More places in the light

Spring Fresh '92

Today started with a rude awakening, the cat wanting to be fed at 5:15. I thought about giving chase but remembered I had photo assistant work today starting at 7:30, so the cat got breakfast and a cuddle.

Today was a location shoot for a housing construction company. Every couple of months, they have photographs taken of a recently finished house for their promotion. Today was very local. Only a 20 minute drive to the outskirts of Nagoya.

After loading the van with the 3 cameras, various stands, generators, lights, blankets etc, we set off for the wilds of Odaka.

The house was one of only 3 houses in a massive 'soon to be developed' area. If you searched for it on the internet by address it wouldn't show. The only other things in the area were a huge red and white electricity pilon, the tracks for the Shinkansen (bullet train) in the background, and a HUGE HUGE spaghetti junction linking 2 toll roads and a very busy rounte 23. Just by the side of this were 3 love hotels, side by side. While scoping out the area for the first shot, we saw a couple enjoying breakfast on the veranda of one.

The shoot was divided into 3 cuts (how convenient! one for each camera). The outside , the owners and their poodle, and the inside. I had remembered the routine well enough to get the job done, but I'm no Tokyo assistant. My cameraman tells me that assistants in Tokyo don't run, they fly. I have seen one at work too. Ah well. "We must keep jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down" (something I saw written on a T-Shirt on the train home).

After the location shoot it was back to the studio for two hours of cleaning and throwing stuff away. The cameraman has been working in Nagoya for 30 years doing all types of commercial photography. He will be moving to a new and bigger studio at the end of this month. He intends to use it himself, rent it out, and provide classes for photographers and models alike. And lucky me, he wants me to be involved! Do I see an end to this 'teaching' gig afterall?

Last time we did cleaning he threw away almost 30 years of negatives. I protested, saying that he could scan some at least, but they all went in the end... apart from the ones that I kept. Like I say, 30 years photographing people for commercials in Nagoya. It's a hell of a history to throw away.

Today it was the turn of the posters and pamphlets from various add campaigns. The above is a snap of one such campaign from 1992, a 72 by 47 cm print on a foam backing. I brought it and a few others home. Mitz will have a good laugh when she gets back.

Going Digital

This image is from a collection by a friend of mine, Alex Hadjidakis. He used 5 images of the Oasis 21 building in Nagoya and merged them together to create the panorama. The amazing colours come from an effect known as HDR, which I do not claim to understand at all.

You can check out more of his work at his website here.

Alex will be exhibiting this photograph as part of an exhibition of photographers from all over Japan, to be held in Tokyo this coming summer.

"In Japan, there is no moon"

From this site I have chosen this gem:

"I've been here in Japan for six months now, casing out the place. Amungst the repressed and the bizarre I have fished out enough information to qualify that the stereotype is true - the Japanese have representation in their hearts and technology at their finger tips and seemingly an allergy to direct experience. "

(the spelling mistake is not mine)

The site and the idea for 'no photography day' (which I shall be supporting of course) are the brainchild of 23 year old Becca Bland.

I won't waste time discussing the why's of her plan, or her slightly limited impressions of Japan. Just read the article. It speaks volumes about the writer, not the cause.

Mini Series Gallery

Have a look right at the bottom of this blog page to see a new feature offered by Lightstalkers to members using their gallery service.

The user simply pastes a code into their site and display their work as a slideshow.

It's a bit big for a blog though isn't it?

At the match

Last night was my first time at a football game, in any country! Folks here don't believe it. "But you're English!!!"

Our friend invited us to the 'Nagoya Grampus' match, then insisted we went drinking when they lost.

This morning was not easy.

Places in the light

The season is changing, and the sun is moving at a different angle accross the sky, changing the angles and the times I can shoot for this series. Damn good fun. You have to really chase the light!

Table Tennis

Yet more places in the light

The sun was out today.

More places in the light

Abducted

Between 1977 and 1983, 15 Japanese nationals were abducted and taken to North Korea to be used as teachers of Japanese language and customs. The above photo shows a poster of a young girl called Megumi Yokata who was abducted on her way home from school in 1977. If alive, she is now 30 years old.

Attempts to have the abductees repatriated finally resulted in 5 people returning to Japan in 2002 and other family members being allowed to return in 2004. The North Korean government had since denied the presence of other alleged abductees in North Korea, or has reported their deaths.

Although this story dates back decades, the issue of the abductions is far from being old news in Japan, and Japan is still actively seeking the return of it’s missing citizens, and will ask for Americas help in doing so.

There is another aspect of the Japan – North Korea relationship to consider. Writing for ‘Counter Punch’ in 2006, Christopher Reed implied that the Japanese government was hypocritical in making the issue of the abductions the main focus of talks with North Korea when it has never been held accountable for its own misdeeds:

“By force of arms, Japan annexed the entire (Korean) peninsula in 1910 and ran it as a colonial property for 35 years”
He also notes that:
“The older [than the abductions], but incomparably worse mistreatment of Koreans over 3 decades is hardly mentioned in Japan.”

During the second world war, the situation worsened for those under the control of the Japanese military, with hundreds of thousands of Koreans being forcibly relocated to Japan to mine coal for the military and women being used as sex slaves (euphemistically ‘comfort women’).

Ellen van der Ploeg, a Dutch national, was relocated from an Indonesian prison camp during the war and forced to work in a Japanese military brothel. She, and the other surviving women (mostly from Asia) were offered “atonement” in the form of money from a fund set up by the Japanese government. In an interview with the International Herald Tribune, she said that she had not accepted because “… it was not directly from the Japanese government”, and therefore not an actual apology, or admission of guilt.

The fund was described as being from the ordinary citizens of Japan. “If this were a purely government fund, I could have accepted it”, said van der Ploeg, “…but the Japanese government to this day has never taken full responsibility.”

Recently elected Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been quoted as denying that the Japanese military played any part in the coercion of foreign nationals into sex slavery. Such a denial in the face of testimonial from people like van der Ploeg does little to help the image of the Japanese as those who have been wronged.

In short, the Japanese government expects the North Korean government to do that which it is not prepared to do itself; own up and make amends. The fact remains however that Japanese citizens were abducted by a foreign power which then lied about their presence within its borders. Christopher Reed called this “…an international scandal by any standards”

Families hoping for a resolution and a return of missing members are caught up in a chain of events and political differences that reaches back almost a century. Certainly the return of any remaining abductees and full investigation into the deaths of others by the North Korean government would go a long way to help improving North Koreas standing internationally. But the Japanese government must be prepared to take the first step and make formal apologies of their own, and for the sake of the families of the abducted, they should consider doing this soon.

Tomoko and Fabian get married

Cara't

On the way to the bank after taking some blossom snaps at the shrine, I passed through the recently built shopping center 'Asunal' (not to be confused with football teams or piles ointments). The center has a stage, and each week local performers do their thing for the local crowd. This week was the turn of two girl groups "Banana" and "Cara't".

Banana have aquired a certain faim after their first single "Over the rainbow" was chosen for a T.V commercial. They are the senior group, with members in their mid twenties and an established (mostly male) following.

Accompanying them were their (younger) sister group "Cara't". This is a group of four girls, 2 High School and 2 Junior High School. The group is promoted as an 'Idol unit'. The girl pictured is the youngest member at 13/14 years old. Their performance costume is so similar to a school uniform as to make you think that the promoters are hoping to sell the school girl image. ... which of course they are.

If you want to see more then check out their blog sites at "Banana" and "Cara't"

ロリコン　アイドル　ユーニット　"Cara't"。上の写真はCara'tの一番若いメンバー、中学校２年生。

More places in the light

Cherry Blossom

Beautiful cherry blossom at a local shrine.

Too cool for school

This is the Judo teacher from my previous school. He's the person throwing me in my profile picture.
I showed this to a few other teachers and friends. Their first reaction was "Yakuza".
The power of lighting!

Posts will be scarce (and have been) as I am planning on moving house this month and madly throwing away, planning and organizing. The new place has great internet connection, it's right next to a big park and gets the morning sun. It is in the middle of the city but quiet, the appartment managers are friendly and allow pets and home renovation, and it's not expensive. Anyone who has rented in Japan will tell you, that's a good deal!

A place in the light

Photo me