A Quick Trip to a Festival in Ogimi Okinawa

Not Quite 1,000 Photos Were Taken

 

 

Last night's festival in Kin Town had me going home with over 1,500 images.

Too tired, to walk back to the office and download the camera, I got an idea.

Strap the camera to my body and celebrate, with the rest of the festival-goers.

The Pentax and I were safely home by 2:30AM.

A body needs lots of liquids during the hot days of August.  My choice was beer.

Somehow, I woke up and saw, Doc had text messaged me, to make sure, I'd  be ready.

If you sleep hard and fast, 4 hours is enough.  So, that's what I did.

Cold shower, iced coffee , let the dog out, grab the camera and, off I went.

The batteries were charged, images downloaded and, I was developing when, Doc arrived.

To the Northern Village We Went

It wasn't quite, half past noon when I shot the photos of boats reflecting on the bay.

The sun was blazing hot and, there wasn't much wind or shade.

We had a few hours, to kill, before any activity (we wanted to see) would happen.

 On one of the back-roads, we went and watched some gals, practice their dancing.

It's always fun, to meet them and, see if you can make friends.

That way, when the real deal, takes place, they won't be shy around the cameras.

Close to two, in the afternoon, all the women started dancing, along the shoreline.

It's been about five years, since the last time we attended this event.

Surprisingly, some folks still remembered us.

It seems like, more and more, young children, participate these days.

The last time, in this crowd,  women were intoxicated and, trying to get me to drink.

The only booze, I smelled today, was on me and, other dudes.

At two, in the afternoon the gals go into the water but, not very far.

Just enough, to get their underparts wet, I guess.

They start beating drums, chanting and cheering the sabani boat teams, from their districts.

There are other activities, such as praying and sumo wrestling at ths festival.

We decided enough vitamin D was pumped into out bodies and decided, to head for home.

The event is called Unjami or, Ungami and, you can learn more about it HERE.

My cameras are recharged and, I'm about to leave this office, to do likewise.

Travel Photo: Okinawa Gals Sabani in the Rain

It's been a long, hard, hot weekend in Okinawa, Japan.

Today, we were at a cultural event, called an Unjami, on Kouri-jima.

The last sanabi boat race took place around two, in the afternoon.

With the exception of one dude, steering, in the back of the boats, the teams were all girls.

Just before the race started it began raining.  But,  I  thought that was pretty cool.

People with Canon and Nikon cameras don't like rain because they aren't waterproof.

They run and hide their cameras so they won't get them wet.

Pentax, makes cameras that work in the rain.

The only thing you have to do, is keep the raindrops from spotting-up your lens.

Mine got water drops on it a few times today but, that doesn't stop me.

All you need is a soft cloth to sponge off the drops.

Then, look at the lens and see if there's any moisture left on it.

If it isn't dry, you know what I do ?

Turn around and look at all the Canon and Nikon people, hiding their cameras.

Then, hold the lens near my beard and I say, "Hah" real loud.

It dries my lens so it looks brand-spanking new.

And, I get back to the business of shooting gals paddling their sabani boats in the rain.



Some New Angles at the Ginoza Museum in Okinawa

The Map It Okinawa dude dragged me into Okinawa's Ginoza Museum today.

Since I had been there before, I told him I'd wait and not pay to go see the displays.

What the heck. The air conditioning at the entrance was working just fine.

This painting on the wall in the vestibule caught my eye.

So, I asked the museum staff if it would be alright to take a photo of it.

That little card taped to the wall below the frame caught my attention, too.

It says Unjami.  That's an Okinawan religious ceremony, of sorts.

More on that in another post or publication.  I'm always looking for these sort of things.

For ten years, or so, I lived in Ginoza Village but, never heard of an Unjami there.

So, I let RyukyuRu, the Map It Okinawa dude, pay for me to go in the museum.

It was time to try some new angles.

The lighting in these places can be fairly harsh for the cameraman.

But, moving left, right, up and down at different angles can improve the lighting.

Camera angles weren't the only new angles we tried today, though.

Chatting with the museum staff for a good while is an angle we should practice more often.

We left with tons of information that would have taken forever to find on our own.

A big thumbs up to the staff at the Ginoza Museum!

"Naked" Matsuri Got Me Wondering

Tonight, or early tomorrow morning, I'll be headed up to the Unjami Matsuri (Festival) in Ogimi Okinawa, Japan.  Here's a photo from last year's Unjami. 

It was an OFF year, I guess you'd call it.  No big mystery events took place, as far as I know.

But, this year is the ON year.  There is a portion of the festival, men can't witness. 

Women, only, get to go all the way up the mountain for some sort of ritual or ceremony.

Last month was the ON year for the guys up in Ada ( SHINUGU MATSURI ). Only males were allowed to go up in the mountains for their rituals.  None of us got naked. 

Not many guys are really into naked men.  Not in my social circuit, anyway.

Researching for the Unjami Matsuri 2011 I came across something on Google Books that I had never seen before.  MATSURI: THE FESTIVALS OF JAPAN P.148  By Herbert E. Plutschow,  Patrick Geoffrey O'Neill

They say stuff like, "Unjami, festival of Ogimi-mura, Okinawa prefecture and the 'naked' matsuri discussed above".  YIKES !

Now, I realize that the government of Japan outlawed some of the naked stuff that used to go on at festivals of yesteryear in Okinawa, Japan.  Maybe, what goes on in the mountains stays in the mountains. 

So, "Naked" Matsuri got me to wondering. 

I wonder what's going on up in the mountains of Ogimi tomorrow.

So far, I haven't been able to get a lady willing to pack a camera and climb the hills to get the whole story. 

I wonder if the folks up in Ogimi believe in bearded ladies !





MORE OKINAWA FESTIVALS

Photo Of The Week: A Dragonboat at the Unjami

Here ya go, one of the photos of a boat taken at last Sunday's Unjami Matsuri. That's a Festival held once a year in the northern Village of Ogimi Okinawa, Japan.

There's probably another 100 or so pictures in the developing process but, I have to get something posted online before the folks up there start hunting for me.

See, I promised them I'd be posting their photos this week for them to see. Once I get caught-up, I'll print what I think are the best and drive back to the Village and present them to people.

It's really a lot easier to post them online and let folks tell me which pictures they'd like printed. The problem with that is: PEOPLE LIKE TO STEAL PHOTOS OFF THE INTERNET.

CAN YOU IMAGINE THAT?

So, what I usually tell everybody I know who shoots decent photos is:
DON'T POST ANYTHING ONLINE THAT YOU DON'T WANT STOLEN.

It works for me.

The best of the best photos I take never see the digital daylight of the internet. They get hidden.

Then, the 2d and 3d place best photos, I do stuff to them before posting online. You can't stop people from snatching your hard work, for free but, you can catch the suckers pretty easily.

Anyway, back to the Dragonboat photo. The night before the big event, while we were drinking with some of the Village VIPs, I was asked by some young guy if I could get a shot of him in the Dragonboat the next day. So, I promised I would.

All I know for sure is, the boat was red and yellow and the Dude had black hair. I think I got him.

If I didn't capture him in this picture, he's bound to be somewhere in the next few batches I develop. More later.....

A Travel Photo Thursday Entry at BUDGET TRAVELERS SANDBOX

Photography Tips for Foreign Festivals

Showing up at a Festival in a foreign country with a notepad and camera could be a recipe for disaster. If you want to leave a remote village with a great story and photos to document it these tips may be helpful:

1. RESEARCH
Months in advance I start my research. Check as many sources on and offline as you can. You will find differences and sometimes come away with more questions than answers; that's good. You want to document the truth.

2. TRANSLATOR
Even if you speak the language a translator comes in handy. The best documentation may be written in a foreign language and in many cases, just as in the spoken word, local dialects and ancient scripts may make your college language skills useless.


3. VISIT THE LOCATION
On-site visits, months in advance, if possible, are a big bonus. Study the terrain, position of the sun, find the village office, determine the dates, times and locations where events will take place. Plan ahead, look for stores, water supplies and a place to sleep.

4. MAKE FRIENDS
Starting with the village office clerk or groundskeeper, smile, let them know what your intentions are and be respectful. Tell them you want to learn and document their culture, if it's permissible. Most places I've been people go out of their way to assist me. Usually, I'm introduced to VIPs like the Village Chief, Elders, Historian, Mayor or the author of a book on the topic I'm documenting.

Don't limit yourself to just the City Office entourage, the farmer in the field, fisherman, an old couple sitting in a park, children playing and even, the town drunk, all have stories to tell about the festival.
Introduce yourself, get people used to you being around with a camera. They will be more comfortable around you the day of the big event. You may be able to get some photos where participants pose for you in perfect lighting, without them being self conscious, as they would be around a total stranger.

5. SPEND A LITTLE MONEY
Shopkeepers, markets and vendors are all great sources of infomation and more likely than not, related in some way to the folks you met in #4 above. Have a meal or two, buy some local produce, get some snacks and drinks at the little Mom and Pop Stores. Ask about local lodging if you're not planning on pitching a tent. Learn the customs. It may be appropriate to bring gifts. You won't know until you ask.

The photo above was taken in the Village Office at Shioya Bay, Ogimi in Okinawa, Japan. It is of a photo taken at a previous  UNJAMI FESTIVAL. The Festival takes place August 29th this year.

Wikipedia Dude says the festival takes place in July and the guys in the boat are priestesses. I've only made three visits to Ogimi and will attempt two more so when I'm done with my Photo Essay it will resemble a true story!