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So, recently I passed 10,000 pictures taken in Japan. I thought that was a big number, and I left it at that. Today at work I was bored though, and I did some math. I have averaged 1,100 pictures per month, almost 40 pictures a day. That is ridiculous, especially considering there are plenty (ok, not plenty, but some) days where I don't take any pictures at all. Looking at those numbers and the number that I've posted on this blog (somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,000) - it seems like anyone could post a good photo blog if they only posted one out of every hundred pictures they took. Oh well, I apologize if I ruined the magic of Ben in Japan, but life goes on. Speaking of the magic, people have been finding my webpage (I don't know how) and linking to it. Some of the pages recently linking here: This one, this one, and then the sidebar of this one.

So, when we last talked it was the most beautiful day ever, and now we are moving forward to the next day. I was meeting Theresa in Takehara, and driving to the ferry, I noticed it was incredibly clear. I don't know if it was the clearest day ever, but it was really remarkably clear. Usually there's a pretty noticeable haze between my island and Takehara, and as I got on the ferry, I took this picture.


This picture is perhaps more impressive to people who live on Osakikamijima, because they have a frame of reference. To everyone else, it's just a pretty landscape. I'm ok with that.


The ferry ride was lovely, and I imagine the fishing was too.


Oh, my island. Is three months out too early to be getting nostalgic?

Theresa is an English teacher from Kui-cho, a little town near Mihara. She wanted a tour of the island so I happily obliged. We went to the beach, and my car sat in a field of flowers.


I have to sell this car to the new teachers, I think I'll send them this picture - the car looks so happy!

We drove up to the top of the mountain (by that time it had hazed back up, so there was no spectacular view. When I had gone up with Mori the day before I had been in a hurry (to see the most beautiful day ever), but I had noticed a little sculpture by the road with some wild irises around it. I had forgotten about it, but going back up the next day, I stopped.


These little statues are all over on the mountain. I have heard a few things, but the most definitive is that they are pretty old, and when a mother loses a child, she makes clothes for the sleeping statue, making sure nothing happens to it. I don't know if this happens on a certain day, but a lot of statues have recently gotten new hats.

I have been shooting sports day practices, but no actual sports days. That is about to change, as every weekend for the next three weeks is booked solid with Undokai. The first one was a couple weekends ago, and of course, I took plenty of pictures.

This is Nishino Elementary, a 30 student school tucked between two mountains. It's my favorite elementary, and it's where Hatsune, my favorite photographic subject, goes to school. The kids are adorable, and the faculty bends over backwards to help me out. Also, the events at Nishino are always manageable because they only ever have 30 students, and 30 families attending.


This is a phenomenon I hadn't noticed before, but now I see it everywhere. There is a piece of piano music to which everyone does stretches. The stretches and the music are standard across all of Japan, and have been for a long time. I've seen it in movies, in gym class, and now at Undokai and Undokai practice. The neat thing about this time is sitting where I was, I could see that everyone in the stands knew it by heard. From the town officials to the grandmothers, everyone did the same stretches in time with the song. I have to get my hands on that music.

Then it was sports time.



I was not particularly interested in the sports photography aspect - My lenses are not really made for it, and other than the running, the sports were not particularly photogenic. So instead, you get a cute kid attack. Brace for cuteness.


Nene.


Maho, in cheerleading gear. This is the Maho who cried with her unicycle - you'll find out why soon.


Cheerleading. (Ouendan in Japanese)


This is Rena. She is one of the most strikingly beautiful kids at Nishino, but she is tough to photograph.


Rena again.


Hatsune, my favorite model.


Hatsune again.


And again, with my sunglasses. The deal with this one was that after, she got to take a picture of me.


Me.


Kazuya. Sharp as a tack, and he's going to be the popular kid when he gets a little older.

Anyway, back to the sports.


The relay.

So, maybe you remember this picture. It was of Maho, she was crying hysterically, and I didn't know why. As the unicycle portion of the program came up, I noticed she was looking less cheery and more despondent.



And I figured it out. Every elementary school on this island, and I'm guessing most in Japan have unicycles as standard recess gear. This kids just work it out, and maybe 90 percent of them can get around anywhere on their unicycles. They can play catch, hold hands, race, do hills, all manner of things. Maho can't. No matter how much she tries, she can't get the balance down, and ends up losing it after maybe 20 or 30 feet. Falling on a unicycle, at least when these kids do it, is a pretty minor affair, you just hop off and the unicycle falls, but still, she was incredibly frustrated.


As the time to go got closer, she looked less and less happy. Teachers gave moral support.


And then it was time to go.


The did all kind of uni-feats, with a few spills.


For the last event, they did an 11 person line of unicycles. These kids are impressive.



I would love to report that Maho did perfectly, but that wouldn't be realistic. She did have some very nice rides that got cheers from the kids and parents alike, but it wasn't perfect. Everyone cheered when she finished her ride. I love the way she's holding that hand as she rides back to the tent. With that, the Undokai was over, and I headed home to start dealing with the 300 odd pictures I had taken. I think I have a problem.

See you Wednesday.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 29, 2006 at 5:16 PM. You can skip to the end and leave a response.