A Belated Happy Birthday Buddha, Wherever You Are !

It's been quite awhile since I did a post for Travel Photo Thursday.

So, before digging through the photo files, I visited Budget Travelers Sandbox.

And, found out I missed Buddha's birthday celebrations in Seoul, Korea.

That's why I dug up this Buddha photo.

The smiling Buddha is probably the most recognized one around the world.

But, there are many other Buddha statues and many other Buddhas.

An excellent article on the topic can be found at Muza-chan's Gate to Japan. 

The smiling Buddha is my favorite but, I don't want to take sides.

So, Happy Birthday Buddha, wherever you are !


RELATED POST:  

BUDDHIST STATUE OF SHINRAN SHONIN IN NYC: GIVE IT BACK ! 

Flower Photos and a Tip For When You Travel: Be Flexible

When you arrive at your destination and the flower fields look like this

but, you were hoping for something like this.

 Just be flexible.

Pick on one flower, or a group of flowers and play with the aperture settings on your camera.

This photo was taken with an aperture of 4.5

Notice, the background is blurred.

The camera is mounted on a tripod and here's another shot at f/11.

See the background coming in a bit sharper ?

The same scene with an aperture of f/16 gives even more details in the background.

A final photo at f/22 makes the background sharper, yet.

The iris fields in Okinawa, Japan aren't ready for me, yet.

I'm lucky. I live only about an hour's drive away so, it doesn't cost me much to travel there.

If I was paying big bucks to travel and see the iris fields when they weren't in full bloom,

here's a little secret I'll tell you

I'D BE CUSSIN' UP A FREAKIN' STORM !

So, remember my travel photo tip.  Just be flexible.

PS: Somebody from THE AMERICAN IRIS SOCIETY started looking at my iris photos. 

You should take a look at their Facebook page and LIKE them.

Now, I have to get on out of here and see if I can get some better iris pictures.

Who knows ?  Maybe a bunch of iris lovers will like My Page, Too !

More of my camera ramblings may bee seen in PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

A UNESCO World Heritage Stone Gate in Okinawa: Travel Photos

This stone gate in Okinawa, Japan was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the year 2000.

Built sometime during the 16th Century, it is an architectural example of Chinese influence on the Okinawa islands during the period when Okinawa was known as the Ryukyu Kingdom.

The gate, known as Sonohyan-utaki Ishimon, guards the entranceway of a sacred grove.

It is located just across the street from Shuri Castle.

Many travelers, visiting Okinawa's UNESCO Sites pass right by this cultural asset on the way to the #1 tourist attraction on the island, without even noticing it.

The stone gate was only opened for the King of the Ryukyu Islands and royalty so they could enter the sacred grove before leaving the castle to embark upon a journey.

Here, they would pray to the gods for a safe return.

If you ever travel to Okinawa to see UNESCO World Heritage Sites don't miss this one.

This stone gate could insure you safe return.

Travel Photos: It's No Bull. This Bull Didn't Want To Fight

Sometimes this Travel Photo Thursday thing sneaks up on me and catches me off guard,

Like, today.  I had no idea what kind of photos to dig up for everybody to see.

So, I decided to look through the files and see what I was doing back in February 2009.

Here you go.  I was shooting bullfights.  Only, this bull didn't want to fight.

The bull is a little bit nervous because he's new at this sort of thing.

The handler isn't.  Look.  He didn't even wear his flip flops.

The black bull saw his competition being led into the ring.

If you've never seen an apprehensive bullseye before, you're looking at one now.

All you gotta do, if you are a bull in an Okinawan bullfight and don't really want to participate

is run out of the ring.

It's nothing to be ashamed of because you can always tell your friends

YOU TOOK SECOND PLACE !

Flower Photo: Melastoma. Heck, Just Call It Forest Star

Here is a new flower, to me, anyway.

At a museum up north in Okinawa, Japan on a cold and windy February day is where I found this.  See, I get tired of hanging around inside museums trying to make photos under the harsh indoor lighting. So, I step outside a lot.  That gives me a chance to see what's worth shooting outdoors, get some fresh air and a l'il bit of nicotine in my body.  So, that's what I do a lot.

The museum photos, I'll get around to developing and posting later.  There may even be some great shots.  There was this sweetheart of a gal at the place.  She turned off lights for me when I asked.  You don't find many museums like that these days.

Well, this gal showed me this tree thing with pink flowers growing on it and she told me they are called "Nobotan".

So,  I shot them.

The research I did online didn't help much but, I came to the conclusion they are some kind of Melastoma.

There are a whole bunch of places, like Hawaii, that don't like Melastomas.

People call them invasive.  And, they call them weeds.

Even Wikipedia !


But, this sweetheart of a gal was real proud of the pretty pink flowers and they don't seem like weeds to me. 

One of the names Wikipedia had listed was Forest Starr.

Not sure if that's a person or a flower name.  They're asking for help expanding everybody's knowledge about flowers, too.

What the heck.  The flowers in Okinawa aren't weeds.

Just call these pink flowers Forest Stars.

That's what I'm gonna do.

The Torii Gate, Does It Lead to a Shrine or Temple?: Japan Insider's Tip

This can be a tough question to answer.

There are torii gates at hundreds maybe, thousands of locations throughout Japan.

The Torii Gate.  What does it lead to, a Shrine or a Temple ?

The simple RyukyuMike answer has always been, "It leads to a sacred site".

That way, I know I'm telling the truth.

Telling the difference between a shrine and a temple gets a little more confusing.

Just the other night, there was a discussion between a few of us on this topic.

To me, shrines and temples are both sacred places but, I never bothered to research and find out the difference between the two.

Well, a good citizen, named, Jun Ikemura must have heard me worrying about it and published an article that explains the difference between a shrine and temple.

Shrines:  There is a god, spirit, kamisama, or some sort of deity enshrined in a Shrine.

Temples:  This is Japan, I'm talking about, not Europe, USA, or the Mid East so, no hate mail.  OK?

Temples are places for Buddha.

Sounds like a simple enough explanation for me.  So, that's the story I'm sticking with, for now.

In the above photo, there is a torii at the bottom of the stairs.

After you walk up all 108 stairs, there is another torii at the top.  Passing through that torii, you come to a cave.  The cave is a shrine dedicated to the Okinawan gods, Amamichu and Shirumichu who, according to legend, lived there and took on human forms, way before Buddhism became fashionable in Japan.

Today you may pass through a torii gate and enter a place that is both, a sacred Shinto site and a place where a Buddha is present.  So, you may find both, a shrine and a temple on the same grounds.

HERE IS THE FULL ARTICLE BY JUN IKEMURA

MORE JAPAN INSIDER TIPS

Travel Alert: This Saturday Night We'll Have A Total Lunar Eclipse

Don't panic.  The moon isn't going anywhere.  The lights don't even go out.

The word first came to me from my buddy at CosmoBC, an Astronomy Dude.

Most of the travelers I know will be in a country where this event is visible.

Just make sure you have a tripod handy for your camera.

And pray for clear skies.

YAHOO SPACE WATCHING GUY SAYS WE'LL GET AN IMPOSSIBLE SIGHT !

That's why I'm calling this a Travel Alert.

Some of my best friends happen to be lunatics and might want to get out with their cameras to shoot some impossible photos.

FOR TIPS ON HOW TO SHOOT THE MOON SEE: PHOTORGAPHY TIPS

VISIT MY HOMEPAGE FOR THE PHOTO OF THE DAY

The Streets of Kudaka Island for Thursday's Travel Photos

These photos were taken on the Island of Kudaka-Jima.  It is the island where the people of Okinawa, Japan believe life originated.  I had heard the legends of this Ryukyu Garden of Eden way back in the last century as a college student but, had never set foot on the ground until October 2011.  I told you all, I would go there someday and shoot some closer-up pictures in the caption of THIS PHOTO OF THE WEEK.  So, that's what I did, hopped on a boat one day with a camera and tripod (Oops, forgot to tell the Missus) and went over there just for a few hours.

They had paved streets.  That kind of surprised me.

But, there wasn't much traffic on the roads.

It was no problem setting up a tripod in the middle of any street.

People started using those modern construction materials, like blocks, instead of stones and they even have indoor plumbing, drain pipes and those newfangled manhole covers.

All that stuff, downtown, wasn't what I'd expected to see.  Moving away from the residential/commercial district of the island, things got a lot better.

There's a whole lot more of Kudaka-jima to see once you get off the city streets.

If you want to see some of what lies beyond the streets of Kudaka-jima, I've 

POSTED SOME HERE 

There is plenty more about this island undergoing research at the present time and a few hundred more photos on file waiting to be published.  Maybe, someday I'll get hooked up with one of those government, or education researchers from Okinawa Prefecture so they can do all the writing.  Then, I could just continue my island hopping with the cameras and shoot photos of the whole Ryukyu Island Chain.  That'd be a lot more fun !

This is my contribution to TRAVEL PHOTO THURSDAY  (TPThursday)

Visit TPThursday and have a look at what LadyE is doing with her FISHEYE LENS.

TO VISIT KUDAKA-JIMA: HELPFUL INFORMATION MAY BE FOUND HERE.

No Room for Orange Juice. Beer is Better for You. You Know ? (Photo)

500 ml and there's 20 bottles to a case.  One case just fits in the fridge nicely as long as the wife doesn't go stickin any orange juice bottles in there.

Did you know beer is better for you than orange juice?  Well, it is, I know, for sure.

When I was younger, I drank a whole case of these Orion Beers.  And then, I had one more.

If I'd have drank that much orange juice, I bet, I would have got sick.

Even if you don't drink beer you can still use the stuff.

Like you could shampoo your hair with it.

You'd stink real bad if you did that with orange juice, I think.

Plus, it probably wouldn't do any good.  Maybe, even make your hair stiff.

Beer makes your hair soft.  That's what I heard.  And it doesn't smell that bad, either.

But, I usually just drink the stuff.  It tastes best when it's ice cold.

Beer is better.  That's why there's no room for orange juice in my refrigerator.

Now you know.

Travel Photo + Question: Will the World Run Out of Coke ?

Just think about it for a minute.

If you are a traveler,  try and think of a country you've been to that doesn't have Coca Cola.

This Ferriswheel photo was taken at a shopping center in Okinawa, Japan.

But, I can't think of any country I've visited that didn't have Coke.

People worry about the world running out of water, rainforests, coal, oil, whales, icebergs and polar bears and that's good.

But, has anybody ever thought of what would happen to earth

SAY, IF THE WORLD RAN OUT OF COKE ?

Oops. Was It Thursday's Travel Photo Thingy, Again ?

When I hear from my friends in the Land Down Under that it's freezing then, from the folks in Thailand and Europe and sometimes, even in Florida that it's sweltering hot, I have to ask them a question. 

Like don't you have any caves nearby that you can crawl into ?

I'm not going to lie.  I can't remember the exact degrees.  But, down inside Gyokusendo Cave in Okinawa, Japan the temperature is almost constant.  It feels cool in the summer and warm in the winter. 

So, everybody should quit complaining and go back to living in caves.  Dontcha think ?

Thatched Roof Hut in Ada, an Okinawa Village (Photo)

Two years ago was the first time I had visited the Village of Ada in Kunigami Okinawa, Japan. This photo was taken in preparation for an article on a ritual known as the Shinugu Matsuri.

The only thatched roof hut in the Village of Ada, it is where the ceremonies for this festival begin and end.

This past week, I visited Ada, again.  Making contacts and arrangements to participate in these sort of events is important to me.

The Shinugu takes place every year but, only once every two years, certain rituals are performed that the general public may not get to see.

Visiting weeks before and going back to visit weeks after, events like this have worked wonders for me and my photography.  I was surprised at the warm greetings I recieved, this time around, when I visited the Village Office and I'm chomping at the bit to spend some time with the villagers of Ada, again.

This photo will be my weekly submission for LadyExpat's TRAVEL PHOTO THURSDAY.

Whacky Ritual (Photo) Okinawa's Shinugu Matsuri (Festival)

 

This photo was taken in the Village of Ada Okinawa, Japan August 22, 2009 during the festival known as Shinugu.  Pictured here are the males of the village.  They are at about the halfway point coming back down from a mountain where this ritual takes place, once every two years. Women are forbidden from attending the ceremonies on the mountains.

What's whacky about this festival ?

Nothing, really.  It's a tradition that has been carried on for hundreds of years.

The women are waiting in the village for the men with their jungle trimmings and carrying tree branches to descend the mountain.  They use the branches to swat and shoo away evil spirits.

When the guys get back to town, they form a circle around all the women and use the branches to whack the evil spirits out of them, too !

It's all ceremonial, of course, so nobody gets whacked really hard, as far as I can tell.

Read more about the Shinugu Matsuri in OKINAWA HERE

Are there any Whacky Rituals or Festivals held during the summer months where you live ?

Zanpa Point Lighthouse in Yomitan Okinawa, Japan (Photo)

This lighthouse sits on the west coast of Okinawa facing the East China Sea in Yomitan Village.

Most visitors touring the island go to see the glass-blowing, pottery (yachimun), or the UNESCO World Heritage Zakimi Castle when they are heading towards Zanpamisaki (Zanpa Point). 

Some tourists gawk at the humongous red clay Shisa near the Cape Zanpa Royal Hotel and others visit a place that makes ice cream using local sea salt.  They don't see the lighthouse.

What they are missing is probably the most photogenic lighthouse in all of the Ryukyu Islands.

Which reminds me, it's time I headed over to Yomitan and did a sunset photo of this place.
I'm just wondering what time the ice cream place closes.  Reckon they stay open 'til after sunset ?

Zanpa Point Lighthouse is my weekly contribution to TRAVEL PHOTO THURSDAY.

My friend Nancie McKinnon, the editor of Budget Travelers Sandbox, tricked me good this week with her photo. The title: Favorite Canadian Brew, got me thinking is would be some kinda beer.
Turns out, she was talking about coffee.  I like coffee, too but, never called it a brew.

Guess I should brush up on my Canadian, eh?

Disaster Relief For Travel Photo Thursday, Getterdun !

Here's a scene from a Sunday afternoon in the parking lot of a DIY Store up in Nago City Okinawa, Japan.

The Eisa Dancers were raising funds to donate to the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

What really impresses me is the fact that Okinawa is the poorest Prefecture in all of Japan yet, these folks see someone needs a hand and do whatever it takes to lend their support.

There is even a word in the Okinawan dialect, which describes the spirit they are demonstrating in this photo,  Yuimaru.  The best way to describe Yuimaru would be everyone, in the community, joins hands and pitches-in to get the job done.  It's a spirit of cooperation that is just unbeatable.

This morning a friend contacted me concerning the relief effort for the people in Joplin, Missouri

When I saw the destruction in the photo it was like seeing the results of Japan's tsunami, all over again.

So, I went and clicked on the link SABINA LOHR  sent and showed those folks in Joplin a little YUIMARU.  


If you get a chance and would take the time to throw some change in the bucket, do like I did, click on the SABINA LOHR BUTTON above and getterdun.  It feels good !

Photography Tip: Going The Extra Mile for Travel Photos

         There are times you have to really go out of your way in photography to snag a great shot.

At home, you can just sit on the back porch and watch a birdfeeder, have camera and tripod all set up, knowing where the light and shadows will be best for you to capture the perfect picture of a bird. 

Or, you'll know where the sun will set and where to position youself for an award-winning scene.

When you're traveling and want outstanding lighting for your subject, it gets a bit more complicated. 

You are on unfamiliar terrain.  Chasing the light may cause you to have to go that extra mile.

In the photo above, I was driving to Okinawa, Japan's annual Dragonboat races.  This is what the City of Naha looked like on my drive to town.

I was thinking "What freakin' possesses you to do stupid things like this, old man"?


The odds were against anyone getting a great photo at the Dragonboat Festival because there were dark skies and rain, on and off, all day long.  It's rainy season.  What did you expect?

This photo was taken while I was standing, with a few thousand other people, facing towards the west.  Look at that red tower in the upper righthand corner of the frame. 

Knowing that the final Dragonboat Races would be in the late afternoon, I knew, that if the sun ever did shine, all the spectators, cameramen, videocam news channels and the thousands of spectators would all be looking directly into the sun.  Good for them.  Hah !

When the time was right, I sneaked away from the crowds and set my camera up on the seawall directly in front of that red tower.  This shot was taken with my cell phone camera thingy.  I walked a long way and crawled through some hairy situations avoiding security guards and police, just to get there and sit on that wall.  And the lighting was just as crappy as where I'd came from.  However, there wasn't any crowd. 

  At 4:25PM the sun lit up the sky right where I wanted it to be for my Extra Mile Travel Photo. 

Today's Photography Tip is my weekly post for LadyE's TRAVEL PHOTO THURSDAY.

She has a bigger and bigger crowd of people posting travel photos every week so, drop on by and you can see great travel photos from all over the globe and it won't cost you a dime.  Most of the photographers over there know what going the extra mile means, too.  Check it out and you won't be disappointed.

One Freakin Big Bird and Three Photos to Prove It

This may be the biggest bird on the whole island of Okinawa, Japan.  If anyone finds one larger let me know and I'll go shoot that one, too.

You can see this statue of the Yanbaru Kuina, an endangered species, found in Okinawa from Hedo Misaki. 

That's at the northern tip of the island.  I took this photo from the road leading to the big bird.


And, I wandered around to the other side for two good reasons. 

I wanted to prove we get sunshine during rainy season, even if it only lasts a few minutes. 

Plus, I wanted to show you how big this freakin bird really is.  This didn't really give a sense of scale.


So, I walked around and got under the dang thing.  I took off one of my 12 inch shoes to show you that bird has toenails longer than my shoe.  Is that a freakin big bird, or what ?  I got photos to prove it !

This bird, I'll post for LadyE's Travel Photo Thursday.  She has a site called Budget Travelers Sandbox and while I was snoopin around inside the two-story bird I discovered some places in there where you could probably sleep overnight, if you're real quiet, for FREE. 

If cops come and try to arrest you, tell them something like, YOUR BROTHER-IN-LAW MADE YOU DO IT.

See travel photos from around the globe at TRAVEL PHOTO THURSDAY and while you're there wish Nancie a Happy Birthday. Do like me, I give her a ThumbsUp and Google her all the time !

Naha Okinawa, Japan Dragonboat Races Travel Photo Thursday

              The Dragonboat Races in Naha Okinawa, Japan is where I plan on being tomorrow. 

This photo was taken back in May of 2009 under bright blue, sunny skies in the early morning light.

It looks like rain tomorrow with a slim chance the sun may peek through.   I'll be there.

Since I'm guessing this will be another of my 20 hour camera days, I'm posting this Wednesday night for BUDGET TRAVELERS SANDBOX and will hook-up the correct link to LadyE's TRAVEL PHOTO THURSDAY as soon as I can, sometime tomorrow evening.

She's a Canadian who hangs out somewhere in Korea.  You have to be careful around those folks, you know.  I remember watching TV when I was a kid.  They always get their man !


LOCAL INFO: THE NAHA DRAGONBOAT FESTIVAL

Cute Little Gals with Drums for Travel Photo Thursday

Packing up and heading to another island reminded me of these photos I took back in 2008 about this time of year.  So, I'm posting them for Nancie (LadyExpat) and her TRAVEL PHOTO THURSDAY. 

Doc (GOYA REPUBLIC) and I were driving around on our weekly photo excursion and decided it was high-time we visited another island.  Some islands around here can be reached by car and causeways.


We were on a causeway heading towards Hamahiga Island, Henza Island, Miyagi Island and Igei Island, one of those islands (What do you think I look like, a Tour Guide?), I can't remember, when we heard these drum beats.

Everyone in Okinawa, Japan recognizes the sound of those drums and it means somebody is doing Eisa Dancing, somewhere.

We're not used to hearing these drums or seeing Eisa on a roadside between islands, not during the month of May, anyway.  We whipped a U-turn on the car, grabbed cameras and went to see what we could shoot.


Back then, my Pentax was brand new.  I was still trying to figure out all the buttons and wheels on the thing and cussing at the horrible, harsh mid-day lighting. 

There could have been dog and pigeon poop all over the places I was rolling around on trying to compose a "Cute Little Gals with Drums Dancing on an Island Scene", it didn't matter to me. 


These are the kinds of scenes you can't set up a tripod and have everyone pose for you.  Folks might think you're some kinda nut.  You might have to get in your friend's car smelling funny; it's all in a day's work.

What we figured out, once I regained my senses, was this was an opening ceremony to celebrate the beginning of Golden Week in Japan.

It means Festival Season in Okinawa kicks-off into high gear.  As soon as I get off the boat, coming back from the Lily Festival on Ie Shima Island, it'll be Golden Week.  I'll be shooting festivals, somewhere, all over this island from now until November.  Whether they have cute little gals with drums, or not, I'm going to be busy with my cameras.  Wu Hu Hu !

VISIT BUDGET TRAVELERS SANDBOX FOR MORE OF THIS WEEK'S TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY

A Pile of Laughing Buddhas for Travel Photo Thursday

          Here's a whole pile of laughing Buddhas for TRAVEL PHOTO THURSDAY APRIL 21, 2011.

There's no telling what the story behind this collection might be. I'll have to do some further investigation. 

Not that I'm getting all religious, or anything like that, in my old age. I just like Buddhist stuff.

This one guy, Dali Lama XIV said, "KNOW THE RULES WELL, SO YOU CAN BREAK THEM EFFECTIVELY".  Sounds like a reasonable plan, to me.  So, that's what I try to do.  I know all the rules in Okinawa, Japan.

Now, I don't know what happened to the person or persons who started this collection of Buddhas but, I'll be snooping around to see if I can find out.

They don't look too shabby in the photo at the top of the page, except maybe, for the one on right side of the roof that got knocked over. 

When you zoom-in for a closer look, it appears they've been neglected.  Or, could it be they were all mud wrestling and they're laughing because they took those big sticks on their shoulders and knocked that one Buddha out ?

This pile of Laughing Buddhas is located on the left side of HWY 84 about a mile past the Nago City Pineapple Park.