A Stay At Aoni Onsen In Aomori Prefecture, Japan
During a recent travel photography project, I had the pleasure of staying at Aoni Onsen in Aomori Prefecture. Aoni Onsen is a Japanese inn with a number of natural hot spring baths (called onsen in Japanese) around the grounds. There are many such lodges scattered throughout Japan, but Aoni Onsen is unique in two ways. First, the inn is remote, tucked away in the mountains far enough to lose all cell phone signal, and with...
Top 10 Photographs of 2021
As the year draws to a close, it’s time to choose my top 10 images from 2021. This year has been quite good for photography considering the restrictions the pandemic has presented, as I’ve been able to travel for photo assignments to several different locations around Japan. I hope you’ll enjoy this year’s favorites, and if you have any of your own, feel free to share a link in the comments! Number 10: Taitosaki Lighthouse,...
Autumn At Matsudo Hondoji Temple
One of my favorite destinations for autumn colors in Japan happens to be in the town where I live here – Matsudo Hondoji Temple. Although it is a temple (founded in the 13th century, in fact!), it’s really more a mixture of a temple and garden, with careful landscaping and gardening work done throughout the year. In the spring, cherry blossoms take the stage, followed by a large display of hydrangeas in late spring to...
Autumn In The Yoro River Valley, Chiba Prefecture
About a week ago I took a trip to the Yoro River Valley here in Chiba Prefecture. Although I live in Chiba Prefecture, my area is basically one with Tokyo, so we don’t have a lot of nature in my town, and it’s easy to forget how beautiful this prefecture really is. The Yoro Valley is a great place to be reminded. The Yoro Valley (養老渓谷 – Yoro Keikoku in Japanese) is one of the...
C.S. Lewis & The Why Of My Photography
In the movie, “The Matrix,” the character known as the Merovingian argues that the only real source of power is knowing the why of things. It is when we understand why we make a choice, or why things happen as they do, that we are best able to embrace the life we live. I’m not sure if knowing the why brings power or not, but I agree it is an important question to ask ourselves...