The First Photography Book on Kamakura by a Non-Japanese
Sample Pages with English/Japanese Text
"As the first photo book on Kamakura by a foreigner, this landmark publication of superb images by master photographer Andy Barker brings a refreshing new look to one of the most photographed corners of Japan."
"This fantastic book captures the true beauty of Japan."
Printing: High-quality, commercial four-color offset printing
Title: KAMAKURA
Size: 210mm (W) x 200mm (H) or 8.3 x 7.9 in.
Pages: 60, plus front and back soft covers and full-color laminated dust jacket
Photos: 59 full-color; 2 black and white
Color-coded Sections: Preface (Violet, 2 pages), Spring (Yellow Green, 14 pages), Summer (Sky Blue, 14 pages), Autumn (Orange, 14 pages), Winter (Gray, 12 pages), Winter 35 Years Ago (Gold, 2 pages), Profile (Red, 1 page)
Text: English and Japanese
Photography/Design/Layout: Andy Barker
Publisher: photospace b books
ISBN Number: 978-4-9903528-0-6
Price: 2,100 yen includes 5% Japanese sales tax
Where to Buy in Tokyo: Books Kinokuniya main store (6th floor, Japanese Photo Books section; 7th floor, Foreign Books section) located near Shinjuku Station's East Exit. Books Kinokuniya in Takashimaya's Times Square (6th floor, Books on Japan section) near Shinjuku Station's South Exit. Maruzen's Marunouchi bookstore (3rd floor, Japanese Photo Books section) across the street from Tokyo Station.
Where to Buy in Kamakura: Shimamori bookstore, on Wakamiya-oji Avenue, one block directly in front of JR Kamakura Station's East Exit. Shorindo bookstore, directly in front of Kamakura Station's East Exit. Hasedera Temple's gift shop located next to the ticket gate. Kamakura Prince Hotel gift shop. Kondo Japanese Restaurant on the left side of Wakamiya-oji Avenue when walking toward Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. Kaihinso Kamakura Japanese Inn, near Yuigahama Station on the Enoden Line.
Where to Buy in Zushi: Books Nimomiya in front of Zushi Station.
If you have trouble finding the book, please ask in Japanese for "Kamakura shashinshu" and give the ISBN number.
Where to Buy in the USA: Books Kinokuniya in New York City and San Francisco.
Mail Order: To obtain your personally autographed copy directly from the publisher, please contact Andy at July 27, 2007 Edition of Metropolis magazine (in English)
PhotoGuide Japan (in English)
I read the reviews of this movie, which for the most part were negative, but decided to see it anyway, especially since it was about Japan and one of only a handful of American movies about my adopted country produced in the last 50 years.
From beginning to end, I sat on the edge of my theater seat, viewing a spectacle of such overpowering beauty that at times I found it difficult to breathe. The camerawork was marvelous; the sets and costumes exquisite; the acting powerful and always believable; and the characters' lines eloquent, even poetic.
Did having three Chinese women in the lead roles bother me? Not in the least. In fact, I don't think any Japanese actresses could have done a better job. Rob Marshall, the director, didn't think so either. In 2004 I was asked to write the introductory speech for a young Japanese actress, a former Miss Kamakura, who answered the Tokyo casting call for the lead role of Sayuri. She didn't win the part and none of the other Japanese candidates did either, probably because of their lack of speaking ability in English.
Did the deviations in the storyline upset me? No. As a matter of fact, I think the movie was better--tighter, more dramatic--than the book and the book was wonderful. If you haven't read it, I recommend doing so.
What about the geisha hairstyles and dance routines? Yes, they were flights of fancy in many cases. But did they detract from the movie? I don't think so. Although I'm not an expert on geisha, I couldn't picture the actresses wearing heavy, cumbersome wigs or performing strictly traditional dances that take real geisha years to perfect. Of course, the actresses would fail and be ridiculed.
Wasn't it strange that the Japanese characters spoke English? Come on, this was an American movie and to have the characters speak 100% Japanese with English subtitles would be ludicrous. The few words of Japanese that they did speak, I thought, worked well.
If you're the least bit interested in Japan and traditional Japanese culture, I strongly recommend Memoirs of a Geisha. You'll never forget the experience.
My Transportation Around Kamakura
My camera backpack goes in the front basket of my 18-speed Raleigh mountain bike and my tripod is strapped on the luggage rack in back. It's a tough 20-minute ride over the mountain and through three tunnels from Zushi to Kamakura. But once I'm there, my bike gives me the mobility to visit three or four temples and shrines in one day. And think of the money I'm saving on train and bus fares.
By the way, I took all the pictures in the Random Thoughts section with my Sony 2.1 megapixel cameraphone, which I always carry in my shirt pocket. The snapshots it produces are amazingly sharp and lifelike.
Random Thoughts 2
I always wondered why the Japanese build their houses so close together. The usual explanation is Japan is a small country and 90% of the land is mountainous and uninhabitable. The real reasons, however, are different.
Pictured here is what's happening all over Japan as well as in Zushi, a rather affluent seaside community an hour south of Tokyo. Unfortunately, I don't have a "Before" shot, but this lot used to be hilly and contained a one-story wooden house with a garden of trees, flowers, and an elegant stone lantern. I watched the bulldozers demolish the house, level the land, and the surveyors divide the lot into three postage-stamp-sized plots, plus a parking lot on the far left. As you can see, the two new houses already built in the back extend to the edge of each lot and are less than a meter apart. Lackluster in design, these houses also have no garden. In fact, the perimeter of each house is paved with concrete for low maintenance!
Why is this happening? Greed and the absence of laws preventing such building practices. Construction companies search out older houses, just as long as they're reasonably priced and have enough land to accommodate 3-8 houses. Of course, the city governments love this, because they can collect more taxes as the population increases. Who suffers? The Japanese homeowners, not only those whose houses are adjacent to the new construction, but the new owners themselves, due to a lack of privacy, noise, and blocked sunlight.
Random Thoughts 1
I sat in front of my iMac, critiquing the work of Shailesh Date, a Color Photography II student, when he made this remark. I was shocked. "Almost all my friends use Apple Macintosh computers," I said, "but most of them are photographers or art directors."
Shailesh explained he worked for the IT industry in Tokyo and was originally from India and had never seen a Mac in either his workplace or his home country.
"Really?" I said, again shocked there were no Macs in India. "I bought my first Mac back in 1984 when they first came out. And I've used one ever since. Apple revolutionized personal computers: the mouse, the graphic interface, and most recently the flat-panel LCD monitor. In fact, in 2005 Apple was voted the most innovative company in the US in a survey taken of major corporations."
I continued, "I know Apple has only a 2 or 3% share of the PC market, but they are still the easiest-to-use, most stable, and virtually virus-free computer around."
Why Did I Switch From Nikon to Canon?
Later that night, I thought about why I had decided to sell all my Nikon film camera equipment to purchase a Canon digital SLR. It was for the same reason. Over the past 15-20 years, Canon has pioneered the development of many original ideas for their cameras and lenses, beginning with the all-electronic EF lens mount that allowed the autofocus motor to be placed in the lens, instead of the camera body, to insure quiet operation and ultrafast focus. Other brilliant Canon ideas include Image Stabilization to reduce blurred pictures caused by camera shake, white lens barrels for long telephoto and zoom lenses to reduce heat build-up when used in the bright sun, and Tilt and Shift lenses to give total control to architectural and landscape photographers.
In the digital arena, Canon was the only maker of single-lens reflex cameras (up until July 2006) that manufactured its own digital sensors. Thanks to this cutting-edge technology, Canon was the first to introduce a single-lens reflex camera having a sensor the same size as the 35mm film frame, the first to offer a digital camera capable of shooting at a blazing 8.5 frames per second, and the first to bring out a truly affordable digital SLR.
Then in August 2005, my wife was watching TV when a program came on, featuring an interview with the president of Canon, Mr. Mitarai. I couldn't understand much of the Japanese dialogue, but I did learn that ten years ago when he became president, Canon was No. 48 in total sales out of all Japanese companies and now it was No. 7. That's right, seventh! Toyota was No. 1 and Sony No. 12. Nikon, on the other hand, wasn't even listed in the top 50.
My policy is simple: Buy products from companies that innovate.
Amusing Sign
Shailesh Date, the same student who shocked me with his words, discovered this wonderfully descriptive sign at Zushi Beach during one of our class field trips. Surprisingly, the government-owned cigarette industry, Japan Tobacco or JT, created the sign. With 45.8% of adult Japanese men and 13.8% of adult women smoking in this country (population 127 million), I guess JT felt compelled to do something. Extras
Comments Appearing on the Book's Dust Jacket
----Steve Vidler, the world's most successful and prolific independent travel photographer; his books include Asians in Focus, China: A Travel Adventure, and Portrait of London
----Nobue Shirai, photographer and President and CEO, Glopeer Partners, Tokyo, Japan
Book Details
Book Reviews:
Graduate Gallery
What kind of pictures do students of photospace b shoot after they've taken a class? Please take a look.
Campbell Gunn: Artless Art
Dwayne Lively: Dwayne's World
Anka Neelen: Portraits
Max Clark: Creative Eye
Vikas Bansal: Flowers
Dave Friedmann: My Favorites
Patricia Yarrow: Patricia's Japan
Paul Murray: ArtofNature
Random Thoughts 3
Memoirs of a Geisha (Sayuri in Japan)
A Disturbing Trend
"You're the Only Person I Know Who Uses a Mac."
