NOTE: Images with an icon next to them have been artificially shrunk to better fit your screen; click the icon to restore them, in place, to their regular size.

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 40 mm — ¹/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 3200 — full exif
Zachary Braverman
playing a long shakuhachi

A week ago a friend hosted a private shakuhachi concert by another friend, Zak Braverman. A shakuhachi is a bamboo flute that superficially looks a bit like a recorder, but its sound is very distinctively Japanese. Zak's main skill is in producing a pasta sauce to die for, but this day's event tapped into his minor talent of being one of the best shakuhachi players in the world.

Zak has appeared on my blog many times (such as here playing shakuhachi in an eclectic ensemble), but more often it's his kids Gen and Tamaki that appear.

After playing one piece in the living room, Zak decided to switch to the adjoining washitsu (traditional Japanese style room with tatami grass-mat flooring) for its better acoustics, which is what you see above. Shakuhachi come in a variety of sizes, and Zak used two during the concert; the picture above shows him playing very long one, more suited to some very old traditional pieces.

I brought along the audio recorder that I recently wrote about (here and here) to see what kind of recording I would get, but since I was recording the room and not the instrument (and maybe also because I don't know what I'm doing with it yet), the results are disappointingly hollow and one-dimensional. Still here are a couple of pieces of Zak on the Long Flute to at least give you a sense of the sound. The first is an old, traditional pure shakuhachi piece:

This next piece is a modern one with a melancholy sound, which I prefer to the piece above because I feel it's more expressive. This is likely because my rough un-artistic ways can't grasp the subtle nuances of art, but in any case, with these poor recordings, there aren't much in the way of nuances to grasp, so take them with a grain of salt.

As I said, Zak is one of the best shakuhachi players in the world, so if Zak and I ever make a proper studio recording that accurately reflects the sound, I'll update these files.

NOTE: Images with an icon next to them have been artificially shrunk to better fit your screen; click the icon to restore them, in place, to their regular size.

I like some kinds of spicy food, such as things with wasabi (a powerful horseradish-esque garnish) and kimchi (Korean spicy pickled veggies), but when incorporated into snacks in Japan, such as kakipi, these spicy tastes get toned way down, to a bland, pedestrian level.

So this evening at the convenience store I saw a corn-chip snack with packaging that lent the feeling of “spicy” (as you can see at right), I didn't pay much attention to what was written on it and threw it into my shopping basket.

I should have paid attention.

The name of the product is boukun habanero (暴君ハバネロ) and translates to “tyrant habanero”. I guess having paid attention wouldn't have mattered because I didn't know what a habanero is, but according to Wikipedia it's 12 to 140 times more spicy than jalapeno, approaching the level of “law-enforcement grade pepper spray”.

Anyway, oblivious to all that earlier this evening, happy to be over my colds and to have gotten my taxes finally finished, I cracked open a beer and opened the bag and started munching. To my surprise, they were not bland nor pedestrian, but really freakin' spicy!. Perhaps more hot than what I might normally like, but encouraged to find a tangy snack, I continued munching.

Even more surprising was that a few seconds after I finished munching and put the bag aside, the in-mouth spice level shot from “really really spicy” to such a molten level of pain that I suddenly found myself wanting to eat my own eyeballs, or anything else with any appreciable amount of moisture in hopes for some relief. Running to the kitchen, forcing myself not to be a wimp and actually cry, I frantically clawed open a tub of vanilla ice cream to douse the inferno. (I know enough not to use a water-based liquid, because pepper oils are generally not water soluble, so water has little effect but to slosh the pain to new areas.)

Once I regained my sight and motor coordination, I looked at the package more carefully. I had to look up one of the characters in the yellow star-burst phrase over the product name.... the phrase means “most evil”. No kidding!

So I search on the web and find that this is the most, well, evil of a whole line of “tyrant habanero” products....

Notice how all the other products have images of cute friendly peppers on them (even the two spicy chocolate bars). They're really really really spicy, but kid's play compared to the pure evil of “most evil”.

I'd never heard of this line of products before, but it has its own web site, its own blog, and even its own movie.

This was definitely the most memorable snacking experience since the garlic snack of death four years ago.

In the end the spice inferno was only superficial... the vanilla ice cream took care of it in short order. Then I finished my beer.

Burp.

NOTE: Images with an icon next to them have been artificially shrunk to better fit your screen; click the icon to restore them, in place, to their regular size.

I've got another cold (what is it this spring?) so am a little extra slow on everything... have been sleeping for the last couple of days. Ugh. Not fun. This one seems to be short, though... starting to feel better already.

I ended my previous post, Clearing Roof Snow in Shirakawago, at a cafe in Shirakawago Village. Just outside the cafe they have a little spot that makes for nice photos (and perhaps for nice business for the cafe), and the proprietress was kind enough to take a snapshot for us...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 35 mm — ¹/320 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Cold and Damp and Snowy in Shirakawago Village
Toyama Prefecture, Japan

Looking in the other direction from that spot, one could see a house with lots of snow on it, and beyond it a more modern house with people (a girl and her dad?) clearing snow from the roof...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 38 mm — ¹/400 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Downtown Shirakawago Village

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — ¹/50 sec, f/8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
More Darwin Award Contenders?

We headed back to the car at the main town parking lot, just before which I took the last photo of the day...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — ¹/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Last Photo of the Day
thin branches, heavy burdens

It was certainly an interesting day, yielding 13 other posts (besides this one):

• Theme For Our New Year's Trip
• Driving Snow
• Introduction to a Snowy Gokayama Village
• Japan's Deep-Rooted Ethos of Fire Prevention
• Rosy Cheeks
• Shutter Speed's Effect on Falling Snow
• Snowy Gokayama Village, Part II
• Hot Noodles in Gokayama
• Steep Steps in Gokayama Village
• Snowy Farewell to Gokayama Village
• Snowy Quiz of Questionable Appeal
• First Look at Snowy Shirakawago Village
• Clearing Roof Snow in Shirakawago

As far as I can tell, that ties the most posts about a single day, equaling the 14 posts about our Ishigaki Trip, Day 2 from last May. I haven't even finished Day Three from that trip, nor started Day Three for this trip, so who knows what'll I'll get around to posting next...

Continued here...

NOTE: Images with an icon next to them have been artificially shrunk to better fit your screen; click the icon to restore them, in place, to their regular size.

Picking up where the previous post, “First Look at Snowy Shirakawago Village” left off, we had re-forged a trail through thick snow back to relative civilization....

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 52 mm — ¹/640 sec, f/3.2, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
finally reaching civilization after a harrowing cross-country trip....
... and Anthony Plays in the Snow

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — ¹/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
いっぷく　ちな (cafe ippuku chi'na)
Inside, Looking Out

While we were looking at the menu, the proprietress went outside to clean the snow off the part of the roof that threatened the entrance to the cafe (using a rope tied to the roof ridge, as described in yesterday's post). Anthony was interesed in anything involving large clumps of snow, so he went out to watch.

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — ¹/160 sec, f/3.2, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Clearing Roof Snow

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — ¹/160 sec, f/3.2, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Giving it a Try

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — ¹/250 sec, f/3.2, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Big Stick
for clearing buildup on the gutters

The big stick proved to be too big for Anthony, which was just as well because he was more interested in the big clumps of snow that fell than in actually being the one to instigate their fall. So, while the lady worked to clear the gutters of a foot of snow, Anthony positoned himself so that the clumps would fall on him.

This next shot (a fairly tight crop) is of low photographic quality, but I love the look of anticipation on his face...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 32 mm — ¹/60 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Anticipation

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 32 mm — ¹/60 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
This Won't End Well

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 27 mm — ¹/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Direct Hit!
this is five seconds after the previous shot, so these are likely smaller, residual clumps

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 27 mm — ¹/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
More! More!

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 31 mm — ¹/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Aftermath

Continued here...

NOTE: Images with an icon next to them have been artificially shrunk to better fit your screen; click the icon to restore them, in place, to their regular size.

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 66 mm — ¹/2500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Just a Bit of Snow
random, but color, strangers
Shirakawago Village, Toyama Prefecture, Japan

In my most recent post about our short four-day New Year excursion a few hours' north of Kyoto by car, I ended with our having left Gokayama village (五箇山) after lunch, heading a bit further south to Shirakawago Village (白川郷).

The two villages are both world-heritage sites, famed for their quaint and interesting gasshou zukuri style of construction (built without nails or screws). Shirakawago is by far the more famous, and it suffers for it: it's a tourist attraction that happens to have some quaint buildings. Gokayama, on the other hand, felt like a small village that we just happened upon, and I liked it much more. (I wrote about it here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, aaaaaaaaaaand here). I'll have fewer posts about Shirakawago.

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — ¹/500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Slushy, Wet Quagmire of Cold
two inches of standing water in the parking lot

During this whole trip I developed a deep appreciation for the in-street water sprinklers that I belittled as “stupid” last year... they turn driving from a slip-slidey white-knuckle experience to normal, but one downside is that their use in a parking lot without proper drainage makes for some very wet and soggy shoes.

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — ¹/1250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Seeking Shelter from the Rising Flood
or, just playing on the really big mound of snow

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — ¹/160 sec, f/13, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Kid Equivalent of a Bird's Dust Bath?
nothing quite so pleasurable as being the first to mess up a virgin area of thick snow

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 48 mm — ¹/3200 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Poooooofth!
flopping into the fresh powder, snow shoots out of the gap between his arms like old faithful

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — ¹/250 sec, f/9, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Roof Shoveling
without a net, perhaps gunning for a Darwin award?

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — ¹/250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Safer Snow Removal

The guy by the house in the photo above is holding onto a rope that is tied to the ridge of the roof... to remove snow from the steeply-sloped roof, he just drags the rope from side to side, causing it to slide down. Normally they don't care about the snow buildup on these roofs —. they're designed to hold the weight — but in this case it presents a hazard to customers entering the first-floor shop, so they keep that side of the roof clean.

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 36 mm — ¹/1250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Anthony in his Element
that is, anywhere he can play

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — ¹/2500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Sorta Quaint
the quintessential Shirakawago they normally show you

This town is much larger than Gokayama, so we saw even less of it than we saw of Gokayama (of which we didn't see most). But we perhaps saw some better spots than most that day because we pushed on away from the most egregiously tourist-trap center of town, out just a bit toward one edge...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 36 mm — ¹/50 sec, f/13, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Forging Ahead

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 58 mm — ¹/640 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Up and Away
“Warning: Slippery when covered in ice and snow”

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — ¹/500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Less Touristy

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 32 mm — ¹/500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Hibernating
apparently, the whole area was mostly clear of snow two days earlier

As everyone guessed properly, this truck's wipers were the answer to yesterday's quiz. I thought it would be the least interesting of my “What am I?” quizzes, which is why I titled it “Snowy Quiz of Questionable Appeal”, but it garnered more guesses than all my other quiz posts, combined.

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — ¹/1000 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Little Stream
and utility wires

Unlike Gokayama, Shirakawago is full of utility wires, telephone poles, kitsch, and touristy crap. One must take great care with composition to exclude it from photos. I'm sure the snow helps. I've tried my best in most of these, and have refrained from using Photoshop to help.

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — ¹/400 sec, f/5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Urban Living
we're on the public street; there's a house under that big pile of snow

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 35 mm — ¹/800 sec, f/3.5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Exposed Edge
of the same house

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 38 mm — ¹/250 sec, f/5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Typical Shirakawago
quaint house; quaint utility wires

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 62 mm — ¹/500 sec, f/5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Less Typical
I'm sure that being half snow blind helps in this one

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — ¹/500 sec, f/5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Wide View
without telephone poles!

It was starting to get a bit chilly, wandering around in the relative wilderness like that, so when we saw a small sign for a cafe pointing down a small path, we decided to give it a try and stop in for something warm.

The path had apparently not been used since the snow started, and I had to try to forage for it among the streams and gardens(?) it passed through.

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 34 mm — ¹/500 sec, f/5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Little-Used Path
covered by a couple of feet of fresh snow

Continued here...