The town of Fujino, where I've lived for the past 11 years, is a "bridge-town," something I point out in a page on my website. Here are just a few of the bridges near my house (you'll probably want to hit F11 to get as much of the photos in the frame as possible; sorry):
This is the old Katsusebashi Bridge, one of four joining the north and south halves of the town, and representing the division between Lake Sagami (on the left) and the Sagami River (on the right)--currently, it's oldest bridge of the four in terms of its construction. It was built in the midst of WWII, (ca. 1944), and still has reminders in the form of bullet pockmarks in the upper concrete structure, courtesy U.S. military. The hotel you see in the distance through the bridge is the Aine-inn (pronounced EYE-NEIGH INN), one of four love hotels located in this area.
The old Katsusebashi is being replaced by the new bridge in the next photo, built just upstream from it (to the right of the photo above):
This modern monstrosity is to be part of a major highway system going through the mountains and joining Saitama to Yokohama via a loop highway.
The purpose is to take some of the stress off the vilely designed Metropolitan High-Speed Road (an ironic name given the speed you actually travel on it).
Next are two bridges on the north side of town. I actually took this photo while standing on still another bridge about 1/2 kilo from my house. The yellow one is called the Yoshino bridge; as I note on another of my website pages, this bridge is the modern incarnation of a much older bridge that had several battles fought around it in the late 16th century as Takeda Shingen and his clan tried to invade Sagami (on this see my comments here.
The farther pinkish one (where do they dream up these colors??) is an unnamed modern highway bridge that crosses the same river valley that the Yoshino bridge crosses closer in the foreground. The river you see running from left (west) to right (east) is the Sagami River, which flows into Sagami Lake just about 1/2 kilo downstream at the bridge Katsusebashi (see above).
I took these just an hour ago, in fine fall weather; as you can see, the colors are just now beginning to turn on the mountains; we won't get real nice yellows and reds for another month, after the first freeze.
All taken with Oly e-300 + ED14-54mm, various exposures, + polarizer, RAW developed with Silkypix 2.
The town of Fujino, where I've lived for the past 11 years, is a "bridge-town," something I point out in a page on my website. Here are just a few of the bridges near my house (you'll probably want to hit F11 to get as much of the photos in the frame as possible; sorry):
This is the old Katsusebashi Bridge, one of four joining the north and south halves of the town, and representing the division between Lake Sagami (on the left) and the Sagami River (on the right)--currently, it's oldest bridge of the four in terms of its construction. It was built in the midst of WWII, (ca. 1944), and still has reminders in the form of bullet pockmarks in the upper concrete structure, courtesy U.S. military. The hotel you see in the distance through the bridge is the Aine-inn (pronounced EYE-NEIGH INN), one of four love hotels located in this area.
The old Katsusebashi is being replaced by the new bridge in the next photo, built just upstream from it (to the right of the photo above):
This modern monstrosity is to be part of a major highway system going through the mountains and joining Saitama to Yokohama via a loop highway.
The purpose is to take some of the stress off the vilely designed Metropolitan High-Speed Road (an ironic name given the speed you actually travel on it).
Next are two bridges on the north side of town. I actually took this photo while standing on still another bridge about 1/2 kilo from my house. The yellow one is called the Yoshino bridge; as I note on another of my website pages, this bridge is the modern incarnation of a much older bridge that had several battles fought around it in the late 16th century as Takeda Shingen and his clan tried to invade Sagami (on this see my comments here.
The farther pinkish one (where do they dream up these colors??) is an unnamed modern highway bridge that crosses the same river valley that the Yoshino bridge crosses closer in the foreground. The river you see running from left (west) to right (east) is the Sagami River, which flows into Sagami Lake just about 1/2 kilo downstream at the bridge Katsusebashi (see above).
I took these just an hour ago, in fine fall weather; as you can see, the colors are just now beginning to turn on the mountains; we won't get real nice yellows and reds for another month, after the first freeze.
All taken with Oly e-300 + ED14-54mm, various exposures, + polarizer, RAW developed with Silkypix 2.
Norm, as you know Sagami-hara is one of my favorite places. Great pictures, and it makes me want to jump on a plane and head to Japan. Unfortunately Renesas moved most of my freinds to Osaka, so the closest I get now is Shin Yokohama. Planning to go back again next March.
Thanks for the terrific pictures.
D7000, D70, CP990, CP900, FE + a lens or 6.
Ha! See, I can change...
Norm, as you know Sagami-hara is one of my favorite places. Great pictures, and it makes me want to jump on a plane and head to Japan. Unfortunately Renesas moved most of my freinds to Osaka, so the closest I get now is Shin Yokohama. Planning to go back again next March.
Thanks, George. Unfortunately , Sagamihara is on our minds a lot these days. It looks like the entire northern end of Kanagawa Prefecture, including the towns of Sagamiko and Fujino, will be incorporated into the city of Sagamihara within the next couple of years. We've been fighting a hard battle against merger for the last several years, but the national government is pushing hard to drastically reduce the number of incorporated municipalities nationwide, and it looks like we've failed to keep Fujino independent. It's sad, really, because we have such a unique atmosphere here, and rather little in common, IMO, from that of the more urban Sagamihara. From the city's perspective, we're just a tiny backwater town without much reason for existence. But we have a "art village" theme, a community of over 100 full-time artists (broadly defined), and a spirit that is kind of unusual. Only time will tell how things turn out.
What part of Sagamihara do you visit?
Thanks, George. Unfortunately , Sagamihara is on our minds a lot these days. It looks like the entire northern end of Kanagawa Prefecture, including the towns of Sagamiko and Fujino, will be incorporated into the city of Sagamihara within the next couple of years. We've been fighting a hard battle against merger for the last several years, but the national government is pushing hard to drastically reduce the number of incorporated municipalities nationwide, and it looks like we've failed to keep Fujino independent. It's sad, really, because we have such a unique atmosphere here, and rather little in common, IMO, from that of the more urban Sagamihara. From the city's perspective, we're just a tiny backwater town without much reason for existence. But we have a "art village" theme, a community of over 100 full-time artists (broadly defined), and a spirit that is kind of unusual. Only time will tell how things turn out.
What part of Sagamihara do you visit?
Typically the area around the Mitsubishi Denki facility, but once in a while we would go into town for dinner. Typically I stayed in Shin-Yokohama so I would have to leave by about 11pm to catch the last train back. A couple of times I just wandered around down by the river. Unfortunately most of the pictures I had were wiped out (which is why I now double-back-up my photos). All I have left are a couple of shots of the train station (sometimes I would grab breakfast at the McDonalds there).
The next time I go to Shin-Yokohama (again hopefully in March) I will spend a Saturday wandering around the Sagami area, and also maybe go over to Yokohama as well (unfortunately the other way), and wander around the Yamashita Park area and China Town. I always wish I had more time, but it is always a business trip.
Again, thanks for the pictures.
D7000, D70, CP990, CP900, FE + a lens or 6.
Ha! See, I can change...
This one is (in)famous. It's actually a replacement of the original, which was bombed in WW2. In Thailand, it's the Bridge on the River Kwai. A sad place, really, especially if you take the time to visit the nearby museum and cemeteries.
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Originally Posted by George Riehm
Nice!
, Sagamihara is on our minds a lot these days. It looks like the entire northern end of Kanagawa Prefecture, including the towns of Sagamiko and Fujino, will be incorporated into the city of Sagamihara within the next couple of years. We've been fighting a hard battle against merger for the last several years, but the national government is pushing hard to drastically reduce the number of incorporated municipalities nationwide, and it looks like we've failed to keep Fujino independent. It's sad, really, because we have such a unique atmosphere here, and rather little in common, IMO, from that of the more urban Sagamihara. From the city's perspective, we're just a tiny backwater town without much reason for existence. But we have a "art village" theme, a community of over 100 full-time artists (broadly defined), and a spirit that is kind of unusual. Only time will tell how things turn out.