Final: The Most Important Things

Changing impressions, honestly I cannot fill this blog post about how my impressions of Japan have changed during my time here, because they haven’t changed, sure there have been many things I haven’t wanted to do while in Japan that I haven’t been able to do because of a busy schedule and a lack of time, but this hasn’t really changed the way I perceive Japan.

However I have come to realize what holds the most importance to me in Japan, and that is of course is not only limited to my Japanese friends, but also my other foreign friends at Kansai Gaidai, without doubt one of the main benefits of doing study at Kansai Gaidai is that you get to make friends from all over the world, but that turns into a slight negative when you need to return to you home country.

Soon, actually within the next few weeks I need to return to Australia, and this is something that I am not particularly looking forward to, because as much as I like my lifestyle here, the music, fashion culture and all of that fun stuff, I know I am going to miss all my amazing friends here to a point where it will be painful.

I really can’t thank everyone enough for making this experience of mine so amazing.

So instead of filling this blog with lies on how my perception of Japan has changed, I will instead fill it with pictures that represent the memories of my friends that I will carry with me for life.

Ryota

This is my friend Ryota, and he was the first person who posed for this photo set for me, to me Ryota is a important friend, in a way he is kind of like a cousin to me, he has a cheerful personality and always laughing, he can also be a bit of a goof ball, and loves to tease me, but he is always willing to help and really is a great friend

Yusuke (Aqua Fresh)

Next up is Yusuke, also known as Aqua fresh, I can say without hesitation that this guy is insane, you can’t be around him for more than 5 minutes without him saying or doing something hilarious that leaves you in stiches, he is honest about everything, to the point where it’s sometimes a little too much, but underneath all of the dirty jokes he is a really good friend

Soushi

Soushi, honestly, my friendship with him has been a wild ride, but in the end I appreciate having had him as a friend, we tend to argue a lot, but perhaps that’s because we have spent too much time together, but there has been many times he has helped me when I really needed it, at times his sense of humour is golden and he can be a really kind person.

Yuji

Yuji is a friend through mutual friends, so I have only had the chance to hang out with him several times, but I would still like to think I can consider him a friend, he has a friendly personality that shines and a beaming smile that really stands out.

Ayaka

This is the second time Ayaka will make an appearance in this blog, as she was also the subject of my portrait entry, but again I can’t stress just how much of a wonderful person she is, I can say without a doubt that Ayaka is easily one of the people I will miss the most in Japan, she is kind, fun honest and just awesome, Japan would be a lot less epic place if she wasn’t here

Taishu

Taishu, really what can I say about this boy, I feel like if by any chance that if he ever read this he would tease me non stop, but along with Ayaka, I would consider Taishu one of my best friends in Japan, we can talk about the most random topics and I will never get bored, we tease each other and he will often tease me to the point of embarrassment, but somehow I often end up spilling my secrets to him giving him even more power to tease me, and on top of this we are always hitting and kicking each other, and I can talk him into almost anything (I once convinced him to let me do makeup on him) so to me he is kind of like a little brother, because at the end I see signs that he cares, I often say about Taishu “he is a friend that I would trust with my life, but not my homework” I think this sums him up well

Taiki

Taiki is a interesting guy, along with Ryosuke (the next picture) the pair is like a comedy duo, Taiki seems low key and relaxed but has moments when he is pricelessly hilarious, especially during karaoke, and even more so when trying to quit smoking and doing a terrible job at it.

Taiki is one of those people who just seems to be effortlessly funny and cool.

Ryosuke

Ryosuke is usually pretty stylin, unlike Taiki (I hardly ever see them apart so when I talk about them I tend to talk about them as a pair) he really seems to put a lot of effort into his appearance (not to say Taiki doesent look cool, he just does it more naturally) I remember one of my first thoughts about Ryosuke was “omg he is wearing the same brand name jacket as me” and naturally it’s a damn expensive brand name, but he is also a really fun guy.

All of this people have had a big influence of my life in Japan, unfortunately there are a hand full of other really important friends that I haven’t been able to get their picture like this, or that I will get within the next week, so perhaps once I return to Australia I might update this blog two last times, one time to add more of my Japanese friends who I have yet to take photos of like these, as well a a special entry for my foreign friends at Kansai Gaidai

And just as a final explanation all of this photos are taken as a photo project I am doing for my own happiness, so I have fond memories of all the amazing people I meet throughout my life, I intend to continue this for many years, if possible into old age, because I think through these photos I can capture the personality and love of the people I adore and love.

To end this I will briefly move back to the subject of changes.

Although I don’t believe I have changed my perception on Japan, I believe that Japan has changed my perspective of myself (I do think I have changed quite a few bit)  as of the day I writing this I have been away from home for 278 (maybe I counted wrong) 10 of which days I was in Taiwan, and the rest in Japan.

Me and a friend at the airport before leaving Australia

This is me just before coming to Japan, my hair colour shifted between blonde and brown, I weighed about 68kg, I didn’t wear makeup and didn’t put much focus into my appearance or the way I dressed because I didn’t really see the point in it, I was a little shy and lacked confidence in a lot of ways, I couldn’t really hold even a basic conversation in Japanese, had no tattoo’s, had a great love for music but no outlet for it.

Me now

And me now, I think my sense of fashion style has improved leaps and bounds, I went from not knowing how to apply makeup beyond basic foundation and blush, to getting good at makeup to the point where I feel slightly uncomfortable if I leave the house without it, lately my hair is often dyed pink, blue, purple and blonde, I have a lot more confidence in myself and not as shy anymore, I can now carry conversation to a certain level in Japanese and I have four tattoos and about to get my fifth one before returning to Australia.

So I don’t think Japan has changed the way I perceive myself, but it has changed me, but in the end, the most important things are friends that will accept you no matter what.

Japan is not the places you go, the things you do, or the food you eat….it’s the friends you make.





Myself and my speaking partner Rie







Myself and Ayaka

Visual Art: Tattoos

This is it, this is my final free post on this blog.

And very possibly the second to last post on this blog in general.

So I really wanted to use this entry to focus on a strong interest of mine, so originally this blog was going to take several different forms, I was going to see if I could take pictures of the musicians that I often listen too, or I was going to take street fashion snaps of all the stylish fashionable people I see when wondering down the streets of Amemura and Shinsaibashi.

But then I decided I should use this chance to focus on a set of photos that I am particularly proud of.

Tattoo’s in Japan

As part of my final grade for this class [Visual Anthropology Of Japan] I decided to do a photo exhibition in place of the end of semester exam, simply because I hate doings tests and exams and like taking photos, and when initially needing to choose a subject topic for my photo exhibition one of the first things that came to my mind was tattoo’s, specifically Japanese tattoos.

When I first came to Japan, I had no tattoos and no real thoughts, opinions or desire to get any tattoo’s, however now I currently have four tattoo’s and a booking to get a fifth tattoo next month before I return to my country, I am glad that this sudden interest and rather strong addiction to the art of tattoos occurred while in Japan, because I have quickly learnt that the style of tattoos in Japan are amazing.

So here are a few of my favourite photos from my photo exhibition.

The first photo is easily one of my favourites, more so because this is one of the many tattoo’s belonging to the lady who does all of my tattoos.

With her, you can tell its something important, every tattoo would need to have some meaning and be a work of art in its own right, so not only does she give amazing tattoos, but has them aswell

For the second picture, I won’t stray from Chopstick Tattoo (the salon where I get my tattoos), the next picture is one of the many tattoos of the receptionist, all of her tattoos are amazingly done and have such good designs and use of colour and shading.

This picture was one of the many taken at a music concert, for confidentiality reasons I can drop any hints on who this may be, but from the moment I saw these tattoos I loved them, they are all quite contrasting but still somehow manage to blend together well

The next picture is not only one of my favourites, but a favourite of many other people I have shown, naturally because it’s a really well done Japanese dragon tattoo, the quality in the design is stunning which really makes it stand out, once again this tattoo was taken at a concert, so no hints on the owner, but I will say he did seem very proud of this tattoo, but he has every right to be

This picture was taken after a music event, but unlike the other photos related to music, this tattoo does not belong to a band member, but a fan. I think it is a really interesting design, the simple black tone of it goes well, it’s very kind of simple but stylish, I think in a good way, it probably says a lot about the owner of the tattoo

Yet another one taken at a concert, so once again no hints, but I will say that this time it belongs to a female band member. I do love the simplicity but beauty of this design; I think it does really show the contrast between female tattoos and male tattoo when done in this style in Japan.

And one more taken at a concert, in all honesty, wolf designs are kind of common, because of the meaning and qualities that many people attach to the idea of a wolf, it has become a well wide popular tattoo choice, but I must say I do like this particular wolf, it is really well done, and up close you can see some amazing detailing, it does indeed suit the owner

And lastly, this last photo was taken during a visit to a host bar (it’s a interesting experience) this particular host had several tattoos, this as well as one on his hand where my favourites.

In conclusion I think tattoos are becoming a important part of visual representation among Japans youth, they are starting to become a fashionable way to express oneself, and not necessarily a taboo.

Country – Inaka

For this blog post, I will write and share pictures of something that is very important to me, both in Japan and my home country of Australia.

And that is country towns!

Old houses, Mountains and Rice paddy fields, Its a country view

I think there will always be a slight stigma attached with country areas, that they are backward, slow, and less intelligent than their bigger city counter parts, but although life in the country side does tend to roll by a little more slowly, the truth is that country side area’s are often blessed with kind people, beautiful scenery and fresh air.

For Golden Week this past week, I was lucky enough to visit the small country prefecture of Fukui.

(Hence why this entry is a little late) so I will focus this topic on Fukui specifically.

In Japan, if known at all, Fukui is renowned for being one of the very must rural prefectures in Japan.

Most of the towns within this prefecture have a small population (for Japanese standards) and relies rather heavily on the farming industry, so in Fukui you will see many rice paddy fields.

Rice paddy

In some ways, Fukui is more what a lot of foreigners would expect to see when coming to Japan in the search of traditional Japan.

There are still many old building, most of which are well maintained and handing down along families for generations

A old traditional family household

Along with the old houses and buildings, Fukui maintains many small old temples and shrines, all of which are maintained beautifully and very well cared for.

Naturally its a popular place

An old tea ceremony house

Tradition

Also because Fukui is very heavily surrounded by mountains, it means that there are many many many tunnels that you must pass through if driving around the prefecture

One of the many tunnels in Fukui

But in conclusion I think that Fukui, being so very rural, is charming, if it wasn’t a rural prefecture it would not be as great as it is.

It is the fact that it is a country side prefecture that allows for a more relaxing life, which allows old buildings to be maintained instead of flashy new buildings, hat allows natural nature to exist instead of a sea of houses and developments.

My host mother, who is orginally from Fukui

My host family dog, who loves being in Fukui

But perhaps my thoughts are a little biased, because not only did I grow up in a small country town in Australia, but this is actually my second trip to Fukui, since four years ago I lived in Fukui briefly, in which time I quickly considered a town in Fukui to be my Japanese hometown.

My first time

Visual Music - Visual Kei

For my first free blog entry I originally thought I would write about the cherry blossoms which are currently in bloom, because like probably every other exchange student in Japan I excitedly went to Kyoto to see the amazing blooming flowers, saw all the hype they cause, and offcourse took many many a photos.

Taken in Kyoto, really one of the best places to see such pretty Sakura

But then I thought “hey…but a lot of people will be doing their blog on the sakura, I want to do something else”

 So I then decided to do my first free blog post on something I know rather well.

Japanese Visual Kei music

Japanese Visual Kei music is the music genre which has a reasonably strong and very devoted following in Japan, in which the band members dress in a stronger more visual style of clothing, will often wear a lot of makeup and have their hair dyed and styled in very interesting ways, for a Visual Kei band, their appearance is just as important as their music, but that is not to say the music comes second.

For a good Visual Kei band, you need to have both the right visual look and the right sound.

Needless to say, I am a rather big fan of this music style; I have a lot of knowledge on it, and have been to many concerts while in Japan (I tend to go to the more indie/smaller band concerts)

But all though in my opinion, Visual Kei fits in perfectly with the study of visual anthropology, it is difficult to write a blog with my own pictures in it on this subject as these bands are “not allowed” to let fans take photos of them.

So with that said, this blog post will be mainly written with video from youtube, and pictures from band websites and members ameba (like a blog)

For the case of keeping this simple and short, I will only provide examples from my current four favourite bands.

Jackman

Melt

Dragon Wapppppper

Dog In The PWO

Jackman

(the vocals sound a bit weird in this video, but I am pretty sure I was actually at this concert)

Jackman is a small local Kansai band with growing popularity

Their visual look as changed 4 times (I think) but they have only been active as Jackman for just over one year (before hand they were in another band without the drummer Roi)

Currently they have a different look than what’s in the video, with white and other light colours instead of black, however there is still a lot of orange in their current style.

However changing from the look in the video to their current look, the guitarist Mike is barely recognizable.

Mike's previous look

And Mike's current look

I remember going to the concert, in which they revealed their new looks (it was actually there one year anniversary concert) and when the band starting coming out on the stage the drummer Roi came out (as the drummer always comes out first) but the fans in the crowd where confused, because no one could see his face clearly everyone seemed to think it was instead Mike, leaving everyone wondering why Mike came out first, then Lon Lon (bassist) came out followed by the real Mike, leaving everyone stunned by the transformation

And just to neaten up, I will continue complete a time line of Mike’s looks while active as part of Jackman

Mike's 2nd look

Mike's 1st look

(all pictures taken from Mike's Amblo http://profile.ameba.jp/jackman-mike/)

Melt

Melt is another Kansai local band favourite of mine.

Not only is their music good, their on stage energy is great, with really friendly fans (this is a huge plus if you go to concerts, as some bands fan bases can be quite nasty, especially if you stand out like I do) and they are also lovely people to (try) and talk too, whenever I go to one of their concerts I usually get to spend some time just hanging out with them and talking to them.

And the reason I mention them in this blog (apart from them being a favourite of mine) even though with them still being a small band, and it being hard to find pictures of them, is because last night I went to a concert in which they preformed and also revealed their new looks.

second previous look

Current look (also pictures with support drummer)

As opposed to Jackman, Melt has a somewhat more casual look when it comes to clothing, however they still do they makeup and hair.

(all pictures taken from Yuki's Amblo http://profile.ameba.jp/melt-yuki)

Dragon Wapppppper

Dragon Wapppppper is a really fun band from Tokyo (although the bassist Nagisa is originally from Kobe)  their style tends to match their music which is bouncy and energetic.

School themed look

Their current style has a school based theme around it, it is not uncommon for Visual Kei bands to sometimes pick up a look with a certain theme, infact some bands will hold onto a theme as part of their persona, however Dragon Wapppppper usually has a more casual style, so it will be interesting to see how long they maintain the school theme

In their last released PV (promotional video)  with their previous looks, they can be seen with un-styled hair and without makeup while in the studio, but also with their makeup and hair styled, its interesting to see the mixture.

However Dragon Wapppppper is a band that does not seem to worried about occasionally being seen outside the visual frame without hair and makeup, as I have seen met them once or twice without makeup and styled hair (I also have a photo with them)

(all pictures taken from Dragon Wappppppers website http://dragonwapppppper.web.fc2.com/top.html)

DOG in PWO

DOG is a very interesting colourful band from Tokyo which changes looks quite frequently

Their music tends to have a pop dance beat to it, and their looks always match this.

with all of this examples provided, I will end this here.

I think it is clear to see just how much their “looks” effects this bands, it ties in with their music style and becomes a way in which they can further express their music and also a way in which their fans recognize them.

After all, its in the name right “Visual Kei”

Although at its core, its music, the visuals do matter.

But as a finishing note, I will provide what is not only a sneak preview of my end of semester final photo exhibition (on tattoo’s in Japan) but a photo I was allowed to take of a Visual Kei band member, however the identity will remain secret, as promised.

(so now this blog has two photos taken by me)

Photographers: Everyone is different

Like any other art form the ways and styles in which a photographer shoots and the end results of the process can be and are often very different from one person to another.

There should be no debate as to whether photographers are artists or not, like a painter they capture images but instead of using a brush and paint they use a camera and film (in this modern day it’s more likely to be memory card though).

And although it is my belief that like a painter not two photographers work can be the same, one can however be influenced by the work of other photographers.

Following the films watched in class, we learnt about just how deep of a difference can be between two different photographers, despite the fact that like a painter, they are using the same tool to capture images.

I will start with the undoubtedly world renown Annie Leibovitz

Creative and heavily edited

High fashion

A little more natural

Famous shot

Annie Leibovitz is a photographer famous for her work with Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair.

She is very well possibly the most famous and well know photographer in today’s times not only because of her own talent, but also due to the fact that many of the people who she shoots are famous celebrities.

Her work is often heavily edited and pain-strikingly staged as well a meticulously planned, considering the fact that she is a portrait/people photographer, some may argue that all of this leads to fake photo’s because being so altered, planned and stage would often remove all reality and truth in the person being photographer.

But Annie Leibovitz maintains belief that her photos in a way, just show the other reality, the other true self of the people she photographs.

The aim of Annie Leibovitz photos seem to be showing the true, or even an exaggerated beauty of the people she photographs, which is exactly why everything is often so staged, edited and planned.

Her work is people in art.

It’s very heavily conceptual.

It is probably the best way to describe it.

Despite everything, her work can still hold importance to the study of visual anthropology, her photography is a art which the viewer need to look at and perceive, something that the viewer often needs to form the own idea about, and because of the heavily artistic and creative style or her photos, it is possible for different people to gain different perceptions from one photo

Now moving to a completely different photographer, and style.

James Natchwey is a photographer, who like Annie Leibovitz specializes in people photography (though he does take landscape shots), but instead of artistic conceptual shoots,  James Natchwey is a war photographer, meaning his photos all show in often graphic detail, the dark side of human life where Annie Leibovitz (often) focuses on the glitz and glammer.

James Natchwey’s photographs are far from glamorous, and to be honest, more of a handful of his photos are difficult to look at because they are truly confronting, which is to be expected due to the subject of his photos.

The purpose of such a style of photography is for the photos to be confronting a thought provoking; such photos are meant to make us realize the truth in life and the atrocities many people face in their lives.

James Natchwey travels to many places that many of us would not dare to enter due to risks, as we ignore the people that already live in such a place, he travels there so he can meet the people living in such places, witness their story and capture their story with his camera, providing us with pictures with force us (for better or worse) to realize the pain of others.

It seems as though he doesn’t simply aim is lens at tragedy, as he very well could do, instead he works to know the people he is photographing, understand their life and their story, gain their trust, so he can take photos with much deeper meaning, because he understands for some of the people he photographs, this is the only chance for them that people will learn what has happened to them while in the comfort of their own homes.

He also doesn’t place as much emphasis on the equipment, due to the travelling aspect of his photography, it is difficult to carry heavy expensive camera’s and equipment, but he shows that no matter what type of camera you have, you can capture amazing pictures if you put your heart and soul into it.

James Natchwey’s photos also tend to be put into black and white, however there are also instances where his photographs have been primarily black and white with only small amounts of a strong colour such as red or blue, this help increases the strength in dramatic photo’s.

Needless to say James Natchwey’s photography holds a great significance when it comes to the study of visual anthropology, not only the photos he takes, but the way he takes them.

They show humanity, or lack thereof, the visuals offered to us in his photographs confronts us with reality.

In finality, I will conclude with my own photography style.

I think my style of photography has recently moved into the area of people photography, over the last year I have loved taking photos of people, something that came as a surprise to me considering that from when I picked up at camera at a young age, I hated taking photos of other people and always istead opted for landscape or object photography.

But this could maybe be because in my younger age, perhaps I was unconsciously aware of my lack of knowledge and understanding of other people, so I did not think I could correctly capture them.

But nowdays I feel like a can capture a little bit of someones true self, their personality if I put the effort into knowing about them before aiming my camera lens in their direction.

My photos tend to be stylized and edited, but I try my best to maintain the true personality of the person I am photographing.

I don’t think my photos are as deep or meaningful as the photos taken by James Natchwey, nor are they as conceptual and glamourous as the photos taken by Annie Leibovitz, but they are what I strive and manage to take with my efforts alone.

However in the future, I would like to try my hand and more conceptual and meaningful photos.

Photos from

http://www.jamesnachtwey.com/

http://www.fanpop.com/spots/annie-leibovitz/photos/6

Portraits - Ayaka

Every person is different

Every person needs to be represented differently

But is it possible to catch someone’s true self in a camera lens.

The task of this particular entry was to take pictures of a Japanese person, and display who they are as a person, straight away I was doubtful if this was possible, people have many different aspects of who they are, so I never believe you can completely catch someone’s personality in one photo…honestly, I don’t think you can capture a person’s entire personality no matter how many pictures you take.

And in the case of Ayaka, this thought is intensified in my mind.

A picture taken during a photoshoot, but it was just while I was fixing my settings, so its kind of a unintentional shot
but Ayaka's expression in this is amazing

Many people would say she does not fit the mold of the typical Japanese girl.

Her fashion style is her own, she is relaxed, calm and very easy going.

She is a indiviualist

She is able to joke around and have fun, and is a great person to talk to about anything.

You can talk to her knowing you will get a honest opinion and support if you need it, or you can talk to her about nothing in particular to just kill time

Sharing her heart

But as easy going and relaxed a person as she is, she also does have a serious side.

She is a hard worker, determined to archive her goals in life, which I am sure she will.

I am not sure if she realizes it, but she is also a very loyal and protective friend, if its someone who she considers a friend, you can count on her being there for you, also when she talks about her friends she does so with such fondness



Doing homework, I just wish I had a picture of her in her suit for job hunting



But those are only several aspects of what kind of person Ayaka is, I feel like I could write thousands and thousands more words, post millions upon millions more pictures, and still not get close of showing all of who she is.

But I can say with all honesty, I love taking photos of Ayaka, because I know whenever I take a picture of her there is no fake-ness behind it, in every photo of her she is just being herself…or one aspect of herself.

A great model, and a great friend