Today’s Post by Joe Farace
When you look at Japanese traditional architecture, you have to look at Japanese culture and its relationship with nature. You can actually live in a harmonious, close contact with nature – this very unique to Japan. —Tadao Ando
Culture Day Japan is celebrated every year on November 3, which Japan’s constitution established as a national holiday. This holiday was officially announced after the Second World War.During the first week of November, Education and Culture Week is observed. Events related to education and culture are held, which creates a deep interest for people in Japanese culture.
This day is also known as ‘Bunka no Hi’ and celebrates the culture, academia, and arts of Japan. This national event is celebrated to pay respects to the traditional Japanese culture and to promote the notion of peace and freedom that is part of Japan’s constitution.
My Trip to Japan.
How I Made this Photograph: This image was made during a dinner on my last night of the only trip I have ever made to Japan, which one of the most delightful travel experience I ever had. I would like to thank Canon USA for inviting me to make this trip, where every photograph of Japan that you see on this blog were made. During the trip I was also able to spend a day at the Tokyo Motor Show that is now called the Japan Mobility Show reflecting what the organizers say is a “new focus on all kinds of transportation.” Other than the food—I am not an adventurous eater—this trip to Japan sticks in my memory much like my first trip to Germany to attend fotokina in 1978.
This image of two performers who entertained us photographers during a dinner, which I ate very little of the traditional fare, was made with a 6.3-megapixel Canon EOS Digital Rebel and an EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens with an exposure of 1/80 sec at f/6.3 and ISO 1600 with, surprisingly, little digital noise. That linked post features a nighttime image I made of akihabara, a shopping hub famed for its electronics retailers, ranging from tiny stalls to vast department stores.
PS: The Pixels Grain & Cookies Podcast #5 is live now on my YouTube channel, Joe Farace’s Videos, where the boys take a brief look at CCD vs. CMOS sensors before doing a deep dive into a question many people have—How Many Megapixels is Enough.
Along with photographer Barry Staver, Joe is co-author of Better Available Light Digital Photography that’s available for new for $21.50 with used copies for giveaway prices—aeound twelve bucks—from Amazon, as I write this.