Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

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Well, summer is gone and fall is just about here. I already see leaves changing colors and falling here in Kamakura. And the ginko trees are starting to get active. Leaves haven't changed colors quite yet but they are dropping ginko everywhere. I love ginko (ginnann) even though it smells like shit. Anyways, I'm all ready for the autumn colors to appear and can't wait.


This is a friend of mine, taken last year somewhere in Gunma (Minakami, I think but can't remember).

花火 pt2

花火 pt1

猫 x 2

08:08:08:08:08:08

This is the view from the Enoshima lighthouse, looking towards the direction of Kamakura, Yokohama, etc. Doesn't quite show in this photo but you can even see Yokohama Landmark Tower with the naked eye.

August 8, 2008 @ 08:08:08

外人墓地

Gaijin-bochi (Foreign Cemetery) in Yokohama is not the first place you'd think about going for a stroll on a nice day, photography or even a date. But it is, in fact, a perfect place for that.

A few days ago, my sister, mom and I went to pay our respects to a few friends that are buried there. We spent about 4 hours in the graveyard reading headstones and wondering what happened to some of the deceased. There are several people buried here that had a great influence in the westernization of Yokohama (or Japan for that matter). Here are a few names: Hermann Ludwig Grauert (a German missionary; June 17, 1837-November 1, 1901), Samuel Cocking (1842-February 26, 1914: a British merchant that built the city's first power plant and more), J.H. Morgan (1873-1937: a great American architect. Several of the structures that he built are still being used in Yamate and Yamashita-cho). Samuel Cocking also built a water reservoir and a tropical garden in 1880 on Enoshima. The reservoir was destroyed in 1923 during the Great Kanto Earthquake. The ruins of the reservoir is still visible today and it and the garden are preserved by the city of Fujisawa. I posted a photo of the ruins in this series.

As you can see in some of the photos, there were graves with newly laid flowers and a change of water. But there were also many, many graves that were forgotten for what seemed to be years and years some dated in the 1800's and others in the 1900's. It makes you wonder if they have relatives still alive somewhere in this world. If so, I'm sure they don't even know that their ancestor/s are buried at Gaijin Bochi. There were several headstones that read the date September 1, 1923, the day of the "Great Kanto Earthquake." I can't imagine what they went through that day nor do I want to.

Gaijin-bochi began with the demands from Commodore Matthew Perry. One of his sailors died of pneumonia aboard the Black Ship while anchored just off Yokohama. Commodore Perry demanded that there be a burial place specifically for foreigners. The Japanese government agreed and designated a spot for foreigners. That sailor was the first one to be buried in Gaijin-bochi. But his body was then moved to Shimoda, his final resting place.

Anyway, I'm no one to give anyone a history lesson. But I will say that Gaijin-bochi is a very interesting place to visit and I do recommend that you do visit the next time you are in Yokohama.

The ruins of Samuel Cocking's water reservoir with a part of the garden in the background.

Taken from the top of Enoshima Lighthouse.
Wishes at an Enoshima temple.

A friend of mine, who is a professional photographer, told me a few years ago "The most difficult subject to shoot is Mt. Fuji." He told me that because it is hard to tell when it will appear and disappear. From my experience, this is so true. Once visited Yamanashi and had a perfect view from a hill top just above Yamanakako. Drove down for a closer view (about a 10 minute drive) and Mt. Fuji was not visible whatsoever.

Anyway, this photo is from the Spring time. Now I am fortunate enough to see Mt. Fuji every morning, providing it is visible. And for the past 2 and a half months, it has not made it's presence from Zushi. Atleast not during the times that I drive past Zushi beach. I miss the view and can't wait 'til it pops out again for me to see.

3 story pagoda @ Sankeien.
5 story pagoda @ Miyajima.

Patience

Now,..... Fishing requires a lot of patience. Patience that I don't have. Watching this guy fish for about 30 minutes, was tiring enough. I couldn't imagine what it is like actually fishing because I never have. But either this guy was good or the fish were just way too hungry and were biting like crazy. During the 30 minutes of watching him, he must've made atleast 10 trips back to fill his bucket of fish. On average, I would say he caught about 4 fish each time he reeled the string back in. I don't know my fish names in either Japanese or in English but these things were quite short, but wide and silver. Because of the size, I don't think they would make a great main dish but they were good for a side dish and maybe even 'Hone-senbei' (that's deep fried fish bone). Regardless, it was obvious the reward was worth the patience of waiting. Maybe I will just have to get my butt our there and see what I can catch.

Driving to and from work, I have the luxury of choosing from several routes. My favorite would be driving past Zushi and Kamakura beaches. The traffic can get bad and a real drag but the scenery makes up for the stress.
Driving just past Kita-Kamakura station.
Stopped at an intersection in Zushi, just past Hayama Marina.

世界のなべやつ...猫？

For whatever reason, this shot reminds me of the Yoshimoto comedian, Sekainonabeyatsu.

Kamakura! A World Heritage?

I've posted this photo in the past but this is the first time I am posting it with Photoshop edits. This was actually a New Year's card design and has/had text, which I took out for this post.

Well, the actual reason that I am posting this is because I heard something very exciting this morning just as I was about to walk out of my house and head for work. The city of Kamakura has invited UNESCO back to Japan in attempts to gain World Heritage status. I do not know the exact facts but from what I have heard, many times, Kamakura made the same attempts several times in the past, only to get refused by UNESCO each time.

The reasons for refusal by UNESCO would be interesting to know, as I do not see any reason why Kamakura is not a World Heritage yet (well maybe one). Just about all the historical structures that stand today are very very well maintained and are still open to the public to enter and explore. There are over 100 temples and shrines still standing today throughout the city. It's no Kyoto but Kamakura holds it's own. I would think that the great buddha and Hase shrine and Kenchoji temple in KitaKamakura could be great selling points. Although, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu gounds have history, the main temple structure has been rebuilt recently.

There is the one reason I see Kamakura getting refused by UNESCO again, as I don't know the facts they look at. And that would be the garbage left behind in the woods and bamboo forest areas in the back streets of the city. I'm not talking about litter from someone's home but rather, rotted out trees, wood from a torn down house, and the like. It's very visible and an eye-sore! And....it has ruined a lot of photo ops for me.

Regardless, I have my fingers crossed....and my toes too. I'm so excited and think it's better than the Olympics possibly coming back to Tokyo in 2016 or Tokyo Sky Tree (the new Tokyo tower) being built! Hopefully UNESCO sent their 'cool' crew to Kamakura and just maybe.....

More cats @ Enoshima

Cat scratch fever

For those that have been to Enoshima, you will know what I am talking about in this post.

The island is small yet beautiful. The walk from the parking lot alone was fun and interesting, with the little shops and restaurants lined up until you get to the main walkway of the island. Mostly, they were selling shirasu/shirauo (I don't know my fish names in English or Japanese but I tried to translate it on the net and this is what I got: Whitebait and Ice Fish....you choose) in all forms. Raw, fried, deep fried, dried, baked.....you name it and they probably had it. I had the chance to try some raw-shirasu-bowl (raw shirasu on rice) and honestly speaking; I think my worst cooking tasted better than that. Maybe that is going too far. I love raw fish but this was not one that I can say was good. It wasn't gross. It was just....blah!

Anyway, after eating made our way to the main entrance. The first thing I noticed was....cats! Cats everywhere. Cute cats. Ugly cats. Dark cats. Light cats. Fat cats and skinny cats. Just like the shirasu....they had all kinds of cats! In fact, there were so many cats everywhere I sort of forgot to take pics of the more touristy things like shrines, torii, etc. But I got plenty of cat pics!

I'm a cat lover so I enjoyed it a lot. Not just for the photog ops but just to be able to pet them and sit down next to them. My next few posts will probably be of cats at Enoshima so here you go.....


This cat was sleeping on top of a vending machine. The thing did not budge at all when tickling its paws.

Bobby Rose

Bobby Rose #23: Second baseman that played for Baystars from 1993-2000 (Then, the longest that a foreigner played for one team straight). He was brought to Yokohama from the Angels (I think they were called the California Angels then). He batted in the fourth slot and man, he kicked some serious ass at the plate and on the field. He is the reason why I became a big Baystars fan in the first place. He played with some great players (one being Kazuhiro Sasaki #22; later went to the Seattle Mariners) and was a part of the team when they won the Championship back in '98.

The team still has few players left, that played with Bobby Rose. My favorites would be Saeki #26. Unfortunately, the team has not had many good seasons since, but they are still 'my team.' I miss Bobby Rose! And I will stay a faithful fan and root for them from here on too.

Here's a Bobby Rose thread on Japanese Baseball.

Oh yeah....and here's a couple of pics I took of the roses at Yokosuka Verny Park.