葉山に行った!! Photo trip to Hayama!

カメラクラブのの旅行を参加しました。葉山に行った。I went on a photo trip to Hayama.


We saw this huge bird fight, these crows kicking the shit out of a black kite.


Sunday morning a huge cloud descended on the mountain the hotel is on. Good photo op. Note the inverted image of the forest in the droplet.


More droplets, photoshopped.


Mist in the forest.




Sensei in the mist.


This is a namazu, similar to a carp. They predict earthquakes, tho only if you can read their body language.


There were lots of pigeons. Here's one landing in a gnarly crosswind.




Horse flower


Oda-san on the rocks.


Some of the rocks were evil.


Lilypads


Momiji


Matsu

和菓子！！　　wagashi!

和菓子の写真を撮りに行った。Here are some shots I took for a story on wagashi (Japanese traditional sweets)














The wagashi master was awesome. Great hands:

雪！！　Snow in Tokyo!!

We got some major snow today! first in like 3 yrs.


Here's our ume tree. (click on the photo -- looks cool big)


and the akebi vine


View out over the main battlement


Here's Tino-chan




Our garden


The boys had a great time.

I went to visit the SPring-8 syncrotron in Hyogo Prefecture (near Hiroshima). Stands for Super Photon Ring -- 8 Giga-electron volts. It was so cool. I was there to do interviews and a photo shoot.

Here's one of the 1km beamlines:




They're building an Xray free-electron laser. Huge mother. Here's the construction site:


Here's some shots inside the Storage Ring building:






Here's the storage ring at dusk:




Here's a different lab, across the valley:


and some labs, with the syncrotron in the background:

Shoichi and Colleen Sakurai are artists who do very cool sculpture using found objects, especially old farm tools, building parts, etc, and incorporating Colleen's manipulated washi paper. I went to visit them at their home in Zushi for an interview and photo session for a story in JSelect magazine; watch for it in May. Here's some shots (more photos and captions later):



Traditional Japanese wood saw, with washi and illumination from behind.




Still life with kura key and lock face on a farm sifter.


Glowing ember of washi.



These strands are cords from a truck tire, with Colleen's washi and Sho's calligraphy.


Farm fork and washi


Traditional fireman's coat


Illuminated washi floor sculptures


Washi on a rice-measuring box.





And some birds, on the telephone wires behind the Sakurais' place, hanging out like notes on a musical staff.