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If you're reading this: Congratulations! You made it to Friday & survived another week of this capitalist hellscape & arbitrary white supremacy culture... We did it. 🥲 I'm up late trying to finish this photo blog. Shout out to all my creatives who stay up late working on their art, while having a day job in the morning that they need to report to in order to survive & support their creative practice... It's not easy to balance both. I've struggled with it a lot in the past & found that my creative practice always has to take a back seat to wage labor & surviving capitalism. It's hard not to be depressed knowing that is just reality & there's nothing you can really do about it, but oh well, I guess. Anyways, here's some photos from Heritage Square Museum's Dia de los Muertos event last weekend. It was our first time visiting Heritage Square Museum (despite living in Northeast LA for over 10 years!) & it was really interesting. We would love to go back another time when there isn't a massive event going on & actually check out the historic homes and other sites on the property. Growing up in Los Angeles, Dia de los Muertos has always been one of my favorite celebrations. In the Philippines we know it as Undas. I've always had a fascination with death. I'm not uncomfortable talking about it — it's just part of life & sadly it's just been around me a lot. In fact, I had a few near-death encounters in my early 20s myself... Everywhere I've lived as an adult, I've always had an altar in my house to honor the ancestors & invite the spirits for protection & good energy. This is not a practice I grew up with, as I was not raised religious or spiritual in any way, but something I learnt to practice on my own. The good part about not having religion or spirituality forced on me was, I had the freedom to explore different beliefs & study them on my own. Day of the Dead is something I look forward to every year. And if you know me, you know I've produced a few programs centering the occasion myself.
These photos below were created with my Nikon ZF & Pocket Dispo lens. For clarity, I was not paid for these photos. I went to this event & did photography for fun. If you want to hire me for event photography, please get in touch! View from a computer for the full experience. Click a photo to enlarge.
 Some of you know I love vintage public transportation. 🤓 
Live painting by @samanthafriedart (right). 
 
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If you've read this far, thank you! Please feel free to share your thoughts or any questions in the comments.
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If you are starting here, this is the last installment out of a 4-part series. I recommend you scroll down to part 1 & start viewing from the bottom up. This last set of photos was from one of my last days I got to spend in Tokyo. I remember it was grey & gloomy, & I was still processing a lot of emotions from being in the Philippines for a month prior. I knew it was likely going to be my last time there for a long time, maybe ever, so I wanted to make it something special & do something my inner-kid self would have loved. When I was growing up in the 90s, I was obsessed with Sailor Moon as a kid. It was easily my fav Japanese cartoon, & I still have fond memories of rushing home to watch it afterschool on Toonami. Ahhh, those were the good old days... At a young age, I was already obsessed with the dreamy aesthetics & space-themed stuff. It's no wonder why as an adult, I love astrology so much now, haha! I remember doing a search for Sailor Moon destinations in Tokyo, mostly expecting to find shops or something. Which, I would have been fine with, to buy some souvenirs. There was a Sailor Moon shop in Harajuku, but what I learned about was way cooler... Here's a Google Map guide with some places I recommend in Minato City! Make sure to check out the notes I left in the locations. Not much on this map, but it at least gives you an idea for how I planned my day. All blogs in this series can be found in the Mono No Aware tag. All photos were made using my Nikon ZF. BEST VIEWED FROM A COMPUTER FOR THE FULL EXPERIENCE. CLICK ANY IMAGE BELOW TO ENLARGE. AZABU HIKAWA SHRINE
 
  
  The Azabu Hikawa Shrine is a destination many Sailor Moon fans visit. It influenced the home of Rei (Sailor Mars) in the anime, & the red used in Sailor Mars' uniform is a reference to the red structures in the property. I was lucky when I visited, I was the only one there! I thought maybe it would be filled with tourists for this reason. ARISUGAWA-NO-MIYA MEMORIAL PARK  
 After the temples, I walked over to Arisugawa-no-miya Memorial Park, since it was walking distance. This park was one of the most beautiful urban parks I've ever visited. I didn't even feel like I was in the city anymore. I felt like I was transported somewhere else, it was unreal.
Before heading over to the temple, I'd actually ridden a bike over to Fruits and Season to get vegan fruit sandwiches one more time & enjoy them at the park. This park is special, because it's a backdrop for a location Usagi (Sailor Moon) & Mamoru (Tuxedo Mask) used to meet as well as have dates in the anime. It was so cute & I really felt like I was in the anime at some points. And that's the end of my Japan blog series, until I can ever go back again someday... Recently I was feeling really down, because instability just does that sometimes. When I finally got the motivation to start sorting through and editing all the digital photography I made in Japan, it made me so happy to revisit. I started to think about how lucky I was to have been there, to actually live my life, ride a bike everywhere like I used to, & get to reconnect with long distance friends. I even got to do something I really wanted & I rented a Japanese micro apartment. I was really excited about it because I love watching videos about micro apartment living in Japan, to wind down before bed, haha! I know there's a lot of negative things to say about a Filipina-American vacationing in Japan... I get it... TRUST ME, I GET IT.. Discourse is welcome, but I won't have anything to argue because I'm already aware. So judge away & assume what you want about me. Anyways, the end. Thank you for checking out my digital photos from Japan! I'll get to the film when I get to it. 🥴 Make sure to keep checking this space, follow me on Instagram, or subscribe to my YouTube channel for updates on my blog posts. If you've read this far, thank you! Please feel free to share your thoughts or any questions in the comments.
Got to have a fun little day trip to Kamakura with my friend Ace who was living in Okinawa at the time. He had never been to Kamakura either!
We took the train to Hase Station. From there, there are small gardens to see on your way to the main attraction of Kamakura — the Kamakura Daibutsu located in Kōtoku-in. On the way to Kōtoku-in, we stopped by the Kosoku-ji Temple for a quick stroll. There were sweet trails along gardens & a cemetery filled with mosquitos. We were covered in bites after. From Kosoku-ji Temple we had a little coffee/tea break, then we came across a retro video game shop on our walk to the Daibutsu. Near the video game shop was a dango shop, so I had to get one of my fav Japanese treats while I was in Japan. Something about having fresh hot dango in a small coastal town in Japan just hit different... After a little snack break, we finally made it to the Daibutsu at Kōtoku-in. Neither of us could believe how massive the bronze sculpture was in real life. It was def worth the hype. This was the one thing I really wanted to see the most in Japan this time & I'm glad we got to make the trip out to Kamakura to go see it! After seeing the Daibutsu, me made the hike around Kamakura down to Kamakura Station to eventually end our day. We ended up at a tea shop where I got to try ochazuke for the first time! All around Kamakura Station is a small shopping district, so plenty of shops to visit around there as well. 
If I'm remembering correctly, this was the route we took from Hase Station to the Daibutsu & then ending at Kamakura Station. It was a long walk, but we got to see a lot of Kamakura this way. Kamakura was such a charming & quaint small town by the ocean. The air & breeze felt so fresh, something my lungs haven't experienced for a long time! The combo of the ochazuke with the ocean breeze was both healing & cozy.
Here's a Google Map guide with some places I recommend in Kamakura! Make sure to check out the notes I left in the locations. These were the few pics I got to take in Kamakura. As you read previously, I was getting burnt out on photography by this time of my trip. At this point, I really just wanted to spend time with my friend & take a break to just take it all in. This is the 3rd installment of 4 parts. Keep following for the last part: Minato City. All blogs in this series can be found in the Mono No Aware tag. All photos were made using my Nikon ZF. Enjoy! BEST VIEWED FROM A COMPUTER FOR THE FULL EXPERIENCE. CLICK ANY IMAGE BELOW TO ENLARGE! Kosoku-ji Temple
Kōtoku-in Temple
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If you've read this far, thank you! Please feel free to share your thoughts or any questions in the comments. I've finally had a moment to sort through the digital photography I did in Japan last year. I'm actually impressed it wasn't that many photos, haha! Before heading to Japan last year, I'd just spent a month in the Philippines. During my time there, I started a new photo series, Return Call (WIP). By the time I got to Japan, I was so burnt on photography. I didn't take as many photos as I did the prior month in the Philippines. I was processing a lot at the time. Being in Tokyo was a lot to process as well. From nature to neon, I felt overwhelmed by it all. Mono No Aware (moh-noh noh uh-WAR-ee) shares some of the digital photography I created in Japan. Mono No Aware is a Japanese concept referring to the fleeting nature of life, an awareness for the temporary & finding beauty in impermanence. When I read about this concept, I felt this applied a lot to the photo work I create — documenting urban life & cityscapes that are continually changing. This is the 1st installment of 4, starting with Shibuya, as well as a quick excursion to Shinjuku the day after I landed. Keep following for the next 3 parts including: Setagaya City, Kamakura & Minato City. All blogs in this series can be found in the Mono No Aware tag. All photos were made using my Nikon ZF. Enjoy! BEST VIEWED FROM A COMPUTER FOR THE FULL EXPERIENCE. CLICK ANY IMAGE BELOW TO ENLARGE! SHIBUYA   
My first time doing street photography at night! Shibuya was not my favorite place & I definitely stayed in the most chaotic, but also most centrally located, part of Shibuya — near Shibuya Station. Shibuya was really easy to get to from Narita Airport, especially since I landed late at night. It was a straight shot on the Narita Express train. I remember getting off the train & immediately feeling sensory overload. There were so many lights, it was noisy, & there were huge crowds everywhere. It was also Halloween season, & they banned public drinking on the streets, haha. October was an amazing time of the year to go, because the weather was PERFECTION, & while the crowds did still exist, it was definitely more of an off-season. While Shibuya was not my favorite place, I loved the apartment I rented, there were plenty of bike share hubs, easy to get to/from the airport, plenty of affordable food options, & it's heaven for street photographers & anyone who loves people watching! Shibuya is great if you love shopping & socialising. Greater Shibuya was lovely & less chaotic, with way less crowded streets for cycling, AWESOME record shops, & incredible food & treats, especially in Ebisu!   kids & baby cut  (Yes, I'm aware Snoopy is wearing a racist costume.) RECOMMENDATIONS:
Honozono Shrine in ShinjukuI rode a bike, went to this shrine & record shopping the day after I arrived in Shibuya. There was a flea market here but none of the items were interesting to me. 😅 It was my first day riding out in Tokyo & I felt like I was fighting for my damn life. 🤣 (me in my head: I have this in Animal Crossing ⛩️) 
 Make sure to keep checking this space, follow me on Instagram, or subscribe to my YouTube channel for updates on my blog posts.
If you've read this far, thank you! Please feel free to share your thoughts or any questions in the comments. |
NICA AQUINOIn this space I'll share digital previews of my film photography, updates on new artworks in progress, upcoming programs, inspiration & my other misc interests. Archives
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