Unique Cultural Experiences: Sumo and クジラ (kujira)

It's only been six months since we were in Japan, but it feels like a much more distant memory. While in Tokyo, we partook in two unique cultural experiences there: a Sumo tournament, and a meal of クジラ (kujira). Without googling kujira, check out the photos of the meat below, and try to guess what animal it is from. Answers at the bottom.

We bought the cheapest Sumo tickets available (literally, the farthest row back in the nosebleeds), but it was still a blast. Your ticket entitles you to freely roam as you like for the duration of the day, and the drunken Aussies sitting next to us had clearly been there all day crushing bottles of Kirin and Asahi like water. Entertaining! And with the aid of Anita's binoculars, we were quite surprised to see some top tier sumo wrestlers competing that day were in fact caucasian.


Typical match would last maybe a few seconds. The longest one we saw lasted just shy of a minute, but most averaged much shorter.


The ceremony and tradition in between matches and tiers of Sumo wrestlers was much longer than each match, but also very interesting.











Still unsure as to what animal? That was a meal of whale, served both cooked (bbq steak), and sashimi style (body, and tail). Yes, Anita and I fully understand the controversial nature of Japan's whaling exploits... if it offends you, then you'll be even more upset to know that it tasted absolutely delicious! While I don't agree with Japan's whaling practices, my interest in strange food trumped my environmental concerns. We're all hypocrites and walking contradictions to some degree.

And below are a few film shots from this same day. All taken with the Kiev 88CM on Kodak Tri-X 400, developed in Rodinal 1+24 for 7:00min @ 68 deg. F.




The Tokyo Skytree, as seen from a street in the Kappabashi area (kitchen town!) of Tokyo.

Throwback Thursdays - Family Birthdays Edition

It was mom's b-day last week, and my bro's tonight. So time for some family photos. Old school film ones.


Mom celebrating my b-day with me, a billion years ago.


Mom, earlier this year.


Pops, earlier this year.


My bro.


In colour!


Lucky, my pop's chihuahua.


The parents' helper/ maid.


Another throwback - my parent's from a billion years ago. Who knew mom was so stylish at one point in her life.

Square photos taken recently with the Kiev88CM on Kodak T-Max 400 & Portra 400.

Jet Lag and Photographing the Pupils, part VI

What a beautiful Sunday morning. Warm, sunny, and it's only NINE A.M. What a great way to start my week... Oh what?! Daylight Savings Time?! FAAACK, now I'm going to be jet lagged for like a week!

This is about the only time you'll ever catch me saying, "Boy I wish we were more like Saskatchewan." Saskatchewanianites like to claim the world revolves around them, hence they don't need to change clocks, but I think it's really because deep down, they're all a bunch of simpletons. :) Honestly, how else do you explain this Phenomenon?

Alas, the show must go on. May I present the latest in my ongoing Photographing the Pupils series of portraits. These students graciously agreed to sit for me during our class breaks, over a couple weeks… I love how they turned out.




















Me, as shot by one of my students.


I had one extra frame left on a roll, so I shot a quick snap of the school's security dude as well.

All photos shot with the Kiev 88CM and Arsat 80mm f/2.8 lens on Kodak T-Max 400. Dev'd in Rodinal 1:25 for 6:30min. This will likely be the last roll I shoot with this camera combo, as it requires some repairs, and I maaaay have added something new to my kit yesterday... :\

3 inch noodle of slobber

You know how sometimes, you awake to discover with a 60/40 mixture of horror and embarrassment that there is a small wet puddle on your chest, and a drooping length of saliva hanging freely from your slightly slack maw? The drool, slowly descending, a result of your body's relaxed state during a momentary nap in which you've dozed into that dreamlike torpor of half-consciousness where you are vaguely aware of your surroundings, but everything appears as somewhat surreal and grotesque. Sound unfamiliar? Okay, maybe it's just me.

So riding the transit is a big part of my day. Not because I enjoy it, but as with the other bajillion commuters jostling for the finite real estate of the bus in the mornings, I do it because I can't afford parking in downtown Cowtown. Meaning, I often see the same people every morning. The sounds of their jackets rustling, or music leaking out of their too loud/ poorly fitted earbuds, and their occasional conversations serve as my own personal army of bedtime storytellers, while the bus rocks me to sleep on my way to work. Nice, right? Except there's something incredibly shocking, horrifying, and embarrassing about awaking on a bus to discover you are in mid drool, and must make that loud slurping motion to rewind the 3 inch noodle of slobber abseiling from your mouth, threatening to join the kiddie pool sized puddle already glistening on the front of your jacket. Yes folks, in the hierarchy of the medieval bus riding populace, I claim the crown of court jester. If you can't be the elegant dame, dammit it all the hell, I'm gonna be the fool and be it well.

Okay, completely unrelated photos tonight, but I only had time to scan a couple frames of film. These are our friends, Marc and Ana, who live and teach English not far outside of Tokyo. We met up for a day and hung out in Shinjuku and Shibuya, camera shopped, ate Korean food, drank beer, did some more shopping, drank sake from a juice box, ate smoked oysters, and drank some more beer.

First two photos: Kiev 88, Arsat 80mm lens, Kodak Tri-X 400. Developed in Rodinal for 7:00min. Remaining photos - Fuji X100s.


Ana san.


Marcu san.


Fish Pastry!


Regular Marc


Marc-a-marc-a-marc-a-chameleon




Ana decides this restaurant isn't good enough for us. Move on.


We settled on a Korean restaurant.


Beeru!!


Marc's new favourite backpack.


Look at that beautiful light of golden hour.


Sake... from a juice box... bought from 7-Eleven.

Selfie Sundays, and Photographing the Pupils - Part V

It's taken a week, but I've started to emerge from the thick cocoon of jet lag. Sorry, phishing telescammers, you had your chance to take advantage of me while I was lost in the fog of timezone disorientation. Too late now, that free cruise has sailed...

I had a couple of frames left on a roll of film to burn, so I shot a couple selfies with the same camera used to shoot the student portraits shown further below. Selfie Sundays!





Rather than ease myself back into the routine, I flew straight to Ottawa a day after coming home, and after a week of meetings, I flew back home to teach a DSLR course. Here are some portraits of my students, taken with the Kiev88 and Arsat 80mm f/2.8, on Kodak Tri-X. Developed in Rodinal 1+24, @ 68 deg. F for 7:00 min.