Kamakura poem

I wrote this in a whim (in English) about Kamakura. A haiku?

A faint Hawaiian vibe.
Black sand, concrete, and rusty fences.
Missing beach bars.

Japanese observances

  1. In our four-person apartment, there are two single beds and two folding beds against the wall. The folding beds are the modern version of the futon, the Japanese folding sleeping mat.
  2. Japan’s youth do not seem as scrupulous about mouth caps as the elderly. There are increasingly uncovered faces on the trains, and these are predominantly the young.
  3. You can rent a bike with an easy smartphone app. However, the app’s interface is only available in Japanese, making it unusable by tourists.
  4. When it rains in Japan, it seems to rain well and all day. Everyone outside is equipped with a robust, transparent plastic umbrella.
  5. The Japanese coast is often made ugly. Vines of concrete, nets, sandbags, and rusty fences mar beaches and boulevards.
  6. The Japanese surfer does extensive stretching exercises before entering the water. They do act a little guilty as you walk by.
  7. There are virtually no outdoor cafes anywhere in Japan. Drinking a beer or anything else on a terrace is a concept that doesn’t seem to exist. A bar, an occasion where you go for a drink, is also unusual.

To Nara, another photographer

The bus crawls through the city. We are crammed into the narrow aisle, which is too narrow for tourists with luggage.

A French girl next to me has too much hair growth on her face, a beard stubble, a thin mustache, and sideburns. The father does not interfere with the family. He stands at the front and looks worried. He consults his phone to ward off the danger of delay on the itinerary.

At Nara station, a photographer sits huddled against a wall. Concentrated, he tries to make something of the legs passing by him. I am trying to make something of how he is trying to make something.

Kyoto’s temples and making videos

I am having more and more fun making YouTube videos. They are still rudimentary, but I am getting the hang of the intricacies of Finalcut Pro (an old-fashioned great program from Apple) and YouTube. For daily videos, you also have to keep it simple. A video like this can easily take an hour to edit, and that’s a bit too long.

Yesterday, I shared the following video on YouTube about our day in Kyoto. I was quite satisfied with the timelapse of climbing the hill at the Fushimi Inari temple complex.

Creating video with GoPro Hero

I have recently started using a GoPro Hero to shoot snap videos, that is, quick shots without the explicit intention of producing visually appealing images. I edit the footage with Finalcut Pro.

Now, I am capturing our trip through Japan with it and posting it on YouTube.

Osaka station map

A man appears out of nowhere and helps us find the platform for the Midosuji line in Osaka’s super hectic and maze-like station.

He has a map.

Osaka station map

Smallest Japanese pond near the Engyō-ji temple

I found this on the slopes of the hill with the Engyō-ji temple; according to Google Lens, the sign says Smallest Japanese Pond.

Engyō-ji

Yellow hats in Kanazawa

When it rains in Kanazawa, the schoolchildren wear yellow hats.

Tokyo metro (video)

Metro arrives, leaves, arrives.

Restaurant Nikko, Takumicho, for great macha and Yuba

In a beautiful location along the banks of the Daiya, an old man has a fantastic little restaurant where you can drink excellent macha and eat the local specialty Yuba.

Nikko, Japan
Nikko, Japan, restaurant takumicho
Nikko, Japan