12 Photos from Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium

Minimum Commentary


This attraction has been open for over 15 years and, I made my first visit yesterday.

Over 100 photos were taken and, I'll probably go back there again, to do some more.



aquarium, Churaumi,Motobu, Okinawa, travel


A traveler could easily spend more than a few hours observing sea life in this attraction.



aquarium, Churaumi, fish, Motobu, Okinawa, travel


The cost per person is under $20.00 or, 2,000 Japanese Yen.



aquarium, Churaumi, fish, Okinawa, travel


There must be hundreds of species living together in the saltwater tanks.



aquarium, fish, Okinawa, travel


The building is climate controlled so, it's always comfortable, even when the weather isn't.



aquarium, Churaumi, fish, Okinawa, people, travel


It can become crowded but, watching people is as entertaining as, watching fish.



aquarium, Churaumi, people,Okinawa, travel, silhouettes


Some people do travel reviews and complain about crowds of Chinese tourists. Don't know why.

I love Chinese. Especially takeout orders of Chow Mein and Chop Suey!



aquarium, Churaumi, fish, diver, travel, Okinawa


This aquarium has successfully bred corals and some fish in captivity. That's a first.

They haven't tried humans, yet from my personal observations but, you never know.



aquarium, fish, people, tourists, Okinawa


Divers in the tank stay busy, cleaning and avoiding big sharks.

More than likely, they don't even think about breeding, while they are in the aquarium.



aquarium, Churaumi, English, Japanese, sign


The fish tanks were constructed using 603 MM thick plastic glass.

That means the fish tank walls are about two feet thick, according to my calculations.



aquarium, child, Churaumi, Okinawa, photography, travel


This attraction can be educational for children, as well as, adults.

That boy will become a photographer. I can tell.



aquarium, English, Japanese, sign, Churaumi, Okinawa


Churaumi keeps the environment as natural as possible for creatures of the deep blue sea.



aquarium, fish, Okinawa, travel


To learn more about Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium visit the website.

Friday, April 7, 2017

Travel Photo: A Motobu Fisherman

fisherman,islands,Okinawa


Camera: Pentax KD 10

Lens: Pentax 18-250 at 27MM

Exposure:  f/11   1/180  ISO 100 using camera flash

Location: Motobu, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time  SEP 13 2012  1:22PM

Monday, January 16, 2017

Orange Tip Butterfly in Cherry Blossoms

Butterfly visiting cherry blossoms in Okinawa


Sakura Season Begins


A trip to Mt. Yaedake was made, to checkout the cherry blossoms. They are blossoming.

Probably, less than 25% of the trees are turning pink, with the flowers.

But, it's a good time to go if, you don't like traffic and crowds, bumping into your camera.

The next three weekends, the mountain will become very busy. Nobody will catch me there.

After downloading 100 images, I selected this one to post tonight and, will process more later.

Camera: Pentax K1

Lens: Pentax 18-250 at 250MM

Exposure: f/6.3  1/500   ISO 400

Location: Mt. Yaedake, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time: JAN 16 2017  12:32PM





Friday, September 2, 2016

3 Types of Women Are Doing this Dance

  Leading Is a Goddess

 

 

She wears the white robe of a Noro and, is considered the equivalent of a god.

In local dialect, she would be called a Norokumui.



Women dancing in mountain and performing a sacred ritual, gif 



The event, known as Shinugu or Shinugu, takes place in the hills of Motobu, Okinawa.

Women following the Noro, chant songs and dance along with her.

Several different dances take place and, each has special hand movements.

Look closely at the heads of women wearing dark robes.

They all have white bands tied around heir hair and knotted.

Elders, who may be someone's grandmother or mother, tie the knots in the front.

Younger, single women, have the ribbon tied behind their head.


Learn More About Shinigu at Japan Update

Friday, June 3, 2016

Ajisai (アジサイ) Matsuri 2016 in Motobu Okinawa

flowers, hydrangea,Yohena Gardens, Motobu

Beautiful Hydrangea Flowers in Bloom

 

The season almost whizzed on by without my visiting this year because, I've been busy.

People have been asking me questions about the best way to get there.

Public transportation like, buses and taxi cabs, wouldn't be the best way to travel.

So, I suggest rental cars. If, it rains or, the flowers aren't blooming, you can easily escape.

Go look for some other tourist attractions; Okinawa is full of them.

Just for the heck of it, Doc Graff and I, went up to Yohena Ajisai Garden, today.

 Here's a little video sample of what we saw. Watch it carefully:




The last frame of the movie, shows me, with the sweetest gal on that mountain. 

It the weather forecast, I've seen is accurate, this Sunday may be the best time to visit.

Sunday, May 25, 2014

An Afternoom on Motobu Peninsula with Three Sisters

Three Cameras Involved Too

 

 

Normally I post something here daily.

A slight overdose of fun kept me from doing that last night so, I went home and crashed.

hillside covered with blossoming flowers

The hills are ablaze in brilliant colors this time of year.

So, yesterday, the wife, two of her sisters and I,  went to check them out.

Hydrangea flowers,close up

It's Hydrangea season, in Okinawa, right now.

Locally, these flowers are known as Ajisai.

blossoming hydrangea flowers

Photo credits for some of these shots belong to the gals.

blue hydrangea flowers
There's no telling who was doing the shooting with the Canon G12.

hillside covered with flowers

Give the women a camera and, head for the hills with my Pentax cameras was the plan.

hydrangea flowers on hill with visitors

Whoever shot this, should consider making a living with the camera.

flowers on hillside

The lighting, suited me best, looking back down the hill from the entrance.

photographer taking flower photos

Little did I know, one of the gals, was shooting me, with my own camera.

Er maybe, I'd have fixed my hair.

Uto Yohena posing with three visitors

The highlight of any visit to the Ajisai  garden has to be this sweetheart.

Mrs Uto Yohena, the woman who planted all these flowers, is almost 100 years old.

She remembers me, every time I see her.

Each year when we meet, I like to get a photo of her smiling.

And, I'll print it so, I can deliver it to her or, her family.

This year, someone came up with an idea.

The cameraman will go nuts, if you just flip him the peace sign.

Uto Yohena and guest, posing, Peace Sigh and laughing

All these gals are sweethearts but, one looks rather suspicious.


small blue hydrangea flower


Hiking back down the trails a few more photos were taken.

red, blue, green, flowers and ferns

 It really was a beautiful day.

Fukugi trees in Bise, Okinawa

 After leaving Yohena's Garden in Izumi, we drove to see the trees in Bise.

The three sisters wanted to go to dinner when we got back in Kin Town.

That's when, I came up with this plan.

If they dropped me and the cameras at my office, they could go do a Lady's Night.

It worked.

Three cameras were downloaded.

And, I went home to sleep !






Thursday, February 6, 2014

Cherry Blossoms and Orchids from Motobu Okinawa

Just a Few Flower Photos

 

 

It was good timing, hitting the highway early today.

The plan was to checkout a humongous cherry tree on the Motobu Peninsula.

Cherry Blossoms, tree, leaves, bark

When we got there, the green leaves were already sprouting.

And, pink flower petals are dropping to the ground.

Next, we were supposed to visit the International Orchid Show.

It's a great place to be when the rain starts falling. Tour buses know that, too.

So, we changed our plans and went to a museum, instead.

Orchids, pink,display,indoors, museum

They had some dandy, fresh orchids in the entrance-way.

So, I shot them for you.

Now, I feel a little guilty, about not taking photos at the Orchid Show.

But, I know how to fix everything.

We'll go back up there after the crowds of tourists leave.

Maybe, I can take my time and shoot some of those fancy flowers.

Or, get one of those gals who work there to show me what a wild Ryukyu Orchid looks like.

That way when we're out exploring caves and outer islands.....

I Could Shoot a Wild Thing for You !



More about probably, the oldest and largest cherry tree on this island.



Friday, December 6, 2013

Friday Travel Photos from Motobu, Okinawa

Trees Must Have Been Today's Theme

 

 

 

Bamboo is what you'll get to see for today. And, maybe one bird photo.


 


While the Map It Okinawa Dude went uphill at some sacred site, I went in here.





Bamboo is an interesting subject so, I experimented with a few different compositions.





Crunching around on dry leaves, I woke up a few hundred mosquitoes.






Hundreds more images of various trees, will wait in my pending files.

This Kingfisher, down by the river, was the only bird photo I took today.

Trees, are great but, birds in the wild, you just can't beat.


If you ever get a chance to visit Motobu Peninsula, don't do what I did today.

Dagnabbit.  I left the bug repellant and 500mm lens at home !



RETRACTION STATEMENT:

 

The photos above were erroneously reported as taken on Motobu Peninsula.

Actually,  they came from the northern area of Okinawa off HWY58.

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