5:24 AM
“EARTHQUAKE, EARTHQUAKE, EARTHQUAKE.”
A 6.1 near Fukushima, just off the coast of Southern Hokkaido. And yes, we felt it. Nothing major up here, just a slow roller about five seconds after the alert jarred us from a deep sleep. Last week saw a much larger quake and a subsequent tsunami alert for much of Northeastern Hokkaido. This is the land of quakes. Normal business here. Throw in a few volcanoes, too. It bubbles and shakes, smolders and emits.
The workshop is over, but most of us are still exploring our way around Hokkaido.
A few days here to recoup, plan, and prep for the chapter, which will begin later this week in another country. I shouldn’t be amazed, but I am. I’m amazed at what the students can pull together over the course of a workshop where we experience constant movement, unfamiliar territory, and challenging assignments. Two-thirds of the way through, the books and stories are incomplete, but within one day, they come together. Whether it’s a twenty-page or a hundred-page layout, a short film, or a handmade accordion book, the students put the time in to emerge with “something.” Experience first, then story.
Once we move to Hokkaido, I switch from Nikon to Fuji, just to mix things up. The initial idea is to go 16×9, as I did in Morocco, but Japan is tight. Oh, so tight, so instead I move to 5:4, which always reminds me of 6×7 film. Not quite square, not quite landscape. This feels right for Hokkaido, where I pretend I know how to shoot landscapes. I also focus on dyptichs. Two up, one color, one black-and-white. This has been a learning moment for me, thinking in terms of two or three instead of longer essay-style things. I also begin to design the book samples in my head. I will make at least two sample books once I return to the US. And I have a title and idea for the text.
Tonight we will gather for the last time. One last assignment for the crew, to be read aloud to each other. A personal and final note to Japan for 2026. Will we return to Japan? Yes. As of now, it’s not until 2028, but I have personal plans that include my Brompton and my binoculars, but there is no time for this now. Sometime later, it will happen.
Comments 1
Sounds like it was a memorable visit and trip for all. Creative energy must have been infectious, very cool. Am going to have to get to one of these workshops.
Can you offer a quake guarantee? If not, no fault.
Thanks for sharing Dan.