Photo Essay: Chasing Sakura (桜) Day and Night in Okinawa

Sakura (桜) for those who don't already know, are Cherry Blossoms.

And, January-February is when they bloom all over the island of Okinawa, Japan.

Yesterday, I wasn't planning on chasing Sakura (桜) in the daytime.

But, I was down in the town named Yaese when I discovered a Sakura Festival that I had just missed.  So, I climbed the stairs to the park it was held in and had a look around.

Now, I'm no flower expert, or anything like that but, I think these cherry blossoms are just getting started.

It sure would be nice if they could extend the Sakura Festivals and keep them going as long as these pink flowers keep popping out all over the island.

The Sakura chase, for me, continued into the night.  This was the first time I had ever seen UNESCO World Heritage Site, Nakajin Castle, lit up at night.

It was after 9PM when I got there and the Castle was closed but, that didn't stop me from shooting the cherry trees lit up along the highway.

If I wind up going back up there tonight,  I think I might wear a white jacket.

People driving down the hill must be staring at the flowers, or the lights are blinding them.

It's easy to get run over when you set up a camera and tripod in the middle of the street at night.

There wasn't a full moon out but, I figured I'd practice with what they had and go back when the real deal happens, someday.  
Like, how many people do you know who have a full moon photo framed with cherry blossoms ?

Going from Nakajin Castle to Mt. Yaedake this 2012 Year of the Dragon scene caught my eye.

It could be some Chinese people live over on that hill, or something, and they are still celebrating the Lunar New Year.  Beats me.  I only got 3 shots and the lights went out.

Mt. Yaedake was pretty well deserted when I got there after ten.  The wind was picking up and it started getting colder.  So, I only shot a few Sakura (桜) and.....

.....this illumination from my favorite beer company.

Then I quit chasing Sakura for the day.  Dropped my camera gear off at the office.
And had a few Orion Beers.

Don't you think it would give a boost to the travel and tourism industries,  if they extended all the festivals during Cherry Blossom Season ?

Heck, I'd be out there chasing Sakura (桜) all over Okinawa, day and night !

Travel Photo Thursday: UNESCO Castle Nakajin: A New Angle

Here is UNESCO World Heritage Site: Nakajin-jo (Castle) in Okinawa, Japan from a new angle.  This will be my weekly submission to LadyExpat's Budget Travelers Sandbox.

Last night, I got in a rush and thought I'd get off easy submitting that photo I did a simple HDR job on.  Well, that probably won't cut the mustard with LadyE.

In my almost-thorough-research I'm always pretending to do, I discovered: SHE GOT THAT PHOTO FROM ME BEFORE !

It was way back in 2010. That was, like, last year. December of last year to be exact. SHUCKS.

So, seeing as I have gazillions of photos of these UNESCO Castles that have never seen digital daylight, I dug up a different one. This is from a new angle, one that most travelers don't get to see.

All the touristy brochures show castles from the entrance. That's nice if you're looking around for front doors to go through to visit these historic landmarks.

Act like Hagar the Horrible and knock on the castle's front door to do the Viking Trick or Treat thing.

Sometimes, I like to go and shoot castles from different positions.  Usually, that has something to do with where the light shines best for my purposes. And, it gives me photos that nobody else gets, not even on postcards. I got the part of the castle someone coming from the sea to attack the place might run into.

They built these castles by stacking cut limestone rocks without any mortar. Now, imagine sailing your boat from China, Indonesia, Norway, Pennsylvania, Scotland (They discovered America, ya know) or any one of those foreign countries and climbing over 300 meters above sea level to attack Nakajin Castle. If you didn't go knock on the front door, this is what you'd see.

Guess what would happen when you started attacking and hollering "Yer money or your life" ?

Nothing would happen.  The defenders of the Ryukyu Kingdom would just wait.

They would wait until you started getting real close and climbing the walls. That's when the good stuff starts to happen. They'd pick up the unmortared rocks and drop them on your head.  Hah !

This should keep me from getting into DEEP KIMCHI with Lady Expat for this week's Travel Photo Thursday. I wonder if she really eats that stuff ?

B&W or Color? Trees Outside UNESCO Nakajin Castle Okinawa, Japan (Photos)

Photos taken outside UNESCO World Heritage Site Nakajin Castle Okinawa, Japan

This photo was taken today on a pretty dismal day. We had dark skies, cold wind and I used a camera I haven't seen in a while without a tripod. I simply set the Panasonic DMZ-FZ50 on a rock, used the LCD screen to make adjustments and fired away with the 10-second timer set.

It was one of those days where I figured it would be a waste of good digital film to go inside the Castle at Nakajin and shoot photos. I 'll go back when I like the lighting conditions and shoot some other time.

This little forest and rock garden are outside the castle grounds and probably don't get the attention of many tourists or cameramen so, I decided to give them some publicity.

Only now, I can't decide whether the shot looks better in B& W or Color. What do you think?

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