Yokohama-Bashi

Fujifilm X100V (23 mm) with 5% diffusion filter

ISO 500 for 1/160 sec. at ƒ/6.4

Classic Negative film simulation

Yokohama’s Oldest Covered Market Street

I am not a fan of big shopping malls, Costco, etc. Although I have never been to a farmer’s market, the closest equivalent for urban neighborhoods in Japan might be the classic shopping arcades called “shotengai”. Such shotengai can be found throughout Japan, although their numbers are dwindling as shoppers transition to the shiny glitz of shopping centers with huge parking lots.

Shotengai, on the other hand, are restricted to pedestrians and bicycles, are full of specialty shops including cafes, coffee shops, green tea shops, shops selling traditional bed linen (futon shops), elderly lady’s fashion shops, wig shops, cheap fruit shops, high-end fruit shops, fresh seafood, Korean spice shops, Chinese noodle shops, Japanese noodle shops, pharmacies, liquor shops, Japanese liquor (osake) shops, pachinko (gambling) parlors, barbers, hairdressers, comic book shops, used-book shops, street-food stalls, bakeries, restaurants, bars, and much, much more.

Tourists don’t visit this particular shotengai since it is off the beaten path. The shotengai caters mostly to locals including a mix of Japanese, ethnic Koreans and Chinese, and the occasional westerner who might live nearby.

On this photo shoot I enjoyed chatting with various shop owners who were asked to pet my border collie. In our conversations, I learned that some owners have been running their shops in the family for over 70 years!

This is the side of Japan I love the most: older generations of down-to-earth, hard-working, entrepreneurs with an in-depth knowledge of their particular market and wares, and their open attitude to sharing their wisdom related to the local neighborhood and life in general.

The Yokohama Bashi Street Market organically grew into a proper market over time between 1868 and 1912. The market was destroyed in WWII fire raids, and rebuilt in 1948 with various improvements over the years. 

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Permissions beyond the scope of this license are available at Pix4Japan.

Kinchakuda Manjushage Park

Pentax K-1 II + D FA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6

37 mm ISO 400 for 1/200 sec. at ƒ/10

Red Spider Lilies

Kinchakuda Manjushage Park in the small town of Hidaka in Saitama Prefecture, Japan, is most famous for its park of red  spider lilies that blossom during the same week as the autumnal equinox.

Pentax K-1 II + D FA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6

105 mm ISO 6400 for 1/250 sec. at ƒ/10

Crimson and Green

Most of the trees in Kinchakuda Manjushage Park (Saitama Prefecture, Japan) stand upright offering visitors to the park a  lovely canopy of shade when viewing the red spider lilies.

In this shot, however, I focused on an old tree in the middle of the lilies that was growing at an angle. I love how the tree emerges from the field of lilies and is winding its way upwards towards the sunlight. I also love how the green moss stands in stark contrast with the crimson lilies.

Pentax K-1 II + D FA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6

105 mm ISO 1600 for 1/250 sec. at ƒ/10

Red and White

Although most of the red spider lilies in Kinchakuda Manjushage Park (Saitama Prefecture, Japan) are of a fantastical crimson creating a magical scarlet carpet under the tree canopy, there are a few white spider lilies growing here and there. 

When taking up-close shots like this one, be forewarned that spider lilies are actually poisonous to eat and can cause a rash if you touch them. Don’t let that stop you from bringing children as this will be a good opportunity to teach children to not to touch them, since they can grow wild along sidewalks, near cemeteries, etc.

Pentax K-1 II + D FA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6

105 mm ISO 100 for 1/15 sec. at ƒ/8

Above the Rest

This is the last shot of a four-part series of the red spider lilies on display at the Kinchakuda Manjushage Park in the small town of Hidaka in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. 

This scene caught my eye as the one lily seems to have outgrown its neighbors to stand above the rest. At this angle, the dark bark of the tree helps isolate the lily as it would have been lost among the other lilies at any other angle.

I hope to visit this park again during spring to catch canola flowers and cherry tree blossoms.

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Pix4Japan by Iketani, Daisei is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license are available at Pix4Japan.

Lake Miyagase

Fujifilm X100V (23 mm) with 5% diffusion filter

ISO 160 for 1/340 sec. at ƒ/3.2

Provia/Standard film simulation

Bridge over Mountain Lake

Located about 62 km (approx. 39 miles) southwest of Tokyo, the Niji-no-Ohashi Bridge, a reversed Lohnse arch bridge, crosses Lake Miyagase in the mountains of Kanagawa Prefecture. This man-made lake is one of the major sources of water for home, industrial, and agricultural use in Kanagawa Prefecture.

This shot was taken at Toriihara Park, which is located high up on the northern shoreline of the lake and has been developed to provide visitors with grand views of the lake, the mountains, and Niji-no-Ohashi Bridge.

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Pix4Japan by Iketani, Daisei is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license are available at Pix4Japan.