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Post by Jaegar on Aug 15, 2007 18:11:24 GMT -5
ow. My eyes burn >.< That pic of you violated every placement law I've learned about photography as art. Not framed (I can see the trees to do it with though), subject directly centered (instead of slightly offset), and what's that silver blur in the foregorund? O.o
lol, anyway. Criticisms on the art value aside (I swearI didn't know I could critique like that till just now), it's cool to have your little photo tour of Japan to look at. I find it interesting that every country I've seen has a different feel to it entirely.
I'd also like to say that Emily and George is one of the most disturbing things I've seen in a while...
lol, I claim your second page too ^_^
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Post by Yoon on Aug 16, 2007 11:18:02 GMT -5
@yahoo: Hiroshima is a nice city, I'll have more pictures of the city up later. @ben: Thanks. There's more Japan pictures incoming! Jaegar: Yeah, that picture wasn't all too great, since it was a self-shot picture. I set my camera to 10-second shot, set it on a bench, and ran to the picture shot. Pictures up till the 15th are now up. I'll upload the pictures for the 16th later, when I have time. I depart for Fukuoka/Hakata tomorrow, my final destination in Japan, which I'll be staying for two days. Then it's off to South Korea. August 16, 2007Current Location: Hiroshima, Japan Today's Itinerary- Hiroshima - A-Bomb Dome - Peace Memorial Park - Peace Memorial Museum - Miyajima-guchi-Miyajima Ferry - Miyajima Island - Itsukushima Shrine - Momijidani Park - Mount Misen - Misen Hondo Main Hall / Sankido Hall Accommodation for the Night: Hiroshima Central Hotel HiroshimaIn 1945, Hiroshima was completely obliterated from “Little Boy”, the first of two atomic bombs used against Japan during World War II. From looking around in Hiroshima City today, it really doesn’t seem like a city that was completely obliterated from an atomic bomb 62 years ago. It’s a bustling city with lots of people. A-Bomb DomeThe A-Bomb Dome is the only remaining building in Hiroshima that shows evidence of the atomic bomb. The city of Hiroshima kept the building as-is to serve as a reminder to everyone the destructive nature of nuclear weapons. Peace Memorial Park The Peace Memorial Park, which is just across the river from the A-Bomb Dome, serves as a memorial park to the victims of the atomic bomb, as well as a dedication to peace and dedication against the use of nuclear weapons. In the middle of the park was a torch monument with a burning flame. According to the park guide, this flame is to be kept lit permanently, until all nuclear weapons on Earth are demolished. Unfortunately, the park was not so ‘peaceful’ today, as there were riot police, as well as Hiroshima supporters surrounding the park. I guess it had something to do with the hard-core right-wing Japanese nationalist black vans driving around the park, announcing the “return to the glory of Japan”, “return to militarism”, and the “removal of all foreigners from Japan.” Also located in the park was the memorial dedicated to Korean victims of the A-bomb. What is not a well-known fact is that one of seven Hiroshima atomic bomb victims were Korean. Back during World War II, Korea was a colony of Japan (illegally annexed by Japan back in 1910). The Imperial Japanese government forcibly brought over slave Korean workers to Japan to work in many Japanese factories; some were forced to conscript into the Japanese army. Peace Memorial HallOn the eastern side of the park, there was a small memorial building dedicated to the victims of the Hiroshima A-Bomb. Inside, contains a library related to the victims of the Hiroshima bomb. There was also a registry computer where you can look up pictures and names of all the victims of the Hiroshima A-Bomb (Japanese, Koreans, Chinese, and American POW victims) and how old they were when they died from the blast.
In the center, there was a circular room with a fountain in the center and a light shining upon it. The center represented the focal point of the atomic bomb, while the fountain reflected the victims of the A-bomb that were thirsty for water after the explosion. Miyajima-guchi - Miyajima Island Ferry Miyajima IslandMiyajima Island really is a must-see site in Japan! There are lots to see and do on this small island near Hiroshima, besides the famous Itsukushima Shrine. The island also hosts a large mountain (called Mount Misen), from which you can get a great view of Hiroshima and surrounding areas. One unique thing about Miyajima Island is that there is a native deer species that populates the entire island. These deer are very friendly and un-fearful of humans, unlike the deer back in Minnesota. Most of them are resting in human-populated areas; you can pet and feed them without issue. Some of them will actually come up to you and check you out, to see if you have any food to give to them. In fact, one deer actually ate my map while I was sitting down on bench taking a break! Another deer came shortly after; the two of them completely devoured my paper map of Miyajima! Itsukushima ShrineItsukushima Shrine is one of the most famous shrines in Japan. The large torii gate sitting in water is seen often on Japan travel brochures and pictures. The shrine was nice to see, as it was unique from the other shrines I had seen in Japan. It was basically a “shrine on docks”, given its location near water.
The shrine is also a great place to see tidal forces in action, as the shrine sits in water during high tide and on dry sand during low tide. By the time I reached the shrine, the tide was already dropping, so the temple buildings were no longer submerged. The main torii gate, as seen in the pictures below, was still in water. By the time I returned from my hike in Mount Misen, the tide had gone down and the torii gate was now accessible. It really is impressive up-close.Momijidani Park Mount MisenTo get to the top of Mount Misen, I took the ropeway, which was convenient, since I didn’t have time to spend seven hours hiking all the way to the top. At the top of the mountain, the view is astonishing; not only can you see Hiroshima in the distance, you can also see the surrounding islands as well.
Besides the Itsukushima deer, there were monkeys present on the island as well. You can see them in the photos below. Misen Hondo Main Hall / Sankido Hall
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Post by Yoon on Aug 16, 2007 11:22:32 GMT -5
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Post by Yoon on Aug 18, 2007 3:24:10 GMT -5
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Post by Yoon on Aug 22, 2007 0:15:13 GMT -5
August 19, 2007Current Location: Seoul-Bupyeong, South Korea Today's Itinerary- Fukuoka, Japan - JR Kyushu Beetle Ferry - Busan, South Korea - KTX High-Speed Train - Seoul, South Korea - Bupyeong, South Korea FukuokaEarly in the morning, I went to the Hakata International Port to depart for South Korea via the ferry (hydrofoil). I actually got to the port a little bit early (around 8 AM; ferry was scheduled to depart at 10:15 AM). At the port, most of the people that were taking the ferry were Japanese. This wasn't much of a surprise, given the current popularity of Korean television and culture in Japan. After checking in and getting on board the JR Kyushu Beetle hydrofoil, I was ready to depart from Japan. さようなら 日本!(Goodbye Japan!)JR Kyushu Beetle FerryIn the past, I have always arrived in South Korea via airplanes, but never by boat, so riding the JR Beetle hydrofoil was a unique experience. For those unfamiliar with hydrofoils, just think of them as an elevated, high-speed boat. Here's a picture of one of the JR Beetle hydrofoils (picture not taken by me): On the way to South Korea, the Beetle passed by several fishing boats (Japanese and Korean). The Beetle also passed by the Japanese island of Tsushima, an island located in the middle of the Korea Strait, between Japan and South Korea. 안녕하세요 한국!(Hello Korea!)Busan, South KoreaAfter riding on the Beetle for almost three hours, it finally made it into the harbor of Busan, which is South Korea's second largest metropolitan city and largest port. I was able to get a few shots of the city from the Beetle. After landing and passing customs, I headed directly for the Busan train station. Unfortunately, I didn't really have the time to look around Busan. KTX High-Speed TrainLaunched in 2004, the KTX (Korean Train Express) is a super high-speed rail system, the Korean equivalent of the Shinkansen. At peak speeds, it is able to reach up to 300-350 KPH. Here's a picture of a KTX train (picture not taken by me): In my previous trips to South Korea, I never had the opportunity to ride on the KTX. Riding on the KTX was reminiscent of the Eurostar train between London & Paris. I guess this isn't too surprising, since the KTX train technology is mostly based on the French TGV high-rail system. With the KTX, it took just about three hours to reach Seoul, the capital of South Korea. Seoul, South KoreaAfter getting to Seoul, I took the subway to get to Bupyeong, the city where some of my relatives in Korea are located. Bupyeong is located in between Seoul and Incheon. Unfortunately, since my stop was almost twenty stations away, it took almost an hour and a half to reach Bupyeong. By the time I got to Bupyeong, it was already 8 PM, so I hit the sack after reaching my relative's apartment.
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Post by Yoon on Aug 22, 2007 0:25:31 GMT -5
August 20, 2007Current Location: Seoul-Bupyeong, South Korea Today's Itinerary- Bupyeong, South Korea BupyeongAfter a long day of travel yesterday, I decided to take a break in Bupyeong on this day. As mentioned before, Bupyeong is a small metropolitan city. Looking around, the city had stores, restaurants, department stores, and apartment complexes. There was even an underground shopping mall, located in tunnels underneath the streets of Bupyeong. I did notice a peculiar thing as I was looking around Bupyeong. There was one small street where there were large amounts of red peppers, just lying there. Apparently, some of the pepper sellers from the markets were using the road to "dry" the red peppers directly in the sun. The reason why they used the road to dry the red peppers is because the road absorbs a lot of heat from the sun, which in turn, is another heat source for the red peppers. Of course, they wash them when the peppers done being "dried." About red peppers in Korea, peppers are an important ingredient in modern Korean cuisine. Unlike Japanese cuisine, much of Korean cuisine tends to be spicy. It wasn't always like this, as peppers were only introduced to Korea (by Portugese traders) in the 17th century.
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Post by Jaegar on Aug 22, 2007 1:23:03 GMT -5
peppers lying on the ground..? o.O
Do we get an explanation, or do we have to guess.
Other than that, Itsukushima shrine looks cool. The tame deer sound interesting too.
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Post by Yoon on Aug 22, 2007 21:03:25 GMT -5
Jaegar: I've updated the previous post with a day summary. About the red peppers though, some of the local pepper sellers used part of the street to dry them; the added heat from the road combined with the heat coming from the sun seems to 'dry' them faster, I suppose. August 21, 2007Current Location: Seoul-Bupyeong, South Korea Today's Itinerary- Seoul, South Korea SeoulWhile in Korea, I'll be working full-time at the Asian office division of the firm that I work for, so I won't be able to get to take much pictures or go sight-seeing while in Korea, until this weekend. That's the reason why I haven't been able to take many pictures recently.
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Post by Yoon on Aug 22, 2007 21:18:25 GMT -5
August 22, 2007Current Location: Seoul, South Korea Today's Itinerary- Seoul, South Korea SeoulNew subway safety doors. These were a new sight, since they weren't in place when I last visited Korea in 2005. It seems they've added the doors to prevent accidents and 'subway jumpers' (people that want to commit suicide via subway smash). The Japanese subways didn't have these safety doors.Crowded subway at 11-12 PM. Most of the people on the subway at this time were people who were returning home from bars and clubs.
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Post by Guhosutsubenu on Aug 23, 2007 3:32:06 GMT -5
very nice ;p i love your pictures. some of those nature picutes can just go as a very nice backround for my desktop hope you have fun in Korea now ;P
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Post by Yoon on Aug 23, 2007 21:45:52 GMT -5
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Post by Yoon on Aug 24, 2007 1:43:59 GMT -5
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Post by Yoon on Sept 3, 2007 13:42:20 GMT -5
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Post by MUNKY LUVUR on Nov 5, 2007 17:06:53 GMT -5
i've been 2 south korea a few times, it's fun!! BTW r u Korean? cuz i am =P
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