Tag: history

by jad

Far Away (Ground Zero)

The one place we prioritized once we found a coin locker for our suitcase and sat down for lunch at the station was @nyan_nyanji, the Cat Temple on the outskirts of town. As millennials from the internet, it just felt like that had to be the one religious site of the many religious sites in Kyoto we couldn’t miss, if we could only see one. It would be more than an hour by bus and back, and it did not disappoint. I’ll post a fever dream of a Reel about it shortly. #japanonfilm #streetphotography #nikonlitetouch #35mmphotography #analogphoto #kyotogram #kyotographie x … Continue reading “Far Away (Ground Zero)” →

by jad

Perugia’s Underground City

One of the coolest things about Perugia is its extensive underground city, with Etruscan wells and Roman acropoli all stacked up on top of each other. This here is the Rocca Paolina, a Renaissance fortress built by Pope Paul III to flex his papal power in the region, that just happens to have a subterranean component because Il Papa had much of the area demolished to build the thing, turning ancient streets into underground passageways. And now, much of these are freely accessible from the Mini Metro station, which totally boggled my mind. x This series of photos represents one … Continue reading “Perugia’s Underground City” →

by jad

The Museum of the Liberation of Rome

Vistas and views in, around, and from the original “Cap Hill.” x The Arch of Constantine near the Colosseum, inspiration for the Arc de Triomphe and all triumphalists for centuries to come. x If you ask me, it’s Golden Hour all day in Rome, but the setting summer sun does all the heavy lifting in travel photography. x On our last day, we went to the Museum of the Liberation of Rome, located in an apartment building at Via Tasso 145 that used to house the cultural offices of the German embassy, before being converted into an SS prison during … Continue reading “The Museum of the Liberation of Rome” →

by jad

Decontextualized Antiquities (and an Auspicious Toe)

I’m bored out of my mind on the flight back to Seattle that’s already been delayed three hours, so here’s a lucky frame I captured of the monument to Cola di Rienzo that’s next to the Campidoglio steps leading up to the Capitoline Museums. x Speaking of luck, here’s an auspicious toe and a couple of stern statues near the Colosseum. x There’s a lot of construction and renovation all over Rome. If I had the book with me, I’d make a reference to one of Italo Calvino’s invisible cities. But I don’t. x Decontextualized antiquities carry an eerie affect. … Continue reading “Decontextualized Antiquities (and an Auspicious Toe)” →

by jad

Gunther Anders, the Bomb, and the Thingification of Man

Pope Leo XIV was reported the other day as saying on AI: “We currently interact with machines as if they were interlocutors and thus become almost an extension of them. In this sense, we not only run the risk of losing sight of the faces of the people around us, but of forgetting how to recognize and cherish all that is truly human.” It sounds like typical priestly pablum, the kind that anyone who has ever spent any time in a Catholic school might roll their eyes at out of force of habit; I can almost hear Father Madi crooning … Continue reading “Gunther Anders, the Bomb, and the Thingification of Man” →

by jad

Japan Trip: The Expo That Never Happened

One of the last things we did in Tokyo was to try and tie together our Expo experience by looking for this remnant of one that never happened. The K-Museum, designed by Makoto Sei Watanabe and completed in 1996 on the Odaiba waterfront, was conceived as part of World City Expo ’96 which aimed to showcase Tokyo’s hidden infrastructure through futuristic architecture and educational exhibits. But that mega-event was abruptly canceled in 1995 by the newly elected Governor Yukio Aoshima, who opposed its massive costs, leaving projects like the K-Museum without their intended context. This upset a lot of countries … Continue reading “Japan Trip: The Expo That Never Happened” →

by jad

Japan Trip: Gundam, Malls, and the Ghost of Empire

After a couple of days in Tokyo, I started to realize that a lot of time can be wasted transferring between stations on subway trips across more than one line, and I didn’t want to spend all day underground in the name of “efficiency.” So, we started treating transfer stations as destinations in themselves, adding extra sites to our itineraries. These gardens were one such bonus visit. x I’m a sucker for a good frame within a frame. x It’s weird how brains work. When I was in Japan eleven years ago, Christine had googled a shinkansen themed kaitenzushi place … Continue reading “Japan Trip: Gundam, Malls, and the Ghost of Empire” →

by jad

Japan Trip: St. Mary’s Cathedral, Tokyo

This is St. Mary’s Cathedral, built in 1964 to commemorate 100 years of Christianity in Japan. This was also two decades after the first cathedral had been destroyed in WWII. The building was designed by Kenzo Tange in the shape of a cross, with eight hyperbolic parabolas opening upwards to form a cross of light, which continues vertically along the length of the four facades. The design would later inspire San Franscisco’s own St Mary’s. I found the building breathtaking, with the brut concrete interior even more effective than the outside. But apparently, the clerical authorities were lukewarm about it, … Continue reading “Japan Trip: St. Mary’s Cathedral, Tokyo” →

by jad

Japan Trip: Tokyo, Grey Skies, and the Lucky Dragon

By the time we got to Tokyo, the weather had shifted, and I started to regret my decision to load Fujicolor 100 in my camera. That first weekend ended up being very grey and rainy, and I figured the whole roll would be trashed. That influenced the sort of shots I went for. But no! It seems my trusty Nikon Lite-Touch with the dinky little flash could handle it, and it even took some really good artistic liberties like with this first shot. I did switch back to Kodak Color Plus after this roll, but I’m glad I was tempted … Continue reading “Japan Trip: Tokyo, Grey Skies, and the Lucky Dragon” →

by jad

Japan Trip: Hiroshima (Part III)

Another interesting feature of Hiroshima’s topography that I learned on Tommy’s tour is that the reason why the city has so many iconic trams is that it’s simply not possible to dig any subways here, given that it was built on reclaimed marshland. We rode trams of all vintages, including one of the only two trams that survived the bomb still running today. This is one of Hiroshima’s hibakujumoku (被爆樹木) or survivor trees, an a-bombed camphor at the base of the hill leading up to the Hiroshima Museum of Contemporary Art. I’ll post a highlight video from that visit shortly. … Continue reading “Japan Trip: Hiroshima (Part III)” →