life more beautiful

I have migrated to Medium.com

2016-12-01T10:21:00.003+08:00

Hi there! Thanks for popping by my blog. My new blog is now on Medium.com. https://medium.com/@linzhaowei It's a far better blogging platform for photography and is really easy to use. Do check it out if you would like to see more of my work. Thanks again and have a great day. Best, Zhaowei

2013 Instagram retrospective

2014-02-05T01:42:00.001+08:00

How Instagram has reinvigorated my photography

2013-08-15T19:43:00.000+08:00

The main reason why most blogs die off is the lack of an audience. By that count, it's a wonder I've kept this blog going for so long... (albeit with rather infrequent updates)

Fortunately, I love photography enough to keep going!

Of course, even the deepest well will run dry some day, so I recently sought to find better ways of sharing my photography. I first tried porting this entire blog over to Tumblr because it has social network functionality built-in, and then discovered to my disappointment its lack of SEO. This blog completely trumps it, and I suspect Google's ownership of Blogger has to do with it too.

I considered making better use of Flickr, where I already have an account, but even with the recent upgraded interface and 1TB of storage, I feel reluctant to put too much energy into a platform that doesn't seem to be drawing in new users. It didn't help that their app isn't available in my region for my iPod Touch 5, my main media sharing and consumption device. (I use a Blackberry Z10 as my main communications device)

Then came Instagram. I was actually asked by my wife to set up an account so I can follow and "like" her photos on the service. I dutifully did so and ignored the platform for a while, until the start of July.

I can't remember why I started taking an interest in the first place, but since then I've been a very active member of the community. Initially, I didn't have any specific goal for the platform. I thought of it as an extension of my current photo sharing on Facebook, Blogger and Tumblr.

Actually, this isn't my first posting on Instagram. The real original has been cleared out because it was a random shot that doesn't quite merit the real estate!

But after I started exploring the platform further, I started to see its potential as my main platform for sharing photos. Firstly, it doesn't require me to write much. While I do enjoy writing, it is time-consuming and takes time away from the main purpose of my blog -- photography. Secondly, there is an active community on the platform who are engaged and always exploring new content. Thirdly, you do get a lot of feedback in the form of 'likes' and comments, though people are unlikely to give any criticism.

After a couple of weeks, I realised that I needed to decide on a theme for my gallery, as some of the very popular ones do. With my background in journalism and my own interest in street photography, black and white seemed to be the obvious choice. I chose to use sepia toning because I feel it adds another layer of emotion to the pictures.

Here are some of my most popular shots as of now:

I have to admit there are several pitfalls to this platform:

A glut of poor photos, in terms of subject matter -- selfies and animal shots, anyone? -- and in terms of processing -- from the flat and underprocessed to the over-compression of tones and over-enthusiastic use of HDR;
The misuse of hashtags, which makes it harder to discover content you are looking for. For example, why do colour photos often show up when you search #blackandwhite?
A glut of narcissistic, self-promoting users who have no real interest in photography.

Often, there is a combination of the three. And it is somewhat demoralising to me that some of these users appear to be quite popular. There also appear to be many spam follower accounts that are created by hackers for profit. I have chanced upon forums that discuss this openly.

Nonetheless, I still see great value in using Instagram. In many ways it has reinvigorated my photo processing. I'm scouring over my old photos to seek out the gems -- especially those that are good for B&W conversion (I use Silver Efex Pro 2). I'm posting very frequently -- twice a day on most days. And in the process, I have revived plans for the ultimate amateur photographer's vanity project -- a proper portfolio website. I've barely started on it, but it's already a huge step forward!

It's been a tiring few weeks but it certain feels worthwhile.

With every additional 'like' or 'follower', I feel more motivated to continue uploading my pictures. I have hit 100 followers about 5 weeks into using the platform, and I have set a target of attracting at least a thousand 'real' followers, i.e. actual lovers of photography and not spam bot accounts. It will probably take me many months to get there, if at all. But it is a challenge I'm looking forward to!

I'm thinking of featuring some of my favourite Instagram streams on this blog, so stay tuned!

Hotel Musashiya at Hakone (1)

2013-07-09T12:46:00.001+08:00

Was in Hakone, Japan, recently for a short holiday, and I stayed two nights in a ryokan with a 145-year history. The deco was decidedly old-school, but it was cosy, the service staff was friendly and the food was great. I like this type of ryokan because they just feel more authentic to me.

The view from their open air onsen on the top floor (5th storey) was great too, as it faces Lake Ashi.

Official website (Japanese only):
http://6348.info/

English website (Japanican):
http://www.japanican.com/hotels/shisetsudetail.aspx?st=4321003

More to come…

This blog will continue to be updated

2013-07-09T12:41:00.001+08:00

After struggling to make my Tumblr searchable to Google for the past week, I have decided it’s still not the time to stop updating this blog. So it shall live on!

Final post

2013-07-02T22:18:00.000+08:00

I have decided to move my blog to my Tumblr, as I find it much easier to use. I will still keep this blog online, until Google decides to shut down Blogger. Thanks to everyone who has visited this blog in the last five years! I hope you have found something interesting here. Cheers! Zhaowei

Rock Bar at Ayana Resort, Bali

2013-03-08T16:32:00.001+08:00

THE NIGHT IS STILL YOUNG: Partying till the sun goes down at Ayana Resort’s Rock Bar, which as the name suggests, rests on rocks jutting out into the sea. A wonderful place to enjoy an apertif and see the sunset before retreating to one of the resort restaurants for a sumptuous dinner.

Love this place, I really have to go back again soon.

A reminder to exercise more

2012-11-27T03:57:00.001+08:00

Was hanging around Marina Bay Sands mall while waiting for a late evening appointment last weekend, and decided to sit outside the mall at the promenade facing the bay, where it’s quiet and breezy.

I’d just found my spot and started reading a book I’d just bought from Kinokuniya when a woman cycled through and shouted to people walking about, “Please move to the side! Please move to the side!” I was wondering what the fuss was about, until a couple of people wearing number tags ran past me. I thought, nah, just a few runners, and continued sitting there and reading my book.

About five minutes later, more and more runners ran past me. I started getting a little comfortable. It was impossible to read with sweating people running past you every few seconds. Then the runners started turning up in packs. I knew it was time to move.

Trying to make the best of the situation, I decided to take out my camera and take some shots of the runners. Admittedly, the route they were running on was very poorly lit – I’m not sure how the organisers got away with that – which made it impossible to shoot on anything lower than ISO 6400. But the X-Pro 1 has great ISO performance, and coupled with the bright lights from the mall and hotel blocks, I managed to snap a few shots.

EVENING JOG: The buggers who disturbed my peace. Well at least they made me get up and take some photos. I later found out that it was called Run Happy Singapore 2012, a rather peculiar turn of phrase. Never understood why anyone would pay to run on public property though.

Which reminds me, it has been 5 years since I went for a long run. I took part in the Army Half-marathon in 2007, which I’d taken months to prepare for. It was quite a unique (and may I add, healthy) experience. My friends and I didn’t sign up though – we just joined in as unregistered participants. As I mentioned above, I always thought it was silly to pay to take part in a run. Unless of course, the money goes to a charitable cause.

These days, I find it hard to even go for a short jog. I really should start doing so…

First try at Photo-stitching

2012-10-18T22:11:00.001+08:00

I have read about how it is possible to create ultra-high resolution images by stitching many images together previously, but I didn’t try it out because I didn’t have Photoshop or other similar imaging software. (My main imaging tool has been Nikon’s Capture NX 2.

Recently, I installed a demo version of Adobe Photoshop Elements 11, which comes with Adobe’s Photomerge tool, an automated photo-stitching function. You may watch a tutorial video by Adobe here, but all you really need is a bit of common sense.

PANORAMAS WITH A 90MM LENS? No problem! With Adobe’s excellent Photomerge, you can create 60-megapixel panoramic images like this quite easily!

So I found myself at Kumamoto Castle in Japan’s Kyushu island today, and found the perfect vantage point to take a wide-angle shot of the main castle building. The problem is, with my current Fujifilm X-Pro1 camera, I didn’t have a lens that was of the right focal length to get the perfect framing – the 18mm f2 (28mm equivalent on 35mm film) is too wide, and 60mm f2.4 (90mm equivalent) is too long.

Here’s what the 18mm can take in one shot:

Here’s the most the 60mm can capture in one shot:

This is what I took using 60mm and the X-Pro1’s built-in panoramic feature, which requires you to slowly pan across the scene in one direction (the direction must be specified beforehand):

It took me quite a few tries to get the right shot, as any shaking during the panning could spoil the stitching. Useful in a pinch, but I was hoping for something a little more fool-proof, and a method that allows me to save the images in RAW format.

Then I remember the photo-stitching technique, which I had read about a long while back, and now that my Photoshop Elements trial is still valid for another 12 days, I might as well give Photomerge a go. And given that the 60mm has much better edge-to-edge sharpness, I chose to use it for this experiment.

Here’s roughly how the images stack up:

I didn’t have a panning tripod with me (have stopped travelling with those things since 2009), so the images weren’t taken in exact straight lines. But the software is intelligent enough to match them according to the overlapping areas. Nifty.

Think I might buy the full retail version of Photoshop Elements for this feature alone. The software is also great for DNG processing and has other minor editing functions I could use, such as creating montages and adding text to images.

Hope this helps you get on the stitching bandwagon!

Just a warning though; stitching is extremely CPU-intensive so do try it on a higher-spec machine. My Thinkpad X201 Tablet with the Intel i7-620LM processor and 8GB RAM struggled a little with the stitching, taking about five minutes for the process (admittedly, I lost track of time while waiting). The final TIFF output using JPG files as source was almost 200MB big. I wouldn’t recommend trying Photomerge with anything less powerful!

Fujifilm X-Pro1 – My best camera yet!

2012-10-10T01:43:00.001+08:00

I had been uninspired for the longest time, which to some extent explains the lack of updates here in recent months.

Sometimes, it really does take a new toy to reignite your passion for a hobby.

For me, it’s the Fujifilm X-Pro1 – a camera I had long considered out of my budget (despite my spendthrift tendencies), and with a sluggish AF, didn’t seem to worth the money. But it came into my radar again after I read that the latest firmware version has raised the AF speed to more acceptable levels.

Given that film was getting way too expensive to use, and that I felt the Ricoh GXR system has offered little to look forward to with no new lenses in the horizon, I decided to sell off all my existing camera gear on the local online photography forum Clubsnap to fund my transition to Fujifilm.

And I am so glad I did.

READY FOR PRIMETIME: My fully accessorised Fujifilm X-Pro1.

I chose the 18mm f2 and 60mm f2.4 to replicate my favourite lenses in my Nikon/Ricoh setup. The image quality of the 60mm is just stellar, and I daresay it rivals my Zeiss ZF 100mm f2 Makro-Planar. I intend to use it mainly for portraits, street photography and flowers, just as I did with my first “pro” lens, the Nikon AFS Micro-Nikkor 60mm f2.8. The 18mm, being wider, is great for general photography, and it's quite compact too. It's not as sharp as the 60mm, but sharpness isn't everything.

Well, I couldn't just stop there – the X-Pro1 is such a gorgeous camera and it deserves the right accessories to bring out its best. After endless hours of research online and a trip to the usual camera shops in Singapore, I finally managed to put together my ideal set of accessories for the camera.

My final set-up:
Strap: Artisan & Artist ACAM 301 Silk Cord Strap (link here)
Case: Leicatime custom leather half-case with built-in grip (link here)
Soft Release: From Decamera Consultant (link here)

I wanted a case that can protect the back of the camera – which is the point of having a case in the first place. This is where most of the common options, such as the cases from Gariz and Zelenpol, fail terribly, because they offer zero protection. They are nothing more than fashion accessories!

At the end of the day, the Leicatime cases, while expensive, are possibly the best you can get for the camera. Besides having a back cover, it comes with a built-in grip which greatly enhances the ergonomics of the camera. In addition, you can customise it by choosing the colour, case type (half case or full case) and add on various options such as a battery door and a deluxe strap. The leather smells great too. I went with black because it goes well with the red strap I'd bought.

LUSH LEATHER: Luigi Crescenzi’s hand-made cases are probably the best you can get for your Fujifilm and Leica cameras! If you have already invested so much in your gear, you should not be stingy about getting the best cases for them.

The Artisan and Artist strap looks rather "funny" initially, as it's round and not flat like the straps most shooters are used to. But the design lends itself well to wrapping around the hand, as the product page linked above shows.

And I go around telling people I'm using the same strap as what samurai used to tie their swords to their belts in the Tokugawa period. It’s true!

SAMURAI SILK: Just like the camera, this was made in Japan, which for me is a mark of quality assurance.

I had initially bought a Tom Abrahamsson soft release for the camera, but Mr Philip Tay from Decamera Consultant (from whom I'd bought the A&A strap) pointed out that it was too high for the camera. That was exactly what bothered me about the Tom Abrahamsson – it’s a pretty little nub but it feels a little ill-fitting. The custom-made soft release sold by Mr Tay, however, has a much lower profile, screws in all the way and looks as if it is part of the camera. Mr Tay ships overseas as well, so do contact him if you want to get one! I can’t recommend it enough.

I’ve already brought the camera out a few times, and the image quality has been nothing short of impressive. The hybrid viewfinder – one of the camera’s key selling points – is a joy to use. I even feel a little guilty for not missing my Nikon and Ricoh gear at all.

In addition to the X-Pro1, I’ve also started experimenting with Nik Software’s Color Efex Pro 4 and Silver Efex Pro 2 plug-ins. The results have been very encouraging so far. In fact, the photos you see here were taken by a low-end Fujifilm J15fd compact camera, and touched up using Color Efex Pro. I’ve already bought the Nik Software Complete Collection (download version), as it is cheaper than buying the Color Efex and Silver Efex separately, The other products in the package are like a bonus, and I will probably take them for a spin at some point.

Interesting times ahead! I’m headed to Japan for a two-week holiday this weekend, and I can’t wait to take some shots with my latest rig.

THANK YOU, LUIGI

Quick Note: Lotus Traveler works with Blackberry's Playbook!!

2012-09-12T20:24:00.001+08:00

It seems everyone is using either a iOS or Android device these days. So much so that my company will be dropping support for its Blackberry Enterprise Server by February next year. As we use Lotus Notes as our email platform, this means we will have to rely on email forwarding.

Not an issue for me, since I've been using forwarding instead of BES since I got my first Blackberry in 2010.

However, as part of a new system for filing Breaking News stories, our writers will need to use Lotus Traveler to send in their write-ups for our website. This creates a problem for those who simply do not want to use iOS or Android devices, especially since the company does not pay for them (well, at least not yet).

I was quite disappointed by this, and a subsequent email to the IT support department drew no response. So short of complaining to the higher-ups, I decided to go seek my own solution.

It turns out that while IBM does not officially support the Blackberry Playbook for its Lotus Traveler platform, there is a work-around.

Blackberry Playbook to my rescue. Photo: Research in Motion

Here are the steps required:

1. Set up Lotus Traveler access for your email account; you will need to check with your IT department for this.

2. Once that is done, go to the Accounts tab under your Playbook's settings, and choose Add New Account.

3. Choose Email, Calendar and Contacts, and then tap on the Advanced Setup tab.

4. Choose Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync (I'm not sure why this works).

5. Give your account a description, leave Domain blank and fill in the Username, Email Address and Password slots.

6. The last item, Server Address, is the tricky one. In general, it should be (server URL)/servlet/traveler. The server URL is the same as what's used by iOS and Android in your IT department's setup instructions for those users. So in my case, to give an example, I typed in something similar to pushmail.xxxx.com.xx/servlet/traveler.

And that's basically it.

I'm relieved that I found a solution, and that the Playbook has proven useful once again even though it's hardly the most popular tablet device around.

Hope this mini-guide helps you too.

Thanks to Gray on the Crackberry forums for his guide.

Singapore’s new concrete jungle

2012-07-27T22:42:00.001+08:00

Like many other Singaporeans, I lament the lack of interesting places to go on my days off work. But with the opening of the Bay South Gardens last month, there is a new place to check out.

As with any new national attraction, the park was flooded with visitors in the first days after its opening. Naturally, I avoided the place the first couple of weeks. But earlier this week, a couple of university friends wanted to meet there for dinner. As I finished work early, I went down two hours ahead of time for a little walk (in spite of the heat and humidity).

A BREATH OF FRESH AIR: A jogger at the Gardens, with the Supertree Grove in the background. Seen in the distant background are the Marina Bay Sands and Singapore Flyer.

GARDENS IN A GARDEN: Besides the iconic Supertrees, the park hosts two conservatories – the Flower Dome which has plants from the Mediterranean and subtropical region, and the Cloud Forest which has plants from the mountains.

MOTHER TREES: The 18 Supertrees measure between 25 to 50 metres high. There will be over 162,900 plants from 200 species and varieties of bromeliads, orchids, ferns and tropical flowering climbers on them.

UP IN THE TREES: I think the $5 entrance free to the OCBC Skywalk is probably more worth your money than the $32 for the Singapore Flyer.

SUNSET BAY: The sun disappears behind the Marina Bay Sands in the evening.

SKYWALKERS: The 128-metre long OCBC Skywalk lets you get a little closer to the treetops.

MOON SHINE: Not a bad place for a date, I’d say!

GIANT LANTERNS: The trees lighting up the Gardens at night. Visitors can watch a short light and music display called the OCBC Rhapsody at 7.45pm and 8.45pm every night. Curious point: The voice-over is American-accented and the music was the new-age type, without any Singaporean flavour.

I think the park is a great addition to Singapore’s downtown landscape; and unlike the Marina Barrage it is easily accessible by the MRT Circle Line – it is just minutes from the Bay Sands station.

Just an observation though – some of the plants in the park seem to be withering. I’m not sure if it’s a lack of care or just bad weather, but it leaves a bad impression.

L’Arc-en-Ciel in Singapore

2012-05-05T20:51:00.001+08:00

Japanese rock band L’Arc-en-Ciel, or Laruku in short, is probably the only band I’ve followed over the years.

I first got hooked on their music when I heard their theme song for the popular anime series Rurouni Kenshin back in the late 1990s, when it was shown on TV. I was still in secondary school then, and I must have heard it through an online download, because from what I understand, it was used as a theme song only for a short run due to a drugs problem with the former drummer.

At the time, Japanese popular culture (dramas, anime and music) was all the rage in Singapore, and Laruku’s songs were regularly played on the Japanese music segments on the Chinese radio stations. It was also the time when HMV was the multi-storey anchor tenant at the Heeren Shops in Orchard Road, and Japanese artistes had a major section on the third storey devoted to their music, with many listening stations featuring the latest albums. (Today, there is only one shelf of Japanese music in HMV’s single-storey premises at Somerset 313.)

It was also the time when people still burnt CDs to listen on their discmans. For me, L’Arc-en-Ciel became an important part of my memories of my time in junior college, as a CD with 13 of their songs provided my study music for the all-important A-level examinations. (With mp3s having taken over space-constrained CDs now, such a small set of songs probably seems unimaginable)

The atmosphere was electrifying throughout the concert! A great setlist (though like all fans, I wished they played more songs), a smooth, near-perfect delivery by frontman hyde and a very obliging audience made it a night to remember.

So when I heard that they were coming to perform in Singapore during their 2012 concert tour earlier this year, I had no doubts about going for it.

It was a rather fortuitous how I learnt of their tour stop here and found the people to go with. It was at a press conference at Raffles Hotel, held by the Singapore Institute of Technology, which I attended with two fellow education reporters from Lianhe Zaobao and Channel News Asia, Shihui and Sharon. When I joined them for a chitchat after the event, they were talking about L’Arc-en-Ciel coming to Singapore. I was practically in a state of disbelief, and I remember I kept going: “Wow, they are coming to Singapore?”

Soon we were hatching plans to attend the show together. We signed up for updates from the official tour website, and on the day of early-bird online ticket sales, all of us logged on to the sales site precisely at 9am in a bid to buy the best seats possible. In the end, we got row 8 seats in the centre bloc. A little disappointed initially, but hey, we could have done worse!

(As a side note, I have to thank the girls for making me wake up early for the ticket purchase. I didn’t expect so much competition for the best seats!)

So how was the concert, held on April 28? My thoughts are well-summarised in a review I wrote for my newspaper The Straits Times. It has been kindly scanned by the L’Arc-en-Ciel Singapore Street Team, an informal fan group here, and posted on their Facebook page. (You may view the scans here (Part 1) and here (Part 2).)

The shutterbug that I am, of course I couldn’t resist sneaking in a camera to grab a few shots during the concert. I couldn’t quite get tighter shots of each of the band members even from the eighth row, as the longest focal length for my Ricoh GXR A16 lens unit is 85mm, but it didn’t really matter. I was there to experience and enjoy L’Arc-en-Ciel’s first-ever live concert in Singapore, and photography could wait for a night.

It may be many years before they return to Singapore again. But as I mentioned in my review, fans now have a night to talk about for some time to come. Till then…

Labrador Park

2012-04-09T07:39:00.001+08:00

I visit parks less often than I would like to, but some time last month, I decided to brave the heat and humidity for the first time in a while to get away from the usual mall crawling.

This time, I chose to go to Labrador Park, which is now easily accessible via its very own MRT station on the Circle Line. I had gone for a little gathering at a colleague’s place just a stone’s throw away a couple of weeks before, so somehow it was the natural choice for this outing.

The weather was quite hot that evening, but at least there was a slight breeze to moderate the heat. Not many people were at the park even though it was the weekend, thankfully, which made the walk quite a pleasant one.

I’M GONNA GET YOU: An angler casting his line into the sea as the sun sets. (Admittedly, the sunset colours don’t quite come out in black and white photography.)

Photos taken with the Nikon F6 and Kodak T-max 400 film, using the Nikkor AIS 24mm f2 and Carl Zeiss 100mm f2 ZF lenses.

LONGING: Very happy with this portrait of Joanne, taken at the fence close to the jetty, which is currently out of bounds to the public. I like the shot right from the film scan, but I applied a bit of softening to give it a glow and a dose of timelessness.

FAMILY PICNIC: There were several families having a little evening picnic at the park. There are also a few barbeque pits for those inclined towards cooking their own food.

MAN AND GRANDSON: There was a nice breeze that evening. Great weather to admire the sunset from the railing.

PHOTOGRAPHER COUPLE: There were many lone photographers shooting the sunset at the jetty, but also this husband-and-wife team. (at least it seemed like they were a married couple) Warms the heart to see couples enjoy their hobbies together like this.

WAITING FOR THE CATCH: Two of them were playing with their smartphones as they wait for the lines to shake. In a way, mobile technology has made many experiences less social than they used to be. (of course it has its benefits too)

SPOON MARKS THE SPOT: A plastic disposable spoon to mark out (or “chope”)the perfect fishing spot? Never really found out what it was for.

More to come…

A little bit of Mosaic

2012-03-17T13:53:00.001+08:00

Was wondering what to do last Sunday, so I checked out the Esplanade website for some ideas. So it happens, the annual Mosaic Music Festival is on, and there are many free performances at the venue.

Incidentally, I’d found a very decent offer for a second-hand Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T* 2/100 lens on a local photography forum, and bought it just before heading down to the Esplanade.

Armed with my latest acquisition (I’d added the Nikkor AIS 24mm f2 just the week before too), I took some photos of the performances at the cosy HTC Living Room, a free venue, while enjoying the music at the same time.

I hadn’t been shooting gigs for quite a while (not since the Brown Eyed Girls in 2010 and a mini J-rock concert in 2009), but I think I might get started on doing more of this…

Nicholas Tan of jazz sextet V-v-v-voyager in his element at the HTC Living Room. The group is one of the few groups under the "Bright Young Things” programme to mentor young jazz musicians in Singapore.

Spruce Teo on the saxophone. He seemed quite uncomfortable on stage, as he kept looking at the lead vocalist. On another note, why do girls find saxophonists sexy? I always thought bassists are cooler.

Deborah Jean Lee of the Black Shirts, also from the “Bright Young Things” programme

Ong Shi Chun of the Black Shirts doing a trumpet solo

Nicholas Lee and Marcus Szeto of the Black Shirts on the guitar and bass. Yes, they all wore black shirts that day.

A change of pace in the evening, with the Murder Mouse Blues Band from Australia taking the stage. As you can see, the seats at the HTC Living Room are actually just bean bags. I would like to have a bean bag living room next time too!

A little bit of showmanship from Jon Edwards, who played the banjo, acoustic and electric guitars.

Vocalist Adam Morris is the least animated of the three band members (and thus the hardest to shoot), but hey, every musician has his own way of enjoying himself.

Warren Hall on drums

More to come!

On a side note, I will be watching British band elbow at the closing concert tomorrow. Only the cheapest tickets were available by the time I went to book, but I’m sure the music will make up for the poor view. Looking forward to it!

The Kyoto shrine I almost missed (again)

2012-03-05T23:36:00.001+08:00

My first trip to Japan’s cultural capital was in the autumn of 2007. After a friend encouraged me to do more with my time in Japan, I packed my bags, took a week of absence from university exchange classes and headed off to Kyoto on a cheap night bus for my first major trip of my one-year stay.

My guide book then was a book about viewing cherry blossoms and autumn foliage in Kyoto, and it included several classic walking trails, including one to Kinkakuji (金閣寺) and Ryoanji (龍安寺), another to Kiyomizudera (清水寺), and others to less well-known destinations such as Kurama (鞍馬). I thoroughly enjoyed that trip, and on my second visit there in February 2008, I revisited many of the same places.

Bathe me in luscious red and orange

So when I visited Kyoto again in February 2012 – this time with my family and my girlfriend – I’d planned to stick to my tried and tested itineraries. But my independent-minded sister insisted on going to the Fushimi-Inari Taisha (伏見稲荷大社). Who was she (someone who’d only been to Japan once) to tell me (with many trips within Japan under my belt) where to go?

So before the day when we were to split up, I decided to do some research. As I found, the Fushimi-Inari Taisha was built in 911AD, and it worships Inari-san, the rice gods. The main shrine itself, typically beautiful like other major shrines, is nothing to boast about. It is the mountain trails lined with seemingly-endless red torii gates at the back of the main shrine which truly impresses.

In a nutshell: If you are amazed by the “floating” torii of Miyajima in Hiroshima prefecture, you are likely to fall in love with Fushimi-Inari Taisha.

Needless to say, I backpedalled on my insistence on going elsewhere and the whole gang went to the shrine the following day.

More info about the shrine in English here and here, and the official Japanese website is here.

(All photos taken on Fujifilm Provia 400X, using the Nikon F6 and AIS 35mm f1.4 lens.)

DRESSED FOR THE OCCASION: The entrance to the shrine is right in front of Fushimi Inari Taisha station on the JR Nara line.

IN SESSION: Devotees praying at the main shrine. There were many others seated inside, presumably for a Shinto ritual.

RED DREAMS: In keeping with the torii gate motif, the wish tablets are also made in the same design. On hindsight, maybe I should have bought one back as a souvenir.

FOXY HOPES: Further up the mountain trail, there are also ones made like this. The fox is believed to be a guardian or messenger for the rice gods. Some of the fox “faces” are quite hilarious.

WHEEL ME UP: I thought it was quite heartening that those in wheelchairs can experience the magic of going through the red torii gates at Fushimi Inari Taisha. The early part of the mountain trail is on relatively flat ground.

TOMBS ENSHRINED: Just about 40min or so up the mountain trail, we hit a rest area with some tombs, probably on very expensive rented space. The torii gate and fox motifs, unsurprisingly, are also seen on many of the tombs.

BREEZY WALK DOWN: As we didn’t have enough time, Joanne and I turned back towards the main shrine entrance. There was a different route down, where the gates were more sparse. But it was a refreshing walk because there were much less people here.

CHOOSE YOUR GOD: There were several smaller shrines on the way down, and a number of them have their share of devotees.

SAME GATES, LESS RED: To be honest, I couldn’t tell if these were tombs or small gods. Perhaps it’s mix of both. A communion of the dead and the holy.

MY MUM AND I: It was a family trip, and this was the picture I was most happy with at the end of the day. J took this wonderful shot.

Incidentally, I spotted the March 2012 issue of Nikkei’s lifestyle magazine Otona no Off (おとなのOFF) in a bookstore, and it featured the shrine on its cover, as the theme for that issue was Shinto religion and shrines. The beautiful cover aside, I bought a copy to learn more about the fascinating topic.

After this visit, the shrine is now in my must-go list for my future visits to Kyoto. I think it would be quite a sight especially when it is snowing.

Why are Japanese kids so cute?

2012-02-20T04:47:00.001+08:00

Case in point:

Elmo and brother, spotted near the exit of Kyoto’s Kinkakuji temple

And this:

This was taken before the previous picture…

And the secret to them smiling and posing for the camera was this:

The lady on the left is their very friendly and obliging mother, who was waving a lollipop so her children would look in the right direction!

Some people suggested that it’s what they wear, but I think it’s something more than that. An eternal mystery to me… perhaps until they start climbing over my head and break the spell…

(Photos taken on Nikon F6 with the Nikkor AI-S 35mm f1.4, on Provia 400X slide film)

My 2011 in pictures

2012-01-16T05:19:00.001+08:00

2011 was certainly an eventful year, but I still can’t say for sure if I could call it a good year.

Work-wise, it was by far the toughest year since I started work. Had to deal with the disappointment and anguish of not getting the reports when I went to Japan to cover the March 11 disasters. Tougher though, was coping with the change to local news reporting, which has made work-life a little more colourful but infinitely more stressful. (I’m still debating if it was the right move)

PICTURE OF THE YEAR: The Workers’ Party’s historic capture of a GRC at the May 7 General Election is easily one of the biggest events of the year, and I had the privilege of witnessing and capturing the electrifying atmosphere that night. The real bonus was submitting it to my paper’s photo desk and having it selected for our front-page the following day. It doesn’t get bigger than that for me.

On the other hand, I think little has changed in terms of my personal life. Still dating the same (wonderful) Joanne, still hanging out with the same friends. Went on two holidays – both of which were to places I have visited before (Hong Kong and Tohoku, Japan).

As with the previous couple of years, I guess the bright spots are the good photos I managed to take during the course of the year. The May 7 General Election was arguably the biggest event of the year in Singapore – not just because of the result but also the socio-political changes it brought on, and I was glad I used my time off work to visit the various rallies, as well as the results announcement at Serangoon Stadium.

Other memorable photos include those taken on a train trip to Johor from the now-defunct Tanjong Pagar Railway station, visits to Chinatown, and my vacation shots of the summer festivals in Tohoku.

This was also the year I renewed my interest in film photography. My Nikon F6 has gone out with me a lot more this year, with the manual focus AIS 35mm f1.4 its constant companion. I even used it to shoot the Tohoku night festival events with film, even though my Nikon D7000 would have been a much more practical travel companion given the lighting conditions.

Oh I must add too, that last year was probably the most active blogging year I had.

Here’s a better year ahead!

JANUARY: SHOPPING AND EATING IN HONG KONG

PICTURE OF THE MONTH: Devotees paying respects at the Great Buddha on Hong Kong’s Lantau Island. More pictures and thoughts about the January Hong Kong trip here and here.

MEAL OF THE MONTH: Breakfast of congee at Lau Fu Kee in Hong Kong’s Central area. The fried fritters (you tiao) were bought from a shop at the back alley.

FEBRUARY: BANANAS, AND MY FIRST VALENTINE’S WITH JOANNE

PICTURE OF THE MONTH: My ‘banana watch’, which I’d bought in June 2010 as a birthday present for myself. More about bananas here.

MEAL OF THE MONTH: Valentine’s dinner at Forlino’s. Wanted to have something special for our first valentine’s, and after some searching on the Internet I settled for this one. More on that meal here. (it was one of the most read posts for a while!)

MARCH: REPORTING IN JAPAN, AFTER MAR 11 DISASTERS

PICTURE OF THE MONTH: Talk the March 11 triple disasters to most people, and they would invariably think about those incredible images of the destruction along the east coast – of huge fishing boats washed ashore, cars washed away by the waters, weeping victims searching for their lost kin and friends… But this image, taken at Sendai’s city office made an impression on me because it shows that in the worse of times, the Japanese continue to remain stoic, and diligent in sorting their rubbish. More pictures here, here and here.

MEAL OF THE MONTH: Lunch at Hatched, an egg specialist restaurant at Evans Road. Went for this just three days before the Japan disasters. Reminds me of how fast change can come in life.

APRIL: RECOVERY FROM JAPAN, BY EXPLORING SINGAPORE

PICTURE OF THE MONTH: An old couple taking a morning stroll in Ang Mo Kio Town West Park. More pictures from my jaunt here.

MEAL OF THE MONTH: Remembered not so much for the food, but for a pleasant day out with Joanne. Brunch at PS Cafe on Ann Siang Hill, on a beautiful Sunday.

BONUS PICTURE: Komodo dragon at the Singapore Zoo. I’d brought film of the wrong speed for this outing (Portra 160VC), which made picture taking a real challenge. Very happy to get a good shot of the great lizard, as it moves very slowly.

MAY: ELECTION FEVER, AND THE PINKBERRY

The picture of the month was the picture of the year, at the top of this post. ;) More pictures of the elections here.

MEAL OF THE MONTH: Dinner at Caffe B, at Marina Bay Sands on Joanne’s birthday, before we went for the Lion King musical.

BONUS PICTURE: Joanne’s birthday present, the Pinkberry! See it in all its glory here.

JUNE: TANJONG PAGAR RAILWAY STATION CLOSES

PICTURE OF THE MONTH: The closing of the Tanjong Pagar Railway station was another historic event in Singapore last year. One of the positives, I thought, was that it made many people who would never have taken the train try it out, just for the novelty factor. I was one of the many who did, and it was interesting to see a different side of Singapore from the train tracks. More pictures here and here.

MEAL OF THE MONTH: My birthday dinner of Japanese oden at Sandaime Bunji, Millenia Walk. Great food, great ambience.

JULY: A NEW PLACE TO CUT MY HAIR, AND HELLO AGAIN, TOKYO!

PICTURE OF THE MONTH: A boutique at Tokyo’s swanky Daikanyama district. This area is a great place to shop for stylist clothes and accessories – if you are willing to splash the cash.

MEAL OF THE MONTH: A tomato set lunch at specialty restaurant Celeb de TOMATO in Daikanyama district. It comes with a soup/salad, a main like the risotto here, tomato-flavoured bread and tomato-based dessert. Can’t wait to revisit!

BONUS PICTURE: My hairstylist Lily Xu at the official opening of her salon, Icon Shunji Matsuo by Lily Xu. She is just a year younger than me, and yet she’s already her own boss. I’ve been a customer for the past 6 years and I won’t go to anyone else for a cut.

AUGUST: TOHOKU SUMMER

PICTURE OF THE MONTH: This little boy was talking excitedly almost non-stop to his parents on the train towards Aomori. More about the city’s Nebuta festival here, here and here.

PICTURE OF THE MONTH (RUNNER-UP): There were so many pictures I liked that I have to slot in a runner-up just for this month. This was taken at Hirosaki’s Neputa festival. More about Hirosaki here, here and here.

MEAL OF THE MONTH: Tea at HIrosaki’s Manchan, the oldest coffee house in the Tohoku region. More about the shop here.

SEPTEMBER: A FAMOUS MANGA-KA IN TOWN, AND WANGZ!

PICTURE OF THE MONTH: Renowned Japanese manga artist Yoshihiro Tatsumi helping to clear the table as he prepares to sign autographs at Kinokuniya, Ngee Ann City. He was in town to plug Eric Khoo’s animated biopic on him.

MEAL OF THE MONTH: Dinner at Nectar, Wangz Hotel in Tiong Bahru. Joanne and I were there for a stay-cation. Of the few such stays we had in 2011, Wangz was the best hotel we tried. The downside, however, was the relatively inaccessible location!

OCTOBER: A WEDDING RECEPTION, AND A 2012 EUROPE TRIP IS DECIDED UPON

Somewhat surprisingly, I didn’t go out and take any photos for the whole of this month. If I recall correctly, this was quite a difficult month at work, as I was still trying to come to grips with the changes to my work and leisure time due to my transfer in July.

There was a positive outcome from the month, though: Together with Joanne’s good friends, I will be heading to Europe for a trip next spring. The decision was made rather abruptly – over coffee after one of the girls’ wedding receptions.

The setting at Studio M’s Take bar was fantastic. We later had coffee at espressamente illy, where someone brought up the possibility of the Europe trip.

NOVEMBER: A TRIP TO THE GARDENS

PICTURE OF THE MONTH: A beautiful stalk (?) of bird of paradise flowers at the Botanic Gardens.

MEAL OF THE MONTH: Brunch at Casa Verde, Botanic Gardens. Their margherita pizza is quite good! But boy do I miss Napoli.

DECEMBER: IAN’S WEDDING

PICTURE OF THE MONTH: Ian and Edwina in their new home, on their wedding day.

MEAL OF THE MONTH: I really ended off the year on a high with this Christmas dinner at BBQ Yakiniku Yazawa. The thinly sliced Japanese misuji (in the background) was heavenly.

Sendai City Office, revisited

2011-11-14T00:23:00.001+08:00

When I was there in March, the Sendai City Office was a shelter for those who had lost their homes, or could not return to their homes following the tsunami and earthquake. (I wrote a litte about it here.)

When I revisited the office in August as part of my stopover in Sendai for the Tanabata festival (posts here and here), it had already been reverted to its original purpose. But the ground floor had been converted into an exhibition area of sorts, with pictures, posters and messages of encouragement from all over Japan.

An old man looking at pictures of various recovery efforts in Miyagi prefecture.

There were several other random visitors like ourselves in the building. Few, however, would have strayed from the festive happenings just outside, at Kotodai Park.

Messages from Nagano prefecture…

Poster on the right with different depictions of the heart symbol – from the Japan Sign Designer Association

Hand in Hand – a message from Odaiba, Tokyo

There were fukinagashi streamers hanging at the entrance of the office. At the information counter you see here, I remember asking for directions and details of the number of people who had evacuated to the city office, back in March.

The long yellow banner is from Kobe city.

Fukinagash streamers i adding some colour to the otherwise rather plain facade of the city office. Back in March, the driveway was packed with military vehicles, which were deployed to the city for relief efforts.

From where I stood as I took the last picture here, we were asked to make the difficult decision whether to turn back to Tokyo or remain in Sendai. Looking back, it was still one of the toughest decisions I had to make in my life.

Sendai Tanabata (2): Outdoor shows

2011-10-25T00:38:00.001+08:00

While the highlight of the Tanabata is definitely the long, flowing Fukinagashi streamers around town that I mentioned here, the festival has in recent times expanded to include outdoor events as well.

There are free musical and cultural performances by groups from Sendai and other parts of Japan, as well as the usual food and games stalls lining the sidewalks, turning the city into one big carnival.

At Kotodai Park, the main venue, you can catch live performances by local music artistes and school groups. There was also a segment where they showcased the Suzume-odori (すずめ踊り, meaning “Sparrow dance”), a part of the annual Aoba Matsuri (青葉まつり), a spring festival. The festival was not held this year because of the March 11 disasters.

A bunch of friendly youngsters at Kotodai Park (勾当台公園), the main venue for the outdoor performances during the Tanabata.

All photos taken with the Nikon F6, with the AFS 24mm f1.4 or AIS 35mm f1.4. I used Kodak Portra 800 and Fujifilm Superia Premium 400 films.

It’s a hot day and wearing the yukata is not cooling enough – the perfect excuse to have a cold beer as you enjoy the festivities.

Others just put a wet towel over their heads, as they watch the performances on stage…

Local artistes singing their hearts out for Sendai.

A star from the 80s?

If you’re tired of standing under the sun, there is a big tent where you can learn how to make parts of the Sendai Tanabata ornaments. The ladies here are making part of the flower ball, which is found at the top of every fukinagashi.

Joanne showing off her handiwork. :)

Visitors may also get slips of paper to write tanzaku, which are short wishes that you can then hang up. The gentleman here is obviously deep in thought about what to write. (I took a while too)

The tanzaku are then hung up on strings tied to bamboo poles.

And of course there are lower strings for kids to tie their tanzaku as well!

There are also three photo booths set up about town by Nikon, where you may take portraits with friends and family.

Hachiko!! My first sighting of a real Akita Inu. This beautiful dog is named Mei, so I’m guessing it’s a ‘she’.

I think Sendai was the right place to end off the vacation. Unlike the previous three festivals we visited during this trip (Hirosaki Neputa, Aomori Nebuta and Akita Kanto), it is mainly a daytime event, and it is not performance-based. We effectively just walked about town, taking in the sights, and watching some random performances on the way while eating some snacks.

Given that Sendai is just under two hours away from Tokyo by Shinkansen, I’d say it’s worthwhile popping by if you’re in Japan between Aug 6 to 8. Aomori and Akita are quite a bit further away so you should be looking at a longer stay. Sendai’s Tanabata could be covered in a day trip, so if you’re holding a JR Rail Pass it would make perfect sense to check it out.

Sendai’s Tanabata(1): At the Shopping Arcade

2011-10-17T04:04:00.001+08:00

Ah, Sendai.

I was there just five months ago, immediately after the March 11 triple disasters. I’ve been wanting to go there since I was in Japan for my university exchange in 2007/2008, but haven’t been able to fit it in. And when I finally got there in March (and the journey took a whole day on the road), it was hardly the kind of circumstance I was expecting.

But by August, there were little signs of what happened less than half a year ago. As I stepped out of JR Sendai train station for the first time, I was greated by giant fukinagashi streamers, the iconic Tanabata ornament. I knew I was there to celebrate this time.

Thousands of streamers can be found around Sendai city’s central area during the annual Tanabata festival.

The Tanabata festival (七夕) actually originated from the Chinese Qi Qiao festival, and celebrates the yearly union of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi.

And while Tanabata is celebrated all over Japan and not unique to the city, the scale of Sendai's Tanabata is by far the largest in the country, drawing about 2.2 million visitors each year. The tradition of celebrating Tanabata in Tohoku started more than 400 years ago, with records found from the time of Date Masamune (1567-1636AD), warlord of the Sendai Clan.

Unique to Sendai are the seven decorative ornaments hung around the city, which symbolise prayers for good health, progress in studies, longevity, prosperity and a good catch for fishermen. The ornaments include the aforementioned Fukinagashi, which are essentially big streamers, and the tanzaku, strips of paper on which you can write your prayers.

We were in Sendai only for two days, and we spent part of both days just walking up and down the main shopping arcade for my picture taking.

All photos taken with the Nikon F6 with the AFS 24mm f1.4 and AIS 35mm f1.4, on Kodak Portra 800, except for the final shot, which was taken on Fujifilm Superia Premium 400.

The whole arcade is filled with streamers – and each is made/sponsored by the shops there. In all, about 3,000 fukinagashi are hung up in the city each year during the festival.

Children folding paper cranes at a booth.

Stopping to admire the words of encouragement written on the fukinagashi.

Another fukinagashi that people love to touch.

The streets were lined with game and food stalls. Why not grab a bowl of kakigori to stave off the heat?

With over 2 million visitors descending upon Sendai during the 3-day festival, it’s not surprise that the shops along the main arcade take the chance to hold special sales.

Keeping Cool #1: Eat some icy snacks

Keeping Cool #2: Touch a big block of ice!

At the video game arcade (game centre in Japanese). Playing Taiko the way it should be done – in yukata.

Kids love to grab the streamers as they walk past. Sometimes they pull off a little bit of them.

After 8pm, the shops along the arcade would raise the streamers for the night. They would be lowered again the following morning.

A busker draws in an audience at the arcade. Can’t remember her name, but her singing was quite good!

Streaming past the streamers

More to come – the outdoor events at the Tanabata.

Akita’s Kanto Matsuri

2011-09-28T23:11:00.001+08:00

The second stop of my summer matsuri vacation was the city of Akita, known for its delicious rice, beautiful women, and the Akita Inu dog breed. (Hachiko, the legendary canine who waited for its dead master at Shibuya train station for a decade, was an Akita Inu.)

Akita’s Kanto Matsuri （竿灯まつり）, which draws 1.3 million visitors annually, involves adult men balancing huge bamboo frames – called kanto – through various means during an evening parade. The most basic move is balancing the pole on the palm, but the more skillful performers would try doing so on their shoulders, their heads, or even their hips.

Historical records show that the Kanto festival started at least 250 years ago, its main purpose to pray for a good rice harvest. The practice of balancing the kanto was said to have started as a means to stave off the lethargy caused by the summer heat.

One of the many groups at the Kanto festival. The biggest kanto are 12m high and weigh 50kg, with about 46 paper lanterns attached.

Shooting this festival was a major challenge for me. Firstly, framing was difficult because the performers are constantly on the move. Secondly, it’s difficult to capture the right background because everyone else is also moving. Thirdly, as the people with the kanto do their balancing act, their team members move around them, often preventing me from getting a clear shot. Lastly, there generally isn’t much variation – the moves don’t differ that much after a while…

It didn’t help that we started on the wrong footing. Joanne and I arrived at Akita Station in the late afternoon – the journey from Aomori is much longer than expected, really – and took over an hour to find lockers for our luggage. (Just like Aomori, we couldn’t find any accommodation for Akita city, and booked a hotel in a town called Yokote, over an hour away by train.)

And Akita was baking hot. About 35 degrees Celsius, perhaps? Actually, I’d expected that temperature everywhere I went for this trip, but Tokyo and Aomori were both cooler than expected. (Tokyo was drizzling every day we were there) Definitely a mood dampener.

Lastly, I didn’t bring the right lens on the first night. Completely flustered after taking so long to find a locker, I decided to just leave the 24mm behind. Bad, bad move, because as I would realise later that evening, 35mm isn’t wide enough for the Kanto action.

So much as I would have liked to rest in Yokote the following day, I decided to make the long journey back to Akita on my own to make up for the missed opportunities on the first evening, while Joanne stayed behind in Yokote and enjoyed a spa treatment.

As with the rest of the festival pictures during this trip, all were taken on the Nikon F6 with either the 24mm f1.4 or the AIS 35mm f1.4, on Kodak Portra 800.

Performers from Akita Broadcasting packing up after a late afternoon performance close to the main venue.

I’m not sure why there was a Hawaiian dance segment…

Balancing on the hip!

The kanto are not just for adults, however. There are also miniature ones, measuring 5m high and weighing 5kg, that are made for performers of primary school age. And these kids try to outdo each other by trying more difficult tricks like balancing on the head. (often with disastrous results)

As the night wears on, the more skilful groups will start lengthening their Kanto by adding extensions, such as this one here. Some performers will also push themselves to the limit, for example by doing their gravity-defying act while walking on Japanese clogs and waving fans.

Supporting cast #1

Supporting cast #2

The parade lasts exactly an hour, and a total of 250 kanto are involved every night.

One interesting feature of the festival is that visitors have one hour to interact with the kanto performers and take photographs with the kanto after the parade. Here, a little girl tries her hand at the drums.

Performers cheering for the cameraman, whom I think is from a local broadcaster.

Well what’s a matsuri without the food? Food stalls set up close to the parade venue.

Despite the challenges faced in shooting this festival, I think I still had a fair bit of fun. I’m unlikely to come back again though! As mentioned, there is little variation in the performances. but hey, that’s not necessarily a bad thing since there are so many other places in Japan I would like to visit. ;)

Aomori Nebuta 2011 (3): I’ll be back!

2011-09-11T15:15:00.001+08:00

Although staying four nights in Hirosaki seemed like a long time for a small city, it turned out to be too short a stay. We’d spent one evening at the Hirosaki Neputa, two at the Aomori Nebuta, and one at the Goshogawara fireworks festival.

While the fireworks were dazzling and the Neputa an interesting variation of a float parade, the Nebuta had arguably the most to offer, and regrettably we missed the grand finale, on August 7.

Besides the evening parades from August 2 to 6, the last day of the matsuri is quite different – there is a parade featuring the floats in the day, and in the evening, the floats will parade on the waters of Aomori Bay, against the backdrop of a fireworks display. I was gutted that I couldn’t be there. (By then, we had to be in Sendai, our final stop)

And as a prelude to the Nebuta, there is also a fireworks event at Asamushi Onsen (浅虫温泉), a hot springs town just about 30-45 minutes away from Aomori City. Just imagine soaking in an outdoor onsen while viewing fireworks!

Anyway here are some more pictures taken at the Nebuta. Once again, all on Kodak Portra 800 film, Nikon F6 with the AIS 35mm f1.4 lens and SB900 flash.

“We’re going to the matsuri!”

Performers ending off the Sept 4 parade on a high. お疲れ様でした！

A baby with a goldfish cap! The goldfish is a traditional motive in the Aomori festivals, but the exact origins are unclear.

The food stalls are swamped with customers after the parade ends.

A man preparing some sort of colourful, sugary snack, as patrons look on.

Flavoured ice seller on a push-cart. Just 150 yen a pop!

The parade may have ended, but the beer parties go on through the night! This group beckoned me to take a picture, and I gladly oblige.

A little girl waiting for her parents? She is holding a packet of grilled sausages.

Photo call #1: Girls chilling outside the convenience store

Photo call #2 (the boy looks sleepy)

Photo call #3: Youth selling Mickey Mouse hairbands

Before we left for Akita the next day, I even considered staying in Aomori prefecture for just one more night, but we’d already made all our hotel bookings.

I shall have to come back again!

Aomori Nebuta 2011 (2): After the clock strikes 7.10pm…

2011-09-07T02:00:00.001+08:00

The main draw of the Nebuta Matsuri is the nightly two-hour parade. Each participating group usually consists of a float accompanied by haneto dancers chanting "Rase-rase-rasera!" and moving in unison to the beat of a marching band.

Each float, which is pushed manually and lit up from within, may measure up to 5m high, 9m long and 7m wide, and weigh up to four tonnes. Costing up to 4 million yen each to build, they usually depict scenes from Japanese and Chinese mythology.

As the sun begins to set, the performers line up on the four major roads closed off for the parade. The roads form a ring, and within the two hours, the performers will cover all four roads and get back to where they started. The audience members, lining both sides of the roads, wait in anticipation as they guzzle their beer and lap up their take-away sushi.

Once the clock strikes 7.10pm (don’t ask me why), the procession begins!

The photos were taken on August 2 and 4. I used my Nikon F6 paired with the Nikkor AIS 35mm f1.4 or AFS 24mm f1.4, on Kodak Portra 800 film.

RASE RASE RASERA! RASERAAA! RASERAAA!

A rare group of haneto dancers moving in unison. As the participants aren’t exactly professional dancers, getting a shot like this proved more difficult than expected!

One of the many floats that participated in this year’s parade. There is something awe-inspiring about these huge structures, which are designed by dedicated volunteers a year in advance.

Infected by the energy of the haneto dancers and wish you were part of the parade? Actually you can join in anytime! The only condition is that you must wear the haneto costume, which can be bought or rented from some of the shops in town.

The mini-cymbals are one of the three instruments used in the parade. The other two are the taiko drum (which vary in size and are pushed on wheels) and bamboo flutes.

There were many children who participated in the parade… including those below the height limit? :)

Pushing and controlling the floats require quite a lot of strength, as they can weight up to four tonnes.

Scattered among the contingents were baketo, who are usually dressed as clowns, animals or other funny/grotesque characters. They are always a delight to spot!

These adorable kids tirelessly waved their fans to cheer on every passing contingent. Their mother had to pull them back at times as they got too close to the floats!

More to come in the last of this series…

Aomori Nebuta 2011 (1): People watching

2011-09-05T03:10:00.001+08:00

It was my trip to Aomori last year that first piqued my interest in returning to the prefecture again, for its most famous celebration of the year. So perhaps it was most befitting that I started my jaunt through the Tohoku Sandai Matsuri (東北三大祭り), or Tohoku’s three big festivals, with Aomori's Nebuta Matsuri (ねぶた祭り).

It is also the earliest of the three famous festivals to start (Aug 2), and stretches all the way till Aug 7. This makes it the longest of the three.

While the exact origin of the Nebuta Matsuri is unclear, some historical records say a variation of it had already taken place in the Kyoho era (1716 to 1735) of the Tokugawa period. It was much simpler then, however, and involved a parade of people carrying lanterns.

The festival now is far more elaborate now, and attracts over 3 million visitors a year from all over Japan and overseas. Here’s a look at some of the people who were there on Aug 4, 2011.

With the roads closed off for the festival, you’re free to sit anywhere! These girls are dressed in the haneto costume, which is worn by performers as well as those who wish to join in the parade.

A father and his son enjoying some street food before they head over to their performance venue.

Almost all the shops lining the street leading to the parade venue had set up booths along the pavement, selling various Nebuta-related merchandise or food.

Many people dressed in the haneto costume were streaming towards the parade venue by about 6pm.

Visitors listening to a street busker strumming his tsugaru-jamisen.

Aomori boys

Some like their costumes a little shorter!

The matsuri is a great occasion to go out with the family.

Also a great time to bond with your mates…

Catch up on old times…

And have a few beers, wherever you please!

“Has it started already?”

Parade pictures to come next! :)