Local Beat: Ode to the Silent Film era.

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Last Thursday the Kankakee Valley Theater held an event paying homage to the silent film era.  Actors dressed as 20s flappers, aviators, Charlie Chaplin, Dorothy and Al Capone mingled with supporters of the event.  The old Kankakee Paramount theater ran old silent films for a packed house.  The mock red carpet affair was a success. 

Home is where the light is.

(A carnival rides spin in Manteno, IL for Oktoberfest, Saturday September 25th, 2010.)

After spending several years in Japan coming home has been a challenge and a blessing.  I have found myself chasing light and jobs as the days grow colder.  Several small town festivals have popped up in recent years as some the Midwest small towns have experienced a bit of a population boom. 

No town in the Midwest has grown as fast as Manteno.  Manteno’s recent Oktoberfest was entertaining and was larger than what I would have expected from this community.  They have taken small town pride to new heights with their Oktoberfest festivities.  Manteno’s down town is well kept and quaint.  It is the picture-perfect image of a Midwestern Illinois town. 

 

(Raining day for the Harvest Days festival in Dwight,IL September, 18th 2010)

Dwight is another small Midwestern Town that has grown in recent years.  The Harvest days festivities were filled with food and fun.  The day got off to a raining start, but soon became a wonderful day. 

The Downtown area of Dwight has an Amtrak station and small shops that line the streets.  This train station only has couple of regular stops a day in stark contrast to a Japanese train station, with multiple stops a minute.  Japanese small towns aren’t that small these days, but in the US small towns are either growing or dying.   Luckily these two small towns are thriving.   

The Dark side of an Omiya night

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(The nights are long and certain sins and dangers lurk on the narrow side streets.)

Japan during the day is beautiful as it is pure, at night the polar opposite occurs.  When the beer flows and the daily stresses are shaking loose, a change is felt throughout the city.  Although the city is safe in comparison to many cities throughout the states, the Omiya night has its own dangers and sins. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Anger flares and a light shatters, police officers calmly deal with the night.)

Lights are busted and small skirmishes amongst drinkers breakout amongst sins mingling in the dark. Omiya nights offer an avenue to every sin.  On the Omiya streets the seven deadly sins fill the night.    

Golden Week Photos: Kamakura

I went to Kamakura during Golden week.  The crowds were huge and the trains were packed, but the company was great. 

Kamakura is an old area that is famous for the Big Buddha statue, shrines and temples on the  grounds of the old Hojo  stronghold, during the Kamakura era. 

 

(A man pulls a rickshaw through the streets of Kamakura.)

 

 

The big Buddha statue located in Kamakura.  It is worth seeing, the statue is empty inside as you would expect.  

Under the Suicide Lights

Tightly wound, casting doubt about one’s worth in life, you see the Tokyo bound train barreling towards you.  You tightly clench your coat to await your final ride on the Hanzomon-sen . 
Your legs quiver, your mood is dark, you're feeling blue.  You prepare to jump on your last train, but a blue light stops and lifts you out of your darkened state. 
The light that matches your mood saves you from your momentary drive towards your final destination. 
Somehow these blue lights prevent suicide, exactly how they perform their function isn’t exactly clear or well known.  Nevertheless,  these blue lights definitely shed light on the subject of suicide in Japan.  However, blue lights seem to work.      
I have witnessed one person stepping in front of a Tokyo bound train before.  This was before the installation of the blue lights at many stations.  Yet, can these blue lights actually prevent people from jumping in front of a train.  
Mood enhancement by use of certain lights isn’t a new concept. In the treatment of certain mood disorders such as seasonal affective disorder certain lights seem to boost the mood of those affected. 
Blue lights as a suicide prevention may turn out to be one of the first ways we begin to prevent all sorts of social problems.  Use of such lighting in public spaces may become a part of future urban planning.  The blue lights are lit, let’s see if the lights stop other lights from prematurely going out.

Japan: Spring Preview

Near my apartment in Kasukabe, Japan there is a small pond with ducks, geese, and a single black swan. 

This swan happens not to like most the geese and spends its day chasing the geese ‘round and ‘round. 

The high speed paddling filled chase goes on for most the day.  The park never ceases to be eventful. 

This swan was quite peaceful this particular day.  It didn’t chase much of anything, but all the geese stayed clear of it, as the swan patrolled its waters.

 

A few ducks pass underneath a hanging cherry tree branch nearing full bloom. 

Spring seemed to arrive abruptly, yet a cold breezy day crops up here and there.

The Japanese saying “ three days of cold, four days of warmth” proves itself.

 

 

A single church stands out as the cherry blossoms near full bloom in the foreground.  The drizzle and mist made for an interesting day. 

Circuitry: A study of lighting

I’ve decided to play with lighting.  The shadows and glares created by the lighting creates an interesting effect on the circuit board.
This circuit board was an old USB hub in which I broke open to shoot.  I no longer have the power cord for it and I never really used it.  I also only paid 100 yen for it, so I’m not out any money.  In fact, I probably have gotten more use out of it by shooting it than I ever would by using it. 
In the future I’ll find other old electronics to break open and photograph. For now this is all I had laying around doing nothing.