5 Picture Album

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I heard great things about the culture, art, and places of Japan. I wanted to see for myself, so I figured Japan would be my next destination to explore. I woke up just before dawn to begin my journey to Japan.  The day was clear.  The sun had yet to peak out of the parted hilltops , but the morning sky had a pretty pink hue. As i walked towards my boat, I felt the dewy grass brushing against my feet.  I got on my boat and headed to my first stop, Nagasaki harbour.  I saw that there were a few other boats heading east, the same direction I was going.  The water was calm, and the boats ahead created swift trails of waves, as if it was leading me to my destination.

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After I reached Nagasaki Harbour, I wanted to visit a nearby garden.  This is a photo of a Japanese garden with stone-walled ponds and blooming iris.  In the background are trees, and pines.  What i found interesting about this garden was that it was unlike anything known in the west.  Unlike western gardens, gardens in Japan weren't all colorful flowers and plants.  Japanese gardens were designed in a more natural scenery, such as collections of pines, stones, plants and water.  This photo shows that Japan has a great amount of respect for nature, and you can see that their gardens aren't altered by man.  

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Next, I stopped by in a village in Kyoto where there were many craftsman hard at work.  I stopped by one workshop and I observed a man and a woman making fans.  Both fanmakers are working independently and look very focused.  The man has his back hunched slightly and his head down in a way that shows he's very concentrated.  The woman looks not as hard at work, but it looks as though she's analyzing the fan she's holding. By the look on her expression, she doesn't look too happy about the way the fan has turned out.  It seems there is a defect.  The way I see it, the fanmakers are in their own stations.  I see some sort of an assembly line going on.  The man in charge of the skeletal process of the fan, and the woman in charge of the art and design.  Seeing the large pile of fans in the middle, this couple is running a pretty productive workshop.

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After visiting the fanmakers,  I heard music being played.  I crept closer to the sound of music, and found a beautiful woman playing a string instrument called a samisen.  The woman was dressed in a sky blue kimono with white cloud-like patterns, and pale pink obi around her waist.  Her hair was pulled back in a chignon.  From the sound of the music, I knew she was a musician with long years of experience.  As I got nearer, I caught her attention, and her gaze met my gaze, but she continued to play the samisen.  

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To change the environment, I decided to visit a Japanese school.  I came across Jiyu Girls' School in Tokyo. There was a classroom of school girls singing. The group of girls all had very similar hairstyle-- short with bangs, some without. There were a few girls who had longer hair tied in braids.  I noticed that their attire weren't uniform.  The colors of their clothes were different from each other, yet all the girls were wearing long knee-length dresses.  There is one teacher accompanying on the piano. The teacher seemed like a middle-aged woman.  There was anything in particular about this setting that was different from a western setting.  It was a casual girl group choir singing along to the piano.


This album was created by a globetrotter who isn't afraid of trying something new in a different part of the world.  This is a globetrotter who developed a new found interest and appreciation for Japanese art and music.