5 Images from JUL 4 2016 in Mabuni Okinawa

Not the Typical Holiday Weekend Celebration

 

It's been a few years since Doc Graff and I went looking for Uncle Sam at this location.

We headed south, with our cameras on a special mission, to find him again.

Both of us, equipped our cameras, with wide angle lenses for the photos, we would be taking.

 The Mabuni coastline and Peace Prayer Statue are always, great wide-angle subjects.

Normally, neither one of us, would select a hot day in July, to visit this location.

We volunteered, to escort someone, on the only day available, in her busy travel schedule.

Our Guest Came from Rome Italy

 

She wanted to find someone's name on the Cornerstone of Peace walls.

There are hundreds of thousands of names etched on those stones and, it could take hours.

 

 An online search, led her to my 2016 blog post about a Search for Uncle Sam.

We corresponded and arranged, to meet in Naha on the 4th of July.

A sketchpad, was brought along, to trace the name, she was looking for.

She had never met the man, who died as a Marine PFC during the Battle of Okinawa.

He would have been her grand uncle; the uncle of her father.

 Out of the hundreds of black panels, it didn't take us 20 minutes, to find Sam, this time.

Elizabeth Knight got her tracing and some photos, out in the blistering, hot sun.

Doc, fired up the air-conditioner in his new car and, we  headed back to Naha.

Last night Liz emailed, Doc and I:

"You two are really fantastic people. Thank you so much for today. I really don’t have words.

 I know my dad will be so grateful, too."

And, I replied: "It was our pleasure."

VISIT PEACE MEMORIAL PARK  

Travel Photo: Maririn the Dog

Home from Zamami Island

 

 

This adventure began Friday morning and, I just got home today, sort of.

Thousands of photos,  taken over the weekend  will be processed during the next few days. 

This is the only one, I'll post here for now.  More may be seen on Facebook.

If you haven't heard about the statue of this famous dog, look here. 

Camera: Pentax K1

Lens: Pentax 15-30 at 30MM

Exposure: f/11   1/160   ISO 100

Location: Zamami Island, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time:  JUN 25  2016  10:44AM

Mrs Yamashiro's Shisa

She Asked for a Picture of Her Flowers

 

 

Those bright red azaleas blooming in the background, were supposed to be the subject.

The gal, who maintains the garden plots and home by my office, asked a favor.

She wanted a photo of the flowers, blooming outside her house. 

Directions to the residence, were sort of figured out using Google Maps.

Senior citizens have a bit of difficulty with those googly things so, I wasn't sure.

When, I found this two story home with red azaleas blooming, I just started shooting.

Well, out of the house came Mrs Yamashiro so, I knew this was the right spot.

Then, I asked her if she had a step ladder, I could borrow.

She, went back inside and, came back with just the gadget, I needed.

A two step ladder, put me high enough in the air, to snap this photo of the shisa.

Down on earth, the critter's head couldn't be composed, with the azaleas in the background. 

Now, I'm not sure, which photo Mrs Yamashiro will like best.

But, I printed this one, to give her, with all the focus, on the shisa statue.

That's because, next Sunday happens to be, Shisa Day in Okinawa.

Whenever Mrs Yamashiro needs something heavy moved, she comes and gets me.

She's a real sweetheart, who's always giving me coffee, tea and beer.

So, I figure, she deserves a free photo, once in awhile for all the nice stuff she does for me.

For example, when she's not around, lots of things in her garden get volunteered.

Snip, and they even come into the office, to get photographed !

Don't you wish, all neighbors got along as well, as she and I do ?

Travel Shot: Portrait of a Statue

Obaa in Katsuren-jo Museum

 

 

This beauty was so irresistible, I just had to do it.  Take her picture, I mean.

When you first step into the museum and, spot her, you'd think she was a real live human.

Before, hiking up the hill to see the castle, it's a good idea to stop by the museum.

There's a gift shop and information booth there and soft drinks are available.

It's a good idea, to use the restrooms before, climbing the castle ruins, too.

It was the first time, I ever saw this Obaa (grandmother) sitting in the place.

She looks as if, she just walked out of the fields and, was sitting to rest for a minute.

While waiting for the ladies, to finish powdering their noses, I had some fun.

This photo was taken with the Pentax K3 and a 50MM lens at f/2  1/40sec.

Then, I sat down next to the Obaa, kicked off my flip-flops and, gave her a hug.

The timing was perfect only, I wish there had been another photographer in the room.

It would have been so nice, to have captured the look on my wife's face, when she saw me.

She was thinking, I was getting romantic with another granny, while she was in the restroom.

It's a wonder, she didn't have to powder her nose, again ! 


More UNESCO Castles in Okinawa

Statue of Seiho Matsuoka in Kin Town

A Historical Figure

 

 

This statue, I've photographed many times but, never did the research until today.

A brochure, tells me, he was a Chief Executive in the Ryukyu Government from 1964-1968.

That was before the USA let Okinawa, revert to Japanese control.

Digging a little bit into history, is always a good idea so, that's what, I did.

And, came up with some interesting facts about this gentleman.

He had been employed on a sugar plantation in Hawaii.

His name before, he changed it to Matsuoka, was Seiho Ginoza.

He graduated from the University of Chicago as an engineer.

In Okinawa, during the war, he was captured by the Americans and held as a prisoner.

Another Okinawan, who was in US Military Intelligence, recognized him.

Tom Ige, had relatives in Kin and knew Seiho from the days he worked on the plantation.

In fact, Tom's father was the owner of the Hawaiian sugar company. 

Besides serving as a Chief Executive in the Ryukyu Government he, did even more.

Seiho Matsuoka became the owner of the, one and only, Okinawan Electric Company.

References:

Okinawa Prefecture Archives

Experiences During the Okinawa Campaign by Tom Ige

A Whirlwind Tour of Kin Temple: Photo Highlights

Kin Kannon-do AKA Kin Kannon-ji

 

 

It was my good fortune, to spend a day traveling with the Click Okinawa Guy this week.

After wandering the island with cameras and video gear, he still had a few minutes to kill.

So, we made a quick stop at the temple, on the way back to my office.

  

The light was perfect and, I couldn't resist taking a shot of the orange-tiled roof.

It was one of those times, I didn't forget to have the Garmin turned on and, ready to use.

So, everywhere, we went, the satellites tracked our positions.

This photo, I retrieved from my files and, pointed out the special tree.

There are over 100 trees on Okinawa with special, protected status.

This one, near the entrance to the shrine, happens to be over 350 years old.

The fukugi or garcinia tree survived the Battle of Okinawa and, is a cultural treasure.

A walk, down into the cave alongside the temple, is mandatory, for anyone along with me.

As many times as I have been in that cave, I always have to photograph this Buddha statue.

No religion is required, to appreciate a good smile.

 A little bit farther, down in the cave is Buddha's Parasol.

It was hot and steamy outside and, the depths of the cavern made life much cooler.

We went as far as we were able to go and, I let Mick know, the cave is really much larger.

Years ago, you could walk into the places where local awamori (sake) is aged.

That portion of the cave has been fenced-off so, you don't get to visit it for free, anymore.

A tour of  Nisshudo Cave brings tourists through the humongous, back end of the caves.

It is an inexpensive (about 5 bucks) tour and, well worth it for the camera crowd.

Mick, the Click Okinawa Guy took plenty of video and, I'm sure many photos.

Standby and, when he gets done traveling, I'm sure he'll show you some extraordinary footage.

Links to More INFO About Kin Kannon-ji:

Midorihana (Japanese and English)

Samurai Archives

Previous Posts:

Then and Now Photos: Kin Kannon Temple

Kin Kannon Temple on New Year's Day 2013 

Travel Photos: Statue of Maririn the Dog on Zamami Island

Maririn would be pronounced Marilyn in English.

The statue represents the female half of two dogs who really liked each other.

The dogs, liked each other so much, they had three litters of puppies.

The male dog, named Shiro (white) lived on another island.

Shiro, used to swim from Aka Island to hook up with Maririn over at Zamami.

The story of the two dogs was made into a movie in 1988.

There are a few places, you can find books, DVDs or download the movie, in Japanese only.

Maririn ni aitai, meaning I want to see Marilyn would be the title.

A short clip from the movie may be found on YouTube. 

And, an interesting tale from some ocean scientist, about the dogs may be seen here.

A Bridge with Bougainvillea and Wagon Wheels

What more could you ask for ?

The recently, re-opened Southeast Botanical Gardens has it all.

We just made a quick trip through about half the place and called it a day.

It was so hot, I couldn't get the fish to jump out of water.

The place had been closed for a few years and, I really missed it.

It seems like it will be a while before the attraction gets restored to what it was years ago.

When they get signs on all the plants and flowers, I can spend weeks there.

That's because they write the names in English, Japanese and, Latin.

Imagine, being able to shoot some unknown flower or, bug and have its name right alongside it.

Just snap a photo of the sign and the research is all done.

Anything beats, squinting at a monitor or, thumbnails in a library book, trying to ID stuff.

Another thing, I noticed while touring the gardens.

They have some statues of naked ladies in the pond.  I didn't shot them, though.

It's because, I'm not that type of photographer.

And, the light wasn't right !

If you want to know more about the Botanical Gardens or, squint at a naked lady statue go 

HERE.

Hando-Gwaa Statue on Ie Jima Okinawa and Advice for Parents

The Poor Girl Didn't Have to Kill Herself

 

This statue is a monument to Hando-Gwaa, a girl who fell in love with the wrong guy.

After the fact, she found out the dude was married.

So, she climbed up Mt. Tatchū (タッチュー) and hanged herself with her long hair.

The statue is in Shimamuraya Tourist Park.

That's way down below Mt. Gusuku or Tatchū, whichever you prefer to call it.

Now, I know Okinawan parents use this monument to teach children lessons.

But, I'll put my thoughts in simple English for everyone to read.

Advice for Parents

 

 

Teach your daughters there are some people we call Slick Willies in this world.

Before a girl lets a guy wiggle his way into love, she has to know how to check him out.

Look for concealed wedding rings and, stuff like that.

And, even more importantly, when out on a date.....

Don't Get Too Stoned ! 





 

A Statue The Most Loyal and Faithful Dog in Japan: Hachiko

Today for Travel Photo Thursday: A tribute to the most famous dog in all of Japan, Hachiko the Akita.

This dog, a Japanese Akita, became famous for waiting at the train station for his master to come home.

They had a routine, Professor Ueno would take the train, everyday, from Shibuya Station to go to work at the University of Tokyo. Hachiko, would wait for him to return, everyday.

Well, one day in May of 1925, the Professor died and didn't return but, nobody told the dog.

Hachiko, even though, adopted by a new family, escaped and kept going back to the train station, waiting for his master to return.  How long ?  How about until he died in March of 1935, a few years later !

There are bronze statues of Hachiko the Akita, books and movies about him, even video games.

People often use Hachiko, as an example of loyalty, to teach their children as they're growing up.

Hachiko is a National Hero and every year on the 8th of April there is a ceremony dedicated to him at Tokyo's Shibuya Train Station.  That's this Friday, for those who'd like to participate.

Learn more about HACHIKO THE MOST LOYAL AND FAITHFUL DOG IN JAPAN HERE and see if there are any dogs as famous in your culture. I think, Scotland has one. Australia, too.


NOTE: This Statue of Hachiko, in Okinawa, is located on HWY 329 on the left side of the road just after crossing the Kin Bridge, heading north. A better photo could be taken in early morning light.

I'm Happy, A Statue in Okinawa, Japan (Photo)

      Here is one of several statues I took photos of yesterday at a rock garden in Okinawa, Japan.

                                  The translation of the words on this statue: I'm Happy.

       Today has been a twenty hour day, for me.  I got up at 3:30AM and it's 11:30PM right now.

It was one of those days where there were so many things to take photos of, I couldn't stop and I wanted to get them all developed while they were still fresh in my mind.  Well, I'm done now so, just like that statue, I'm happy, too.  Only, instead of standing on a rock and smiling about it, I'm  going to go home and crash !

Buddhist Statue of Shinran Shonin in NYC: Give It Back !

Here is a photo of a Statue of Shinran Shonin I took yesterday. It's something I've seen a few dozen times as one of my friends whizzed by while driving and I always wondered what it was.

It sets back off the highway in a secluded park near the ocean so, you don't see much other than the top portion of the figure silhoutted against the sky when you're in a vehicle.

On the way to do some shooting at the UNESCO: Zakimi-jo (Castle) Museum I was griping to Rusty (driving) about how I'd rather be anywhere than indoors with my camera. It was cloudy outside but, not raining when we cruised on by the statue this time. "Hey, let's go check that staute out" I said.

A quick U-turn and we were parked and grabbing our camera gear to do some shooting.

Whenever I see something in English displayed, like this, I have to shoot a photo of it. It helps me do the research afterwards and it's always handy having it filed right along with the rest of the day's photos.

Now, I don't know how most people feel about it but, for some reason, I tend to put more stock in what I read engraved in stone than the things I find on the internet. Consider me a Neanderthal.

It just seems, to me, it'd be easier, if you were a liar, to put stuff online, than to etch it on to a stone.

Today I went and GOOGLED the Statue of Shinran Shonin and found out WIKIPEDIA is at the top of the list but, there's a whole bunch more places that know all about this figure, too.

It seems Shinran Shonin was born in 1173 and at around nine years of age went and got trained as a Buddhist Monk. To make a long story short, he is somebody important to people who practice Buddhism.

The same type Statue of Shinran Shonin you see in my photo taken in Okinawa, Japan can be seen in front of the New York Buddhist Temple on Riverside Drive in Manhattan, New York.

It survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. So, somebody decided, "Let's take it to New York" !

Huh ?  I wonder if it ever occurred to to anyone it might be a nice gesture to give it back ?