3 Feb 2020

October in Hokkaido II: The Human Touch

As always with any trip, there are at least 2 faces one will encounter, whether intentionally or not, and those are nature, on the one hand, and human-imbued places on the other. In this post (the second and last about my trip to Hokkaido last October) I will share some snapshots of people and human-built structures that, some times better than others, merge well with their surroundings. So long, Hokkaido, and see you again soon!

To rest or not to rest, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
The fork, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
A Pleasant Stroll, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
Sapporo Botanical Garden, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
Mirror and Roof, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
A Puddle, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
Mimesis, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
The Fence, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
Running Free, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
Vocation, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
Admiration, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
The Selfie, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
Kayaks, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
Rowing, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
Buddha Statue I, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
Buddha Statue II, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
Pattern, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
Ivy, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
Infant Transportation, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

19 Nov 2019

October in Hokkaido I: Nature

And again: Japan (for the fourth time). And once more, in Autumn (second time during this colorful and slightly chilly season). But exploring an island I had never visited before, further up North, the expansive Hokkaido, home to uncountable mountains, valleys and landscapes to inspire the eye (and the camera). The island is very large, but our trip was going to last only 10 days, so for this trip there we focused on the central region, covering a 3 hour radio (by train) from the capital city, Sapporo, the main attraction at this time of year, not surprisingly, being autumn foliage.

Shirahige colors, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
The Forest, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
Toyohira River, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
Autumn Foliage, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
But interspersed with ochre and yellow, orange and red, we also found blue and green, turquoise and lavender, both up in the sky (surprisingly clear most of the times) as below our feet, for there were lakes and ponds with colors as changing and varied as the times of day, granting multiple visits to the same stop a never-ending opportunity to discover new hues and sights you hadn't witnessed before.

The Blue Pond I, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
The Blue Pond II, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
The Blue Pond III, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
The Blue Pond IV, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
The Blue Pond V, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
The Blue Pond VI, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
The Blue Pond VII, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
And water, for this essential element is ubiquitous in the island, be it streaming down the rocky slopes in waterfalls of varied sizes or still as a mirror in the steps of a riverbed. Water playing the game of gravity to the eye's delight or immobile to glimmer with reflections of all that lies above, leaves and branches and clouds and skies, the world bleared in a cadence of a watercolor painting.

Fudo no taki I, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
Fudo no taki II, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
Reflections I, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
Reflections II, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
Also trunks, canopies and twigs all around, nature permeating most of the space with its hymn of fertility and of beauty (death that brings new life, life that has come to an end to generate new life), the endless circle of life is omnipresent and can be seen and felt everywhere you go with a myriad shades of light and transparency that are always different and the same.

The Stump, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
Autumn Leaves, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
Looking Up, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
Autumn Sky, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
A Touch of Autumn, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
Sapporo Botanical Garden, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
And finally, the steam, the basalt, the sulphur, the heat, the smell. Hokkaido (as all the Japanese archipelago) is a land of volcanoes, and you don't have to travel far from any city to encounter one of them, sometimes in the shape of a distant crater towering above hills and knolls, some other times as bubbly and poisonous lakes. Yet even those deadly waters have their uses, and nothing better than them to soothe the tired feet and body in an ardent bath.

Jigokudani (Hell Valley) I, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
Jigokudani (Hell Valley) II, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
Jigokudani (Hell Valley) III, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
Jigokudani (Hell Valley) IV, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
Jigokudani (Hell Valley) V, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
Oyunuma Pond I, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
Oyunuma Pond II, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
What a beautiful island Hokkaido is! Never gaudy, never affected but quiet and unpretentious, it offers the visitor the best gift a traveler can wish for: the radiance of an unexpected moment of beauty in the least likely of places.

Steam or Cloud?, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm