2013 Azalea Festival in Okinawa (Photos)

Azaleas Are Blooming in Higashi Village

 

The Ryukyu Dudes went up to Higashi in Okinawa, Japan to check them out today.

 Tonight I'll post 10 photos, quick because there are many more waiting development.

 First, you should get a look at the surrounding area.

 These shots were taken from the observation tower.

Blue skies, blue seas plus, it was hot and hazy.

What more could you ask for ?

A wide angle lens was all I carried into the place but, here's one close-up for you.

There was this neat shelter I stopped in to get out of the sun for a break.

Then, it was man against the elements.  I went back out there to shoot some more.

When it started looking like the elements might get the best of me, I panicked and ran.

Other brave souls were still coming in and walking across the Azalea Bridge.

Well, it never did rain while we were there but, we had other important stuff to do.

The 2013 Azalea Festival goes from today, until March 20th.

If you happen to be a flower fanatic,  get on up there.

And, it might be a good idea to carry an umbrella !

Map It Okinawa has excellent directions and admission information.

Exclusive Tour Ryukyu Dudes Do the Caves (Photos)

Matsuda Caves in Ginoza Okinawa

These photos give a quick review of the day's events.

Today RyukyuRusty, Map It Okinawa and I got a special treat.

We had a guided tour (what I call it exclusive) through this cave.

Shinobu Miyahira (blue shirt) briefed us on everything.

He knows the history of the place, the wildlife that live there and the dangers you may face.

Standing to his left, Lorenzo Ken Tumacder, was our English translator.

Safety was everyone's concern. There are plenty of places you can slip and fall.

The guides outfitted us with boots and miners hats.  It gets real dark inside the caves.

And, there are plenty of places to accidentally bang your head.  So, that's what I did, a lot.

The guy wearing the white jacket is Terumasa Ikehara.

White stuff is easier to see in the dark so, I stuck close by him.

Kei Hamahiga and Hayato Nakama were in black shirts.

If they got too far in front of you, they would disappear, in the dark.

Everyone, there was helpful.  They held our cameras while we climbed.

And, caught us when we slipped.  Or, warned us about banging our heads.

All the way through, I kept wondering about the place.

Like, when they were preparing for tourists -- did they find any signs of humans were ever there ?

 

 Sure enough.  Look what Emi Kinjo found.

She was An Orion Beer Campaign Girl.  And, found an old Orion Beer can.

 After about two and a half hours (that seemed like one) of cave exploring, we were done.

Probably, I collected more mud that anyone else.

So, you don't see me in this photo.  I was busy smoking and shooting.

It looks like some sort of farewell photo, but, we weren't done, yet.

When you get an exclusive tour, like this, some paperwork has to be done.

It was really like a questionnaire.

We could rate the tour and guides.  And, make suggestions.

Well, I'm a grandpa and I don't like writing.

So, I said to Lorenzo, "Here, you do it".

 And, we gotterdun.

Look Forward to the Grand Opening 

 

A few days ago, I was worried about the impact tourism would have on the Village of Ginoza.

More than anything else, I am concerned about the environment.

From what we saw and heard today, this cave is in good hands.

They are knowledgeable about the stalactite and stalagmite formations and their preservation.

They are concerned about the wildlife within and around the caves.

The caves will open to the public sometime in Spring.

Standby for an exclusive-exclusive report if they let the Ryukyu Dudes in again !

A Million Views: It Happened Sometime Last Night !

One Million Views !!!

This happened a lot faster than I could have ever imagined.

The Blogger thing just took-off and hit 1,000,000 overnight.  Before I woke up.

The view-meter was at 1,000,061 when I got here this morning.

Here is the Screenshot

 

The contest is over. It will probably be this weekend before we determine the winner.

One million views, on a blog from Okinawa, Japan is a pretty big deal.

Call me a redneck, if you'd like. There's a little secret, I should probably tell you.

Five years ago, I didn't know how to turn a computer on so, I called a friend named, Joe.

And, he came over. He showed me where the power button was and hooked me up.

Then, we got the internet thing and wired me to the World Wide Web.

Through many trials and lots of errors, this blog got where it is today.

And, I made some great friends, around the world, along the way.

This internet thing, I used to be scared of may really take-off, someday.

Dontcha think ?

 

What Happens Next

 

The Blog and Facebook Pages, where contest entries were made, will be printed.

With the Ryukyu Dudes assistance we will pick the winner.

As promised, this will be a random selection, done redneck style. 

No fancy machinery, other than a pair of scissors and somebody's baseball hat.

Snip all the names from the contest entries and throw them in a hat.

Then, somebody just reaches down and pulls out the winner.

We'll find a pretty girl.  Thataway, nobody can say the contest was rigged. She does the picking.

Maybe, I'll even wear a tuxedo, or a T-shirt that looks like one.

Dang.  I hate getting all dressed up.

This thing is gonna hafta wait 'til the weekend.  But, we'll getterdun. 

Meanwhile, I'd like to thank everybody for visiting here.

Now, this whole internet thing gets me wondering, sometimes.

Do you suppose that meter would break if it hit, let's say 1,000,000,000,000 views ?

Komaka Island from Different Viewpoints (Photos)

There's A Madness To Our Method

It just dawned on me today.

When the Ryukyu Dudes go off to another island there's usually some sort of plan.

Islands we can't drive to, we try to figure out how to get there economically.

So, we look at them from every possible angle.  Some are too far away to walk to during low tide.

Komaka Island looks like a little speck on the horizon, left side of this photo.

The boat filled with tourists was returning from the island.  So, I watch them closely.

You can tell a lot about people by what kind of gear comes off the boat with them.

For example, if I see a beer cooler, I want to know if they had to rent it.  Or, can I bring my own ?

We get important information about the ferry at the nearest port.

Things like departure and return times, what there is to see and do, and costs.

 Then, we go around and look at the island from different locations.

Talking to the locals on this island, you can get some valuable information.

They know exactly where the sun and moon rise and set in relation to where you're going.

And, they can tell you about other islands you may see that aren't on anybody's map.

These different viewpoints give me ideas for my photography.

See that guy sitting under the tile roof looking at the outer islands ?

It makes me wonder if folks on those islands are looking back at him.

Some Serious Checklists Need To Be Made Here

 

The day started off with a big sheet of paper and Sharpie Marking Pen.

One, two and three day island hopping trips will be planned.

Don't worry.  It'll get done just as soon as things get caught-up around here.

All The Important Stuff Will Be Listed In Great Detail

 

That will help me remember to take photos of these viewpoints from the outer islands.

And, not forget to ask some lady if the toilets work over there !

Related Post: The Tern that Rules Komaka Jima

Visit my website for today's Feature Photo

Sleepy Hollow Lake Was Fun But I'm Going Home (Photos)

It's been a whole week for me at Sleepy Hollow Lake.

But, it's time to head back to Okinawa, Japan. 

Great friends and family on both sides of the world are what keep me in good spirits.

This morning I verified my flight schedule and let the Ryukyu Dudes know I'm coming.

RyukyuRusty promised to meet me at the airport with my favorite beer.  That'd be Orion.

RyukyuRu, not wanting to be outdone, said he'll bring along an Orion Beer Gal to greet me.

Folks at Sleepy Hollow Lake wish I'd stay in New York longer.

It was fun being here but, it's time for me to move along.

Those Orion Beer people should start sending their stuff to New York.

Then, people would visit and stay a lot longer.

Dontcha think ?

Visit my homepage for the PHOTO OF THE DAY

Cowabunga ! The Ryukyu Dudes Did Fukugawa (Photo Essay)

Howdy Doody and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles said Cowabunga.

So, it must not be a cuss word.

Fukugawa ain't a cuss word either.

It's a waterfall near Nago City in Okinawa, Japan and this photo essay will show you some of the scenery captured when those Ryukyu Dudes, RyukyuRu and RyukyuRusty, dragged RyukyuMike out to see the place.

Those two Ryukyu Dudes were in a hurry to get up there.  Not me.

The old back is still sore from slipping at Todoroki Waterfall.

So, I kinda hung back taking some slow and easy shots.

Approaching the falls got me thinking this was a great time of year to visit these waterfalls.

It was a fairly decent hike going up there but, cool and cloudy outside so, it was perfect weather for waterfall photography.

After taking several photos from directly in front of the falls it was time for me to move on.

Pretending I was heading back down the trail,  I sneaked this shot of RyukyuRu composing a waterfall photo.

Then, I really did, head back down the trail and got some practice using rocks to steady the Pentax while my tripod went to the top of the falls with those Ryukyu Dudes.

It's always fun experimenting with different aperture and shutter speed settings on flowing water.  

So, that's what I did.

There were a few cherry blossoms blooming but, I figured this old tile roof would outshine them color-wise and it did.

In this photo, if you look real close, there were more raindrops hanging from the branches than cherry blossoms.  So, I got wet.

That wooden bridge caught my attention on the way in and I shot it again going back out.  

Only this time, made sure to include some sakura and ferns in the scene.

Now, I really don't know what kind of photos RyukyuRusty and RyukyuRu got at the Fukugawa Waterfalls or, if they even read this blog.

But,  I got something to say to them for dragging me up there.

COWABUNGA DUDES !

I shot Cherry Blossoms

I shot Fukugawa Waterfalls

AND, I SHOT YOU TWO, TOO !

HOW TO FIND FUKUGAWA WATERFALL