Japan a Major force in Baseball during 2009

Published on November 5, 2009 in Sports. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

In the world of professional baseball, this has been the year of the rising sun. Japan has started to shift into the position of major leaguer in terms of world status. A position that previously might have been questionable.

The winning came early as Team Japan clenched their second World Baseball Championship title, showing the world they weren’t just a one hit wonder(pun fully intended).  Championships aside, records also started falling when Ichiro broke the record for 200 hits over nine consecutive years. A record that stood for more than one hundred years.

Then came the spring and summer Koshien tournaments that introduced the world to the  stunning arm of Yusei Kikuchi. The young Iwate Prefecture native with the 154km/h fastball took his team, Hanamaki Higashi High School, to within one game of the spring title and two games of the summer Koshien title.  He was courted around by the likes of the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox before deciding to start his pro career in Japan and being drafted by the Seibu Lions in the Nippon Professional Baseball League. He was requested by 6 pro team. Half of the teams in Japan.

Kikuchi wasn’t the only person causing a stir in the northern Tohoku region. The Rakuten golden Eagles, based out of Sendai,  made their way into second place in their league and got themselves into the second round of the Climax series. With ace pitchers Hisashi Iwakuma and Masahiro Tanaka on the mound, and lead by the experienced Katsuya Nomura(a man famous for turning faltering teams into champions), they also had strong batting and solid fielding to carry them through the season.

Of course last, but certainly not least came the dream run of the New York Yankees, lead by their series MVP, Hideki Matsui and his amazing 6 RBIs during the final game, and three home runs over the series. Matsui helped the Yankees win the world series and became the first Japanese born player to earn the MVP.

I’m sure there are smaller stories from this year that I am missing, but I wanted to emphasize the biggest of all of these amazing feats. Japan is now a major force in the highest levels of baseball, and anyone who took Japan less then seriously before in terms of talent had better open their eyes.  Their wave of winning and exciting play has stirred up a lot of passion in  baseball fans all over Japan and the world. I played ball for eight years when I was younger and now, thank to Japanese baseball, I am starting to rekindle my love of the sport.  Kudos to you Japan on giving us all another reason to love baseball.

Happy Birthday Kenji

Published on August 26, 2009 in Culture and Iwate. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Kenj If you visit Google today in Japan you’ll see they are honouring Kenji Miyazawa. He was a famous Japanese author. He wrote amazing  stories for children and poetry. He was also born and raised in Iwate. The very place I live in Japan. Happy birthday Kenji.

Spring in Japan

Published on April 23, 2009 in Culture, Nature and Photography. 4 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .


Spring in Japan, originally uploaded by jasohill.

There are many signs that spring has arrived in Japan. At first, the daffodils come out, followed by crocuses and tulips. Green grasses start to slowly cover brown fields. Finally, in a burst of white and pink, cherry blossoms awaken across the country from the end of March until the end of April.

You can see many signs that spring has come in people here as well. First comes the graduation ceremonies followed by the farewell parties(sobetestukai.) Then, new job assignments and High School placements are announced. After this, comes the first day and the welcome parties(kangeikai) and finally, to experience the explosion of cherry blossoms all over the country, there is a mass of flower viewing parties(called Hanami) all over the country. People in Japan take their cues from nature. It’s so timely, you could set your watch by it. This is spring in Japan.

Photo: Cherry Blossoms at Takamatsu pond in Morioka City, Iwate Japan. HDR with three exposures around sunset. Canon 350D 50mm f/1.8 ISO 100.

Spring is Around us

Published on April 10, 2009 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments


Table for two, originally uploaded by jasohill.

Spring has finally come to Japan. It was a long winter with a lot of snow, but it’s now just starting to pay off. The flowers started coming out today and that means the cherry blossoms aren’t far behind.

I went out after work to find some nice flowers that would work well with the setting sun. There was a lot of haze in the air, so I took this set of daffodils and flowers that haven’t even bloomed yet. The haze gave a nice diffusion. It’s difficult to shoot daffodils. They are a bright yellow that doesn’t expose well. What I did hear was turn down the brightness in Aperture and increase the black point until I had the contrast I was looking for. I never actually use the contrast lever in Aperture. It’s just too hard. Happy spring everyone.

An Engaging Anouncement

Published on March 24, 2009 in Iwate and Personal. 5 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , .

It’s funny that I forgot to write about this on my blog. Considering how long I’ve had this site, you’d think I’d remember to do something as simple as letting you all know that I’ve asked the love of my life, Akira, to Marry me.  Yes, we’re officially engaged.

You see, last year, I went to this really expensive work party at a local ryokan called “Saito.” A ryokan is a traditional Japanese hotel. Saito was famous for it’s multi course meals and using Maesawa Beef , one of the most expensive and delicious meats in Japan. After I came back from the party, I told Akira about the food, and she instantly wanted to go and try it. I promised her that I would take her at some point, but I wasn’t committal about it. That is, until about three weeks ago.

I asked her if she had and free time during the weekend and I made the plans. She got really exciting about going.  What she didn’t know is that I was going to pop the question to her. On Saturday night, after we checked in, we went the baths to freshen up. When she came back to the room, that is what I asked her if she would marry me. I became the luckiest guy in the world when she answered, “Yes.”  I think that made the Maesawa steaks just a little more delicious.

So there you have it. Marriage plans are forthcoming. Stay tuned for details, and thanks for reading this blog, depsite the lack of update. I promise you that more is on the way.

Akira at Saito

Akira in a Japanese Ryokan (by jasohill)

Do you think you are lost in Japan?

Published on February 15, 2009 in Uncategorized. 3 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

I’ve noticed an interesting trend in the last few years. It appears more and more people are coming to Japan and using an email address that has, “I think I’m lost” or “lost in Japan” embedded inside. for example: ithinkimlost2530, or lostinjapan23.  I am puzzled why they are using this expression and how it came about in the first place.

My first suspicion was that it might be related to a popular Internet forum for  English teachers in Japan called(amazingly enough), “I think I am lost.” I was thinking  people would visit the site, then take on the title in their email as an homage to their favorite forum. However,  I’m pretty sure I had seen it used even before the forum had been created. So I’m left to wonder if this might have originated in a book or something.  Either way, I find the entire thing rather cliche.

I’m really not a huge fan of the expression, but I can’t say why it irritates me so when I hear it. The people that use this phrase might actually be scared and alone when they first get here, which would be the most rational explanation, but that doesn’t cover the people create the email months before they even leave their country.  I like to  imagine that the kind of people that are satirized on “Stuff White People like” are exactly those who would enjoy using this expression.   It’s trendy and pertains to a way of thinking that I cannot grasp. As if being in Japan is a Zen experience and they are soul searching while they are here, so they declare themselves fragile or ‘lost’ to show the world how truly spiritual they are.

Japan has never really been like that for me.  I  enjoy the culture, the people and the everyday conveniences, but I’ve never really thought about being here in a ‘spiritual’ sense;  as if it were something trendy I’m supposed to do before I return to the “real world.”  For me Japan is the real world, and I treat it as such everyday I’m here in the way I interact with the people around me.  Sure I’ve been scared, alone and actually lost in Japan, but I’ve never felt the need to declare myself lost.

Perhaps that is why I can say with certainty that I am “not lost” in Japan. It could also be that it’s Monday and Monday’s tend to sour my disposition.

[Update] If you use the “lost in Japan” expression in your email, perhaps you can explain why in the comments. I am truly curious.

My Thoughts on The Tsukiji Fish Market Banning of Tourists

Published on December 15, 2008 in Culture and National. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

The Japanese news has been buzzing with the news that the famous Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo has started to ban tourists from their morning tuna auctions. Apparently, tourists had been ignoring signs warning them not to use flash photography or to disrupt the auction process, so the people who run the auction decided it was best to keep tourists out of the auction area. Flashes can interfere with the bidding process and hundreds of thousands of yen are at stake.

My first reaction to this was that the people at Tsukiji were going too far. How bad could it be? Well, then I saw the videos roll in. People firing away with full flash. People going up to and touching the tuna. One guy even licked a tuna.  The men guarding the fish tried their best to warn the tourists, but it was no good. Earlier this week, the signs went up, and it was announced that a month long ban was to go into effect. Many of the tourist who showed up displayed shock with many declaring that Tsukiji was on their list of major venues to visit in Tokyo.

After seeing a video of a guard trying to get two french tourists to stop joy riding one of the trucks near the auction site,  I lost it. I have never felt so ashamed to be a foreigner. Many of these tourists were warned over and over again, and refused to behave. When confronted about it, some of them pretended they didn’t speak Japanese and played innocent, despite the fact most of the signs were written in easy to understand English.

I have a strong message for all foreign tourists coming to visit Japan in the near future. Please respect the rules in the tourist areas, and please be on your best behavior. You are guests here and you are being judged. I live in Japan and I work hard everyday to break down the myth of the rude foreigner. Even after five years of living here, local people are still sometimes uncomfortable around me and other foreigners.  Sadly, I’m not sure what else we’ll be able to do to reassure them.  So please, either act your age when you come here, or don’t come at all.  Your actions have ramifications that go was beyond your cushy little vacations. These are people’s jobs that are at stake.  Imagine if someone who didn’t speak your language came into your office, took pictures of you and ignored you when you set out some ground rules about what they could do in your office. You would be quite upset, I’m sure. Well, now you how the people at Tsukiji feel.

My Photo of the year 2008

Published on December 9, 2008 in Uncategorized. 2 Comments


See you on the other side, originally uploaded by jasohill.

I took a lot of pictures last year. Most were landscape photos, but I had a few portraits in there as well. I recently went through some of the best ones and chose “See you on the other side” as my photo of the year. It represented my awakening as an artistic photographer.

It seems kind of silly to pic what you thought was the best you took, but I feel it’s an important lesson in understanding your own tastes. If you are a photographer, I’d recommend you chose what your best photo of the year was as well.

Six Million People

Published on October 30, 2008 in Photography. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

New Self Portrait to Celebrate the end of October, originally uploaded by jasohill.

I am currently participating in a flickr group called “six million people.” I added this photo of myself to the group.

During World War II, Nazi Germany was responsible for the murder of over six million Jews. A horrific number, but a number that isn’t easily understood by the human brain. It is so large that people cannot fathom it. The idea behind this group is to gather six million portraits of unique people in one place, so that we can start to understand just how much of a toll the Nazi’s took on the population in general. The group is open to anyone. All they ask is that you submit one portrait of one unique person. So you can submit as many people as you like, as long as there is only one photo of each of them.

I am hoping to place as many people in the group as possible. I hope you do as well. I feel it is important to never forget this tragedy. Here is a link so you can easily find it:

Six Million People (flickr group)

The Six Million People Blog

Also featured is Spotlight Seven: another group that talks about some of the talented photographers that are taking photos for the Six Million People project.

Milestones

Published on October 28, 2008 in Administation, Iwate and Personal. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

Rainbow of Peace, originally uploaded by jasohill.

Hi everyone. I do apologize for the lack of blog updates. I’ve busy here in Japan and I realized that is has become so much like home for me that I don’t blog about it any longer. Well, I do intend to keep you updated on what is going on here a little more than I have been lately. To start off, I wanted to share with you a little milestone that occurred today.

You may remember my photo, “Rainbow of Peace.” I took it during my trip to Nagasaki in 2006. At the time I never thought it would be my most popular photo. I stood over the ground zero point at the memorial area and tried to get as many colors in the photo as I could. Once I got that photo on flickr, it took off and quickly became my most popular photo on flickr.

Well today, over two and a half years after I took it, “Rainbow of Peace” has surpassed the 15000 mark. I never though I would have a photo do that well. It’s certainly not my only successful photo on flickr, but it was the first to make me realize that I can take pictures that make people smile. It was the catalyst that lead to where I am today. On the road to a career as a pro.

I just wanted to thank everyone who helped make this photo the success it is today. I couldn’t get back to all of you, but I appreciate all the kind words you wrote for me and the photo.