Lens: 35/1.8 « Zach awry in Japan

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24 December 2011 Whereupon I Post Way Too Many Pictures of My Family Eating Xmas Dinner

Today was Christmas Eve, and we enjoyed it eating a nice dinner together cooked by other people.

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Zoe got a new ballet leotard today, which she wanted to show off as soon as we got home.

Very composed

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Followed by a graceful bow that somehow went wrong…

or Not So Composed

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“Christmas cakes” are a big tradition in Japan. Do people do this in the States as well?

I have no idea what Genbo is doing or thinking

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Family, Lens: 35/1.8

5 December 2011 Zoe and Me

I don’t know why, but I like this shot of Zoe and me, taken by Genbo. Maybe because it does a good job of revealing Zoe at what I think is a sort of tipping point in her development. Up to now she has been the quintessential “little girl,” but now she is getting into ballet, learning how to read, learning how to write…All things that are taking her into the next stage of her life, which is poignant for me to watch and take part in.

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Family, Lens: 35/1.8

8 April 2011 First Day of School

Today was Genbo’s first day of school. Or, technically, his 入学式, or ceremony to start the beginning of school. First day of classes is on Monday. Everybody around him has been excited about it, but Genbo has not given any indication of caring one way or another. Unfortunately it was a gray day today, and shortly after I took these pictures it started raining.

Here he is at the school gate, wearing his uniform and a randoseru. The school technically has uniforms, but you don’t really have to wear them. Lots of kids do, but anything in relatively subdued colors is fine. Basically, anything that’s not gold lame or sequined is fine. The randoseru (taken from the Dutch, according to that Wikipedia link), is a weird Japanese phenomenon. Genbo’s cost upwards of $500, which is maybe a little pricier than average, but not by much. The cheapest they go for is about $350. It’s a highly-fetishized leather object in the culture that marks a child’s entry into school. They are used for the full six years (which is how long elementary school lasts in Japan), and they are built to last 60 if need be. Does that justify the price? Not in my opinion, but since when is that relevant?

Crossing the threshold

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Now getting a little excited

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School yard and gym, flanked by Mi’i-dera, a major temple in the area

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Checking out the board to see which class he’s in

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Notice everybody with their bright, shiny new randoseru, strictly color-coded according to gender, ’cause this is Japan

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Another shot of the cherries and the temple up on the hill. Not a bad view for a playground.

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I liked this rack of unicycles, which are popular in Japan for young children.

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Now we come to his classroom, 一年生2組, or the second class (out of four) of the first-graders. His yellow hat, which only first-graders wear on the way to school, and various text books await him in his assigned seat. (I recently learned that even college students have assigned seats!)

Waiting for use

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I love this next picture. He’s been in his chair less than 30 seconds and he’s ALREADY BORED! And, in grand Braverman tradition, not bothering to hide it. Notice the hook on the desk so the randoseru doesn’t get sullied by being put on the floor.

“When’s recess?”

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These two are already friends, and he’s feeling a little left-out

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His first teacher: Nagatani-sensei

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I had to leave a little early to do some work, but everyone else went to the gym for a series of long and I’m sure excruciatingly boring speeches. Here are Genbo and his new classmates filing out of their room together for the first time.

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The school abuts the canal (疎水) which brings water from Lake Biwa to Kyoto and then down to Osaka. Here is a shot of a cherry-lined section of the canal right near his school.

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Family, Japan, Lens: 35/1.8, Lens: 85/1.4G

2 April 2011 First Graduation

Genbo graduated from daycare on March 19. It was a much bigger deal than I can imagine occurring in the States, with local petty politicians, representatives from local schools, etc. in attendance (and taking up the best seats).

Receiving his “diploma”

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Here is mommy waiting for him to present the diploma to her and say “Thank You” (a tear-jerker moment)

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Zoe took the opportunity to get dressed up

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Family, Japan, Lens: 35/1.8

3 January 2011 Hatsu-moude

We went up to Maki’s parents’ house in Fukui for the first few days of the new year. It’s a lot colder there than it is here, so Genbo and Zoe were looking forward to playing in the snow. One of the first things we did was hatsu-moude, or the first visit to a shrine to wish for good health and happiness in the coming year.

All of us, together with Maki’s sister and niece

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The first thing to do is stand in line to throw some money in the box for the resident spirits.

“Some filthy lucre for the Shinto deities please, mom”

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Those thick ropes are attached to the bells, which you ring to wake up the spirits to watch you throw money in, clap your hands together three times, bow your head, and wish for good things.

Wakey, wakey, narcoleptic Shinto spirits

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Here Genbo has just purchased some good-luck animistic schwag, this time in the form of a blessed arrow that will grace our home for the year and hopefully keep away the eviiiiiil spirits.

Genbo really liked the arrow and all the violence it represented

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I was the main target.

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Unfortunately, his arrow-inspired antics were severely impinged upon by…

…Severe Slush

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I have no idea what the horse signifies, but the picturesque building in the background is the kura, or storehouse of the shrine.

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All in all, I really like this shrine, called お総社 (“O-souja”). It’s kind of small-scale, old-fashioned, and down-home. Only people from the area come here, but they do so a lot. I think Maki used to play in the grounds when she was a little kid.

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Family, Japan, Lens: 35/1.8

1 January 2011 1/1/11

Or, as they say in Japan, 11/1/1. Either way, happy new year!

Here are a couple shots from our balcony. We got record amounts of snow dumped on us on December 31, making for a beautiful new year’s morning. Even late at night on the first, most of this is already gone already…

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Lens: 35/1.8

7 December 2010 Dinosaurs and Oceans

A couple weeks ago we (Kids, Maki, mom, and I) went to a dinosaur exhibition at the Asia Trade Center in Osaka. It’s so funny watching Genbo accumulate a vast store of dinosaur-related knowledge when he knows so little about the rest of the world. Just yesterday he was able to correctly identify a scene on a BBC dinosaur documentary as occurring during the　Cretaceous because there was some kind of minor dinosaur around I had never even heard of, and that dinosaur, he knows, was from the Cretaceous.

I won’t bore you with a lot of dinosaur bone photos, but I kind of like this one, and was impressed at the 2500 ISO performance of my new D7000.

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Dr. Dinosaur

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Not one to be left out of the dino-action

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Maki and I were surprised and delighted to see this ferry in the harbor. This is the one we took six years ago when moving from Oita to Kyoto. Boy was I happy to get out of Kyushu. I remember waiving the place a very enthusiastic goodbye from that boat.

A veritable Ark

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We then walked across the street to the Osaka World Trade Center, the second-highest building in Japan at 55 storeys. We went up the observation deck, but the whole place was deserted, with an eerie ghost-mega-complex feel to it.

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Genbo gives a dinosaur impression, while Zoe indulges in a little ear-feeling, finger-sucking, comfort-seeking

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Now there are two!

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That round building is the Osaka Maritime Museum, which actually looks pretty cool.

Literally, in Japanese, the “Osaka Sea Time and Space Building”

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On the way home we stopped in at a local favorite of ours, with a couple tables and a counter. We started out at a table, but Genbo and Zoe liked to watch them prep the food from the counter, so they sat up their themselves, conversing with the proprietors and other patrons, while Maki and I sat back and laughed quietly.

One charmed proprietor

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Family, Lens: 35/1.8

30 May 2010 Exposing the Kids to Theatre

On our trip to Kobe last Golden Week we went to a little amusement park on top of a mountain, which will be further explored in an upcoming post. Here I just want to share these shots of Genbo because they’re so precious. Because it was Golden Week and the place was packed, there were live shows all day. The two we took in were a clown show and a Shinkenja (Power-Rangers clone) show. These were of course completely boring for me, but I loved watching Genbo’s face go through all sorts of transformations, from gleeful to intent to semi-scared, and then back to gleeful again.

Japanese clownsThey were, I have to admit, pretty good

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If only Genbo concentrated so hard when I try to explain something important…

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Pure, unadultureated joyFunny, he doesn’t look like that when I play shakuhachi

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Next came the Shinkenja, which Genbo picked up a thorough knowledge of despite the fact that we never watch these shows at our house. Here they are using the same sword as the one that he received for his fifth birthday, pictured at the end of this post. (Zoe got scared during this show and had to be taken away by mommy, although that didn’t stop her from stating her preference for the pink one.)

Good defeating evil(as always)

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Literally a nail-biter for Genbo

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Finally, I had to insert one cute shot of Zoe. This one is out in front of the Suma Aquarium.

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Family, Lens: 35/1.8

24 May 2010 Play on the beach

Here are some pictures from the beach on our Golden Week trip to Kobe, first described here. This was really Zoe’s first exposure to the ocean as a full running, squealing, laughing human being, so it was fun to watch. And, Genbo was as unconsciously graceful in play as all 5 year olds unleashed on the world should be.

This one definitely captures Zoe’s assertive, indomitable style

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A rare moment of rest

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Run to waves. Run back. Repeat……indefintely

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That exhausted but satisfied look of a parent watching their children playing

“Finally we can relax and let them go crazy”

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Family, Lens: 35/1.8

20 May 2010 Zoe Turns 3

Yesterday was Zoe’s birthday. Being Wednesday, Maki had the day off, which was nice. We had thought long and hard as to what to get her for a birthday present, and since she is such a tomboy (being interested primarily in trains, Ultraman, and dinosaurs), we decided to give her a doll. Partly out of curiosity; partly desperation. She took to it well enough, which isn’t surprising considering that she does love babies, but I’m still skeptical as to whether or not it can hold up to brachiosaurus (her current favorite) in the long run.

Anyway, when we woke up she was happy to get the doll, but was much more excited about digging into her birthday cake. As it happens, it had been in the refrigerator since the day before. And, we didn’t have anything really good for breakfast anyway. So we threw all parenting norms out the window and had birthday cake for breakfast. Don’t tell anyone or they’ll take away our Wholesome Parents certificate. That is the reason this post is devoid of picturesque candle-lit images and heavy on the just-got-out-of-bed look. I’m glad I was behind the camera instead of in front of it.

Getting ready to blow out the candles(I think Genbo was saying “Not yet. Wait for mommy”)

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For some reason she wanted a snowman cake

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Her “I’m really happy” pose

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(So cute it defies captioning)

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Genbo in his Sausolito nightshirt

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No petite or polite cake-eating in our house

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For dinner we had ikura over rice (next to birthday cake, her favorite food).

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Family, Lens: 35/1.8

9 May 2010 In Which My Kids Stick Out Their Tongues

This past Golden Week (the 5-day or so vacation at the beginning of May), we went down to Suma, which is right near Kobe on the coast. I wasn’t feeling particularly good the day we left (allergies or cold, never figured out which), and I was debating whether or not to take the camera at all. I settled on just taking my small little 35/1.8 lens. I’m pretty happy with this, both because it was light and forced me back into the prime lens way of thinking, in which you have only one focal length to frame your shots and must therefore get a little more creative.

These shots are on the train platform on the way there.

First Zoe…

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Then Genbo…(Looks kind of special there, doesn’t he? )

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Very impressive, honey……but it’s upside-down

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Showing her current age: 2Definitely NOT the ubiquitous annoying Japanese peace sign. They know we don’t do that.

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Her soon-to-be age: 3

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Yes, I have a large-aperture lens, and abuse it at will(Last night I dreamt I bought the new $2,200 24/1.4 Nikkor. A good dream…)

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Family, Lens: 35/1.8

11 February 2010 Keburikawa Onsen

As I explained in the previous post, Maki and I used to go to hotspring overnights in Kyushu a lot when we lived there. These places invariably only had 10-20 rooms, although with excellent service and food. I would be hesitant to take a 2 and a 5 year old to such a place, however. So, for this excursion, our first such overnight since Genbo was born, we chose a larger hotel. The onsen, Keburikawa in Kameoka, was in fact bigger and more institutional than both of us expected. At first I was a little disappointed by this, but our room was still excellent, and the size of the place meant that we didn’t have to keep Genbo and Zoe on such a tight leash (reducing stress). I was extremely glad that we decided at the last minute to spring for the room with its own outside bath; it really made the trip for us.

Here’s the balcony off our room, with its private bath made of shigaraki pottery. In Japanese it’s called a rotenburo, which Genbo still thinks is an English word because he learned it at a friend’s house in the States where there is an outside hot-tub. It’s hilarious to hear him pronounce this very Japanese word with an American accent.

“Roten-buuurrow”

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Here’s our room shot from outside on the balcony. Very nice and spacious.

“Japanese modern” was the style of the decor

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Wearing yukata, or simple kimono, is one of the pleasures of any onsen. Here is Zoe in hers, while Genbo waits in his skivies for his larger size to be delivered (he is, to put it mildly, taller than most Japanese 5-year olds). I particularly cherish this picture because Zoe, being a little bit more reserved than her brother, doesn’t often give the camera her full-wattage smile.

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Much frolicking was had…

Where’s Zoe’s head?

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…and jumping too and fro…

I used to do the same exact thing in hotels, I remember.

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Finally, Genbo’s yukata arrives.

Reporting for silliness, Sir!

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Onsen exist just as much for the food as the baths, and the fact that you pay by the person instead of by the room attests to where much of your money goes. Although at smaller onsen you usually eat in your room, here there was a restaurant, where everybody was knocking back beer and sake in their yukatas. You had a choice of three different meals, and we chose the wild boar, which is apparently a local specialty.

So glad I’m not a vegetarian

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Before dinner we had gone to the large public (gender-divided) baths, but after dinner we filled our own private one. It was raining outside, which just added to the atmosphere.

Just big enough for two large and two small

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It was a long day for Zoe, who curled up in her favorite place before bed and didn’t even have the energy to bat my camera away or shield her face.

Comfy

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Family, Japan, Lens: 16-85, Lens: 35/1.8

11 February 2010 Train to Onsen

Yesterday we took our first family trip with all four of us to anywhere other than our respective ancestral homes. We went to an onsen, or natural hotsprings, about 45 minutes outside of Kyoto in a little town called Kameoka (30 minute train ride, followed by a 15 minute shuttle bus).

Maki and I used to go to lots of hotsprings when we were childless and lived in Kyushu, the land of excellent onsen, but it’s not really the kind of things you enjoy with babies in tow. Still, it’s nice to get away for even just a night and enjoy some awesome baths and great food, and Genbo and Zoe do at least a passable of impression of human beings most of the time these days, so we’ve decided to explore the outskirts of Kyoto to see what we can find. These shots are all from the train to the onsen, as was the previous post.

I took this first shot before I realized my camera was still on full manual mode from my last macro shoot. Still, I like how Genbo is hamming it up for and Zoe is hiding from the camera. Only Adobe Lightroom saved an completely screwed-up exposure.

Everybody’s personality coming to the fore