ProjectVISUAL

Zen Garden

I’ve taken on the challenge of running the Kobe or Osaka Marathon, both of which take place on the 25th of November. It’s been too cold in Japan for the last 3 months to leave the house without wearing every piece of clothing you’ve got so activity wise I’ve been pretty sedentary. Also it’s the [...]

Kyoto Park

I got a package in the post today and was half suspecting it to be the iPad I ordered, (even though it’s not released until the 16th) but it was just the cover for it! I’ve no idea why they ship the two items separately, but Friday is getting close! If you’re interested in knowing [...]

Amanohashidate

Here is one of the three most famous scenic views in Japan. If you turn around and look at this view from between your legs, it’s supposed to look like a path up to heaven. But it doesn’t. It just looks like it’s upside down. As you’d expect. I ordered the new iPad the other [...]

Castle With No Name.

Speech contest over! I came joint 2nd out of thirteen! The topic were varied, and incomprehensible. My six months of Japanese is having serious problems in figuring out what anyone is saying around me. One day it will all click. The winner of the contest has been living in Japan for 4 years, so she [...]

Never Ending Platform

Speech contest tomorrow!! It’s all about how I climbed Mt Fuji, took a really important photo on the summit, and then lost the camera on the way down! I was pretty annoyed by the whole affair, but it makes for a good story. At the very very end of my trip across Kyushu I found [...]

Fushimi Inari

I’ve got a speech contest coming up in February in Sanda; it’s all in Japanese. I pretty much still can’t speak any Japanese spontaneously but it’ll be good practice. If you ever visit Kyoto, definitely check out Fushimi Inari; ten thousand gates, one after the other represent possibly the most effort ever gone into man [...]

Weekend In Nagano

No photo today, I’m currently in a car screaming across Japan on my way to Nagano! The plan is skiing and snowboarding (I’ve never done either) in the mountains, and snapping some onsen monkeys if they let me! Pictures to follow…

Nagasaki Sunset

Last time I posted a shot of Nagasaki city at night from an observatory platform, today’s pic is what you see if you turn around! Two great views for just one admission! If you’re interested in knowing how I made this, along with my other photos, you can check out my HDR Tutorial Technorati Tags: [...]

Nagasaki Lights

I’m just back from a 2 week holiday around Kyushu in Japan. Two weeks of sight seeing, restaurants, onsen, and many, many hours of trains. And a 12 hour ferry back to Osaka at the end of it all. Nagasaki was the first city I visited on Kyushu. The highlight was getting to see the [...]

Pagoda near Kinosakionsen.

There is a speech contest happening in Sanda near year in February. It’s open for all foreigners I think and I grabbed myself an application form today. If anything it will be a good motivator for me to practice putting some sentences together. Today’s pic is from Kinosakionsen I think; one of the many Pagodas [...]

Kiyomizu-dera

Kiyomizu-dera (清水寺) is one of the thousands of temples spread across Kyoto. It was flooded with people (and spot lights) the night I got there, but they were all but invisible to the camera thanks to a long exposure as they quickly strolled by. If you’re interested in knowing how I made this, along with [...]

Bringing In The Mikoshi

I went to a Mikoshi Festival a couple of weeks ago about 60km north of Sanda. It’s a real town event where all the men of the town carry around large Mikoshi from one location to another, and then drink sake together. The night before this happened I stayed with a Japanese family as part [...]

Mukogawa

According to Google Maps, Mukogawa is the river that flows through Sanda. I was tempted to say Mukogawa river, but gawa (がわ) means “river” already, and its kanji is 川！It’s looking fairly lame at the moment but during typhoons and heavy rain it really swells up and gets moving. If you’re interested in knowing how [...]

Down Goes The Sun

I’m coming to the end of my Sanda pictures for the moment, next up will probably be from a Mikoshi Festival I was recently at. In other news it’s gonna be a wet weekend here in Japan, so no moving from my house for the next two days! If you’re interested in knowing how I [...]

Long Road

Wow today was a reeeeealll long day. Three classes in a row! Each one 65 minutes long! Trying to explain english in english to japanese students! It’s a drain! Life’s tough! If you’re interested in knowing how I made this, along with my other photos, you can check out my HDR Tutorial Technorati Tags: lens, [...]

Extreme Lensing

I got my first taste of Japanese driving yesterday. Me, Catherine and Rieko managed to drive over 730km from Sanda in Hyogo to Matsuyama in Shikoku and back. The Japanese, like Ireland, drive on the left side of the road, AND practically all the cars are automatic so it’s like you’re playing Mario Kart on [...]

The Effect Wind Has On Rice

It’s been an eventful weekend; I’m just back home from a Mikoshi Festival in central Hyogo. A miskoshi is sort of like a portable house that is supposed to have a particular deity inside it. The local people move the mikoshi around the town on wheels and then carry it on their shoulders into the [...]

Sun Setting Rice Fields

There are rice fields like this one scattered all around Sanda. I’m not sure why it’s lying flat at the moment though; usually the leaves are standing up straight. We did just go through typhoon season in September so maybe that had something to do with it ( ﾟдﾟ) . If you’re interested in knowing [...]

Yellow Sky

Well it’s another long weekend in Japan here; nearly every other week has one type of national holiday or another. Unfortunately it doesn’t get me out of school work today (Saturday) . I’m off soon to a speech contest between a few schools, and then I’m staying with a Japanese family for the night! If [...]

Construction In Malta

I’ve been going through some old photos and am not sure whether I posted this before or not, but here it is anyway! This pretty shot is from Malta in the morning. I recommend everyone takes a visit to Malta in spring the weather is great and the swordfish is delicious! If you’re interested in [...]