Autumn in Japan II: people

Japan has fascinating landscapes and a wide variety of colors and scenery, and every time I visit the country I leave it in awe and inspired by the countless scenes and views that I have como to see, to experience, to walk and admire. Yet, for all the majesty and beauty of Japanese lands and forests, rivers and mountains, there is always something that grabs me even more strongly and that, invariably, makes up the majority of my best memories from the country: its people.

Karuizawa, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Nikko, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Kanmangafuchi Abyss, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Selfie, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Japanese are diligent and proudly so, hard-working, systematic and with a sense of pride and respect for what they are doing, and that is laudable; there is a bond between them and their jobs that probably we, Westerners, cannot really grasp, but there is always time for a break, a recess and days were work steps back and leisure time takes center stage. Whichever day they are in, they always seem to make the most out of each situation, however short that might be.

The gardeners, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Taxi stand, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Bush man, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

On one leg, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Japanese people love to enjoy nature (a "tamed" nature, we could call it, for it has been domesticated and arranged by generations to the point of being almost entirely controlled) and it is very easy to spot them walking in parks and nature trails, alone or in groups, admiring the smallest details (a ray of light through the canopy, a small flower) while strolling healthily.

Stroll under grey sky, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Stroll in the park I, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Stroll in the park II, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Approaching Japanese people is very different from South East Asian people, where I live, though; in a country so overpopulated, it's very important to respect each other's space and never cross the line that separates one from another, and that's why my people photography in Japan, as a foreigner, tends to be from a distance, discrete, almost invisible, and getting closer to them is something I have rarely done (unless approached directly by them, in a few, special circumstances, or when capturing animals).

The lady in pink, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Comfy bed, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Another way to be stealthy and unobtrusive while doing street photography is shooting through fences, gates, doors or windows; this technique implies a lot of patience to get the people in the zone you want them to be within your frame, and many times the wait is in vain, for no interesting arrangement comes to happen; but there are some lucky occasions when all necessary ingredients appear at the same time, and that is when you click the shutter with a sense of satisfaction and time well spent.

Through the gate I, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Through the gate II, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Through the gate III, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Looking out, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

One things that I really like from Japanese culture is how, despite the technological and social advances undergone lately, they still nurture and value their centenary traditions, and many customs and traditions seem completely unaltered since probably decades (if not centuries) ago. This coexistence of old and new, of tradition and modernity, is something that many other countries have failed to do in their race to modernization, and it's something I highly admire and respect.

Drying I, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Drying II, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Pipe and caps, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Family is the strongest bond between humans, and it always warms my heart when I see families, or couples sharing their time and doing activities together; after all, sharing is probably the strongest way to show appreciation, care, and affection.

Picnic time, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Over there, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

The path ahead, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

It took my eight years to visit Japan since first I started dreaming about it, and now I have been there already for the second time one year later. If this is any indication of a new routine in my life, something like a yearly trip to the land of the rising sun at different times of the year and visiting different regions of the country, I'm all for it! Summer it was last time, autumn this one, so maybe next time I have the change to go there will be under the cherry blossoms or amidst the cold of winter. For now, however, let's conclude this post with a few monochrome brushstrokes. See you soon again, Japan!

The slope, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Misty picture, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

The ticket, please, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Pupils, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Photoproject: 100 visits to Seri Huamark Market (days 61-70)

The Panasonic Leica 15mm has grown to be, no doubt, my favorite lens for street photography, that's why I decided to continue using it for, at least, another 10 days. It's such a joy when you get to know a lens so well that you don't have to think about settings anymore and intuitively know where to stand and how to shoot to get the images you want! That is precisely what has happened to me with this little lens after using it so regularly (and not only for street), so whoever asks me for a recommendation, this is always on the top of my list.

Day 61, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 61b, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 61c, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 61d, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 61e, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

I've visited this market for more than 2 months already, so, naturally most of the people working there (and some regular customers as well) know me, which makes it difficult to be stealthy anymore, for I am spotted as soon as I step inside the market, no matter how busy they are, as if the familiarity with me had ignited a radar in them to know when I was near, so many times I see a nice scene and I position myself there, waiting for quite some time, but they don't come into the "zone" and, more often than not, I have to give up and look for alternative options.

Day 62, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 62b, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 62c, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 62d, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 62e, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Once thing has changed clearly, however: I feel a bit less motivated to go to the market when the light is dull and the day is overcast. The more I go there, the more important is the quality of light for me, so light is starting to dictate my visits more than only routine as it had been the case so far since the beginning.

Day 63, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 63b, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 63c, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 63d, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 63e, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

As a consequence, I stopped going when the light was not good as I decided that I rather skipped the day than strolling around without joy or motivation. This new approach has worked well so far, and until now I have never skipped more than 2 days in a row.

Day 64, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 64b, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 64c, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 64d, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 64e, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 64f, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Another interesting development has been the way the vendors and sellers react to my presence and engage with me. In the last weeks, they have started teasing others about me, asking me to take pictures of them to have fun, joking around and posing in funny ways to have some laughs together. Despite the language barrier, smiles and laughs are universal signs, and it's great to be able to communicate with them this way.

Day 65, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 65b, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 65c, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

I once read a quote that said that in street photography, 90% of the images are failures or almosts, I don't recall where I read it or who said that, but I couldn't agree more with it: street photography is, mainly, a game of patience, pre-visualization, vision and chance, and most of the times the things we envision in our mind don't come to pass as we wanted or turn out worst than imagined. But the good thing is, that is perfectly fine! More than fine, it's necessary, because trying and failing is the only way that will bring you closer to that 10% of success.

Day 66, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 66b, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 66c, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 66d, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 66e, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 66f, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 66g, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Yet another first happened during the last 10 days, and that was my first heavy storm, and without a weather sealed camera or lens! I had been in the market with overcast and drizzly days, but never before I had been there while the monsoon hit hard. It was a very exciting experience to say the least, trying to stay in sheltered areas or covered with my small umbrella while seeing all what was happening around me at lightning speed. Everything was dark and fast, so I had no choice but to crank up the ISO to maintain  a reasonably fast shutter speed, but the grain actually gave those images a gritty quality that I find very appealing and that goes very well with the rain. All in all, I recorded a whopping 265 images, my all time record in a single day since I started this project, which made the selection of the 2 pics of the day all that much harder!

Day 67, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 67b, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 67c, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 67d, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 67e, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 67f, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 67g, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 67h, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 67i, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 67j, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 67k, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 67l, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 67m, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 67n, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

In total, I captured 785 pictures during these past 10 days (from 26 to 265), the highest so far, and it seems that coming to the market so often doesn't decrease my sense of awe and discovery, at the contrary, every day I seem to see more and find new and interesting scenes to shoot that I hadn't noticed before!

Day 68, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 68b, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 68c, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 68d, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

When I went back and counted the days that I skipped to complete this 10, they were 5 days, because, as I said previously,  I have become more selective with the weather and the light that I like and, since the project is advancing at a good pace and the number of remaining days is quickly decreasing, I don't feel the pressure to be be as regular as before anymore. Quality has finally overcome quantity, but never loosing sight of the rhythm of the project or idling about it, just being more selective with it, that's all.

Day 69, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 69b, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

While reviewing the images to post them these past days I had a feeling that I don't think I had before since the beginning of this project, and that was the feeling that I was reaching my peak, that I was playing at the top of my game and that I had definitely improved since the beginning, for some of my favorite images happened these last 2 weeks and some days it was extremely hard to chose just 2 out of all of them. Whether this means that from here onwards I'm going to go down, or I'm going to be able to keep the motivation and satisfaction, only time will tell, but at least I can say that I'm proud of myself for having come so far and I can't wait to continue with the last month ahead!

Day 70, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Day 70b, Lumix GX80 + Panasonic Leica 15mm