RyukyuMike's Packing List for an Overnight Island Hop (Image)

Traveling Light

 

This is a quick checklist for a weekend visit to an outer island in Okinawa, Japan.

Not anticipating being able to go online, the laptop and external drive can stay home.

Bags are packed but, here's what it looked like a few minutes ago.

On the bottom of the pile is the Coleman 3 - in - 1 Blanket.


In no particular order, here's a list of things that get stuffed in the pack or, tied on the outside:

Two Pentax DSLRs.  From Sigma a 10-20mm, and a 50-500mm. One Pentax 18-250mm lens.

My flea-market backpack that helps me look like a homeless dude.

A jacket and change of clothes.

The Manfrotto 725B tripod will be hand carried along with the camera used to shoot the photo.

Hiking shoes and an extra pair of yellow flip-flops.

Moist towelettes, baby wipes, whatever you want to call those things that make you smell good.

Flashlight, cigarette lighters, emergency food, lens cleaning gear and a knife.

Toothpaste, toothbrush, body soap, insect repellent and a pair of socks.

A pill box created out of some camera and lens covers, for medicine, Aspirin and Rolaids.

Utility cord, of various lengths, always come in handy.

There are other items, such as a towel and underwear stuffed in the bag for cushioning.

I figured, the ladies wouldn't want to see that stuff.

The only thing I have to remember to do before I travel, is stuff the wallet with lots of cash.

That's just in case they have food and beer on the island I'm going to.

A camera holster will be hanging off my shoulder.

That contains extra batteries, SD cards and model releases.  I'm traveling light.

Can you think of anything else, I should add to this checklist ?





 

Wiktionary Should Hire Me to GROWL !

The Real World is a Competitive Place

 

Some people say, if you want to be good at what you're doing, strive to be in the top 20 percent.

The upper twenty percent is a great place to start but, that isn't a goal to strive for.

The top of the heap, is where you want to be in order to stay competitive.

 The good folks over at TripAdvisor sent me this in an email today.

Congratulations!

 

"RyukyuMike, you're among the top 4% most-read reviewers of all time!"

Well, I don't want to be in the top 4% so, I growled.

What does it take to be in the top 1% ?

That sounds better, to me.

Next a Visit to Wiktionary

 

It's always a good idea to research these sort of things for my readers.

If your audience doesn't speak American English they can get confused.

When I catch myself using slang I like to throw a link in here for educational purposes.

The search engines had me going around in circles for awhile.

When you type-in the word "grr" it confuses some of them.  And, some of them confuse me.

Wiktionary came to the rescue.

Plain and simple, it says:  1. A growl of anger or disappointment.

And, for Alternative forms:  grrr, grrrr (and so on, depending on length or ferocity).

They Have an Audio Button

If you really want to know why Wiktionary should hire me, go listen to it.

Under Pronunciation, look for the Audio (US) button.

Before you hit it, turn-up the volume, real loud.

And, listen to that gal "grr."

Kitten farts sound more ferocious.  Don't they ?

They should get someone who can roar like a lion to make those audio things.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRR !!!

Where RyukyuMike's Words and/or Photos Have Been Published

Today I'm getting the website and blog reorganized.  It's just one of those things I do on rainy days.

If what I'm about to attempt works, life will be a lot easier, for followers and yours truly.

The Articles Published, on my website homepage, will appear here, on the blog.

That will give me room to do something else over there.

If it doesn't work, this place could go up in smoke !

Where RyukyuMike's Articles and Photos have been published:

Apogee Photo MAR 2009 APR 2009  JUL 2009 NOV 2009 FEB 2010 MAY 2010 OCT 2010
MAR 2014  MAR 2016
Big World Magazine DEC 2009
BootsNall JUN 2009 OCT 2009
Brave New Traveler OCT 2009 
Children's Butterfly Site MAR 2014
CNN GO MAY 2010 JUN 2010 JAN 2011
CNN International Travel   JAN 2013
Go Backpacking JAN 2010 JAN 2010 MAR 2010 JUL 2010
Go Nomad NOV 2009
In the Know Traveler CAMERA TALK 
Japan Travel FEB 2013 DEC 2013 DEC 2015
Lonely Planet MAR 2010
Matador Travel Network
JUL 2009 SEP 2009 APR 2010 MAY 2010 SEP 2009 SEP 2009 JUL 2010 AUG 2010
National Geographic Intelligent Travel Blog JUL 2010
Pocket Cultures MAY 2010 JUN 2010 JUL 2010 AUG 2010 MAR 2011 APR 2011 JUL 2012 MAR 2013 
Romar Travel Magazine DEC 2009 FEB 2010 
Stars & Stripes Okinawa
Stripes Okinawa APR 2015 NOV 2015
The History Press: In Titanic's Shadow by DAVID L. WILLIAMS OCT 2012
The Nihon Sun JUL 2009
The Compass Culture DEC 2009
The Photo Argus APR 2010 MAY 2010
Travelmag UK FEB 2010
Travel Thru History AUG 2009 JAN 2010 APR 2010
Wend Magazine JUL 2009
Yahoo! Voices MAR, APR, JUN, JUL, AUG, OCT 1 and OCT 24, 2012

  There are a few other, online, places my work has appeared but, sometimes links get broken.

I found out the best way to fix that is: Delete, Delete, Delete. So, that's what I do.

Rainy days make me cranky. 



                              

No Bull: Japanese Health Care Gets RyukyuMike's Thumbs Up

Not one to run to the local hospital for any little ache or pain, I confess

DOCTORS AND DENTISTS SCARE ME !

Well, a few days ago, I felt like I was on my deathbed.

So, I went to the local clinic.

Today is the third day in a row of getting ex-rays, examinations, being poked with needles, 

having IV's pumped into me,

 inhaling mysterious vapors and swallowing massive quantities of miracle drugs.

Five, or six pretty nurses running around in these cute, white, efficient-looking uniforms helped.

They even have a right nice looking lady doctor wearing a white lab coat.

There hasn't been any time for me to get in here to update the website or blog 

because I'm sleeping about 20 hours a day.

All the tests they've been conducting are showing good results, so far.

Pneumonia

That's some powerful bad stuff that you can't cure by yourself.

Thanks to the Japanese Health Care Professionals, I'm getting better and my treatment

cost less than a case of beer.  So, I give them a thumbs up.

As soon as I finish this cigarette (I'm sneaking) I'd best get home and back to bed !

Visit my homepage for the Photo of the Day

RyukyuMike Gets a Good Dose of Healthy Food (Photos)

Now, you all know, I'm not in the habit of running around giving restaurant reviews.

After a hard night of shooting some band performing at a Live House and tipping a few beers,  I wasn't sure what I wanted to eat today.

RyukyuRusty showed up around noon and we grabbed cameras and hit the road.

We decided to get out of town and look for someplace to eat.

Someplace different.

We had heard about this place months ago but, never managed to find it.

Going up the stone stairway, you get the feeling there's going to be a castle up there.

It's an old Okinawan traditional style house. 

There's nothing flashy outside to lure you in, except a wooden sign that says,

GARAMANJYAKU CAFE

Walking up to the front door, I started to think we made a mistake.

Like, what if this place isn't the restaurant we thought it was ?

Being I'm the one who's most experienced  at making mistakes, I opened the door and peeked in while yelling, "Gomenkudasai".  That's sort of like saying, "Excuse me.  Anybody home"?

Looking around the place, I was just getting ready to run because I was sure this was somebody's private residence.  Sure enough if we didn't get out of there real quick, Rusty and I would wind up in the slammer.  

But, before I could push him out of my way to bolt through the sliding door, out of a back room came this nice lady and she welcomed us into her Cafe.

After placing an order, I asked if I could shoot some photos of the place.

Not sure what I was really ordering, I told the owner I'm allergic to shellfish.

She told me not to worry.  There's no meat or fish in any of the servings.

That was my first clue, I was going to get healthy food.

Look at this table with a charcoal burner built in to it.

There isn't any grease around, anywhere. Maybe, it's just for show.

Next time I go back, I'll find out.

Well, I burnt my tongue on that miso soup.  So, told the gal I'd shoot a few more pictures while it cooled off.  

She was really friendly and kept asking if we needed refills on water.

Everything on that tray is either a vegetable, or herb grown on the premises.

The flower was edible, she told me.  So, I ate it, too.

She noticed I was having a little trouble eating some of the crunchy veggies.

It wasn't her fault.  I told her I left my teeth at home, soaking in a cup.

We had a few good laughs while we were there.

And promised to bring our ladies the next time we need a good dose of healthy food.

Everything was tasty but, it got me wondering.

Do you suppose RyukyuMike could ever turn into a vegetarian ?

• Okinawa

Facebook Likes Worth a Look and a Like by RyukyuMike

Not sure if this will become any regular feature around here but, I decided to do some screenshots of Facebook Fan Pages today.  Along with the pages I've visited, I'll post links so you can see where I've been and if you're so inclined, you may like them, too.  It's real easy. Just push their LIKE BUTTON !

BEERS AND BEANS

BUDGET TRAVELERS SANDBOX

CALAMITIES OF NATURE

GO NOMAD TRAVEL

ISHIGAKI-JAPAN

JASON AND ARACELY TRAVEL

TRAVELING GREENER

TURKEY'S FOR LIFE

VISIT OKINAWA JAPAN

Y TRAVEL BLOG

What inspired me to do this ?

Well,  I ran out of BENGAY and my legs are sore from cave exploration.

So, the cameras and I decided to take the day off.

Then, I got to reading that MACS FOR DUMMIES BOOK and figured out how to take screenshots. 

So, that's what I did.

Somewhere along the line these Facebook Friends have helped or inspired me and I thought it would be nice to let you know about their Fan Pages.

There are plenty more pages I look at daily on Facebook.

But, there isn't enough space on this blog for all of them.  So, I'll just do 10 at a time.

HOLLER AT ME IF SOMEHOW I MISSED YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE,  OK ?

VISIT MY HOMEPAGE FOR THE PHOTO OF THE DAY

Photo Essay: Look Out World RyukyuMike's Doin Stuff with iMac !

It ain't been a full 24 hours, yet but, I just have to show everybody this nifty machine I bought yesterday. 

It came in this cardboard box with a convenient carrying handle so, I guess you could consider it a laptop if you have a really big lap.  It isn't all that heavy.

After I pulled it out of the box and set it on the bar, I found all these goodies inside.  I just grabbed the stuff I needed to get the thing running and read part of one book so I could get online quick. 

Maybe, someday I'll check and see what else I might need to know and maybe, I won't.  Always busy...

Within 10 minutes (no kidding) the iMac was up and running.  Just plug in the power cord and flip the switches on the mouse, keyboard and the back of the machine and it lights up blasts an Apple Tune, or something at you.  Then you're in business. Hah, I didn't even get a guru to help me !

There are some symbols and language I have to learn because Windows and Mac ain't the same but, I think the Apple folks are going to make my life easier.  They put the keyboard in clear plastic wrap so, when I spill coffee or drop a lit cigarette on it I can probably do something before the "S" key melts, like it did on my last brand new computer.  REF: RANT: PLASTIC TYPING KEYS

I like the big stand this computer sets on.  It's just a pain hauling those cement blocks into the bar whenever it's too hot for flipflops under my Windows laptops.  REF: REDNECK COOLING TOWER

The Apple guys gave me enough stuff to build a dehumidifier locker for my cameras, too.  They even included two bags of desiccant, free.  I'll be storing all my cameras and lenses there for awhile. 

It's a fairly good-sized box.  I just hope the missus doesn't get any ideas about making a suitcase out of it.

Now, you know, I don't rush into doing Mad Mike's Reviews on anything.  So, I'll be doin lots of stuff on this iMac before I'm ready to compare it with those two Windows guys. 

So far, I did like the way iMac was easy to set up and I love the box it came in !


VISIT MY WEBSITE FOR THE PHOTO OF THE DAY

Photo Essay: A Ryukyu Mike Sunday. Can You Hang ?

Here's a photo shot from the doorway of My Place 12:08AM Sunday of an Eisa Group doing what they'd call Bon Odori up in mainland Japan. 

Here, in Okinawa it's called Eisa Dance and it can be seen anytime of year, not just during Obon season.

We also have this custom in Okinawa where Saturday night doesn't end until you go to sleep.  So, this photo was taken Saturday night, as far as I'm concerned.  There were a few of us drinking beer and running out in the street everytime we heard the drums of the Eisa Dancers nearby.

Lucky for me, a guy I'll start calling RyukyuRu volunteered to be my driver for Sunday.  That way I got to consume all the beers I wanted and wouldn't have to worry about driving under the influence, which happens to be  A SERIOUS CRIME IN JAPAN.   I was home sometime early in the morning.  I remember, it was daylight after I walked the dogs.  So, I turned off the porch light and ZZZzzzzzzz....

By 9AM or so I was in my office chugging iced coffee and doing my Homepage Photo of the Day, blog post and groaning stuff like "I'll never drink again until next time".

Around noon RyukyuRusty and RyukyuRu were here and we goofed off for awhile before heading out to try and pinpoint the exact location of this waterfall.  This shot was taken at 2:41PM from a bridge along an expressway where people drive like they own race cars.

Rusty had to go do Obon stuff with RyukyuRusty's fiance so he left.  I was convinced, if we took some of the backroads and looked around for access roads and trails, we'd find a way to get closer to that waterfall.  

We discovered a trail, alright.  It lead us through the woods, buzzing with mosquitos, up to this place where someone was raising honey bees.  So, I shot this photo at 3:33PM and we got the heck out of there.

RyukyuRu started up a site called MAPITOKINAWA and it's attracting quite a following, so he's always looking for off-the-beaten-path locations. 

I had plenty of time to kill because the main event I needed to shoot wouldn't happen until 8 at night. 

As long as he was driving I figured we'd hit some of the places in Yomitan that I'd already been.

The blog post I did on this Buddhist Statue was probably the most controversial one I've ever done.  I guess it'd be a toss up between the Buddhist Statue of Shinran Shonin in NYC and some comments I made about a Gal who wants to be President of the USA shooting mooses.

This photo was taken at 4:45PM Sunday.  I think I'll just be a cameraman and leave the politics and religion stuff to other people who think they're smarter than me.  Hah !

At 5:27 I took this photo.  That's three times in about a week I've been to this site but, Ru had never been here before and this is definitely an out of the way location which isn't on the beaten path.

It was 5:43PM when I took this shot and to tell the truth, we were lost when we discovered it.  I'll take a wild guess and say it's probably an UTAKI.  RyukyuRu can do the research and pinpoint the location. 

I just love getting lost on Okinawa.  It's an island so, sooner or later, some road will lead to the ocean !

We got to Zakimi Castle, the UNECSO World Heritage Site just as the sun started getting low in the sky. 

I've never been here at sunset so, I was having a blast looking at the way the light fell on the castle walls from different angles.  It's 6:26PM in this photo.

Not much of a history fan when I was growing up this kind of stuff would bore me.  Now, I'm older and wiser.  If you went this way to attack the castle back in the old days, you were in for a surprise.  It leads to a dead end.  The defenders of the castle, from the walls above, would simply drop rocks on your head.  When I was a kid I liked throwing rocks.  Teachers just didn't know how to make history fun. 

Oh, almost forgot, it's 6:31 in this photo.

Once we got inside the castle I got on top of the walls and looked for places where you could catch the low rays of the setting sun.  Time: 6:57PM.

This shot was taken with my back towards the ocean and the sun setting behind me at 7:12PM.

Here's where you'd go if you wanted rocks dropped on your head during an attack on the castle. 7:14PM.

The moment I was waiting for happened in this photo at 7:18PM.  No tourists moving in the scene, just a guy and his beer cooler watching the moon rise over Zakimi-jo Castle in Okinawa, Japan.

For a parting shot, I like to get in a position and take a photo that gives a sense of how it might appear to a resident of the castle, centuries ago.  No cellphone towers, tourists running around with their cameras, just a simple view of the moon rising outside a castle wall.  Feel the quiet.

RyukyuRu had to be awake at 4AM to get ready for work so we headed back towards Kin Village.  We stopped near this Lady Liberty Statue because I'd heard of a place we might get to see some Seaturtles hatch and make the mad dash for the sea.  This photo was taken at 8:53PM.

It's not like this every Sunday, only when it doesn't rain.  I could use a few more backup drivers for Ryukyu Mike Sunday's if anyone is interested.  The pay is just job satisfaction.  Can you hang ?

Photography Tips: Shoot The Moon 5 Tips from RyukyuMike

This photo of a Full Moon was taken 28SEP2010 at 5:09AM using an 18-250mm lens at a focal length of 250mm. The camera was my Pentax K10D mounted on a tripod and a cable release was used to activate the shutter. Specs:  f/16   1/30   ISO 100

The Crescent Moon photo was snapped on 25JUL2009 at 8:37PM using the same equipment as in the photo above. In this case, I was at a festival and had to snap the shot in a hurry.  The tripod legs were folded, creating a monopod.  With the lens at 250mm, using the cable release the shot was taken with these Specs:  f/11  1/13  ISO 1600.

FIVE TIPS FOR SHOOTING THE MOON:

1.  A sturdy tripod and Cable Release are the ideal camera accessories to use.  However, anything to steady the shot, along with using your camera shutter timer, will do the trick as long as the camera doesn't move.

2.  If possible, get away from people, city lights, traffic, telephone wires and wind.  I have climbed towers, used rooftops and even propped my camera up with rocks on a secluded beach to take moon shots.

3.  The slightest breeze will ruin a shot of the moon, even when you are using a tripod.  The lower the the tripod is, the less effect wind will have on it. Do not raise the center post if you can avoid it. Most quality tripods will have something you can attach weight to at the bottom of the center post. This helps steady the camera.  Remove your camera strap when it's windy outside, or it will shake the camera, even with the best of tripods.

4.  When you shoot the moon, you are creating a high contrast photo.  For high contrast photos, you'll want to stop-down on camera settings. You'll want to deliberately "UNDEREXPOSE" the shots.  I experiment and take plenty.  Underexpose by a full 1, 2, or 3 Exposure Values (EV).

5.  Generally, the lowest ISO setting and an aperture of f/11 is where you'd want to start for taking moon shots.  It doesn't matter if you're looking at a Full, Half, or Crescent Moon. I won't tell you shutter speeds because depending upon clouds, humidity, dust and whatever gets between you and the moon, shutter speeds can be tricky. Just read your lightmeter and underexpose, underexpose, underexpose and before you know it, you'll be shooting the moon like a Pro ! 

Sunday's Silly Sign (Photo) Escalator Warnings

These signs may be seen in just about any store in Japan that has an escalator.  Call this a drive by shooting. RyukyuMike has been banned from taking photos with a real camera in this store so, the only option I had the other day was  do like everybody else; don't ask and just shoot with my cell phone camera.

The silly sign isn't at the bottom or the top of the escalator. That would have made it easy to snap a photo.

What I had to do was send the wife up ahead of me. Then, jump on the escalator , whip out my cell phone, crouch down and make sure it was in the Photo Mode, try not to loose my balance and get the cheap camera to focus on a moving target.

Well, the danged steps on that contraption move too fast for a gentleman of my age and the stupid camera wouldn't focus fast enough. So, it took me several attempts, going up and down the escalator.

The wife wouldn't go along with my plan after the first unsuccessful attempt. Women get embarrassed, I guess, when men do stupid things.

So, I told her to just keep all the salespeople busy so they wouldn't notice me riding up and down the escalator half a dozen times. She could cause a distraction on the second floor like, pretend she had a few thousand dollars to spend on underwear and jewelry. That'd cause a distraction. I've done it before.

After several attempts, these drive by shooting-looking photos for this week's Sunday Silly Sign are going to have to do the trick. I deleted 10 or so worse ones than these.

One time, I was squatting on the stairs, riding on the down side and figured the camera might focus and snap the photo quicker with the flash turned on. The silly sign was near the bottom third of the ride. I was concentrating on my shooting and not paying attention to how close it was to the first floor.

You know what happens when you get to the end of the ride and forget to step off ?
The thing throws you off and you land sprawled out on the floor.

People were looking at me like I was crazy. Hah !

In case you haven't figured the sign out, yet, it warns people not to hang over the handrails while riding the thing. That's so you don't bonk your head on something like the ceiling of the second floor.

Probably, after they saw what happened to me, they should make a sign warning people to be careful while using their cell phones on the escalators. The thing could throw you off going up or down, if you're not paying attention, I bet.  Maybe, I'll just take the stairs next time.


Check here for updates on the 2011 JAPANESE EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI

Visit my Homepage for THE PHOTO OF THE DAY

Top Ten From Ryukyu Mike and a Quarter Million Reminder

Here is a list of the Top Ten (most viewed) blog posts on Mike's Ryukyu Gallery and a reminder to keep an eye on that view counter meter over in the upper right hand corner.

If you are going to try to SHOOT THIS BLOG AT 1/4 MILLION VIEWS and be one of the few individuals who get my photography for free, get ready. It can happen anytime, now! 

Just make sure you read and follow the contest rules carefully because Mrs. Ryukyu Mike, who happens to be an expert in the complaints department, will be watching to make sure everything is above board.
If you wonder how she became an expert, that's easy; constant complaining.

They could create a Nobel Complaining Award, I'd vote.  But, I love her because she keeps me honest. Hah!

THE TOP TEN ALL TIME POSTS ACCORDING TO GOOGLE ANALYTICS ARE:

 1. Flower: Sakura Okinawa, Japan (Photo) and a Little Secret        12,501 Pageviews

 2. Cherryblossom Festival Okinawa, Japan (Photo Essay)                12,256 Pageviews

 3. PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: JPG VS RAW                                                 4,224 Pageviews

 4. Wildlife Photo (Bat) Ryukyu Flying Fox an Endangered Species    4,189 Pageviews

 5. Okinawa's Guinness Tug-O-War: The Rope (Photos)                       3,696 Pageviews

 6. PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: THE RULE OF THIRDS                                     3,686 Pageviews

 7. The Year in Photos: Okinawa, Japan 2010                                       3,529 Pageviews

 8.  Orchid Lovers A Travel Photo Thursday Essay For You !                 3,483 Pageviews

 9.  Wildlife Photo: Ryukyu (Okinawa) Ground Gecko                            3,160 Pageviews

10.  Moon Your Local Power Plant (Photo) Why ?                                  3,060 Pageviews


The Top Ten most viewed blog posts is something that always amazes me. It changes all the time and I can never predict what may become popular with readers from one day to the next.

My two guest photographers and their Wildlife Photography were popular recently and I enjoyed having them here to highlight their work. So, I may see what else I can come up with along the lines of super wildlife photography in the endangered species and rare or unusual breeds departments.

Blog visitors are who make the Top Ten list for me and I hope plenty of you are online as the counter nears the Quarter Million mark.  Shoot my blog, email me and let me know what you'd like to see more of.
I might just keep plugging away at this until I hit the Half Million mark !

Visit my Homepage for THE PHOTO OF THE DAY