The First Photography Book on Kamakura by a Non-Japanese
"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."
Testimonials 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/CEO, Glopeer Partners, Tokyo, Japan
Book Details
Title: KAMAKURA
Printing: High-quality, commercial four-color offset printing
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
Text: English and Japanese
Photography/Design/Layout: Andy Barker
Publisher: photospace b books
ISBN Number: 978-4-9903528-0-6
Price at Bookstores: 2,100 yen includes 5% sales tax
Shimamori bookstore, on the main Wakamiya-oji Avenue, one block directly in front of JR Kamakura Station's East Exit; the book is displayed in the section on Kamakura just to the left of the cash register.
Hasedera Temple at Kogetsu gift shop around the corner from the ticket windows and at Kannondo gift shop inside the main building that houses the large wooden statue of Kannon on the third level; the closest station is Hase Station, three stops from Kamakura Station on the Enoden Line.
(If you have trouble finding the book, please ask in Japanese for "Kamakura shashinshu" and give the ISBN number.) To obtain your personally autographed copy directly from the publisher, please contact Andy at photospace_b@yahoo.com Price within Japan: 2,500 yen (includes 400 yen handling and shipping); Price for overseas buyers: US$25.00 or 2,500 yen (includes handling and shipping to anywhere in the world).
July 27, 2007 Edition of Metropolis magazine
After John Wertime, a high-school classmate of mine in Arlington, VA, bought my book, he sent me this e-mail: I've enjoyed visiting KAMAKURA, your beautiful photo book. Each perusal brings new pleasures and insights. One images that knocks me out is the last in the book, p. 59. The strength and stark elegance of the human figures in kimono against the simple background of dark wooden doors is remarkable. I know it is one that has garnered much attention and praise, and will continue to do so. Very different is the beauty and elegance of p. 7, where the irises stand out against the black background with bamboo water pipes on one side and trees and leaves providing a frame, drawing me in and invited me to contemplate the miracle of this earthy Eden. Another favorite of mine is the image on page 4. This is particularly interesting, as I lived in Iran for nine years and am familiar with portable shrines carried in Shi'ite religious festivals there. While differing is size, shape and decoration, the portable shrines of Japan and Iran no doubt serve similar functions in both countries with their ancient cultural and religious traditions. Your stunning photograph captures both the religious fervor of the largely male and semi-naked faithful in the sea during a purification ceremony, and the architecture of the elegantly shaped shrine topped with a graceful avian figure. The image is suffused with multiple layers of visual focus and meaning--the wave in the foreground lapping at the bare bottoms of the men, the intertwined bodies surrounding the shrine that looms up above them, and the ghost-like mountains in the background. The red head scarves and loin cloths worn by the two men directly in front of the shrine add a subtle touch of color and central focus to the entire composition. To me, this is a masterpiece!
Improbable Love: My Secret Affair in the 1950s by John Wertime
After keeping this information concealed for more than 50 years, he describes his love affair while in high school with a woman twice his age and his mother's best friend. It's an eloquently written book that you'll find impossible to put down. Here are two links where you can order it:
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 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.
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.
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 small share of the PC market, but they are still the easiest-to-use, most stable, and virtually virus-free computer around." 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 digital 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. 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
Where to Buy in Kamakura
Mail Order
Book Reviews
A Personal Note
Now that John has praised my photo book, I want to recommend his memoir:
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
Memoirs of a Geisha (Sayuri in Japan)
My Transportation Around Kamakura
A Disturbing Trend
"You're the Only Person I Know Who Uses a Mac."
Why Did I Switch From Nikon to Canon?
Amusing Sign
