Osaka Part 1: Arrival

It had been almost 2 years since the last time I visited Osaka. My memories of the city still felt crystal clear, but I felt it was time to stop living in memories and booked a flight ticket from Misawa airport. My boss was kind enough to drop me off at the airport and surprisingly the flight only took an hour and 40 minutes. I had completely forgotten about the heat in Osaka until the moment I exited the airplane doors and it hit me like a face full of fist. At that instant, I understood exactly how a microwave worked.

I pursued to grab my backpack and headed for information and there I was politely well.....informed. The bus ride to Tenoji took over an hour due to Osaka heavy traffic. Nonetheless, I was overly happy with the fact the bus was blasting A/C at maximum capacity. I was chilled. Arrival at Tenoji came to a surprised because I was listening to music and did not hear the intercom. The fact that everyone was quickly exiting the bus gave hint that this was the only stop on-route. I descended from the bus and once again grabbed my bag and marched towards my train. Eagerly, the heat flocked to my body and attached itself in the form of sweat. I was feeling nasty. You see.... as I left Aomori, it was 20 degrees and raining and therefore, decided to attire myself with pants and a short sleeved shirt. This was a total mistake as pants was a ridiculous call for someone carrying a 15kg packpack.

After 40 minutes of sitting on the train from Tenoji to Yamatokoizumi, I was dumbfounded that everyone around me were also in pants. I guess they must have adapted to the heat and therefore had a built in resistance. Either that, I've just become a sweaty pig over the years. I looked out the window and what I saw was exactly how I remembered it. Nara had not changed much in 2 years. Actually, it hasn't changed much from the 1st time I visited which was 8 years ago in 1999. I inserted my train ticket, exited the station, and scanned the parking lot. The taxi drivers noticed my backpack labeled 'traveler' and flinched. Soon I found Casey in the K-car waiting. I greeted him with a, 'Jyeah dong' and hopped in the ride and we split for home.

黒石祭り - Kuroishi Festival

demons
Originally uploaded by notegra

This the first time in 4 years that I was able to attend the Kuroishi Festival. For those who are unfamiliar, Kuroishi literally means "black stone". Kuroishi is what I would call a medium sized town for Aomori prefecture with 38,733 people and sits beneath the Hakkoda mountain and borders Hirosaki City.

From Tohoku Town, it took a little over 2 hours by car if the desired route is to pass through the mountains which I found extremely invigorating. The F1 like hairpins caused my tires to whine like dying dogs and the roller coaster terrain could rumble the strongest stomachs. On a few occasions, the steep incline even caused me to down shift to 1st as the engine repeatedly cried out, "ping". I kept imagining to myself, "If only I had a faster car with rock hard suspension, this would be so much fun!" It's not everyday that you get to drive in these elements. It felt like I had been shaken in a bottle.

Upon descending from the mountain top, everything up till this point felt like a struggle and finally as I tipped the scale, in came the rewards. I eased my grip, relaxed, descended, and looked at the world around me. It always amazes me how green Aomori gets. I recall my first impression arriving in Aomori as being so damn green! Everything felt like it has added doses of life to it. The trees blew in the wind with extra swagger. The wild brush even bush'ier. The flowers more vibrant in color. I never have felt the world so alive. It was beautiful.

I was meeting up with a friend whom I met snowboarding that lived in Kuroishi. He said he hasn't been to the festival in a while and wouldn't mind going with me. Kenichi and I have always gotten along since day 1 and it was nice to see him in his home environment for a change. He took us where all the floats were gathering and as we approached closer, the drums could easily be heard. Arriving at our destination, the crowd was also gathering. The countless footsteps launched a small dust cloud to fill the area as we proceeded to cut across the showroom floor full of colorful floats. The excitement was there. You could feel everyone's anticipation for the show to begin. I observed the scenery and noticed the different array of Japanese festival art. Kuroishi had a uniqueness to it because of its' size. Smaller in scale, one would automatically assume it was far below the level of Aomori's Nebuta. However, the size created an intimacy that was in some ways more appealing. I was literally right there next to the paraders and dancers that passed along with each float. The lights lit the faces of babies and young ones observing from the sidewalk that reflected a magical glow. It was in its' very own way, beautiful.

Adventures in Aomori City.

When work finished at 4pm, I had a small chat with Yumez on msn after I got home and suddenly got the itch to go shoot photos in Aomori city. When I told her my plan, she responded with, "What? You're going to go all the way to Aomori to shoot pics?"

From where I live, Aomori city is only a stone throw away which equates to about an hour by car. The driving never has bothered me, but it was the fact that it was almost a blistering 30C!! Plus, my car is equipped with the latest Japanese aircon technology!! Only problem is that it's dated from 1994. Things like that will never hold me back. I grabbed my gear and set off hoping to catch the sunset.

A slight breeze blew as I stepped out of my car. My first stop was Asamushi. I was able to get there just in time to catch a few sunsets pictures and take in the beauty that surrounded me. As the evening set, people were slowly gathering their things and packing up for home. I was doing the exact opposite. I grabbed tripod and set off for a few night shots.

It never amazes me that people will always STARE at you if you have a camera. I often try and put myself in their shoes and think, "My what's this fine lad doing? Is he creating magical images? Wow, what nice flip-flops this amateur photographer has! OMG, what a spectacular lens he's got on his camera, I'm jealous!" Thoughts like these, well....they allow me to take photos without being embarrassed. At first it was hard shoot sometimes when people you don't know were wondering what the hell you're doing and look at you as if you're crazy for shooting pics of the weirdest things. I changed the way I thought and now it really doesn't bother me and I go on my way and shoot whatever I can. No one is holding you back but yourself....let it go and you will be free.

After I finished at Asamushi, I continued to the heart of Aomori. I got in my car and headed down town. I didn't have an idea of what I was going to shoot, but wanted to explore my options. I observed the train station and watched the life in motion. 8pm was surprisingly busy for Aomori and then I thought it must have been because of "Obon". The youth about tonight. I saw cars doing rounds in front of the train station trying to find a bit of something to do. I had my fill and decided it was time to go home. This was a nice little practice run to fill my head with ideas. The drive back was quick.

Entry #1

So it starts here....
Hahaha yes, I know I'm not the first person to ever make a photo blog site, but for me, this is my first real blog. This is my chance to share with my friends and future friends my story.

August 15th, 2007 marks the beginning.
thomas