Kyoto Summer
Greetings everyone! I’ve been back in Kyoto for three weeks now, and it seems like I never left. Just Press Play and continue from where I paused it in June…
It has been quite hot — highs in the mid 30s (90s) and humid. A lot like New York when I grew up. We had a lot of rain in August and a typhoon that broke up before hitting us. But now it’s September and the weather is getting little bit cooler. There are moments now where the climate is actually pleasant. It will get better in the coming weeks...
Obon
One of my primary goals of being in Kyoto in super hot August was to see the floating lanterns and mountain bonfire characters of the OBON festival on August 16. I went to Hirosawa Pond and shot the Obon lanterns with one of the Gozen Okuribi bon fires - Toriigata - in the distance.
I was very happy about this. I’ve been to Hirosawa Ike pond many times before, but not like this evening. So many people crowded around the edge of the pond. And so many lanterns, I had no idea. They were about five times more lanterns floated in the pond than are visible in my photo. Each lantern is a commemoration, and I sponsored several for my deceased relatives as well. Each is a guide for our ancestors’ spirits going back to heaven. It’s a simple, yet beautiful sight.
Fireworks & Woodblock Prints
I went with a friend to shoot fireworks in the Sato district of Otsu, just east of Kyoto. While walking, we crossed a classic Japanese bridge that traverses an island in the middle. A few days later I saw a Ukiyo-e woodblock print of this same bridge at an exhibition, made by Utagawa Hiroshige almost 200 years ago. It turns out, the road across that bridge is part of the original Tokaido road, and Otsu city was the last rest stop before Kyoto. I’ll have to go back and take a proper photo of that bridge…
Both Hiroshige and Hokusai also made Ukiyo-e prints of the Arashiyama district where I live in Kyoto. I’m really excited when I see images of a place from lifetimes ago, while standing at that very place. I get a real appreciation for the passage of time.
I also love looking through early photographs of Japan curated by Kjeld Duits at Old Photos of Japan. On Instagram, @forgottenmadness_la is doing much of the same detective work in the Los Angeles area.
These next few months I’m planning to travel more: several excursions to Osaka, and a baseball game in September at the historic Tokyo Meiji Jingu baseball stadium, slated for demolition. Babe Ruth played there a hundred years ago, and I’d like to see a game there before they tear it down.
I’m also want to spend some time in the most northern part of Kyoto and Fukui prefectures along the sea of Japan. Stay tuned!
Kyoto Journal Issue 107
I received a copy of Kyoto Journal‘s Fire issue that came out in July. It's very nice, a deep dive on the cultural meanings and influences of fire in Kyoto and Japan. Kudos to all the volunteers involved in this excellent production.
Many of my photos are in this issue, but there are numerous more impressive photographs than mine, starting with the beautiful black-and-white photos of flames and sparks by Tobias Hutzler, that grace the cover and the first few pages of the issue.
You can find out more and get your copy on Kyoto Journal's website.
Film
Continuing my film adventures, I’ve shot a couple of rolls of film since I arrived in Japan. I’m now waiting - interminably - for the film to come back from the lab. Back in the 70s, I used to take my Ektachrome to a pro lab off Santa Monica & Doheny in Beverly Hills, that as I recall would be done overnight. Those were the days!
I still prefer slide film over negatives, for the way it pops with contrast. But now it’s closer to two weeks to get the developed film back. It’s enough to make you shoot digitally, ha!
I'm Ex-Twitter, are you?
Twitter has declined into a cesspool of AI powered white/right slurs and lies, egged on by its owner, which has reached the point of no return. So I am leaving.
My X account is now private and no longer updates. I’m going to remove it completely in couple of weeks.
But where do we go for news and information now? I have accounts on most of the other social networks but Mastodon is my primary one these days. All my photos get syndicated to every social network, so you can see my photos wherever you like to hangout. But the best are on my website. I occasionally have multiple related photographs on the same post, but only the main one gets syndicated to the social networks.
Mastodon: @famichiki.jp/@daniel
Instagram: @hermosawave.photography
Facebook: @hermosawavephotography
Threads: @hermosawave.photography
BlueSky: @hermosawavephotography.com
Glass: @hermosawave (gets different updates)
That's all for now. I hope you continue to enjoy the photographs of my daily life.
Regards from Kyoto
Daniel
Member discussion