Happy New Year! It's the Year of the Rat

First Blog of the Decade

Things can get hectic over the holiday seasons in Okinawa, Japan.

And, I've been busy (mostly) procrastinating, as far as writing goes.

Maybe, that'll change with a brand new decade to work in. We'll have to wait and see.

In case you haven't heard, 2020 is the Year of the Rat. It's a Chinese Zodiac thing.

The greeting above was borrowed from the Chinese Zodiac Organization.

Visit them to learn all about Rat People, in case you married or, are dating one.

You could research your animal sign and learn lots about yourself, too.

It sure beats talking to a psychiatrist, I'm sure. And, I save a lot of money that way.

New Years Day Sunrise Photography

Forget about Christmas, all the shopping, gift-giving, eating and drinking that was done.

That was a long time ago and, we're into the month of January 2020 already.

New Year's Eve I behaved.  Only one bar was visited and, I consumed just one beer.

My alarm was set to wake up at 0430 but, I automatically got up at 0330 AM.

Someone was coming to pick me up, at the office, 0530 to go shoot cameras.

Sunrise wouldn't be the pink, orange, grey and red scene I hoped to see.

Clouds on the horizon pretty much discouraged all the folks waiting for sunrise.

We hung in there and, this is the scene Mother Nature gave us to welcome the New Year.

Four islands off Okinawa's east coast are visible out there. They are the Yokatsu Islands.

Pictured are Henza, Hamahiga, Miyagi, and Ikei Islands. See More Here.

Departing Our Mountaintop Location

We were the last visitors to head down off the special location for photographers.

From there various parts of this island were visited and, I took over 125 more photos.

Being busy, sleep-deprived, and having other things to do, I just downloaded the camera.

When things slow down to a crawl around here, the rest of the images will be processed.

It's customary for families to gather on New Year's day and celebrate together.

Plenty of grandchildren were there, we had lots of food and drinks and I was ready to leave.

Wait There's Something We Have for You!

In case you can't read Japanese, here's a quick translation:

Grandpa Mike Happy Birthday

My birthday is January 2d and, yes, I was born in the Year of the Rat.

There were some gifts presented to me and everyone sang the Happy Birthday song.

One Last Surprise

This morning I discovered (through Facebook) my story about Handugwa was re-published. 

This article was first published by Stars and Stripes a few years ago.

They revived it for the New Year's 2020 edition and, didn't inform me but, that's alright.

Maybe, this will inspire me to start doing some travel writing again.

See the article here

The complete Folk Story on my blog

So far, I'm having a Happy New Year and hope you are, too!

Today was Marine Day a Japanese Holiday

Sunrise Began Looking Unimpressive

Taking a circuitous route to the beach, at first, I was disappointed.

Umi no Hi (Ocean Day) only comes once a year. It's the third Monday in July.

Before 5 AM the long hike to a remote beach began. I wanted to catch the sunrise.

Clouds blocked the sun along the horizon. I shrugged and headed west along the beach.

Ten minutes later, the sun started to burn through the cloudy horizon.

By 6 AM I had positioned the camera where this reflection would appear.

"Happy Umi no Hi," I posted on Facebook, a similar iPhone image.

One Camera One Lens

Traveling light, there was just a camera (no tripod) and I went without a backpack.

Pentax K1 and a Pentax 18-250MM were slung from my shoulder.

When I'm out hunting wild things, 300-700MM of lenses may accompany me.

Today, I was limited to 250MM of glass, at the maximum.

Bird shots were difficult but, some dragonflies cooperated with the photography.

This Red Dragonfly happened to land on some vegetation with a white background.

Scientists claim the red ones are scarce in mainland Japan due to pesticides.

They're nowhere near extinct in Okinawa, Japan. I see them daily.

  

Bird of the Day: Streaked Fantail Warbler

Far from the ocean and headed home, this bird appeared and was a challenge for the camera.

Zitting Cisticola is another name for them but, I call them Scissors Birds.

That's because of the sounds they make when flitting around in fields.

They could be mistaken for a barber shop's squeaky scissors. Snip, snip, snip, snip, snip.

Heading Home

Normally, my view of the Kin Power Plant is from another direction.

This composition was made using local vegetation as the foreground.

Ocean Day, in Japan, was established to express gratitude for the sea and its bounty.

For me, today was another day I'm happy about everything nature has provided.

That's blue skies, sunshine, bugs, birds and, an occasional cloud overhead.

Wordless Wednesday: Crack of Dawn

Sunflowers and the Wireless Shack

Early Morning Exercise Walk

Lately, I've been waking up way before sunrise and doing some hiking.

The goal is usually to reach 10,000 steps before the end of the day.

This morning the camera and dog accompanied me on this 17, 900 step excursion.

A field of Sunflowers is blooming and many folks a happy to see them.

After a miserable Winter, these signs of  Spring can brighten up anyone's day.

Walking carefully around the slippery, wet field I took several photos.

When I have the camera and a dog to walk these flowers are two hours away from home.

People living in the southern part of the island could get there quicker than me.

What's a Wireless Shack Got to Do with Anything?

This was something I came across as I was looking for important landmarks.

People are always asking me for directions so, I need to know special stuff.

Look closely at the photo above. See that white thing sticking out of the roof?

It's not a chimney. That's the Kin Town Electric Powerplant.

That shack got me thinking. It just needs a few more feet of wire to reach that power pole.

Then we could all sit down inside and watch color TV!

Directions to the Sunflower Field

Some Sunflower field photos were posted by me on Facebook. They were iPhone images.

Next thing I knew people began asking how to get to this location.

Everybody uses Google Maps these days so, I did a search of the area.

Not in the habit of doing Public Toilet Reviews, I did my first one today.

If you can locate this toilet on Google Maps, you'll find the flower fields,

Okinawa Minutes Before Sunrise

Kin Power-plant and part of Ikei Island at 6:09 AM.

Sunrise took place seven minutes later but, I liked this photo better.

Early September: A Firey Sunrise

We don't get the bright colors of Autumn foliage on this island.

Year round, things are mostly green.

If you're out before sunrise, you may catch scenes like this, looking out towards the horizon.

Something told me, to get outside early today and, I'm glad that I did.

This photo was taken three minutes before sunrise.

Camera: Pentax K3

Lens: Pentax 18-250 at 92mm

Exposure:  f/11   1/10   ISO 100

Location: Kin Bridge, Okukubi River, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time:  SEP 2 2015   6:04AM

Sunrise and Sunset: Photos from Izena Island AUG 30 2014

Not sure how the sunrise would look, this shot was taken at 6:15AM.

While a fisherman took a break, his fishing rod was used in the composition for balance.

Sunset didn't look like it would cooperate with photographers, either.

So, these poles jutting out of the red-colored sea, were utilized as focal points.

The photo was taken shortly after 7PM and, it was time to call it a day.

Hot supper and cold beer were waiting and, I didn't want to disappoint them !

Travel Photo: Sunset from a Bridge I Like to Sleep Under

Every once in awhile, it's a good idea to pack up the cameras and, get outta town.

It's too late to catch the sun going down tonight.

The northern areas of Okinawa have some nice, secluded places where you can camp, for free.

If I time this right, I can park the car and walk to a karaoke bar.

Get a little beer drinking and song singing done.

And, be up before the sun, looking for wild critters, to shoot.

Have a great weekend.

I'm outta here !

Okinawa Travel Photo Plus a Travelers Tip and a Tune

This photo was taken at Hedo Misaki in northern Okinawa, Japan.

  

The mission, I was on, to capture a beautiful sunrise, didn't happen.  Grrrr.

  

The sun was coming up, over the horizon, covered with dark clouds.

Anywhere, in the world you go, sunrises and sunsets can be disappointing, at times.

Here's the tip:  Don't let that get you down.  Look the other way.

Find a scene with some colors and contrast and, shoot that.

  

Just in case it starts raining or, something like that, I found a tune you can listen to.

It doesn't have anything to do with cameras or, sunrise but, I bet you'll enjoy it.

.



Summer Officially Starts Tomorrow !

Summer Solstice June 21, 2013

 

It all depends on where in the world you live and a lot of other scientific stuff.

Some people call it the longest day of the year.

It's really the day we get the most daylight.  That's if you live north of the equator.

Here is a photo I took in June of 2011 as the sun was setting on the west coast of Okinawa.

Tomorrow the sun will rise at 4:25AM and set at 6:59PM Japan Standard Time.

If the silly tropical storm we're having, gets done blowing, we may have sunshine.

Like, about 14 hours worth of sunshine on the first day of summer !

Now, I'm not sure what normal folks will be doing.

Grabbing the cameras and heading for the hills, sounds like a good plan to me.

If you have trouble thinking of things to do for summer solstice, check this out:

10 Ways to Celebrate Summer 

While you are there, do what (typical redneck fashion) I did.

The Old Farmer's Almanac, gives away all kinds of neat things, for free.

I got a whole pile of stuff and didn't spend a dime. Don't tell them I sent you.  OK ?

For more scientific minds:  Everything You Need to Know: June Solstice 2013

Another informative resource: AboutComGeography: Summer Solstice

Not Excited Enough Yet ?

 

Another goodie, I found while Googling June 2013, has to do with this month's full moon.

This will happen just after I recover from the first day of summer.

We are going to have an extraordinary Supermoon the 22-23 of June.

Don't miss out on all the summer fun !

Old Goat Back from Long Weekend (Photos)

These photos are just a quick preview of this old goat's weekend.

It started, sometime Saturday at a place nicknamed The Shark's Fin.

Some world class kayakers invited me to hangout with them.

We fooled around on the beach until sunset.

After sunset, the kayak people were celebrating the end of the day.

Now, I want to be a kayaker, too.

See the dude sitting in the kayak ?

He made that thing, himself.

All that's wrapped around the frame, to make the contraption float is Plastic Wrap !

He put the kayak in the ocean and paddled-away.

 After the kayakers passed out awards and certificates we found a karaoke bar.

And, sort of, took over the place.

We were singing karaoke, drinking and having a great time, well into the night.

When they ran out of Orion Beer, we went back to our campsite.

 This is a photo of the Sharks Fin taken at 5:33 this morning.

I was up at sunrise because I had to go to another island.

They had goat fights.

It was a long, and busy weekend, for this old goat, and I had a blast.

It's time to shut these computers down, go home, shower and get some sleep.

Sometimes, I forget.  I ain't exactly a kid, anymore. I just have fun until I pass out.

That's the best way to enjoy being an old goat.  More later.....

Photo From Motobu Okinawa: Ie-Jima at Sunset

Heading back up there today, I decided to post this sunset from last night.

The bags are packed, cameras fully charged and it's time to go to work.

Right now, I have no idea if I'll make it home to download cameras tonight.

It all depends on them lively gals who will be doing the Shinugu dancing.

When the camera-shooting is all done, I may have to tip a few drinks with them.

If that's the case,  it would be a good idea to not-get-behind-the wheel-of-the-car.

When I'm done camping, maybe, I'll catch a sunrise in Motubu for you !

Guest Photo: While Waiting for the Boat Don't Waste Time

Photo by RyukyuRu

There I be decked out in my Sunday best waiting for a boat ride to Komaka-Jima.

This little excursion had me waking up at 3AM to go shoot a sunrise over Kudaka Island.

We wound up at the port a tad early.  So, I caught a little catnap.

Dang.  If I had known I was going to be a photographic subject, I'd have fixed my hair.

Travel Photo: Sunrise at Hedo Misaki (Cape Hedo) Okinawa

Cape Hedo, or Hedo Misaki, is the northernmost point on the island of Okinawa, Japan.

Photo taken shortly after 6AM with a tripod-mounted Pentax K10D

Pentax 18-250 at 21mm
 
More about Hedo Misaki may be seen at Japan-Guide.com


Visit my website for today's Feature Photo 

Friday Photo: Sunrise in the North of Okinawa

Here is a photo taken in 2008 from the northernmost point on the island of Okinawa.

It was for a magazine assignment I was on with Doc Graff.

Rather than have to wake up early in the morning and drive to catch the sunrise

I packed up the car and hit the road at midnight.

Sleeping on a concrete park bench was more comfortable than trying to curl up in a bucket seat.

So, that's what I did.

It's been a few years since I shot that sunrise.

Maybe, it's time I headed back up to Hedo Misaki do it again.