Huge Tama River Weir

Before heading back home, there was one more weir that I wanted to catch at the tail end of the blue hour.

If I had a drone, I think a shot from straight above would have been very interesting with all the various flows of white water as it flowed over the geometric shapes protruding from the surface of the concrete weir that seemed to run from shore to shore of the Tama River.

I spent almost 2 hours snapping nearly 50 shots, but was only semi-pleased with about 3 shots overall. My poor dog was very patient and basically took a nap on the cool concrete nearby.

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Before

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After

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Pentax KP 18 mm ISO 100 for 30.0 sec at ƒ/22 with a CP filter.

Lightroom consisting of cropping and only slight changes to highlights and shadow.

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Tama River Debris

After catching some shots of water flowing over the weirs on Tama River, I walked downstream a bit to an outcrop of concrete barriers that were just barely above the waterline. Although my dog (a border collie) was too scared to get any closer to the rushing water, I forged ahead to snap just one more shot of the debris from down river before the sunlight disappeared.

My feet got wet, and so did the tripod. But the water flow was not enough to cause any motion and I was able to get the composition that I wanted. 

I admit that the second shot below was a bit over-edited in Lightroom--specifically in the area of adding texture. I know it's not very well done, and I am quite embarrassed to be honest. Still, I just can't get over how I was able to make the photo look like it was made using oils on a canvas. Cheesy, I know, but it was fun to play with this kind of editing. Definitely not the kind of photo that I think I could sell.

Maybe after a year, I will start to get a handle on how to use Lightroom properly, and then  move onto Photoshop.

Below are the before and after shots:

Original JPEG shot out of camera

After editing in Lightroom

Tama River Debris

Pentax KP 68 mm ISO 100 for 1/5 sec at ƒ/7.1 with a CP filter.

#river #debris #FlowingWater #TamaRiver #Tokyo #Japan

#川 #洪水がれき #流水 #多摩川 #川崎 #東京

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Funashima Inari Daimyojin Shrine

This shrine is located only 53 meters from the water's edge on the inner bank of the Tama River in Kawasaki. The shrine houses the guardian deity of flood control and agriculture and is typically referred to as Tsuku Inari Shrine  by the locals.

• Location via Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/yxKxCMMqJxd9HYLy8
• 船島稲荷大明神: 〒214-0021 神奈川県川崎市多摩区宿河原１丁目６−6

The shrine was founded in 1493, but was actually located on the opposite side of the river. Flooding in 1591 required relocation of the shrine, and then again in 1659. In 1721, the shrine finally found a permanent home where we can visit it today.

Somewhat surprising to me was that some of the stone lanterns and other stone sculptures on the shrine grounds were enclosed in steel cages that were anchored to the ground with steel cables or rods. Although peculiar and somewhat unsightly, such measures tell me that they might be more of a measure to prevent flood waters from washing everything away than to prevent vandals stealing historical pieces.

Unlike hundreds of years ago, the shrine most likely will never be moved again should it be overwhelmed with flooding again. The rapid development of land buttressing up against the river banks would make it impossible to move this little shrine ever again.

Unlike the huge shrines that welcome busloads of tourists, I much prefer little unknown shrines that still play an intimate role in the daily lives of the locals.

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Original Shot in Camera

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Post Processing Result

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Japanese Shinto Shrine

Pentax KP 24 mm ISO 1600 for 30.0 sec at ƒ/29 with a CP filter.

#shrine #Shinto #ShintoShrine #InariShrine #traditional #Kawasaki #TamaRiver #Japan

#神社 #神道 #船島稲荷大明神 #稲荷神社 #日本の伝統文化 #川崎市 #多摩川

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Tama River Weirs

I took the dog for a walk and after about 2 hours of walking in off-and-on rain showers, we found ourselves on the Kawasaki side of the large Tama River.

It has only been about 6 months since Typhoon Hagibis, which was on par with a Category 5 hurricane, passed through eastern Japan causing this river (and many, many more) to overflow her banks.

The flooding wiped out portions of the river bank while dumping silt and debris in other places. Parks and other areas closer to the water used to have metal fencing. Now, portions of the fences were either missing or were mangled tubes of twisted steel.

I took numerous shots from as close as I could get to the water’s edge safely, but was unable to get a satisfactory composition. Initially, I shot too wide and cluttered the shot with irrelevant structures, buildings, and train tracks.

Would love to have been able to get closer to the water’s edge with the tripod, but have no idea how that could be done and be able to any movement with water rushing around the tripod legs.

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Tama River Weirs

Pentax KP 53mm ISO 100 for 0.8 sec at ƒ/14

#river #weir #water #TamaRiver #Tokyo #Japan

#川 #堰 #川の堰 #流水 #多摩川 #東京

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Akiya Coast in Yokosuka

This small island was discovered by looking at Google Maps and following the coastline of the Miura Peninsula. The visit here was about a 3-hour drive from Yokohama with minimal traffic.

Fortunately, there was a large, empty parking lot that charged only a flat rate of 800 yen regardless of how long you stayed. Ended up spending the whole afternoon here until sunset. 

The drive home was a bit tiring, but felt happy to get some good shots. This particular shooting was the first time that I used a circular polarizer. I wasn't able to fully take advantage of the polarizer and the shots that worked with the polarizer had a lousy composition. 

It's so true that regardless of the gear you have, the composition and vision for a particular shot plays a very important role.

Bonten-no-hana Silhouette

Pentax KP 18mm ISO 800 at ƒ/11 for 1/250 sec.

#sky #clouds #island #beach #coast #Bontennohana #AkiyaCoast #Yokosuka #Japan #sunset

#空 #青空 #雲 #島 #海岸 #沿岸 #梵天の鼻 #秋谷海岸 #横須賀 #日暮れ #シルエット

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Bonten-no-hana Silhouette

Pentax K-S2 57.5mm ISO 800 at ƒ/11 for 1/250 sec.

#sky #clouds #island #beach #coast #Bontennohana #AkiyaCoast #Yokosuka #Japan #sunset

#空 #青空 #雲 #島 #海岸 #沿岸 #梵天の鼻 #秋谷海岸 #横須賀 #日暮れ #シルエット

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Border Collie in Yokosuka

Dale-chan the border collie, had a wonderful time chasing waves and barking at the foam forming on the beach and rocks during a visit to the Akiya Coast in Yokosuka, Japan. 

The beach on this coastline is very small but clean and offers some beautiful views especially at sunset. We were fortunate in that there were nearly no people on the beach nor any other dogs on this day. Thus, Dale-chan was able to run free off her leash and get lots of exercise while inadvertently swallowing lots of dark sand and seawater! 

Border Collie at Akiya Coast

Pentax K-S2 200mm ISO 400 at ƒ/5.6 for 1/500 sec.

#bordercollie #pet #dog #canine #purebred #blackandwhitedog #sheepdog #beach #coast #Bontennohana #AkiyaCoast #Yokosuka #Japan

#ボーダーコリー #ペット #犬 #愛犬 #動物 #純血種 #牧羊犬  #梵天の鼻 #秋谷海岸 #横須賀

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Cooling Towers

I can recall visiting friends near the Kawasaki industrial area over 30 years ago when factories and production facilities on the waterfront of Tokyo Bay spewed noxious gases, dark smoke, and gritty particulates into the air that would burn your eyes and nose, and left a gray film on clean laundry that was hung out to dry on sunny, windless days. 

These days, the air seems remarkably clean, locals enjoy fishing on the nearby wharfs, and small green parks with greenery have flourished. I am not sure if environmental policies have been strengthened, if  production and associated pollution were shipped overseas to cheaper labor markets, or if a combination of both have occurred. 

Regardless, the many oil refineries lining the shores of Tokyo Bay offer great opportunities to enjoy the outdoors somewhat and offer photographers a chance to enjoy the aesthetics of industrial sites.

Oil Refinery and Power Station

Plumes of steam rising from the cooling towers at an oil refinery located on the west coast of Tokyo Bay.

Pentax KP 53mm ISO 100 at ƒ/9 for 1/40 sec. with CP.

#smokestack #coolingtower #plume #steam #refinery #powerstation #Kawasaki #Japan

#煙突 #冷却塔 #プルーム #水煙 #蒸気 #スチーム #石油精製工場 #発電所 #川崎市

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Red and White Chimney

This shot was taken on a man-made island off the coastline of Kawasaki city in Tokyo Bay.

It seems that there are three different petrochemical companies operating on this tiny little parcel of land reclaimed from the ocean.

As I referenced in an earlier post, this area has dramatically become much cleaner than it was when I first visited Kawasaki back in the 1980s. In fact, Wikipedia states that Kawasaki in general was “…long associated with grime, labor unrest, organized crime and pollution-related diseases…” and that the city made efforts to improve living conditions for her residents starting in the 1990s.

This timeframe closely coincides with my own personal experience and that of friends who live in the city close to the bay.

Oil Refinery and Power Station

Red and white concrete chimney at an oil refinery located on the west coast of Tokyo Bay.

Pentax KP 36mm ISO 100 at ƒ/5.6 for 1/125 sec. with CP.

#smokestack #chimney #red #white #concrete #refinery #powerstation #Kawasaki #Japan

#煙突 #赤 #白 #コンクリート #石油所 #石油精製工場 #発電所 #川崎市

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