Squatter Toilet in Japan: An Insider's Tips

IN THE VERY LIKELY EVENT YOU COME ACROSS ONE OF THESE TOILETS IN JAPAN OR ANYWHERE ELSE IN ASIA HERE ARE MY TIPS:

1. GO SOMEWHERE ELSE IF YOU CAN HOLD IT !

2. IF THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE, ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE A LADY, YOU HAVE TO SQUAT.

3. FACING TOWARDS THE ELEVATED END IS THE PROPER WAY TO ORIENT YOURSELF.

4. SEE THE PIPE IN THE UPPER-RIGHT CORNER?

NOT ALL SQUATTERS HAVE RUNNING WATER. THIS IS A NEW ONE.

5. BEFORE YOU GET TOO COMFORTABLE,

CHECK TO SEE IF THERE IS TOILET PAPER.

6. THINK OF HAVING SOMETHING TO GRAB AHOLD OF IN CASE YOU LOOSE YOUR BALANCE AND YOU'LL NEVER FORGET WHICH WAY TO FACE ON YE OLD SQUATTER.

CONFUCIOUS OR SOME DOCTOR ONCE SAID THIS IS THE HEALTHIEST WAY FOR YOUR BODY TO DO BOWEL MOVEMENTS.

I SAY AMERICANS AND EUROPEANS BODIES WEREN'T MADE FOR THIS KIND OF GYRATION AND UNLESS IT'S AN EMERGERCY, STICK TO TIP #1.

Photography Tip: Leading Lines

WAY DOWN DEEP

Ladies and Gentlemen, the answer to the $64,000 question is:

This is a Leading Line. It has nothing to do with photography but, if it got you to look a little closer at my Photography Tip today, it worked. It’s a little trick you can use in your photographic technique, too.

While you’re composing a shot:

Look around and find some lines to draw attention to your subject. They don’t even have to be straight lines. Anything in the scene that can be captured and lead the viewer’s eye from the corner of the frame towards the subject is fair game. Sometimes it’s a curved or crooked line, like a branch, the shoreline, a curve in the road or, the paint on a basketball court.

Some examples of straight lines used in pointing towards a subject are handrails, railroad tracks, the roof of a house, edge of a sidewalk, even the crease in someone’s shirtsleeve. The diagonal line of the sail on a boat, a tent or the white lines painted in a parking lot can be used to point from a corner of your photo to the subject. The lines don’t even have to reach all the way to the corner just use them to help the subject say, “Hey, I’m over here. Look at me”!

Use it to your advantage.

Every scene doesn’t require leading lines. You wouldn’t want to use something that will overwhelm your subject. Something as bright as the international orange of a traffic cone, probably wouldn’t work well as a leading line for a fair-skinned lady; unless it’s the traffic cone you want to draw attention to. Look around and if you do find something that compliments the photo compose it into your photo. In your travel photos, give Leading Lines a try. You’ll start noticing a depth to your pictures which makes you feel you could walk right into the scene.

Give Leading Lines a try next time you’re out snapping photos. You might come home with a $64,000 photo.

Sometimes Ya Feel Like A Nut

SOMEBODY'S GOTTA CONTROL THESE SNAKES

It's another one of those days where I just don't feel like composing a long post and worrying about all the stuff the experts say ya gotta do on a blog.

I found this photo of me on my cell-phone and emailed it to myself so I could share it with you.

It's from one of those days I felt like a nut and had an accomplice snap the shot of me.

Yup, that's me. I'm a little more scrawny than what the picture shows. In fact, I just noticed:

THERE'S THREE HANDS IN THE PICTURE !

Maybe four hands, if ya look real close. Anyway, the skinny little hand in the lower part of the frame, that'd be mine. When I squatted down behind the cutout to stick my handsome face in there for the picture and my knees groaned and cracked, I didn't want to fall over so I had to hang on to something.

They have these hilarious things you can pose behind at lots of tourist traps in Japan. So, if you're into photography, don't let a rainy or cloudy day ruin your photographic experience. Hunt some of these cutouts down and get someone to act like a nut and pose for you.

Maybe, I'll start making a collection of them. I'll try and get some better looking models.

UNLESS NOBODY'S AVAILABLE OR I FEEL LIKE A NUT AGAIN !

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

September Already ? What a week !

THIS PHOTO HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS STORY

I just felt like putting something here to fill up the space and I kinda liked the way this shot turned out.

It was made Sunday, August 29th near the end of a pretty trying Festival and I complained about it in a post a few days ago.

The rest of the photos are still waiting to be developed.

What a week it's been. And I just realized it's September. Where the heck did the Summer go?  It'll be Xmas soon!

Already this week, lets see:
1. I broke a toe.
2. A typhoon sneaked up on us.
3. I had to go get tortured by Immigrations. 
4. A few 100 photos are waiting for me to develop them. 
5. And, it turned into September ?

Good news, I've got plenty, though.  I'm a little behind schedule so, there wasn't time for me to take a shot of my swollen bigtoe to show everybody what a busted toe looks like. Instead, you get to see these girls standing in the ocean. There's a story coming outa that. Patience.

The typhoon, supposedly with 140mph winds didn't hit my village too hard, maybe 50mph, max.

Immigrations was a blast today. I actually enjoyed it. Got there just after lunch, around 1PM and was the only foreigner in the place. It's a brand new building and air conditioned. The best part: Some young Immigrations Officer actually helped me with the krazillion forms I had to fill out.

We only went back 15 years, or so filling out all the forms about where I've been and what I've been doing. Cool !  My not so brilliant ancient history ain't being taken into consideration any more, I guess.

Trust me. I've never been a hardened criminal, just stupid, alot, in my younger years.

On one form you have to write WHY YOU WANT TO STAY IN JAPAN. So, I tell the guy, "I have a Wife and ten Japanese Grandkids, that's why".  He says, "Write that down. That sounds good."

Normally, I get a Visa, only good for three years. This time he had me apply for a three year and a PERMANENT VISA.  If I get that, I NEVER HAVE TO VISIT IMMIGRATIONS AGAIN !

Still, I can't believe it's September already. Stores are already displaying Halloween stuff on the sheves down in the big cities. Next thing ya know, it'll be Xmas.

So, I'd better get busy, start growing my beard and fatten up; I'll be Santa in a few months. Maybe my Visa will be ready by then. It can take six months of investigation. I don't care. If they give me a Permanent Visa, I'LL PLAY EASTER BUNNY FOR THEM !