Otsu Fireworks

Otsu, a small city on the southern side of Lake Biwa and a short train ride from Kyoto, hosts one of the best hanabi matsuri (firework festivals) in the Kansai area. Despite having far less fireworks than the big Tenjimbashi festival in Osaka, the fact that they explode over open water with no tall buildings nearby means that you and the other thousands of spectators can enjoy expansive unobstructed views. This is especially good for photographers.

I arrived two hours early to get a good spot on the bank, reading a book as the sky reddened and then darkened before the fireworks began. I used a small manfrotto tripod, no taller than 30cm, propped up on the water's edge. Thankfully, the cute little girl who sat beside me didn't kick it into the water.

See more pictures of "Fireworks" at my an-fi photo gallery.







See more pictures of "Fireworks" at my an-fi photo gallery.

Bridge...

...over the Yodogawa river; taken from the top of the Umeda Sky Building. (Nikon 18-200mm VR lens with six cross filter).

Christmas Day Lights

Christmas Day shots at Nakanoshima, Osaka.


There was a lovely display of simple Christmas illuminations on this island flanked by two canals that run in the centre of Osaka. Throngs of people meandered up and down the paths, enjoying the collection of lights and the unseasonably warm weather.


A spirited light show on the sides of a government building was beautifully matched with classical music.


When the light show was over, everyone whipped out their cellphones to take a picture, inadvertently making their own light show!


A massive Christmas tree stood in front of nearby City Hall, a gift from the city of Droibak, Norway, dubbed "The World Linking Tree." The green sign in front explains: "The trees from Norway, placed in totally different parts of the world will be shining the message of 'Love, Peace, and Friendship'.... We can all understand the beautiful message the trees stand for, even if our nationality, race, religion and language are different. We can understand each other when we look at the heart-warming, brilliantly lit trees. This is a truly international effort as heart-warming as the spirit of Christmas all over the world..."

Heartbreak: Inter 1 FC Barcelona 0

The loss was really hard to bear. I had a good seat and great expectations, but in the end it was dashed hopes and a long, sleepless bus ride back to Osaka.

Frank Rijkyaard made some poor tactical decisions, I think. Oh well. Hats off to Internacional, which scored the winning goal with less than 10 minutes to go, on one of it's few chances on net. Deco and Motta played particularly well. Why Motta was subbed totally mystifies me. He was so solid in the midfield. I bet if he hadn't been subbed Inter wouldn't have scored and Barca would have prevailed.

This was my second time to watch Barca play at the magnificent Yokohama stadium, the first being in July 2005 when they played to an exciting 3-3 draw with Yokohama F. Marinos....

Some shots from the heartbreak:

Yokohama Chinatown

Yokohama Chinatown, the biggest Chinatown in Japan. Big lights, big butamans, big prices.