蝴蝶、電車、桜 ー Butterflies, Trains and Cherry Blossoms –
Posted on April 10, 2017
小川町埼玉 ー八高線 Watching Train of JR Hachiko-line make it through Ogawamachi, Saitama, Japan – It goes from Hachioji to Kuragano over a distance of 93 Kilometers. ©Hans Nagl
Here are some of photos of a cherry blossom viewing filled weekend. It included, sake tasting, and plenty of photo opportunities around Ogawamachi’s surrounding nature. The town is located in Saitama, little more than aone hour away from Tokyo’s Ikebukuro via Tobu Tojo Line.
Please feel free to send me your comments at the end of this blog. I am always happy about feedback.
Thank you very much,
Hans
小川町埼玉- 槻川 – 蝴蝶 – Small Butterfly, about the size of a finger nail is making its way through flowers along the Tsuki River in Ogawamachi, Saitama ©Hans Nagl
小川町埼玉 – 槻川 – 蝴蝶 – These two small fingernail size butterflies are dancing in the sunlight between flowers along the Tsuki River in Ogawamachi, Saitama ©Hans Nagl
小川町埼玉 – 槻川 – 蝴蝶 – Small butterfly enjoying a nice, warm spring day along the Tsuki River in Ogawamachi, Saitama ©Hans Nagl
小川町埼玉 – 槻川 – きじ ー Pheasant spotted along the Tsuki River running through Ogawamachi, Saitama ©Hans Nagl
小川町埼玉 – 槻川 – Beautiful Tsuki River running through Ogawamachi, Saitama offers many scenes like this one. The water is very clear home to many species of water animals – ©Hans Nagl
小川町埼玉 – 仙元山ハイキング – everything is blooming this spring along a hiking path towards Mount Sengen in Ogawamachi, Saitama ©Hans Nagl
小川町埼玉 – 槻川 – 桜 - Cherry Blossoms along the Tsuki River in Ogawamachi, Saitama ©Hans Nagl
小川町埼玉 ー八高線 Watching Train of JR Hachiko-line make it through Ogawamachi, Saitama, Japan – ©Hans Nagl
小川町埼玉 – 仙元山ハイキング – Mountain view seen from Mount Sengen in Ogawamachi, Saitama towards Chichibu. The weather could not decide if it should be sunny or rainy. ©Hans Nagl
小川町埼玉 – 仙元山ハイキング - Observation Tower on Mount Sengen offers beautiful views ofOgawamachi, Saitama. This time it was better to make its way back the mountain because weather was unpredictable. ©Hans Nagl
小川町埼玉 – 仙元山ハイキング - Wonderful patchwork of pinks, greens and whites with Ogawamachi, Saitama in the background. ©Hans Nagl
小川町埼玉 – 酒 – Sake tasting event in Ogawamachi Saitama. This sake is based on locally grown, organic ingredients. Sake master is watching his customers’ reactions to this year’s sake. The one I tasted was crisp, clear and perfect. ©Hans Nagl
Faces of our Garden
Posted on July 16, 2014
When I finally acquired a decent macro lens I did not expect that this would actually provide a gateway to a completely different world. In the past, insects and other animals living in our garden were just there, not exactly worthy of a closer look, so I thought. Mostly, they all look the same anyway from an overall perspective.
This Calico Pennant Dragonfly is trying to hypnotize anything in reach.
How surprised was I when I looked at some insects really closely? They were literally dressed in colors that made them unbelievably beautiful. Greens, reds, and blues, not visible without magnification, changed my entire perception of this world. A world of tiny creatures living alongside our daily routines. Suddenly, our garden came alive because of my heightened awareness of all the things happening in it. Flies, snakes, cats, and even we humans share this space, going about our business. Every one of these inhabitants is beautiful and plays a role. I also noticed that certain insects always sit on the same branch. “Good morning, Robber Fly!”, “Hello, Frog!” There is a party going on in our Garden. And it’s actually a lot of fun, now that I’m aware of it.
Here are the faces of the folks living in our garden. I will add more over time. This, at least, is a beginning.
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My most favorite time of the day
Posted on June 12, 2014
Franklin, located in Massachusetts, is a place close to many lakes, forests and incredible wildlife. This allows me to occasionally take my camera and go for a walk in search of something great, unexpected and photogenic. On one of my most recent strolls through the neighboring forests late one afternoon in May I became aware that I was leaving the world of regulated and coordinated life to join a different rhythm.
When the day slowly comes to an end and gives way to night colors change by the minute, animals and insects, some invisible during the entire day, show up to grab a bite and disappear again into the foggy twilight of the lake. Every minute something else grabs my attention.
What is moving there? Is it really moving? At the same time clinging to my camera mounted on a tripod thoughts arise. Right lens? ISO settings OK? Shutter speed long or short? I really hope to become better in adjusting camera settings quickly to capture something which might be gone seconds later.
On my way home, when the world turned dark, at the sounds of bullfrogs and occasionally something plunging into the lake escaping my steps, I feel completely overwhelmed by this performance. The beaver who swam close to me to check out why I was sitting there, fish jumping, water snakes swimming through the black pollen covered lake, turtles sticking their heads out of the water, small, and, of sizes I never experienced before. Not one minute passes without something interesting happening, something unpredictable, fast and amazing.
Sitting and watching I usually forget that it grew dark. There is still something left to be seen, something to be extracted out of the last remnant of daylight and preserved inside my camera. One more minute and then I will go home for sure. One more minute,,, One more minute is never enough.
What a show…
Need to watch again
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Bumblebee Pilot Training
Posted on May 28, 2014
Memorial Day offered a chance to visit the beautiful Heritage Museum and Gardens located in Sandwich, Massachusetts. This Cape Cod place, besides some very interesting indoor museums, features many colorful flowers attracting not only insects such as bumblebees but also a wide variety of photographers such as me.
Many flowers can be found at the Heritage Museum in Sandwich, Cape Cod – HansNagl.com
Sticking my nose and camera deep into all kinds of bushes I was able to take some colorful photographs.
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In the middle of all the exciting photographing I was even able to join a bumblebee on her trip. Later, looking at the photos I sometimes thought to really fly behind Miss Bumblebee learning something new about plants, pollens and proper flower landing procedures. Here are some bumblebee photos.
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Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival in Brookline, Massachusetts
Posted on May 19, 2014
Not too long ago I had the chance to visit a Japanese style cherry blossom festival in Brookline, near Boston. It was held at the local high school. What really stood out was that the audience, as well as the performers were all participating. It was a dancing, drumming, very happy matsuri community. I also would like to point out that Tewassa, an organization raising money towards helping Japanese Tohoku earthquake and tsunami victims was also represented. Please visit Tewassa’s web site here and an earlier post about their activities here. Every Saturday this very engaged group meets in Cambridge for about 2 hours to show their dedication to this noble cause by producing a quilt.
Please enjoy a few photos from this event.
Quilt produced on an ongoing basis by Tewassa
Brookline Sakura Matsuri 2014 – Quilt produced by Tewassa volunteers meeting every Saturday in Cambridge for two hours – HansNagl.com
The very cheerful Tewassa Team
Brookline Sakura Matsuri 2014 – Cheerful Tewassa volunteers raising funds for Japanese Tohoku earthquake and tsunami victims.
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Philadelphia’s Sakura Sunday – Hello Spring !!!
Posted on April 20, 2014
Philadelphia’s Cherry Blossom Festival, better known as Sakura Sunday, was recently held at Fairmount Park on April 13, 2014. It was organized by the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia (JASGP). Beautiful spring weather and an outstanding program featuring a variety of artists from Japan and the United States contributed to the success of this event.
Without too many words the following photos will hopefully communicate the spirit of Sakura Sunday. Below are four gallery sections featuring Doshinkan Aikido, Tamagawa University Taiko Drum and Dance, La Siana, and, finally a couple of random photos from around the venue.
Doshinkan Aikido (AANA)
Members of the Aikido Association of North America (AANA), founded by Yukio Utada Sensei, delivered a beautiful and breathtaking demonstration. All age groups were represented. Many of the students make a lifetime commitment to the practice and refinement of this art involving a very dynamic life philosophy. Sometimes they live far away from the training hall or dojo, and, for the most part, training then takes on a different dimension keeping the positive spirit and energy alive. For me, who lives far from the main dojo located in Philadelphia it is always great to know that Utada Sensei and these dedicated students keep the dojo lights on for anybody far away or close by. For more information please visit the website of the AANA.
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Next are some images of the Tamagawa University Taiko Drum and Dance Performance
A powerful and spirited way of communicating Japanese traditional arts of Taiko drums and dance. Watching the students of Tamagawa University perform was a very energizing experience. Harmonizing, happy, smiling performers drew the audience very close into their rhythm. Even now, after the festival, looking at the photos I can hear the Taiko drums and feel the spirit of their show.
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Here are some photos of La Siana
These five ladies showed a very vibrant, high energy program without speed limit. Moving, dancing and singing while staying synchronized almost without effort was worth seeing. It was hard to get close to the stage because of the attention La Siana received from the Philadelphia audience.
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Finally here are some random images from beautiful Sakura Sunday
I took these images without thinking too much about composition or other aspects of photography. They happened in a very spontaneous way. The entire event was a microcosm of small experiences happening not only on stage but also among the audience. It seemed as if the entire Sakura Sunday was a performance where everybody played a role. Via the camera I was able to freeze situations showing the beautiful spontaneity of moments involving wonderful people.
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Thank you to the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia, all the participants, whether on or off stage for making this Philadelphia Sakura Sunday such a beautiful memorable event.
City Hall in Philadelphia
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