Osaka's historical roots is as a port city of trade, fishermen and merchants. One of the biggest festivals in honor of the patron deity of commerce, luck and fishing, Ebisu, is held annually on January 10 in the streets of Osaka with a giant parade and ritual activity as the locals wish for business success and prosperity in the New Year.
The First World Kamishibai Day for world peace is December 7. Raise your voice for world peace! It is urgently needed! Share stories for peace. Peace, for the children!
It's nothing short of a miracle. I can speak Japanese. At least broken Japanese, spewing out a lot of basic verbs and nouns to get the message across (mostly) or ask directions, put a friend in a cab to the Kansai Airport, direct a cab driver to my apartment or tell him when he's at … Continue reading I’m Speaking Japanese! I Really Think So!
Halloween in Japan has been growing a lot. This year I noticed far more Jack'o'lanterns and Western style Halloween decorations than last year. As if it were a orchestrated event, as just about every store or restaurant had some kind of Halloween theme or promotion. Fun! I was excited to take a friend who is … Continue reading Halloween at Universal Studios Japan – Good Kawaii Fun! In Photographs
A good friend of mine I met when I lived in St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands introduced me by email to a friend of hers. Joan D. Stamm is the author of the new book, A Pilgrimage in Japan - The 33 Temples of Kannon. It's a fabulous read for those of us … Continue reading Heaven and Earth Really Are Flowers – Ikebana in Japan for World Peace
One of the most refreshing things about Japan I find is that there is an exaltation of the human body and it can be seen in public sculptures all across Japan.
In addition to photographing nature, temples and shrines, my favorite subjects are neighborhoods that are historic, have lots of character or are a bit run down. Many mornings I walk the 3.3 kilometers with my husband from our Bohemian, but chi-chi, Shinmachi neighborhood in Osaka to the Nishikujo Station he takes to work. We leave … Continue reading Street Photography Tour & Workshop Nov. 26 with Sydney in Osaka
Happy to announce that photographs of mine I took of Ise Jingu Grand Shrine in Ise, Japan have been published in Kyoto Journal magazine issue 92. Titled "Devotion" it features photographs I took, ironically on a rainy day, of the most sacred shrine in Japan that is devoted to the Japanese Sun Goddess Amaterasu. The photographs … Continue reading My Photographs of Ise Jingu Grand Shrine Published in Kyoto Journal
Yesterday I posted a visual poem I wrote after visiting the Osaka International Peace Center. Today as I await Typhoon Tremi's arrival tonight, I have been going through the various film clips I took when the POW Research Network Japan took me on a tour of the sites where my Opa, Albert Straub, was interned … Continue reading Camp Omori and The Peaceful People of Japan want Article 9 to Stay
I am back home in Osaka, Japan after a two week delay from typhoon Jebi earlier this month. I'm back just in time for the next typhoon Trami coming our way, expected to his here Sunday night! We are stocked up with food and water, and my camera is ready! Let's hope for the best … Continue reading Kyobashi – A Visual Poem to Keep Article 9 in Japan’s Constitution
