PHOTOGRAPHY: PAPERSKY
Editor
The Ogasawara Islands are Tokyo’s Paradise
Lucas BB, 2004/01/25
To get to the islands of Ogasawara we departed on a 25 hour trip by boat from Tokyo proper. The journey had the undertones of something old world: long, arduous, and sea-oriented. As we cut through the enormous swells of the open ocean, I imagined that our boat was a time capsule in which we were traveling further and further away from the screaming modernity that is 21st century Tokyo, towards some previous place.
After a full day of travel we awoke in the early morning to find on the horizon the silhouettes of little gray mountains jutting above the surface of the ocean ‘ It was strange to see land so suddenly. And as the topography came into focus, it too was strange: sharp, rocky gradations covered in lush vegetation pushing straight up out of the water. I felt that we had arrived somewhere completely new, far removed from our quotidian realities.
On our first day, at our first location on Hahajima, our camera failed after one shot. “Too much salt in the air,” we were later told. A bit discouraged but at the mercy of the island’s complete geographic isolation, we continued to shoot on a digital backup until dark. The tourist office placed a few phone calls the next morning, and in a matter of hours a friendly resident photographer appeared with a camera for us to use: a camera that our photographer uses quite often as a matter of fact. It was an odd coincidence, but one befitting a place that often ran contrary to our notions of the norm.
On Chichijima, we met surfers who had lived on the island during the occupation and shopped from Sears catalogs. In the jungles of Hahajima we stumbled upon forts, canons and tanks from the war, and later found a police station where you can borrow videos and books. “In case you don’t feel like diving,” said the officer with a smile. Island life was beginning to feel a bit cinematic. On our final day, as we pulled away from the lush islands on our way back to the mainland, I wondered if Ogasawara was not a close approximation of my ideals. Some modern place, from a long time ago.
PAPERSKY #08: OGASAWARA | paradise
Tags: hike, island life
This issue is dedicated to Tokyo’s unsung hero the tree […]
When in New Mexico you can pick big fluffy clouds out o […]
It is no secret that Papersky absolutely adores Switzer […]
I’ve visited Shodoshima five times and each time I find […]
One thing is certain. Kyoto is Japan’s most beautiful, […]
When most of us think of New York our immediate thought […]
Brazilians have always believed that Brazil potentially […]
The history of food and cooking in Taiwan is as deep as […]
It seems the Finnish soul has always been linked to the […]
Papersky has always been a travel magazine obsessed wit […]
Welcome to BC 10,000, -home to the JOMON people, Japan’ […]
Colorado is a genuine state of the future. Not because, […]
If you love eating, cooking or drinking then Sardegna i […]
Welcome to the future. The fact that you’re interested […]
Barcelona is one of the world’s most visited cities. Ye […]
It’s been a Long time since our last issue- and that’s […]
If someone asked me what are the most important things […]
When we think of India, we think of many things, but ra […]
What does it tell you about a city that has a public pa […]
Oslo (Norway) is the modern metropolis that possesses t […]
The Edo Period’s greatest road, The Kyu-Tokaido Road, i […]
As we sat in our hotel rooms in Basque Country watching […]
Seven years have passed since I last traveled to New Yo […]
Switzerland is what all countries should aspire to beco […]
A big part of Knee High Media, whether it be PAPERSKY, […]
PAPERSKY is Refreshed! Welcome to the fresh issue. I me […]
It’s really interesting that over seventy-percent of th […]
This issue of PAPERSKY is very special as it’s th […]
In this issue the PAPERSKY crew along with Ishikawa Nao […]
If you are a first time traveler to Iceland there are a […]
Morocco is a country where Africans, Berbers, Jews, Ara […]
I was born in Baltimore. At the time my mother was 20 y […]
The Tiare is to Tahitians what kome (rice) is to the Ja […]
Fall in Kyoto is stunning. With the city’s trees […]
Hawaii is simply one of the best places on earth. And o […]
Just seconds before our flight swooped down to make its […]
Here at PAPERSKY we believe travel is about discovery a […]
When most of us think of London we think of the Sex Pis […]
Akihabara is the land where dreamers begin to dream. Go […]
Tell me, what do you know about Greece? This was the qu […]
Shimane is a place where the essence of Japan still exi […]
For issue #15 we went for an ocean drive in Australia, […]
As we stared up in amazement at a double rainbow in the […]
I boarded a Lufthansa plane at Narita and was greeted b […]
We got our first glimpse of the Texas-Mexico border in […]
The day we arrived in Shanghai a Chinese photographer a […]
On a drive through the vibrant streets of Toronto’ […]
Spaccanapoli is a popular downtown neighborhood in Napl […]
By the 1960s the Japanese fixation with French culture […]
A few months ago on an ice sunny day I was buying a hot […]
This issue was born out of a conversation with Reto Wet […]
Welcome to the spice issue. We invite you to come along […]
The Netherlands: windmills and tulips, cheese and woode […]
To circumnavigate the globe: centuries after Magellan, […]
Hello, and welcome aboard PAPERSKY. What you are curren […]