Went Wandering - From Tokyo to Hakata

[Zichar]

My mother taught me not to stare
But stare I did, because it simply wasn't humanly possible
Dazzled by flashes that went on one after another
Enthusiastic some frantic waves to get him to look this way or that
Photographic gear were pointed at him from all angles
An enterprising individual even leaned over the front of the cab
Camera freely at the end of an outstretched arm
Before the marauding steward gave him a polite nod
Profuse apologies scattered back and forth between guard and offender
Only in Japan my nostrils flared
And then I saw his eyes flicker, cheeks bulged
Aha, right in my domain of expertise
A stifled yawn

<32>


three laws by Zichar, on Flickr
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[Zichar]

Trains trains trains
Oddly most still carry clamshell-styled phones eschewing the new-gen wide candybar smartphones
Dark maroon and gold trimmings do make for a uniquely luxurious look
Kinda took advantage of the chaos

<33>


the dog is named by Zichar, on Flickr
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[Zichar]

<34>


retrochanics by Zichar, on Flickr
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[Zichar]

Just when I thought I could identify the major Japanese foods
And can name them reasonably well
This bowl of minced meat topped rice made me squint at the photos
Then the menu, wondering how on earth they could specialize in something so simple
Ah deceptively, sometimes the simplest can be the toughest to master
The taste, so subtly sweet, its name I now speak in whispered pleasure - soboro don

>>

LV-ed my way to this.
I sometimes cringe at the loud clack of the D700 shutter
In this instance, I think cymbals or even a marching band wouldn't have made much of a difference to this fella
Took multiple shots, fiddling in between, the scene didn't change at all!

<35>


rabbit cuddling chef by Zichar, on Flickr
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[Zichar]

Anyway after wandering aimlessly for two days, we decided to put a sense of purpose to our forays to the city
*Admittedly it was tough being hosts/guides when your guests always say "it's up to you, we don't have a clue"

The sis-in-law is going to get married at the end of the year.
We thought hey, why don't we get her some Japanese wedding paraphernalia
So we trekked all the way to an old nondescript store selling Hakata dolls, a specialty of the area
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakata_ningyō

And boy, was the place was packed to the gills with boxes and boxes of clay dolls waiting to be shipped
Each stack was topped with a sample doll to signify what was underneath
The delivery van outside had them neatly stacked, awaiting transport
I walked in with trepidation, places like this are not friendly for a photographer wielding a large sling bag

<36>


perceived slight by Zichar, on Flickr
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[Zichar]

With creases on her forehead
Purse lips
She guided us out grabbing elbows
Uncharacteristic my befuddled mind whirred

As our feet, pedaled quickly away
I reached in to enabled my babelfish devices
Cotton bag bouncing on pumping denim legs
Face of determination, worry and lastly anger?

Only in hurried tones later
More than four streets over
Slighted for the lack of welcome friendliness
That refusal to bring out their choice products
Excuses spilled out, the warehouse it's ex situ
The price range perhaps ex situ
Uncharacteristic my mind threw its invisible hands up in air

Spitfire response they are not the only ones in town
Some battles I thought
Are best left to shrugging shoulders and boots
Made for walking
Onwards to the next depa

<37>


colour of my energy by Zichar, on Flickr
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[m3vapour]

Loving the colors of your set. Seem to fit Fall in tokyo very well.
Great shot of marunouchi , wish i had the motivation to lug a tripod around on my trips there.

Do keep em coming, i'm sure those taken in kyushu would be just as awesome.

 

[Zichar]

Thanks m3vapour. The series has indeed progressed into the portion in Kyushu

>>

Barefoot running, my feet scoffed
And turned in their request to resign
When we schlumped off the top floor
Always one with knick-knacks and odd curios
Only to discover the dolls
Were exactly one and the same
As the one in the store we left behind
Principles, they cannot be eaten

Surrounded by high street pottery and glazeware
Lacquered bowls thrice the price of my modern electronics
I retreated into the alcove, tucked away at the corner past the lift
Impatiently watching the greying temples fall and rise
Until his wife came to rouse and bring him away
From that vantage point overlooking the street

<38>


move over old man (CKC_1654) by Zichar, on Flickr
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[Zichar]

Bringing back two combs of bananas
We shrugged off fatigue thinking
The initial bus ride forgotten
A short walk to blow off time
Asking for directions, heading into mole hall
Lost, agog at Christmas lights
Pedestrians like electrons in circuitry

>>

Did the 10 steps forward turn back and shoot
Ala spaghetti Western draw
With MF in between

<39>


backpedal by Zichar, on Flickr
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[Zichar]

The first time we sat in one we were hooked
That semi-bitter yet golden aftertaste
Traditional green tea houses serving
Matcha jelly, matcha parfait, matcha everything
Joining the rest of the shopping brigade
Luxurious slide on the sofa
Post-afternoon power shopping exercise
Business high tea for the elderly
Lazy swirls, twirling their teacups
Perched on the edge of their seats
Socks in shoes hanging on to dear life
Wiggling toes in those departed

<40>


the right ratio in 60° water by Zichar, on Flickr
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[Zichar]

A viewing platform slash sky garden
My curiosity piqued and ran up the escalators
In search in exploration
To be rediscovered post-matcha experience

Emerging from the centrally heated
To the skies turned gray-er
Immediately dwarfed by skylight structures
Air vents, inlets and outlets
The maze of ducts confuzzle even the most savvy
Of fibre-optic-cable-threading trained operatives
But for the narrow corridor que sera sera

<41>


the train is coming by Zichar, on Flickr
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[Zichar]

My second time here, the first was actually to walk over on the island
Sakurajima is an active volcano, plumes rise all the time
And ash falls all over the city regularly
My friend used to stay just where this photo was taken
Laundry outside wasn't such a great idea...
Bags and bags of ash are neatly packed and stacked up outside homes and stores
Was told that a collection company is contracted to pick 'em up once a week

>>

5-shot pano with the 135 2.8 AIS

<42>


giant havana by Zichar, on Flickr
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[Zichar]

The obligatory food porn shot
Of Pork cutlet slash tonkatsu
My friend's most favorite-st food in the whole wide world
Made him rank one late night of drinking
So much so that he's spoken about bringing us to this joint
Every single time for the past five years
Before the old man goes off to the sweet beyond he would wistfully end
To which we finally made it
A four hour drive for which we had to wake up and start off
That unearthly dark morning before six
Cold blustery winds threatening to kidnap us back into warmer shelters

A nondescript office building outside
Almost to overbearing point, traditional, inlaid with tatami mats
An outdated decor in stasis since the eighties
The requisite crowd already built up on stools lined out front

Blinking in sheer disbelief at the size
Authenticity probably high on its priorities, jumbo tonkatsu
My eyes wandered to the side bar for the usual suspects
Couple condiments, karashi mustard and tonkatsu sauce, absent
A quick assessment on the state of cutlet
Outsides alas dark instead of golden brown
And the insides pink, certainly worrying even for my innard-chomping self

I opened my mouth to ask my friend
And he hushed me quickly, the sound wafting over to pinch my lips
Verboten! Such things are not spoken in here
Proceeding to tell me of the master chef's soup nazi proclivities
Once having witnessed him throw a slightly drunken patron out
That unforgivable crime, questioning the freshness of his deep fryer oil

As our table was within sight of the kitchen
An open counter well positioned
His crisp starched white uniform twirling with off-grey patches of oil
I contemplated and decided to pull out the camera
Take a quick shot and stuff it back in the bag
Calculated risk, writing off the pink cutlet
Oh the derring-do that I do

<43>


you're through pack it up by Zichar, on Flickr
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[Zichar]

Which was what the old man must have thought
I lingered nearby blending in as successfully as a chameleon on tartan stripes
Pretending to review shots on the rear screen
Motive, patiently waiting for him to finish his cup of tea
Those sips that last a generation
Just so I can gain access to the wall

To the counter he walked, returned his cup
Returning to see photographer contorting to lean back
Suspended in mid-air (I blame my inexperience with the 135 2.8 AIS)

When I was done I saw him stage left, his mouth slightly agape, exeunt
One of the perks of shooting abroad
No one knows who the heck I am!
I bowed reverently and excused myself the way I see the locals do
Sumimasen-ed my exit gracefully

>>

It didn't come out the way I wanted though
They somehow turned the airwell in the middle of the shop into a water feature
Droplets trickled down from above
Ah if I coulda set up my tripod...

<44>


you must be insane by Zichar, on Flickr
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[Zichar]

While waiting for my friend to grab his ride
While waiting for my wife to finish browsing at the tea shop by the corner
I hunted the crossings

Memories, of stopping in to the bank
Paying off the ryokan's debt
Off the corner of Yamakataya
Where the milliner peddled in his lone kiosk
An expert machinist spinning sewing wheel
The strong scent of bus leavings
Folded in, buried deep in sulci
This man, this image, now following suit

<45>


urban safari by Zichar, on Flickr
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[Zichar]

Was kinda creepy to step in here at first
The cheezy door chime sounded
Nobody was home

An overcrowded aquarium, dark with driftwood and algae
Metal pans and discarded craft projects lined the entrance
A dog was barking out of sight

The room dim, the fluorescent light tube seemingly thrumming
Though the electric hum of refrigerators, keen suspect
Highly recommended gushing flowers and words
Butcher operating out of a nondescript traditional Japanese house
Out in the out outskirts

>>

I didn't quite have the guts to take a photo of the taciturn man when he started slicing that marbled wagyu
Nor when he took a bit off the smoked duck and offered us a try ... off his knife!

<46>


ahh fresh meat by Zichar, on Flickr
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[macaroni]

Was kinda creepy to step in here at first
The cheezy door chime sounded
Nobody was home

An overcrowded aquarium, dark with driftwood and algae
Metal pans and discarded craft projects lined the entrance
A dog was barking out of sight

The room dim, the fluorescent light tube seemingly thrumming
Though the electric hum of refrigerators, keen suspect
Highly recommended gushing flowers and words
Butcher operating out of a nondescript traditional Japanese house
Out in the out outskirts

>>

I didn't quite have the guts to take a photo of the taciturn man when he started slicing that marbled wagyu
Nor when he took a bit off the smoked duck and offered us a try ... off his knife!

<46>
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Nice shot. I like the smoked meat hanging above.​

 

[Zichar]

Thanks! The place does have the look of a mad scientist's laboratory lol
Modern lab-grade equipment with animal carcasses hanging around
I did wonder if it'll get dusty just being left out like that... hmmm

>>

I gotta say he fits the stereotype to a tee
Doesn't speak much, huge and heavyset with a dirty apron

Well here's part 2 of the butcher series
We bought the smoked duck breast
Two exquisite steaks, marbled so that I'm sure the animal couldn't have even stand with so much fat content
And I asked for bacon
Ah bacon, he sighed, you're a bit too early
Sold 'em all, the next batch is only ready tomorrow
But follow me

Leading us to the smoker outside his house
Opened the hatch to let us smell the woodchips
Look at the slab and the striation of fats and meat
That glow on his face, gleam in his eyes
Patting the door back into place with a gentle hand
I recognized that instantly as love and passion

And that's the life I'd like some day
Just doing my thing, being extremely good at it
My own time, my own space, my own rules

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I wondered if anyone would simply steal that pork belly out of his smoker left outside!
I was also surprised the taxi driver knew how to get out there in the remote areas
Taking the backroads, criss-crossing single-vehicle narrow lanes bordered by canals and/or verdant rice fields
His tag displayed his photo, name and an odd ice-breaker addition; his hobby - fishing
And the avalanche tumbled and flowed, cracked by guffaws of laughter
When asked what he fished, he sheepishly replied he hadn't done much
His real hobby was pachinko; he didn't think his company would approve of it on the tag!

<47>


outer cathedral by Zichar, on Flickr
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[Zichar]

So twice in a single day!
My friend rattled off a list of Japanese meals
Yet none struck our fancy
Until my wife asked if it was possible to have a kaiseki dinner
A multi-course meal, each piece fashioned in small delectable morsels

I thought the guy was young for his age to come out and open his own traditional resto
In an age where fast food dominates and french/italian cuisine are considered top-of-the-line for the young
The place was quiet, with only two other tables filled with, as you would have it, elderly women
Yet the dinner was one of the best I've had
Maybe it's how the spotlights accentuate the furrows in his brow as he slices through fish
Threads bamboo skewers through octopi
Grills meat over a small tabletop charcoal broiler

>>

We sat a bit aways so I brought out the... 135 2.8 AIS

<48>


hiring a hitman for yourself by Zichar, on Flickr
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[unclejosh]

i love your words~ you're a fine writer... are you like a travel journalist? photojournalist? copy writer?
your words breathes new meaning into the image itself...
keep it up~