October was a huge milestone in my career. I had my first international exhibit in Tokyo. The exhibit was at the Fuji Film Photo Salon in Roppongi.
Fuji Film was very accommodating; I didn't have to lift a finger! Set up was a day before the exhibit and within one hour the exhibit was completely ready to go.
A shot of the interior of the booth. Hawaii was the theme for the exhibit, all of the images were taken on Fuji Film Velvia 50. The film is known for its superb vibrancy and clarity.
First Day of the Exhibit.
Even though I'm not fond of cities and night life, I found Roppongi quite enjoyable to walk around. The area had a very modern and clean aesthetic.
Like something out of the Jetson's!
Just a short walk from the exhibit was a fantastic little sushi bar inside the Ritz Carlton.
The Otoro was the best I've had, at $24.95 a piece it better be!
A shot of my Pumpkin cheesecake and ice latte, typical tourist.
Evening glow at the FujiFilm Square.
A common scene from my walk back to my hotel from Fuji Film Square.
Halfway through the week I needed to get out and do a little exploring. So I spent a few hours at the Mori Art Center.
An exhibit of drawings and paintings done by Vietnamese soldiers.
Thousands of photographs of families that were separated/killed during Vietnam.
You can visit the very top of Mori Art Center for panorama views of Tokyo.
One of my favorite places to go in Ginza for lunch, Kaika Teppanyaki!
Japanese A5 Waygu.
The lobster came to the grill halved and still alive.
Simple and tasty.
The last day of the exhibit I got a very special gift from the musician Koshi Inaba. He visited my gallery in Hawaii Kai and fell in love with a few of my pieces.
My only free day I ventured out of Tokyo and took the Shinkansen to Hakone.
With only 7 minutes to clean the train, these ladies are always hustling around.
After being in Tokyo for ten days, I greeted the small town with open arms.
This winding little road was something like the Road to Hana on Maui.
The escalator down to the Hakone Open Air Museum.
Fresh air and beautiful sculptures.
This made me feel like I was in the Amazon.
Floating Orb.
I was too old to play on the jungle gym, but that didn't stop me from taking photos of it.
Next stop was the Hakone Shrine. Unfortunately, I came five minutes after they closed.
The Hakone shrine is only a 5-minute walk to Lake Ashinoko and I was there just in time for sunset. Sugoi!
The fisherman is wrapping it up for the day, yes that's a pirate ship in the background.
A complete 360 from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo.
Completed the day with a very tasty bowl of ramen From Fu-Unji. This place was so popular, and it's only a few steps from the Shinjuku station.
On my last day, I went to the IMA Design Center in Roppongi. I highly suggest giving this place a look. One of the buyers visited my exhibit and was interested in carrying my book in the bookstore pictured below.
I could spend days in this store.
The bottom floor of IMA, I loved the look of the frosted plexiglass on this staircase.
The exhibit was a huge success. I would like to thank everybody that stopped by and all the amazing people that made the exhibit possible. I look forward to future exhibitions of my work in Japan and exploring more of the beautiful country. Thank you for the continued support.