Category: Journal
-
Streetscene Kanazawa.
Camera: Fujifilm XT5. Wandering the narrow streets of the old Samurai district. Pour-over coffee (single origin) and fat fluffy pancakes with sliced banana and chocolate drizzle. Stuttered convo with the female owner of the cafe via Google Translate got me extra whipped cream for making an effort. All this wakes me up with a high…
-
The secret steps.
Camera: Fujifilm XT5 I love the subtle light spilling down across the stone wall and out over the steps. It gives it a mystical, ancient feel. I experimented with the same composition on slightly different exposures, and nailed it on the third. Yep. Pretty happy with this one. 8/10.
-
Coffee call.
Camera: Fujifilm XT5 Again, very happy with this photo. I love the overall composition and the balance between the light & the life on the left side, with the darkness and mystery on the right. OK, maybe not mystery….its just a coffee shop. Nevertheless…. 8.5/10.
-
Hida folk village.
Camera: Fujifilm XT5. A morning walk around Hida village, a collection of traditional wood and thatch-roofed houses, all around 200-ish years old. The buildings were amazing, with their thick (foot and a half?) roof thatching, solid carpentry, polished floors, and central hearths. I was deep in imagining how people actually spent their lives in these…
-
I have so many questions.
Cameras: Fujifilm XT5 & iPhone 17 proMax. One thing I notice about Japan is the number of bespoke, independent shops. Sure there are plenty of homogenized super-chain stores if you want ‘em (…I don’t). But there is also a refreshingly large number of funky, quirky, utilitarian, vintage, and artisanal type stores. And sometimes there are…
-
Matsumoto castle.
The steep, narrow, , sock-worn wooden staircases of Matsumoto castle are no joke. Inclines of 60 degrees as you juggle your shoe-holding bag, your camera bag, and your holding-on-for-dear-life bag. A queue of schoolkids leads the climbing pack, with a group of eighty-somethings in hot pursuit. 5 levels up. No photos on the stairs! But…
-
Zenkoji temple. Nagano.
Camera: fujifilm XT5 We left Tokyo for a scenic Shinkansen ride to the city of Nagano. There is nothing quite like contemplating life through the window of a bullet train whilst munching on a Family Mart egg & mayo sandwich (crusts cut off, of course). Nagano is home of Zenkoji, a 7th century zen temple…
shojiwax.com 