First Week with Sony NEX-6 Camera

It's been one week since I received my new camera, and I've been having so much fun with it already. I had previously stated that I'd like to briefly describe how I chose the Sony NEX-6, so I'll discuss that as well as give my first impressions of the camera.

Sunset in Aomori City, Japan

I've wanted to invest in a professionally-oriented camera for many years. Since I was a university student in the mid-2000's, I yearned for a such a camera but I never felt like I could afford to invest in one. I was a poor college student, trying to keep my students loans as small as possible. So I made a compromise and bought a Canon S95, which was considered to be an advanced enthusiast compact camera but at a price point which I could accept at that time. The S95 is a fantastic little camera with full manual controls and great image quality for it's size. Using the right combination of shooting techniques and post-processing, I've taken some wonderful pictures with it. But it's really limited by it's fixed lens, small sensor, and low light performance, which increasingly became more of an issue for me over time. Still, I worked with what I had and enjoyed using it for the past years.

Recently, the time was finally right for me to invest in the camera I've always wanted. I had the money for any professional camera, but I still had to decide which camera to buy. This, I learned, is not an easy task for someone like me. It took lots of research, camera comparisons, and reviews, but eventually I had a few cameras I was considering. The most significant factors I considered were: photographic capabilities (would it be versatile enough for me to experiment and provide enough artistic freedom to improve my photography skills?); size/weight (would it be small and light enough my lifestyle--walking and biking--and for traveling?); handling (would it be comfortable to use?); image quality (would it satisfy my desire for clear, noise-free photos?). 

Bay Bridge, in Aomori City, Japan

Ultimately, no single camera is absolutely pefect, but the Sony NEX-6 came the closest. It's part of a relatively new class of cameras called MILCs (mirrorless interchangable lens cameras), which forgo the moving mirror in a traditional dSLR (single-lens reflex) camera but still retain a large sensor and interchangable lenses. The primary purpose of this is provide a professional camera in a smaller form factor than true dSLRs--excellent for my lifestyle.

From all the mirrorless cameras on the market, it wasn't particularly easy to choose a specific model. Needless to say, each have their own advantages and disadvantages. Some other cameras had much better (native) lenses available, or better image quality, or better low light performance. But they just didn't feel right in my hands. So I realized that handling would be really important; if it was cumbersome to use then it wouldn't be much fun and in that case, what's the point!? Also the NEX-6 was one of the smallest form factors with one of the biggest sensors, had a built-in and useable flash, and with adapters could accept legacy glass (lenses) from virtually all other makers. So in the end, I bought the Sony NEX-6.

Experimenting with self-portraits and DOF

In the past week I have a few days and nights to play with the camera and I've really enjoying it so far. It's really nice to have the freedom to take so many shots I always wanted to take, but simply couldn't because of the limitations of my old camera. Having multiple lenses allows me to use the right tool for the job. The focal range and aperture range available to me is now immensely larger; I can use all varieties of lens filters; I have total freedom of length of exposures and depth of field; and more benefits I am still learning about.  And to be sure, I still have a great deal of practice and experimenting ahead of me. I've barely scratched the surface of the features and menus of the camera. I need to practice taking good portraits and low light photos of people indoors and wish to find a fast lens for such shots. I want to learn to do amateur astrophotography so I can take pictures of the stars. I wish to take pictures that have strong impact and can tell stories or affect one's emotions. Basically, I want to grow as a photography and photograph my experiences and the world around me. 

A camera is only a tool. The best photos are taken by the best photographers, not the best cameras. I believe this is an essential characteristic of photography that is often misunderstood. So for me, I know that this new camera is only a more effective tool for my toolbox but I will still need to put in the effort and time to improve my skills and become a better photographer.

A Brief Reflection on Cultural Understanding in Japan

Recently I had a conversation with two Japanese friends regarding some of my frustrations that I often encounter here. Before heading to bed, it seems worthwhile to record some of my main thoughts on the topic. Surely, most people can recognize that living in a foreign country will expose oneself to cultural differences; needless to say it's to be expected. But learning how to embrace this can be a challenge at times.

I like to think I am an easy-going person and adaptable to any environment I experience. After living in Japan for two years and avoiding any significant issues, I like to think that's true. Yet I do have periods in which small frustrations grow from frequent occurrences, resulting in arguably unnecessary bouts of complaining.

Prior to my conversation with my friends, I had complained about or questioned numerous things: how seemingly difficult it is for Japanese to be direct about their feelings/intentions, why Japanese are seemingly so inflexible about old policies or seemingly unwilling to 'think outside the box', etc. My purpose here is not to criticize these cultural observations but rather to take a step back from my own perceptions of what is wrong or right. Everyone will most certainly always have criticisms and disagreements with the way things are done in certain situations or contexts. But there is always the choice to accept some level of understanding or at least keep such criticisms to oneself. Today I was reminded of this choice because I had let my frustrations get the better of me.

And that's really what this quick reflection is about here--knowing that moments like these remind me that while I am living in a very different country I must sustain a highly flexible mentality about societies' behaviors and cultural norms. It just doesn't do anyone any good to criticize the culture in a country which I chose to live in. I'll do my best going forward again.

My New Camera (finally)!

NEX-6 (camera) and two additional lenses

After months of anguish, I have finally received my new camera. It all started several months back, when I decided it was time to invest in a new camera. At the time, I had been using a Canon S95 for a couple years. The little camera served me really well, but over time the limitations became increasingly apparent in relation with my growing interest in photography. 

From that point until now, I researched like a madman, narrowed down my options, and decided on the right camera for my needs. I found a great price from an Japanese online camera shop, and made the purchase. I then waited anxiously for a week and then one weekend, the camera arrived. I opened the box and turned the camera on. As I expected, the first screen was in Japanese and it prompted me to choose a region. I thought I better choose the US since I wanted to use the camera in the English language. But after completing the setup process, everything was still in Japanese (mostly kanji). So my next thought was that I simply had to change the language setting. I could navigate the basic menu in Japanese so I went to camera settings and scrolled through the options, but there was nothing for language. I thought this was strange so I took a quick look on the web for some insight; I figured that I the language setting was just tucked away in a few submenus that I missed previously. Much to my surprise, I discovered (and confirmed) that the language cannot be changed in any way on the Japanese-sold version of the camera (officially, unofficially, via hacking the device, etc.). 

If you want my personal opinion, I think this restriction is completely ridiculous. But there was nothing I could do about it. For a lot of devices here, I have no issue with using Japanese. However, the menus, settings, and options of this camera are substantial and I didn't want to miss great shots because I was trying to decipher what various kanji meant when using the camera. For me, this was a deal breaker.

Luckily, one of my friends was visiting the States at the time and would return a couple weeks later (which was indeed today). So I contacted the original seller and went through the return process. Then I searched on US camera websites and the cheapest I could find was surprisingly almost $200 more than the Japanese price I originally paid (a very rare scenario). But I had no choice so I bought the camera again and had it shipped to my friend in the US, who then brought it back with him to Japan upon his return. And now, I finally have my new camera! I'm obviously very happy, but admittedly the whole process has really worn me out and with the crappy weather today I couldn't play with it very much.

Nonetheless, I have a lot of practice to do before my big trip (S. Korea, Taiwan, Philippines), coming very soon. In addition to the two lenses shown in the picture above, I also have a variety of accessories to go along with the camera. Once I get a decent camera bag, my camera system will be complete--I think. But for now, I'm happy I finally have the camera (with the English language) in my hands. Once I practice and get a few worthy shots, perhaps I'll write another post describing why I chose this particular camera over the others I was looking at. Now, it's time for bed.

School clubs, Japanese style

First grade JHS students watching school club showcases

Along with school ceremonies that take place throughout the year, there are also various school assemblies. One such assembly is called seitokai setsumeikai (生徒会説明会, lit. 'student council briefing'). In Japan, student council (生徒会, or seitokai) refers to all school clubs, including sports, choir, crafts, etc. It does not refer to a "student government" with elected students such as a president, treasurer, and so on. At my school, such a student government doesn't even exist. Instead, the student council refers to the collection of clubs and sports teams at the school. And setsumeikai (説明会) basically refers to a informational meeting or gathering or some sort.

The purpose of this school assembly is to introduce and showcase the school clubs to the ichinensei (一年生, 'first year') students. The youngsters listen to their upperclassmates give a quick description of the club and watch a short demonstration of the sport/club. For example, the basketball team will play a quick 1-minute scrimmage, albeit a lethargic display of students "too cool" to put in a real effort in front of the school body. Truthfully, these showcases really do crack me up sometimes. The track and field team set up a high jump upright along with large a landing area pad, yet set the bar so low that they simply jogged towards the bar and lazily hopped over it. Wow... err, not so much. But once in a while I'll be impressed, such as when the choir group (all girls) sang a stunningly beautiful piece during their showcase that gained a respectable applause afterwards.

The JHS baseball team listening to a speech

All being said above, my perception of school clubs in Japan has been absolutely positive. The participation rate is impressively high; and aside from the humorously passive assembly showcases, students do take great pride in their craft or skill. Sports clubs seem to have practice nearly every day which lasts into the early evening. And students are indeed generally very good at their selected sport. Interestingly, have them change sports and it's pretty hard to watch from my experience. Watching the baseball players try to play basketball is like seeing a brick building collapse--it ain't pretty and you're at high risk of getting nailed in the head. Anecdotally, this seems to be a stark difference between (US) American students and Japanese students. I think while Japanese tend to pick one particular skill or craft to master, Americans generally tend to acquire some level of ability in a wider gamut of skills. Certainly both ways have advantages and disadvantages.

One of my favorite aspects about teaching in Japanese public schools is that I have opportunities to not only see these club sports and activities, but also participate to some extent. I've been fortunate to develop a particularly good relationship with the teachers and staff at one of my elementary schools. So for almost a year now I have more of less been a part-time member of their girl's basketball team. There isn't a boys basketball team there, but that's okay--these girls are amazingly talented for their age (about 8-11 years old). I try to join about 2-3 of their practices monthly and attend weekend games if I am available. And while it doesn't sound like much, that's usually all my schedule allows for since I must invest a lot of after-work time for my own exercise and workouts. Nevertheless, I enjoy participating immensely. I have full confidence that my school's team would destroy most girl's basketball teams of the same age group where I grew up. Their conditioning is superb, their shooting is great, and they have an excellent, passionate coach, On the other hand, my junior high school boy's team is... But that's a whole different story and one that's not very interesting ;-)

Starting Fresh

I began teaching English in Japan nearly two years ago. LIke many young people in my position, I had real ambitions to record my new and exciting new life through a blog, journal, etc. Indeed, I clearly recall writing about my experiences in those first few days. I remember thinking how great it would be to keep my friends and family updated on my life here, while at the same time being just as useful for collecting my own memories. But as I quickly realized, this simply wasn't sustainable for me in those initial years. When I first arrived in Aomori, Japan, it was festival time and the weather was fantastic. The last thing I wanted to do was sit in front of a computer typing away. I wanted to be doing things, being outside, and meeting people. By the time things settled down, the thought of backtracking to catch up on a journal was too intimidating and I gave up on the idea.

Almost two years later, I'm eager to try again. My time living in Japan and teaching in public Japanese schools is a special part of my life and it's the perfect time to start because the new school year just started this week. Further, this may very well be the last opportunity I have to record my experiences here since I anticipate this being my last contact year before I move on to new challenges. So alas, I am starting fresh. I am starting the blog that I always wanted to do but for which I never had the right motivation.

Starting fresh, is also a widespread theme in Japan during this time of the year. March signals the end of the work year for employees and the completion of the school year for students. Rounds of work enkai (宴会, 'banquet/party') ensue as companies, schools, and organizations celebrate a job well done and say farewell to friends and colleagues who are moving along or changing workplaces. Graduation ceremonies, or sotsugyoushiki (卒業式) take place as older students complete his or her current studies and prepare for the next step. In late March, the famous sakura ( 桜花, 'cherry blossoms') start to bloom in the warmer, southern areas of Japan. And as customary in Japan culture, people are encouraged to partake in hanami (花見, 'cherry blossom viewing'); note that where I'm currently living in Aomori, this occurs in late April. Next, as April begins another round of enkai's take place in order to kick off the new work year and welcome newcomers. Likewise nervous students are welcomed into their new schools through entrance ceremonies, or nyugakushiki (入学式). I'll likely go into further detail about the various Japanese ceremonies in future posts, but for now it suffices to say, Japanese culture necessitates a ceremony for everything.

Entrance Ceremony at Koda Junior High School - Aomori City, Japan

This week marks the first week of classes at my schools. However, since it's mostly dedicated to ceremonies and various classroom preparation activities, there is little for me to do. New students are described the ins and outs of their new school, all students receive general health checkups, and students are assigned various duties for the semester, to name few things. I can work on some class preparation myself, but it's limited at this point. Usually I do more of that once the real classes start, when the team teachers I work with and I know more about the needs of the students and can tailor the objectives and goals based on such. Thus, I've have free time to work on getting every ready for my rather elaborate upcoming travel plans to S. Korea, Taiwan, and the Philippines. The free time has also allowed me to write and now complete my first blog post! Finally, I'll finish with a very useful Japanese expression meaning 'do one's best', 'keep at it', and 'good luck' which I need to successfully do this blog… ganbaru! (がんばる)