Stop and Think: How Many Characters Named Donald Do You Know ?

Pottery District of Naha

Down in the district know as Tsuboya I ran across this scene one day.

A Donald Duck doll was taking up space at a table, where I wanted to sit to eat.

Not many yachimun (pottery) shops serve food but, this one had a small menu.

The name of the place slips my memory at the moment. But, the curry was unforgettable.

Photo Comes in Handy Today

The little, flashy dude stands out among all the ancient-looking urns, vases and shisa.

Anachronism, might not be the best way, to describe this scene.

The clay pottery sells fairly quickly, from those little shops in Naha.

So, the stuffed character is as old or older than, those items. I'll post this blog and share it.

It will hit a wider audience over on Facebook and, I'll ask two Questions.

1. Does anyone know the name of this pottery shop ?

2. How many people, do you know named, Donald ?

A Day in Naha with Shisa and the Sweetest Gal in the City

There Was Some Racket Down the Street

 

The weather didn't look too promising today.

We packed up our cameras and headed for the big city.  That's normal for foul weather days.

No sooner than the car was parked, we heard the sound of Eisa drums.

Sonovagun, if today wasn't Shisa Day.

We just missed this huge statue being uncovered and all the excitement that went along with it.

But, got there in time to shoot some photos of Miss FamilyMart, I guess.

And, this dude wearing a suit, with some pottery on his head.

 

They were real nice people.  Even took the time to pose and growl for me.

To be honest, I had no idea it was Shisa Day.  Doc informed me.

So, I said, "Good.  Let's go shoot some Shisa."

The Tsuboya Disrtict of Naha, Okinawa has tons of them.

We went there for awhile and took lots of photos but, I wanted to do something else.

Uehara-san is the sweetest gal in the whole city and I can't go there without visiting her.

She is one incredible woman.  She breaks out in smiles every time we meet. 

Years ago, the first time we met, she told me to sit down on a concrete stool, in the shade.

In the local dialect, I said, "I can't, my ass hurts from hemmorhoids."

And, she laughed hers-off !

We have been good friends, ever since.

Her photo is in an article I did for Matador Network Jul 15, 2009.

The Traveler's Guide to Okinawan Dialect

They don't Make People Like This Anymore

It's been months since Doc and I have seen Uehara-san.

The last time I was with her, I bought her some green tea.  She didn't forget.

Today, she dug through her purse and pulled out a thousand yen note, to buy me coffee.

Trying to be polite, I showed her a handful of change and told her I was good to go.

She has a hard time standing-up, without walking to the coffee machine.

She wouldn't let me refuse her gift.  She insisted.

Doc, told me,  "You have to let her buy you the drink.  She won't take no for an answer."

The damn stubbornest woman I ever met, walked painfully over to the machine.

All I could do, was hold her arm and escort her both ways to get the coffee.

Men, shouldn't have tear ducts.  That's what I say.

Once Uehara-san was back in her seat at the shop we all did a "Kampai."

We chatted for awhile.  When it started to rain we excused ourselves.

We explained, we had a long drive ahead of us and had better get going.

We left the sweetest gal in Naha at her store.  And she sat there smiling.

Men really shouldn't have tear ducts.

Watching Waterdrops in a Cave: Just Three Photos

Lately I've been out shooting the camera all over the Ryukyu Islands, not just the main island of Okinawa, Japan but, some other ones I've never set foot on before.  Today found me in a cave I don't know the name of, on an island which I haven't learned the name of, yet.  I've been busy.  But, there are times when I'm waiting for the lighting to change at a cave entrance and instead of getting bored, I find something to do. 
Like shooting waterdrops hanging on to stalactites until they drop off to form stalagmites on the cave floor.  Why should I get bored ?

Here's a waterdrop in natural light near the cave entrance.

It gets a bit elongated.

Then, when you least expect, it makes a mad dash for the floor.

This particular cave had some pottery and arrowheads discovered in it that were over 6,500 years old.

That got me to thinking.  I wonder what the cavemen did when all their important tasks were done and they were waiting for the light to change.  They didn't have cameras to fool with, the internet, or even black and white TV's.  I don't think beer was even invented, yet.  Dang !

Do you suppose they just sat around watching waterdrops in the cave, too ?

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Saturday's Photos: Birds and Pottery

What a day Saturday turned out to be in Okinawa, Japan. It started off with Doc, my shooting buddy and I going to some Pottery Fair to shoot photos. It was a bit chilly and windy outside so I figured, OK.

I'll just take my short lens and tripod, go along with Doc and pretend I'm having a good time. So, that's what I did.

Only, when Doc wasn't lookin', before we even got to the pottery, I shot a bird (Photo) and you'll get to see that later. Our mission was to shoot pottery and that's exactly what we did.

See, I shot some cups. These aren't your average cup, though. These babies are handmade, hand-painted, fired in a woodburning kiln, red clay, glazed, I'm not sure, microwave-safe, works of art called Yachimun, cups. They're made in a town named Yomitan.

In Japan, sometimes, people get so good at artwork like this, the government designates them Living National Treasures !

So, I went around shooting the pottery very carefully, setting up my tripod and camera, excusing myself, being polite, asking for permission to move some pieces, sometimes, and just acting like I was a professional cameraman, doing important stuff. Folks were really nice to me and let me do pretty much whatever I wanted. They probably thought I was enjoying my work but, the truth is: Pottery shooting, just doesn't turn me on. I'd rather be somewhere else shooting birds. So, after about 35 shots of Yachimun, cups, bowls, tea pots, plates, sake flasks and some I-have-no-idea what the other stuff was, I said "Doc, let's go shoot birds".

We found a spot along the East China Sea where the birds could use an Air Traffic Controller there were so many of them.  Well, not really, I wouldn't want to see an Air Traffic Controller here because they'd have airplanes flying into the birds and be landing the planes in the rivers, so pilots could become heros for not blowing their horns and telling the birds to get out of the way.

The weather warmed up a little, the sun was shining and the tide was just right for all kinds of birds to be out flying and fishing. The only thing that could have made it a better day would have been me bringing along the 500mm lens. It really didn't matter, though, I was out where I belong and doing what I like to do.

These guys put on a great show for me. and I had the best day of the whole month, so far, just being there watching them. I filled up a couple of Gigabytes of SD cards and when I got home, downloaded and started processing them. I haven't even put a dent in the pile of photos yet. But, I was up until 3AM trying.

Now, I really have nothing against pottery.  It's all good stuff.  But, give me a choice and I'd rather spend the day outside at the beach, in the jungles or up in the mountains with my camera.  That's what I do.
I think all wildlife should be declared National Treasures, not just in Japan; everywhere.  That's right.

Here's Saturday's Photo Count:  BIRDS  535        POTTERY: 35

Where would you prefer to spend your Saturdays with the birds or looking at pottery?