People of the Streets
15-Jun-08
Recently I was in Sapporo for a school event and with the improving weather I decided to take same street photography.
Red
25-May-08
This photo was taken in Sapporo this past spring, when it was Cherry blossom season. I really like this photo becuase of the focus on the simple red leaves and the blur of the background.
Omikuji (御御籤, 御神籤, or おみくじ) are random fortunes written on strips of paper at Shinto shrines in Japan.
The omikuji predicts the person’s chances of his or her hopes coming true, of finding a good match, or generally matters of health, fortune, life, etc. When the prediction is bad, it is a custom to fold up the strip of paper and attach it to a pine tree in the temple grounds. A purported reason for this custom is a pun on the word for pine tree (松 matsu) and the verb ‘to wait’ (待つ matsu), the idea being that the bad luck will wait by the tree rather than attach itself to the bearer. In the event of the fortune being good, the bearer should keep it. Though nowadays this custom seems more of a children’s amusement, omikuji are available at most shrines, and remain one of the traditional activities related to shrine-going, if lesser.
This photo was taken at the shrine in Sapporo this past Spring. The fortune I got said “That you had as much patience as a mossy rock which had never moved an inch for a thousands years!” and that it was a “fairly good luck” fortune. So because it was a good fortune I could keep it 
Fragile Flowers
14-May-08
Two weeks ago I went to Muruyama Koean in Sapporo for Cherry blossoms (Hanami). The season for Cherry blossoms is later here compared to Osaka or Tokyo due to its more northern location. This means we get ours in May and everyone else gets there is March or April.
A common thing to do when it is Cherrry Blossom season is to get with your friends and have a BBQ. In the more popular places this can mean you have to go really early to lay down your blue tarp so that you can enjoy your bbq later.
Some random tidbits from Wikipedia.
- The teasing proverb dumplings rather than flowers (花より団子 hana yori dango?) hints at the real priorities for most cherry blossom viewers, meaning that people are more interested in the food and drinks that accompany a hanami party rather than actually viewing the flowers themselves. (A punning variation, Boys Over Flowers (花より男子 Hana Yori Dango?), is the title of a manga and anime series.)
- Dead bodies are buried under the cherry trees! is a popular saying about hanami, after the opening sentence of the 1925 short story “Under the Cherry Trees” by Motojirō Kajii.
[edit]
As I was taking this photo I realized it is likely the last time I see Cherry blossoms in Japan as I will be returning to Canada in August when my contract runs out. I likely will keep this blog but more turn it into a photo blog as that is what it seems to becoming.
I hope you enjoy the journey.
Patrick
Wood blocks known as Ema
08-May-08
I went to a shinto Shrine in Sapporo this past weekend to take photos of Sakura. But ended up taking more photos of non-sakura related stuff. This photo is of Ema, which are wood blocks that people write their wishes or dreams on.
According to wikipedia
uma or ma in Japanese (馬); ema means, literally, “horse picture”. This name originates from the fact that real horses were once offered by the wealthy in exchange for blessings at shrines.
Winter Wonderland
20-Apr-08
I took this photo in Niseko this past winter with my family. The original version of this photo was not very colorful or exciting. So recently i purchased Aperture by apple to edit my photos and this is one of the first photos that I think I did a good job on. Though the background is a little yellow. But i really like the vibrant nature of the tree coloring and on how it is frame with the trees.
What goes down must go up
17-Apr-08
Niseko Mt. Resort Grand Hirafu (ニセコマウンテンリゾート グラン・ヒラフ, Niseko Maunten Guran Hirafu?) is a ski resort located in the Hirafu area of Kutchan, Abuta District, Hokkaidō, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is a vast snow resort stretching from Niseko Annupuri’s summit (elevation 1,308.5 m) to its base, and it is famous for its fine-quality powder snow. Because of this, Hirafu is frequented by many non-Japanese skiers and snowboarders. (Wikipedia)
A brisk stroll along the Canal
02-Mar-08
As I exited Otaru station I was engulfed by the masses of people flowing out of the trains in every possible direction. There was a sense of excitement as everyone knew they were going to see something magical, but could not believe it until they saw it themselves.
The reason for our journey to Otaru was for the simple reason to see the beauty of fire and ice. Though a smaller festival then the one held in Sapporo (Yuki Matsuri), the Snow Gleaming Festival (Yukiakari no Michi) has grown into something special in its own right. While you can visit it during the day, the true magic begins at night when the towns’ people light up the many little candles that come to illuminate the many ice candles and sculptures, each one acting as a beacon to lead you towards the canal. The remaining canal helps to provide a hint of what was once a major harbor transit point, for the inward movement of goods in the early 20th century. The canal is lined with brick buildings and Victorian style street lamps, which is very different from traditional Japanese architecture.
The water was still, helping to create a wonderful reflection of the buildings near it. Without a tripod I had to use any flat surface to rest my camera on to take a photo. This was a game of chance as I had to hope my camera would not move and that people would not get in the way. Being so near to water always gives me worries of losing my camera. But luckily I escaped with both some wonderful shots and my camera. It was a great learning opportunity in taking photos at night in low light situation. There is something about night photography that really gets me excited to take photos. I think I enjoy the challenge of trying to capture the exciting movement of light on the buildings or the movement of both traffic and people as the blur by.
This festival is a wonderful place to take photos in as you were able to get fairly close to many of the illuminated snow sculptures and there were so many different ones to see. Though it can be crowded, it was never too crowded to prevent you from enjoying the festival. As it is winter and near the water it can get fairly cold, so it is best to dress in many layers. Recently Otaru has turned itself into a tourist center and so there are many shops and restaurants to visit if you feel cold. Some say that the best sushi can be found here as it is so near the water, though I did not have the time to check it out.
The wonderful thing about the Otaru festival, or at least this year was that it ran during the same time as Yuki Matsuri in Sapporo. So during the day you could check out the world famous festival there and then at night take the train to Otaru to see another festival with a different perspective on making the winter fun.
So dress warm, charge your battery and visit Otaru Gleaming Festival next winter.
How to get to Otaru:
Several trains per hour operate between Sapporo and Otaru along the JR Hakodate Main Line. The journey takes 30 minutes by rapid train (kaisoku) and 45 minutes by local train (futsu). The one way fare is 620 Yen. (Japan-guide.com)
