June 5, 2012

Japan.




Last week I returned home from an incredible two week trip to Japan. Sometime last fall, my lovely friend Aya asked me if I wanted to tag along with her on a trip to visit her family in Tokyo and the northern portion of Honshu (the main island of Japan). I answered with a resounding "HAI!" I saved my pennies, ate lots of sushi in anticipation, filled a backpack full of cameras and film and before I knew it, we were boarding the world's largest plane bound for Narita International Airport.

Aya has been to Japan over a dozen times, but this last visit was the first time she brought a friend along (lucky me!) and did anything tourist related. The first place on our agenda: The Imperial Palace, home to the Emperor of Japan. While the palace itself is off limits 363 days of the year, the outer grounds are a public park and offer a nice retreat from the hustle and bustle of the city. We spent a very humid afternoon wandering the grounds, sweating up a storm and chugging lots water. I wasn't prepared for how humid Japan was. Hello, frizzy hair!

If you pack five cameras in your backpack, you will ultimately end up with five photographs that look the same, as is evident by the first few photos of this post. (You never know which one will look the best!) Photos of the Nijubashi Bridge taken with (from top to bottom): Polaroid SLR 680 with Polaroid  600 film, Polaroid SLR 680 with PX 680 Color Shade Cool film by The Impossible Project, Pentax K1000 with Kodak 800 film, Canon 50D and Olympus XA2 with Kodak 400 film. Yes, I'm crazy. Yes, my back still hurts. And yes, it was totally worth it.

Stay tuned for more photos in the days to come!




10 comments:

  1. Love all the shots of the Imperial Palace but my favorite is that top Polaroid. It's so dreamy. Can't wait to read/see more about your adventures!

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  2. Love love LOVE the last photo. Going to parks while traveling is my favorite thing to do because the trees themselves always look so different and special to the area. Can't wait for the rest!

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  3. These are beautiful Whitney! I always end up with multiple photos of the same thing but taken with different cameras. I can't wait to see and read more about your trip.

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  4. Glad to know I'm not the only crazy person breaking their back every time they board a plane! I can't wait to see more!

    XO

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  5. Oh, these are great. I'm sure glad you brought 5 cameras.

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  6. Obviously the aches and pains from carrying around those cameras were worth it! Gorgeous captures! I can't wait to see more...

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  7. Love, love. Great photos, I haven't checked your Etsy site yet, but do you have anything up or soon from your trip? I am still obsessing over the ferris wheel photo you posted on Instagram.

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  8. Incredible! The first Polaroid is my favorite. Your poor back. That was me at Disneyland...on rides, what a troublemaker I am to myself with all my gear.

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  9. aww, I love / miss Japan. Your pictures make me feel as though I'm back!

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  10. I'm going to Japan in September for an extended trip... this is making me sooo excited. I'm subscribing to see more! I really want to go north :)

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