Tokyo Photo Book - 東京情景

Tokyo Photo Book - 東京情景

Tuesday, 25 May 2010

Another photo book has been added to my collection. This time I made a Tokyo one called 東京情景 - "Tokyo Scenes" and I put together the photos I have taken and shared here since I started this blog last year.

And yes, I have said before that I will have a thank you giveaway when this blog had the first anniversary a while back. It has taken me so much time to finally get to do it but yes now I'm having a giveaway keeping my words! I would like to give 2 of my loving blog readers a copy each of this little tokyo photo book to thank you for all your support over the year (and a bit) as all your comments have always made me happy and helped me keep this going :) So if anyone is interested in receiving this little book please let me know in your comments. I will pick two winners on Sunday evening!


I have made quite a few photo books over the last 5 years, all made with photoback but I've been wanting to try blurb. Maybe next time!

ALSO.... as I mentioned earlier, check out Ebony's Hello Sandwich Tokyo Guide Zine! It looks woooonderful!!!
.

Comments: 92

Lines and boxes.

Lines and boxes.

Thursday, 20 May 2010

WHAT MADE ME SMILE TODAY - Finding these four photographs connected with the theme "lines and boxes" from the roll of film I just had developed.

AND ALSO TODAY - New issues of come home! and ku:nel magazines were released! ku:nel vol.44 is a very special KYOTO ISSUE, I had to think that this issue was made for me because I am going there next week!!!!!

DO ALSO CHECK OUT - Hello Sandwich Tokyo Guide Zine!

Comments: 11

Random Tokyo Street Shots

Random Tokyo Street Shots

Thursday, 20 May 2010

These are just some random shots I put together from recent rolls. That house in the third shot was so interesting when I rode past it on my bike I had to go back to get the shot. The most unique potted garden spotted in Tokyo! I wonder what people who live here are like. :)

Something from previous weeks I meant to mention and never got to:
●Received a lovely necklace I won (!) for a giveaway at gemmifer. The exact one that I got is not listed at the moment, but you can see her beautiful works here.
●Went to see Lucie Rie: A Retrospective at the National Art Centre Tokyo.
●Another post from here made me smile :)

Comments: 9

Simplicity and Compactness

Simplicity and Compactness

Thursday, 13 May 2010

松 - Pine Bonsai

桜 - Cherry in a vase.

竹 - Bamboo mini garden.

枯山水 - Rock garden.


All taken at random places in Tokyo this year. The rock garden is from the Japanese Garden at Hotel New Otani, would be a good place to visit if you are only staying in Tokyo and want to see a nice garden - for free! ;)

Comments: 8

sakura expired.

sakura expired.

Tuesday, 11 May 2010

I know I had said "that's it" for sakura, but there were more sakura shots in the roll of film I recently had developed so here they are. April already seems so far away, it seems spring never really set in Tokyo this year. But I'm loving May, very much :)

Please also check:
* a new post here,
* masking tape giveaway here.

Comments: 19

The last shots from Okinawa, randomely.

The last shots from Okinawa, randomely.

Friday, 7 May 2010

So this is going to be my last post on Okinawa (finally!). Just some random photos and some thoughts to share here.

3 days in Okinawa went just too fast but it was wooonderful. Apart from all the fun I had in those 3 days I must admit that there was a lot I thought and felt about Okinawa and that was mostly related to the large presence of the US on the entire island, even after close to 40 years since being officially returned to Japan. 18% of the Okinawa main island is occupied by the U.S. military forces, that is an enormous amount of land.

Visiting Okinawa for the first time and being not used to seeing all these in real life, it felt quite strange to me that the US military corps facilities and vehicles/aircrafts are just about everywhere to be seen when travelling around the Okinawa Main Island. Sometimes I wondered if I was really in Japan... I would not go too much into this here but it indeed felt very odd. And sad.
I just hope there will be a happy solution to this beautiful Okinawa soon.

.

Comments: 17

Pottery Paradise.

Pottery Paradise.

Tuesday, 4 May 2010

Gallery Kiya is my favourite pottery atelier/gallery in Yachimun Pottery Village. Like so many other places, they offered us free tea and we sat on the balcony, it was so lovely that we forgot about the time and stayed there for a long time. This atelier is owned by an old Okinawan potter and his works are displayed everywhere, on the shelves and on the floors inside and out. There were so many that I wanted to take home, but after a long consideration I decided to get some lovely turquoise cups that remind me of Okinawan sea. You can see them here on this post Ulrika just made :)

Comments: 14

Yachimun Pottery Village.

Yachimun Pottery Village.

Saturday, 1 May 2010

Everyone asks me if I went for a swim at the lovely Okinawan beach and when I say I didn't they all seem either disappointed or startled. I guess most people who holiday in Okinawa would go there for beaches and scuba diving. Well not me. It wasn't hot enough anyway.

If I get asked what I enjoyed most in Okinawa, it definitely would have to be "potteries" and yes when I say that people look at me like "what is she talking about?" but that's alright I understand. (Or rather it's them who don't understand, I think.)

OK, so Yachimun Pottery Village (Yachimun no Sato) is "the" place I highly recommend to go to if you are ever in Okinawa. ("Yachimun" means "pottery" -yakimono- in Okinawan dialect apparently!) It's located in Yomitan in the central Okinawa main island, and is a lovely little village where many local artisans gathered along and have their own atelier/galleries in and around. The above photos are one of the kilns from Yachimun no Sato (it's huge!) which various artisans share and is fired once every two months. The red tiled roofs are typically seen in Okinawa, the contrast between these red tiled roofs and the green in the background were really nice, it was so calming.

I found this article about Yachimun no Sato written in English, so if you are interested you can learn more about it.

Comments: 10