The Wind Began To Switch…

Posted by on Sep 23, 2011 in Hokkaido, Travel Volunteer Journey | 12 Comments
The Wind Began To Switch…

Jamie was going to talk about our hike to the summit of Mount Hakodate today. He  was going to mention that we passed through the almost San Franciscan dock area; that some locals seemed genuinely surprised to see us on the streets at all; and that with the sun shining, the world feels like a happier place. He might even have mentioned that it’s our favourite city so far. Then he was going to describe the hike as it climbed steeply up through a wet wood while the sun disappeared behind clouds. He was going to say something about it being nice to be able to so quickly switch from the downtown area to a quiet path. Then he was most likely going to describe the view from the top.

いつも皆さんへのブログをお届けしている“文章担当”のジェイミーが今日レポートしようと思っていたのは函館山の頂上からの美しい景色だった。彼はサンフランシスコを思い出させるような港、道行く人々が私達をみて驚く姿、そして最高のお天気。そんな私達をハッピーな気分にしてくれる様々な事を、“今のところ最もお気に入りの街かもしれないなぁ”などとつぶやきながら、レポートしようと準備をしていたのだ。そんな彼と函館山の湿った急な坂道を上っていると、なんだか急に太陽が雲の後ろに隠れ始めた。彼は“街の喧騒から一気に静かな所に来ていいよねぇ”と言いながら、その眺めを堪能しようとしていたのだが・・・

But then we got there and we saw this. So I took over…

頂上に着いた途端この空模様。そこで今日はカメラマンの私、ケイティーがレポートする事になったのだ。

 

 

 

 

 

Our time in Hokkaido prefecture was made possible by:

The endlessly brilliant Akira Kato and family, owners of the Refore Youth Hostel. Despite having never left his own country, Akira has the soul of a dedicated traveller: someone who goes out his way to help others on the road. Cook, father and fantastic host, we’re extremely grateful for his hospitality.

The Sunroute Hotel in Sapporo. It was the first place we’ve been in Japan that had A) a gym B) a swimming pool and C) a massage chair in the room. We’re not offering any prizes for guessing which one of the three we actually used… A few minutes walk from the station, and just a few more to the Sapporo Beer Museum, we couldn’t have asked for much more.

北海道の滞在でお世話になった皆様

リフォレ積丹ユースホステルのオーナー、加藤さんご一家には本当にお世話になりました。
日本を一度も離れた事がないにも関わらず、加藤さんには“旅行者”としての血が流れているようでした。旅を続けている人が何を求めているのか、それを瞬時に感じ取って提供して下さる、そんな素晴らしおもてなしを頂きました。一流のシェフ、優しいお父さん、そして最高のユースホステルのご主人、そんな多くの顔をもつ加藤さん、本当にお世話になりました。

札幌で滞在させていただきましたホテルサンルート札幌、快適な滞在をありがとうございました。スポーツジム、スイミングプール、そしてマッサージチェアまであり、その上駅からも近く、すっかりお気に入りになったサッポロビール博物館からも近い。こんな最高のホテルに宿泊させていただき感謝しております。ありがとうございました。

12 Comments

  1. Nicky
    September 23, 2011

    Excellent photography, you fished well!

  2. Joe Lafferty
    September 23, 2011

    Ab – Fab Katy!

  3. Julie Morrison
    September 23, 2011

    Brilliant pics Coo :)

  4. Natalie Neal
    September 23, 2011

    Fabulous photos, Katy! We are right there with you and Jamie, seeing what you are seeing and feeling the excitement of the moment. Thank you for taking us with you.

  5. John Beck
    September 23, 2011

    Awesome photos. However it looks like a potentially dangerous electrical storm. I’m here at Natalie’s “invitation”. Your project sounds wonderful.

  6. Beth Hird
    September 24, 2011

    gorgeous photos, wow!
    miss you guys!
    xxx

  7. Kat
    September 24, 2011

    Those are pretty awesome shots! It’s such a thrill to be able to experience the awesome power of nature from that vantage point, yet it seems scary too.

  8. aidan
    September 25, 2011

    Amazing pictures

  9. I Nengah Sugita
    September 26, 2011

    Spectacular Photo shoot technique Katy! Incredible nature experience.

  10. Kendal Self-Catering
    October 3, 2011

    Indeed… these are great photographs. Can you tell us a bit more about how you captured the lightning shots? I take it you were using a tripod?

    • Katy & Jamie
      October 3, 2011

      Actually no – although you should. We forgot ours so had to use any flat surface we could use. The lightest lightning picture (where it’s striking into the ocean) was actually hand-held. In general, though, you have to cast a fairly long exposure, and hit it the moment you see the first trace of lightening – it’s even better if you can somehow anticipate it. We had to delete plenty of shots to get these, but you get better with practice!

      • Kendal Self-Catering
        October 3, 2011

        Thanks for the insight. I wondered if you must have had to take a lot to get a few that are just right! :)