Travel Photos: Shikinaen Royal Garden

UNESCO World Heritage Site

 

 

Every time, I visit this place, I learn something new. Make sure to take lots of photos.

A home for royal families and guests from China, it was built in the late 1700's.

Back in the old days, this was considered a palace.

The buildings are wooden and have tiled roofs like any other traditional Okinawan home.

 Everything that was here during WWII got destroyed by bombs.

Reconstruction of the garden began in 1975 and, took 20 years to complete.

The palace, is immaculately clean and, no shoes are allowed indoors, here.

It felt kind of uncomfortable to me so, I didn't stay very long inside the wooden buildings.

Whenever you go to places like this, ask for some English brochures.

That's how, I learned about the bridge, leading to this hexagon building.

They say, it was carved out of a single chunk of limestone !

Here's a good reason, to take plenty of photos.  See the electric ceiling light ?

Well, I might not be the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree.

But, if I was going to reconstruct this national treasure, it would be just like the original

Do you suppose, they got electricity over here, before the 1800's ?

Not according to Universe Today if, they're telling the truth ! 

More About Shikinaen Royal Garden 

My 2015 Visit

Travel Shots: Prayer at Katsuren Castle

On the grounds of this UNESCO World Heritage attraction, there are sacred sites.

Water wells, springs, shrines and groves may have visitors, worshiping and making offerings.

This was the scene, I encountered, going up the hill to the castle.

The photo was composed at a distance  to show the stone wall and some terrain.

Once the worshipers left the area, this photo of the sign at the spring was taken.

It gives a bit of history about the site and the name, Machida Spring.

The images aren't anything, I would sell but, they help when I'm doing research.

The people you meet at these places may be direct descendants of the royal families.

It made me wish they hadn't taken off so fast, when it started to rain !

REFERENCES:

Japan Guide

World Heritage Site

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Within UNESCO Nakijin Castle: A Ritual Photo

Shuri Castle Full Moon Party: 8th Month of Lunar Calendar

Dancing Under the Harvest Moon

 

 

One of the most spectacular events in Okinawa, takes place this weekend.

It sort of sneaked up on me but, I still have time to notify those lucky enough to be on island.

Following, is an article, by yours truly, previously published at Yahoo Voices.

UNESCO Shuri Castle Under a Full Moon

A visit to the UNECSO World Heritage Site Shuri Castle in Okinawa, Japan is a top priority on many travel itineraries.  Few of the millions of tourists passing through the fortresses gates realize, with a bit of planning, it's possible to see this majestic beauty under the light of a full moon.

The history buff, architect, student of culture, photographer or, anyone interested in Japanese gardens could spend days in the Shurijo Castle Park examining its treasures yet, never see it all.

So, it would be wise to plan on making several visits.  I've been there dozens of times and will pass on a little cost saving tip.

Get a Shurijo Castle Passport

The admission fee for adults is 800 Yen per visit.  Invest twenty minutes of your time at the ticket booth along with 1600 Yen and it gets you a one year passport.

Not only do you get to pass through the castle gates an unlimited number of times, for free, you receive discounts at the gift shops.

The Castle Remains Open at Night During the Harvest Moon

Advertised as a Mid-Autumn Celebration on the Shurijo Castle Website and by many local travel agencies as taking place August 15th each year, travelers may experience some confusion.

Okinawa, Japan schedules most festivals and special events by the Lunar (Chinese) calendar.

The photos I'm showing of Shuri Castle under a full moon were taken September 11, 2011 which was the second night of the Mid-Autumn Celebration. Links provided below give accurate scheduling, in English.

During this time of year the park normally closes at 8PM however, for this special event visitors may stay on the castle grounds until 9PM.

 

 Show Up Early and Stay Late

Whether it's you first or fiftieth time visiting Shuri Castle I recommend arriving early to wander around the entire grounds. Wear comfortable walking shoes but, don't worry about stumbling on any uneven walkways.  This is the most foot-friendly castle on the island and the only one I consider wheelchair and stroller safe.

There are plenty of places to buy refreshments, restroom facilities, park benches and spots to just sit in the shade as you stroll through the gardens and woods surrounding the castle. The grounds will be illuminated at night but, it's best to become familiar with the layout while it's daylight so you don't become disoriented as evening falls.

 

 Before the Moon Rises

Traditional Okinawan music may be heard, piped through loudspeaker systems, for your enjoyment and you may see several examples of classical music and dance performed just outside the castle's main courtyard.

Up to this point, no admission fee applies. The ticket sales take place in a small building just to the left of the main courtyard entrance. An hour, or so, before the moon rises, crowds start to form lines, waiting for security guards to open the castle gates. You will need to show a ticket or castle passport to enter.

Once inside, you get to hear some of Okinawa's top musicians and see professional dancers and singers perform. And there is a beauty contest/pageant, of sorts, whereby a king and queen are selected to play the roles of royalty in the annual Ryukyu King and Queen's Coronation Ceremony.

Moonshine or not, This is the Best Time to See Shuri Castle

There may be clouds in the sky, obscuring a clear view of the harvest moon but, there is no better time of the year for catching the brilliant illumination shining on those red castle walls.

 

 Links For Travelers:

Japan National Tourism Organization

Stripes Okinawa

TripAdvisor Reviews

RELATED POST:

Shuri Castle Day and Night at the Moon Viewing Festival

Zakimi Castle at Night (12 Photos)

Don't Miss this UNESCO Castle at Night

 

 

Last night was the first time, I ever saw this UNESCO site lit up in the evening.

Not many people show up after the sun goes down at night.

Just guessing here, but, there could be a couple of possibilities.

Maybe It Wasn't Widely Advertised

 

 A photographer would never complain about a lack of people at a tourist location.

 It gives you a chance to shoot the photos, at real slow shutter speeds.

When a few visitors, started walking through the scenes, I just shot walls.

The courtyard had been rained on, recently and the grass, was a little wet and slippery.

Anybody, who grew up on a farm, would be reminded of  a pasture, after the rain.

It smelled better here, because there were no cow paddies to slip on, just mud puddles.

One couple, kept popping into my scenes but, I didn't mind.

Joking with them, I told them to take their time.

Whenever they quit wiggling around, I took some shots with them in the frame.

Taking photos, in this kind of light, you need about 30 seconds of exposure.

The same guy and gal, showed up, again, when I really didn't want them to be in my scene.

They were about the same height as each other.

Then, she stood by one of the lights and her shadow, grew about ten feet tall !

That gave me a good chuckle.

It was tempting, to ask them to pose for me. But, I passed on that idea.

Another Possibility for the Low Attendance

 

 

The illumination of the castle is in celebration of Yomitan becoming the most populated village.

That's the most people, in any village, throughout Japan.

Maybe, everybody stays at home during the hours of darkness.

If they don't keep up the populating, they could lose the title of most populous village.

That's what, I'm thinking, anyway !

Shuri Castle Pond Again and Again and Again (Photo)

This is a scene we've been working on for months, now.

There is a photo I'm trying to duplicate for the Then and Now Series.

 A Flickr Friend named, Okinawa Soba, gave me a black and white photo of this scene.

My goal, is to recreate the photographic shot, as it was originally made.

The photo, from his collection, was taken sometime, before World War II.

Shuri-jo Castle was leveled by bombs, during that war.

The reconstruction of castles, on this island was accomplished by looking at old photos and sketches.

It amazes me, how much the re-constructed buildings, look like the originals.

So, I try to do the best I can at duplicating the old photos.

The light, has to be right.

And, if there were people in the scene, I try to get someone to pose, in my photo.

Lighting was perfect, when I shot the image above.

Along came a couple, visiting the castle and, I got them to pose.

Then, the clouds, that were blocking the glaring sun, drifted away and ruined my shot.

The couple, were really nice, posing in the hot sun, for me.

They signed model releases and I emailed them the best photo of the day.

But, Shuri Castle Pond's Then and Now will have to wait.

As stubborn as a mule, I'll keep going back to that castle again and again and again.

When the light is right and I get the scene the way I want it you'll know.

That's because I'll post it here and yell, "Gotterdun" !

Within UNESCO Nakijin Castle: A Ritual Photo

This is an image of a man preparing one of the sacred sites for an annual ritual.

Today, I took the cameras and visited all of the locations of worship within Nakijin-jo.

Before taking any photos, I asked permission and went to each site with those attending.

Offerings and prayers were made at many places, I've visited before.

There were areas of the pilgrimage that took us outside the confines of the castle.

Totally exhausted and, with hundreds of photos to process, this is all I will posting tonight. 

Being allowed to take photos of cultural events, like this, is something I enjoy.

More important, to me though, is the friends I make along the way.

UNESCO Nakijin Castle Late Afternoon Wide and Low (Photo)

This photo of Nakijin-jo was taken Sunday June 2, 2013.

For rainy season, it was a beautiful day, hot and steamy.  I was afraid it wouldn't last long.

The light was right for the shot I wanted to make.

Not wanting to disassemble a tripod to get the camera down low, I made a plan.

Rip the camera off the tripod and use a yellow flip-flop to steady it.

People look at you as if you were some kind of nut when you're lying on your belly with the camera.

But, it gets you an image like no one else has.

Camera: Pentax KD 10

Lens: Sigma 10-20mm  

Focal Length:  14mm

f/11   1/90   ISO 100

Cherry Blossom (桜) Photos: The Okinawa Challenge

The Weather Doesn't Always Cooperate

 

Today we went up north in Okinawa to check out the sakura for our followers.

Folks planning their weekends like to know how the cherry blossoms are coming along.

There was scarce sunshine, few blossoms and plenty of cold wind.  It even rained a bit.

After checking the situation at UNESCO Nakijin Castle we did some off the beaten path stuff.

Nakijin-jo is having their Sakura Matsuri grand-opening this weekend.  I'd wait.

Ya'll know the Map It Okinawa dude and the crazy places he finds, right ?

He was out in the middle of nowhere, going up a river, to see where it went.  I waited.

That's when the rain started.

It occurred  to me, I hadn't shot a cherry blossom, all day.

That's when I got the idea to shoot some sakura, under challenging conditions.

These few sprigs of cherry blossoms were next to the shelter, I'd be hiding in.

So, I played around with spot focusing on some of them.

And I moved around to give the scene some background, other than grey skies.

This technique can be used anywhere.

It's a good idea, to get your camera off AUTO Mode and play with aperture settings.

Decide if you want the background blurred or, sharpened.

This photo was taken with on-camera flash.

Fooling around with shutter speeds and flash settings gives all sorts of results.

There's no way, I'm going chasing sakura without coming home with some flower photos.

 This cherry blossom photo turned out to be one of my favorite shots of the day.

There's something about a sakura on a rainy day, that I can't explain.

One photo (taken with flash) like this, in the rain, has received over 12,000 views on this blog.

When the weather takes a nasty turn or, the flowers aren't in full bloom, take the challenge !

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Travel Photo of the Week: New Year Ritual in Okinawa

Okinawan Priestesses Known as Noro

 

This photo was taken December 30, 2012 at Takushi in Okinawa, Japan.

The Noro, are the women in white robes, making offerings.

After they pray, water is drawn from Hiijaa, a well to their right.

The water is then taken to UNESCO Shuri Castle.

In a ritual which dates back to the days when Okinawa was the Ryukyu Kingdom,

water from this site, is mixed with water drawn from a well in Hedo, northern Okinawa.

The blessed mixture of water is presented to the royalty of the castle.

It signifies a desire for peace, prosperity and health within the kingdom.

The ceremony is timed to take place around the beginning of  the New Year.

Today's Feature Photo

UNESCO World Heritage Castle Gate at Night (Photo)

守礼門

This photo of Shureimon was taken at 9:51PM on Nov 3, 2012.

The gate, also known as a torii, is at the main entrance to UNESCO Shuri Castle,

the most popular World Heritage Site in Okinawa, Japan.

Related Posts:

Then and Now Photos: Shureimon

UNESCO Shuri Castle at Night 

Shuri Castle Day and Night

Harvest Moon An Annual Event At Shurijo Castle Okinawa

People don't just watch the full moon when they have that Harvest Moon viewing event at Shurijo Castle in Okinawa, Japan.

There's all kinds of entertainment like music and dancing.

But, I think most of the crowd shows up to help select the king and queen for the 

Annual Coronation Ceremony.

That's about the time I sneak outside the main courtyard walls.

And go shoot the moon !

Read all about  UNESCO SHURI CASTLE UNDER A FULL MOON HERE

Visit my homepage for the PHOTO OF THE DAY

A Scene From Within UNESCO Nakijin Castle Walls Okinawa

This is a photo taken from within the walls of Nakajin Castle during the month of July.

The position this was photographed from is probably one of northernmost points that can be reached inside the castle walls.

Experimenting with the Pentax KD 10, there were 3 shots taken at f/22.

Shutter speeds were adjusted to get one photo at perfect exposure, one at -1 on the light-meter and one at +1.  Then, combine all three in Adobe Elements to create an HDR photo.

What I didn't realize, at the time, was the clouds were moving fairly quickly.

So, this is one of those photos scheduled for the recycle bin.  My clouds got smeared.

The newer models of most DSLRs, and some point and shooters, have HDR capability built in to them.  I haven't tried the HDR Mode on any of my cameras, yet but, will, one of these days.

It would be interesting to do a comparison between HDR photos created in-camera and HDR shots created manually, I think.

All I have to do is figure out where those camera manuals sneaked off to and read the darn things, one of these days.

We're having some weather in Okinawa, Japan this week that makes a body feel like staying indoors and reading.  It just might be a good time to getterdun.



Photo Essay: Chasing Sakura (桜) Day and Night in Okinawa

Sakura (桜) for those who don't already know, are Cherry Blossoms.

And, January-February is when they bloom all over the island of Okinawa, Japan.

Yesterday, I wasn't planning on chasing Sakura (桜) in the daytime.

But, I was down in the town named Yaese when I discovered a Sakura Festival that I had just missed.  So, I climbed the stairs to the park it was held in and had a look around.

Now, I'm no flower expert, or anything like that but, I think these cherry blossoms are just getting started.

It sure would be nice if they could extend the Sakura Festivals and keep them going as long as these pink flowers keep popping out all over the island.

The Sakura chase, for me, continued into the night.  This was the first time I had ever seen UNESCO World Heritage Site, Nakajin Castle, lit up at night.

It was after 9PM when I got there and the Castle was closed but, that didn't stop me from shooting the cherry trees lit up along the highway.

If I wind up going back up there tonight,  I think I might wear a white jacket.

People driving down the hill must be staring at the flowers, or the lights are blinding them.

It's easy to get run over when you set up a camera and tripod in the middle of the street at night.

There wasn't a full moon out but, I figured I'd practice with what they had and go back when the real deal happens, someday.  
Like, how many people do you know who have a full moon photo framed with cherry blossoms ?

Going from Nakajin Castle to Mt. Yaedake this 2012 Year of the Dragon scene caught my eye.

It could be some Chinese people live over on that hill, or something, and they are still celebrating the Lunar New Year.  Beats me.  I only got 3 shots and the lights went out.

Mt. Yaedake was pretty well deserted when I got there after ten.  The wind was picking up and it started getting colder.  So, I only shot a few Sakura (桜) and.....

.....this illumination from my favorite beer company.

Then I quit chasing Sakura for the day.  Dropped my camera gear off at the office.
And had a few Orion Beers.

Don't you think it would give a boost to the travel and tourism industries,  if they extended all the festivals during Cherry Blossom Season ?

Heck, I'd be out there chasing Sakura (桜) all over Okinawa, day and night !