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Gakuranman.com - illuminating Japan
gakuranman.com
4
Articles on Japan. Discover the Japanese language and culture, explore lost ruins and haikyo off the beaten path or learn about bioluminescence.
#281040 in All

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Field Test

The E-M5 is a compact camera with incredible image quality that exceeds all but the highest expectations. With the E-M5, I feel that the Olympus micro 43 cameras have finally come of age. Here we hav...

16 apr 12

Daily Mail Used My Photos Without Permission and Without Payment

The Daily Mail has a history of stealing images and only paying up if and when they are caught and pursued. A quick Google search will turn up lots of results, but here, here and here are a few. It a...

07 apr 12

Haikyo House of Hidden Treasures

Slumbering in a small onsen town far off in Western Japan lies one of the most magnificent haikyo I’ve had the pleasure of exploring to date. The ‘House of Hidden Treasures’ is a co...

29 mar 12

Driving in Japan: Passing the Japanese Driver’s Test

Learning to drive is an expensive and time-consuming process in most countries, but perhaps especially so for the foreigner living in Japan. Many people visiting Japan will eventually find themselves...

08 mar 12

The Winding Tower of Shime Coal Mine

Otherwise known as the ‘Anti-Zombie Fortress’ on the internet, this distinctive haikyo location can be found in Fukuoka. The Winding Tower is housed inside a public park and surrounded by...

05 mar 12

Olympus Photo Festa 2012 Nagoya

Olympus is currently firing up consumer interest with its latest product, the OM-D E-M5. I wrote a brief preview when it was announced last week, after days of tantalising leaks and have found myself...

18 feb 12

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Preview

The new Olympus OM-Digital EM-5 has just been officially announced. It hasn’t been long since I did a field test for the E-P3, but I’ve been following the rumours and leaks about the E-M5...

08 feb 12

New Year’s Resolutions 2012

Although rather late, I’ve been quietly contemplating what I should aim for in the Year of the Dragon. I always set vague resolutions for the new year and never really accomplish much because o...

10 jan 12

f11 Magazine: Urban Exploration Interview

The online photography magazine f11 contacted me recently requesting an interview about my haikyo travels and urban explorations. The article touches on some of the deeper, philosophical aspects of u...

22 nov 11

Top 60 Japanese Buzzwords of 2011

Publisher Jiyu Kokuminsha is right on time with its annual release of the top 60 Japanese buzzwords. The words are listed in no set order, but aim to reflect the major trends and events that shaped 2...

18 nov 11

Post-Apocalyptic Images of Japan

The ruins and haikyo aficionado in me couldn’t resist making a post about Tokyo Genso‘s fabulous art depicting post-apocalyptic Japan. The illustrations have a breathtaking otherworldly q...

15 nov 11

Nikkei Trendy’s Top Trends of 2011 and Predictions for 2012

Nikkei Trendy is a popular trends magazine I’ve been roughly following since arriving here in Japan. I first discovered it while researching for essays at university for the marketing module I ...

14 nov 11

At the Eleventh Hour…

So today is the 11th November, 2011. And this post goes live at 11:11am, at precisely 11 seconds, I guess. A curious date, if nothing else. I read many couples are scrambling to submit their marriage...

11 nov 11

A Beautiful Kobushime-chan

Back last year, I visited Ishigakijima, an island south of mainland Okinawa. It was my first time visiting the Ryukyu Islands, and my first real dive since getting my licence back in the U.K. There, ...

01 nov 11

The Jimonjitou Days

I awoke this morning with a head full of dreams. Reflections of the past, placed haphazardly in imagined settings. The face of a childhood crush. A world that perhaps could have been, but wasn’...

21 oct 11

Deserted Dolphin Island Ruins in Okinawa

Far across the seas in southern Japan lie the Ryukyu Islands, a subtropical archipelago that offers an experience quite unlike that you’ll find on mainland Japan. My recent travels took me ther...

17 oct 11

Radiation Scare in Setagaya

The way the media reports on radiation these days, you might be forgiven for thinking the whole of Japan has fallen foul to life-threatening amounts of toxic materials. The most recent scare was a hi...

14 oct 11

A fresh start with the journal

From the journal of Michael Gakuran… When I originally started my own website, after years of Livejournal abuse, I wanted to steer clear of the status-quo. Blogs were becoming popular, but I re...

05 oct 11

A Brush with the Law at a Haikyo Hotel

Arriving at the haikyo hotel was relatively straightforward. A train ride to the nearest station and a long walk along a road skirting the edge of a mountain. I discovered the entrance, partially blo...

27 sep 11

Iori Tomita’s New World Transparent Specimens

Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent. – Ludwig Wittgenstein. So goes the age-old philosopher’s quote on the front of Iori Tomita’s book ‘Transparent Silence...

17 sep 11

Night Walk with the E-P3 and Olympus 45mm f/1.8 Lens

Finally! It’s been 2 long, infuriating years, but the lens we’ve all been waiting is finally here! A bright f/1.8 portrait lens for the micro 4/3 format with delicious bokeh. It arrived o...

15 sep 11

Olympus PEN E-P3 Field Test

It’s been 3 weeks since the little E-P3 was delivered to my doorstep. After putting off the pre-order to the last minute, I finally sunk my cash and clicked the buy button at Amazon Japan. As a...

15 aug 11

Kanabun Drone Beetle Macro with the E-P3

On my night walk yesterday evening I came across some rather handsome done beetles, known as かなぶん in Japan. I decided to go back tonight armed with my tripod, macro lens and flash to see if I couldn&...

12 aug 11

Night Walk with the E-P3 and Panasonic 25mm f/1.4 Leica Lens

I know, I know. I should be working on the actual review of the E-P3, but the Panasonic 25mm f/1.4 Leica DG Summilux lens I ordered finally arrived. As per typical Panasonic, it was delayed by 2 week...

11 aug 11

Olympus E-P3 Shooting Fireworks

Very quick post today! I’ve been busy lately designing websites for clients, as well as a new, sexy ‘responsive design’ version of Gakuranman.com. It’s because I got the desig...

06 aug 11

Olympus E-P3 PEN Preview

The first images of the soon-to-be-announced Olympus E-P3 micro 4/3s camera have been leaked online! I must say it looks gorgeous, just like my long lost E-P1. The styling is very similar, but Olympu...

27 jun 11

The Best Resources for How to Learn Japanese

Learning the Japanese language can be very fulfilling, but there is no doubt that it is challenging. With self-study and learning Japanese online for free becoming more and more popular, it can be to...

23 jun 11

Urbex at the Grain Tower Battery

Way back when I was first beginning the hobby of Urban Exploration in the UK, I visited a site fairly close to home. The Grain Tower is located on a mud-flat at the east end of the Isle of Grain and ...

20 jun 11

Touring Lake Biwa on a Mama Chari Bicycle

A couple of weeks ago I headed out with a group of friends from work to take on the challenge of touring Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan, just north of Kyoto. All on a cranky old Mama Chari too ...

15 jun 11

Thoughts on Discussing Other Cultures

“To ask is a moment’s embarrassment, but to not ask will bring a lifetime of shame.” So goes the Japanese proverb: 聞くは一時の恥、聞かぬは一生の恥. (Thanks to Jake Adelstein for pointing me to it....

09 jun 11

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