ＩＤＣＳ英会話の「Pix & English」: March 2021

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Sakitama Kofun Park

今日のテーマは、埼玉県の『さきたま古墳公園』。

英語の興味がある方なら、何卒ＩＤＣＳ英会話のホームページの御覧ください。

For this week's photo shoot, we visited the Sakitama Kofun Park in the town of Gyoda in Saitama Prefecture. There are currently 9 remaining kofun (burial mounds) out of a cluster of nearly 40 mounds that were built between the third and seventh centuries in the Sakitama area.

Access to the park is easiest if you can drive there. Depending on traffic, the park is about a 70 to 80-minute drive from central Tokyo. Using a combination of trains, city bus, and a little bit of walking, you can reach the park in less than two hours.

Sakitama Kofun Park (さきたま古墳公園)

https://goo.gl/maps/oeTr2CzH1SxSW5wV8

Free parking is available and there are no charges for entering the park. The park also includes an archeological museum showing some of the artifacts that were excavated from some of the burial mounds. The museum charges 200 yen for adults and 100 yen for students.

English Park Guide:

https://sakitama-sansaku.spec.ed.jp/

The purpose of my visit was to shoot some landscape scenery that includes the the mounds and the abundance of cherry trees in full bloom.

Ancient Burial Mound

This burial mound is just one of 40+ mounds in a cluster of burial mounds (kofun) dating back to the latter half of the 5th century to the beginning of the 7th century. After excavation and conducting research, the Sakitama Ancient Burial Mounds Museum was established in 1969 to preserve nine of the kofun at this site as a public park.

Cherry Tree Blossom Canopy

Grounds of the Sakitama Ancient Burial Mounds Museum include numerous paths winding around the various mounds (kofun) lined with cherry trees and well manicured grassy areas. Perfect for studying ancient Japanese history, a family picnic, a dog walk, or leisurely stroll.

Tree Tops in Spring

View of the surrounding trees from atop the larger Maruhaka-Yamakofun burial mound, which is the more popular mound at the park adjacent to the Sakitama Ancient Burial Mounds Museum in Saitama Prefecture.

Burial Mound Park

Wide-angle shot of the Maruhakayama-Kofun burial mound, which is one of the larger mounds at the park surrounding the Sakitama Ancient Burial Mounds Museum located in Saitama Prefecture.

Below is a list of the equipment I took with me on this photo shoot.

Camera Gear:

Pentax KP
https://amzn.to/2EbbLRZ
Standard zoom lens: smc Pentax-DA 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 ED AL[IF] DC WR
https://amzn.to/2Ysz5lJ
Telephoto zoom lens: HD Pentax-DA 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE
https://amzn.to/3iNEsDF
Tripod: Manfrotto MT190CXPRO4 (carbon fiber legs with quick locking clamps)
https://amzn.to/2Fqpghd
Ball head: Manfrotto Cloud XPRO Series Ballhead BHQ2 with 200PL locking plate
https://amzn.to/3g6WI9j

Video Gear:

Filters & Filter Systems:

PolarPro QuartzLine ND 64 Filter - 67mm (ND64 6-stop reduction in light)
https://amzn.to/2J9VSOM
PolarPro QuartzLine ND1000 Filter - 67mm (ND1000 10-stop reduction in light)
https://amzn.to/39rwWwW
PolarPro QuartzLine ND100k Filter - 67mm (ND100K 15-stop reduction in light)
https://amzn.to/3q7YHAm
PolarPro QuartzLine Circular Polarizer - 67mm
https://amzn.to/3fOwgCY
PolarPro Summit | Landscape Filter System Custom Kit (Core, Thread Plate, ND4-GR filter, ND8-GR filter, Circular Polarizer)
https://amzn.to/37hjkBv

Pack:

F-stop Tilopa 50L Adventure and Travel Camera Backpack (Essentials Bundle: backpack, rain cover, internal camera unit)
https://amzn.to/2XfjDIE
F-stop Tripod Bag (large)
https://amzn.to/3pXW57n

*Links to Amazon are affiliated links, which means that if you choose to purchase an item that I may get a small commission, which has no effect on your purchase price whatsoever.

Photos used with permission.

Pix4Japan by Iketani, Daisei is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license are available at Caubarrere Piché LLC.

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Lake Okutama Spring

今日のテーマは、東京都の「奥多摩湖」。

撮影スポットの写真撮影しながら、カメラ・撮影技術・撮影スポットの英会話を楽しもう！

ぜひＩＤＣＳ英会話の『Pix & English』をご参考ください！

For this week's photo shoot of landscape photography in Japan, we visit Lake Okutama, or Okutamako (奥多摩湖) in Japanese, which is located about 76 km (or about 48 miles) due west of Central Tokyo.

I parked at the Tozura Parking Lot (free!), which is located at the western end of the lake where the Taba River feeds into the lake. Dale-chan (my border collie) and I headed across the lake via the Tozura Pontoon Bridge and from there took the trail to both Miyama Bridge and Mito Bridge.

We hiked back to the parking lot and then drove to the eastern end of the lake near the dam and hiked up some trails on this hillside where several varieties of cherry trees and other blooming trees have been planted for visitors to the lake.

- Tamagawa Suigen-Rin Observatory Point (follow the zigzag trail up the side of the mountain from here.)

The trail is an easy climb as it zigzags up the hillside and offers many opportunities for a variety of compositions where you can shoot white and pink blossoms with the turquoise waters of the lake as your backdrop.

The mountain slopes near the dam offer several other easy hiking trails with outlooks where you can take a rest or take out your tripod for some amazing shots of the lake and surrounding mountains.

The lake is accessible by train and bus, but if you drive to the lake, you won’t have to worry about any parking fees. There are several large parking lots, and since parking is free, you can take your time and spend the whole day wandering on the trails along the shoreline of the lake without worrying about huge parking fees.

- Okutamako Bus Stop near the dam's visitors center is a 15-minute bus ride from Oku-Tama Station on the Ome Line.

Primary Parking Lots:

- Okutamako Dam Site Parking: Closest to the dam and more popular hiking trails.

- Ōmugishiro Parking Area: Accessible 24/7. Paved sidewalk from this lot takes you to the dam.

Recommended Websites:

Below is a list of the equipment I took with me on this photo shoot.

Camera Gear:

Video Gear:

Filters & Filter Systems:

Pack:

F-stop Tilopa 50L Adventure and Travel Camera Backpack (Essentials Bundle: backpack, rain cover, internal camera unit)
https://amzn.to/2XfjDIE
F-stop Tripod Bag (large)
https://amzn.to/3pXW57n

*Links to Amazon are affiliated links, which means that if you choose to purchase an item that I may get a small commission, which has no effect on your purchase price whatsoever.

Pontoon Bridge

The Tozura pontoon bridge allows hikers to cross over Lake Okutama and continue along the hiking trail that hugs the coastline of this man-made lake that provides Tokyo with about 20% of its drinking water.

Freshwater Lake

View of Okutama Lake in Tokyo Prefecture from the trailhead on the western shoreline of the lake during early spring.

Waiting to go Hiking

Dale-chan waiting for me to catch up with her as we climb up a trail leading to a grove of cherry blossoms.

Barren Woodland

The native species of trees in the woodlands surrounding the Lake Okutama have yet to awaken from winter, thus exposing a huge vine growing up and around the trunk of another tree.

Tied-Arch Bridge

The Mito Bridge is a tied-arch bridge that crosses over Kosuge River, which feeds water into the Okutama Lake reservoir. I like the contrast of this steel structure against the backdrop of a woodland.

Solid-Ribbed Arched Bridge

A 30-second long exposure of Miyama Bridge--a solid rib arched bridge that was built in 1957—connects the northern shoreline of Lake Okutama with the southern shoreline. The color of paint used on this bridge closely matched with the color of the water on this particular day.

Lone Cherry Blossom

The northern shoreline of Lake Okutama has an easily accessible foot trail that zigzags its way up the side of a mountain covered with several varieties of cherry trees. Using the lake waters as a backdrop, you can enjoy wonderful views of bright pink and white cherry blossoms with blue-green waters in the background.

Pale Pink Cherry Blossoms

Among the varieties of cherry blossom trees found at Lake Okutama, the Somei Yoshino variety is probably the most common variety cultivated throughout Japan.

Colorful Hillside

Happoiwa Observatory on the hillside overlooking the northwestern shore of Lake Okutama features many types of cherry trees blossoming at different times from early to late spring.

Japanese Mitsuba Tsutsuji

In addition to several varieties cherry trees, the hillside with hiking trails and cultivated trees overlooking Lake Okutama has several mitsuba tsutsuji shrubs (Rhododendron dilatatum), which look a lot like azaleas (maybe the same?).

Blossoms and Buoy Rope

Although not obvious, this shot was taken with a rope buoy barrier floating near the dam that created Lake Okutama.

Branch and Bokeh

The branches with large clusters of cherry blossoms make for a great bokeh effect.

Pink and Aqua Blue

The light, turquoise blue of the lake near the eastern shoreline compliments well the delicate pinks and yellows of the cherry tree blossoms.

Three Tones

The goal of this shot was to capture the three tones of colors: the green bush in the foreground, the pink blossoms in the mid-ground, and the aqua-blue water in the background.

Early Spring

Once the cherry blossom tree loses its flowers, the rest of the foliage on the surrounding mountainsides will start to come alive in vibrant hues of green and blue.

Photos used with permission.

Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Negishi Shinrin Park

今日のテーマは、横浜の「根岸森林公園」。

撮影スポットの写真撮影しながら、カメラ・撮影技術・撮影スポットの英会話を楽しもう！

ぜひＩＤＣＳ英会話の『Pix & English』をご参考ください！

This week's photo shoot in Japan takes us to Negishi Forest Park (Negishi Shinrin Koen) for some long-exposure nightscape photography. The park is located in Naka Ward of Yokohama approximately 35 km (22 mi) south of Central Tokyo.

The park was originally Japan’s first European style racecourse and was in operation from 1866 to 1942. Originally set up to entertain the expat community living in Yokohama, the racecourse proved to be a big hit among the local Japanese, including Emperor Meiji who visited the track 14 times. After the Great Kanto Earthquake, American architect, J.H. Morgan designed the grandstand that we see standing today.

In 1942, the Japanese military used the facilities as a printing house, and the nearby stables were used to house foreign POWs. After the war, General MacArthur took over and used the printing equipment turning the grandstands into a communications headquarters.

Soon after, the U.S. Navy took control of the entire bluff area near the trace track and built a housing facility for the influx of GIs and their families. The Negishi Heights housing base had pools, cafeterias, bars, houses with expansive yards, schools, gas station, and a golf course.

In 1977, the stands and the golf course were returned to Japan and the city of Yokohama created a huge park for the citizens to enjoy.

The park is a wonderful place to enjoy nature, plum tree blossoms, cherry tree blossoms, enjoy picnics, dog walks, and leisurely strolls.

Access by public transportation:

From Yokohama Station, go to the East Exit and catch the Yokohama Municipal Bus No. 103. Get off in front of the park at the Taki-no-Ue (滝の上) bus stop. Under normal traffic, the bus ride will take about 30 minutes with Taki-no-Ue being the 19th bus stop.

Yokohama Station:

https://goo.gl/maps/YCCFV899NF2GgV8P9

⇨ Bus terminal No. 7 (bus fare: 220 yen)

⇨ Bus No. 103 bound for Negishidai (根岸台ゆき)

⇨ Get off at the Taki-no-Ue (滝の上) bus stop:

https://goo.gl/maps/vsZVUBJUCMYZ3A4w5

Access by car/taxi:

Negishi-Shinrin Koen Dai-Ichi Parking Lot (根岸森林公園第一駐車場):

https://goo.gl/maps/rfJ8kVXpPZ2C6C9X9

Negishi-Shinrin Koen Dai-Ni Parking Lot (根岸森林公園第二駐車場):

https://goo.gl/maps/q1GmHZ9a4aiT8Xsa7

Midnight Pond

Reflections on pond at the Negishi Forest Park (Negishi Shinrin Koen) during midnight photo shoot.

Classical Abandoned Architecture

Long-time exposure of a grandstand that was once a part of the Negishi Racecourse between 1866 and 1942. Originally an entertainment venue for expats, the racecourse rapidly became popular among the local Japanese, and more notably the Emperor Meiji.

Waterfront Nightscape Skyline

Long-time exposure of the Yokohama waterfront skyline at night featuring Yokohama Landmark Tower (left), Queen’s Tower A & B (center), and The Tower Yokohama Kitanaka (right) as viewed from Negishi Forest Park on the bluff overlooking the Port of Yokohama.

Below is a list of the equipment I take with me on photo shoots.

Camera Gear:

Pentax KP
https://amzn.to/2EbbLRZ
Standard zoom lens: smc Pentax-DA 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 ED AL[IF] DC WR
https://amzn.to/2Ysz5lJ
Telephoto zoom lens: HD Pentax-DA 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE
https://amzn.to/3iNEsDF
Tripod: Manfrotto MT190CXPRO4 (carbon fiber legs with quick locking clamps)
https://amzn.to/2Fqpghd
Ball head: Manfrotto Cloud XPRO Series Ballhead BHQ2 with 200PL locking plate
https://amzn.to/3g6WI9j

Video Gear:

Canon EOS Kiss M/M50 Double Zoom Kit
https://amzn.to/2Ef3mNg
SIGMA 16mm F1.4 DC DN | Contemporary C017 (Canon EF-M Mount, APS-C Size, Mirrorless Only)
https://amzn.to/3axkn1w
PolarPro 67mm QuartzLine Circular Polarizer Filter
https://amzn.to/2FUTBVS
Zhiyun Weebill-S Gimbal
https://amzn.to/32c0FFL
RODE Road Wireless GO Wireless Microphone System WIGO
https://amzn.to/35lygz1

Filters & Filter Systems:

PolarPro QuartzLine ND 64 Filter - 67mm (ND64 6-stop reduction in light)
https://amzn.to/2J9VSOM
PolarPro QuartzLine ND1000 Filter - 67mm (ND1000 10-stop reduction in light)
https://amzn.to/39rwWwW
PolarPro QuartzLine ND100k Filter - 67mm (ND100K 15-stop reduction in light)
https://amzn.to/3q7YHAm
PolarPro QuartzLine Circular Polarizer - 67mm
https://amzn.to/3fOwgCY
PolarPro Summit | Landscape Filter System Custom Kit (Core, Thread Plate, ND4-GR filter, ND8-GR filter, Circular Polarizer)
https://amzn.to/37hjkBv

Pack:

F-stop Tilopa 50L Adventure and Travel Camera Backpack (Essentials Bundle: backpack, rain cover, internal camera unit)
https://amzn.to/2XfjDIE
F-stop Tripod Bag (large)
https://amzn.to/3pXW57n

*Links to Amazon are affiliated links, which means that if you choose to purchase an item that I may get a small commission, which has no effect on your purchase price whatsoever.

Music Tracks Licensed for this video through Epidemic Sound. Visit this link to subscribe:

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"Maps" composed by August Wilhelmsson and performed by Epidemic Sound.

“First Moon” composed by Martin Veida and performed by Cerulean Skies.

“Tree Shadow” composed by Martin Veida and performed by Cerulean Skies.

“Ambient Sun” composed by Martin Veida and performed by Cerulean Skies.

“Bermuda” composed by Henrik Olsson and performed by Ooyy.