Pix4Japan

31/05/2026

Black-headed Gulls at Rengeji-ike Park, Shizuoka, Japan・蓮華寺池公園のユリカモメ

Despite the English name, the black-headed gull (ユリカモメ; Chroicocephalus ridibundus) only develops its dark chocolate-brown hood during the breeding season. In winter, the hood disappears, leaving a small dark mark behind the eye.

The gulls perched along the railing here mostly show bright red legs and bills, suggesting they are adults. Juveniles often have more orange tones, like the gulls in my Feb. 13, 2026 post:
https://www.pix4japan.com/blog/20260102-gull

Location: Fujieda, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
Timestamp: 2026/01/04・09:16
Fujifilm X100V with 5% diffusion filter
23 mm ISO 160 for 1/4000 sec. at ƒ/2
Astia/Soft film simulation

Read my full write-up (1-minute read) with sources for a deeper dive: https://www.pix4japan.com/blog/20260104-rengeji-ike


#ユリカモメ #蓮華寺池公園 #藤枝 #静岡県

30/05/2026

Waterbirds at Rengeji-ike Park, Shizuoka, Japan・蓮華寺池公園のカワウとユリカモメ

A quiet moment at Rengeji-ike Pond with a great cormorant (カワウ; Phalacrocorax carbo)and several black-headed gulls (ユリカモメ; Chroicocephalus ridibundus) perched above the calm water.

After looking at the photo later, I realized I could have improved the composition by getting lower and moving a little farther to the right, giving each bird more breathing room in the frame.

That is one of the things I enjoy about slower, more spontaneous photography: every walk, every missed angle, and every small regret becomes something to remember for the next time.

Location: Fujieda, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
Timestamp: 2026/01/04・09:03
Fujifilm X100V with 5% diffusion filter
23 mm ISO 160 for 1/2000 sec. at ƒ/2
Astia/Soft film simulation

Read my full write-up (1-minute read) with sources for a deeper dive: https://www.pix4japan.com/blog/20260104-rengeji-ike


#カワウ #ユリカモメ #蓮華寺池公園 #藤枝 #静岡県

27/05/2026

Great Cormorants Drying Their Wings at Rengeji-ike Park
蓮華寺池公園で羽を乾かすカワウ｜静岡

I was overjoyed to come across two great cormorants perching on wooden posts above the calm waters of Rengeji-Ike Pond in Fujieda, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, on a warm and sunny winter morning. Living in the dense urban environment of Yokohama, encounters with waterfowl like these are rare for me, so the chance to quietly observe these birds up close was a memorable bonus during this photowalk.

Location: Fujieda, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
Timestamp: 2026/01/04・09:02
Fujifilm X100V with 5% diffusion filter
23 mm ISO 160 for 1/2000 sec. at ƒ/2
Astia/Soft film simulation

Read my full write-up (1-minute read) with sources for a deeper dive: https://www.pix4japan.com/blog/20260104-rengeji-ike



#カワウ #蓮華寺池公園 #藤枝 #静岡県

21/05/2026

Returning to Satta-Toge Pass for Blue Hour and My First Sunrise of the Year・青の刻と今年初めての朝日を求めて、薩埵峠へ再び

Join me on a quiet blue hour and sunrise photoshoot at Satta-Toge Pass (薩埵峠) in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.

This photoshoot begins at 4:00 a.m. in near-total darkness and continues through sunrise into the golden hour until around 7:30 a.m. Accompanied by my border collie, I braved the cold January morning while capturing long-exposure photographs using both my Pentax K-1 II and Fujifilm X100V.


#ブルーアワー #長時間露光 #光跡 #風景写真 #富士山 #駿河湾 #薩埵峠 #静岡県

Join me on a quiet blue hour and sunrise photoshoot at Satta-Toge P...

19/05/2026

Reflections Along the Road to Suruga Bay
駿河湾へ続く道のリフレクション｜静岡・薩埵峠

Warm morning sunlight illuminates a winding coastal road reflected in a roadside mirror near Satta-Toge Pass overlooking Suruga Bay in Shizuoka, Japan.

This image was taken near the end of my photo shoot at Satta-Toge Pass (see my other posts for photos captured during blue hour and golden hour).

After spending the morning focused on photographing Mt. Fuji and the flowing light trails of the expressway below, I had already captured the images I came for. As I started walking back toward the parking lot, I slowed down and began noticing some of the quieter details that had been easy to overlook earlier in the morning.

With the photo shoot essentially finished, I found myself paying more attention to the smaller details around me; including the warm winter light on the roadside foliage, the quiet coastal atmosphere, and the distorted reflection of the winding road disappearing toward Suruga Bay. Scenes like this may not be the main attraction at Satta-Toge Pass, but it is these quieter, overlooked moments that sometimes become one of my favorite memories from a photo shoot.

Location: Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
Timestamp: 2026/01/04・07:28
Fujifilm X100V with 5% diffusion filter
23 mm ISO 320 for 1/2700 sec. at ƒ/2
Astia/Soft film simulation

Read my full write-up (1-minute read) with sources for a deeper dive: https://www.pix4japan.com/blog/20260104-satta-toge



#薩埵峠 #静岡県 #駿河湾 #海のある風景 #静岡観光 #旅写真

13/05/2026

Mikan Sunrise at Satta-Toge Pass, Shizuoka・薩埵峠の朝焼けに染まるみかん｜静岡

Sometimes the quiet beauty of rural Japan hides the difficult realities behind it.

While photographing mikan orchards near Satta-Toge Pass in Shizuoka, I found myself reflecting on aging farming communities, family-run orchards, and my own dream of one day living closer to the land.

Read the full story on my blog (1-minute read) with sources for a deeper dive: https://www.pix4japan.com/blog/20260104-satta-toge

Location: Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
Timestamp: 2026/01/04・07:17
Fujifilm X100V with 5% diffusion filter
23 mm ISO 400 for 1/250 sec. at ƒ/2
Provia/Standard film simulation



#みかん #温州みかん #薩埵峠 #静岡県 #静岡観光 #旅写真

27/04/2026

Suruga Bay Sunrise at Satta-Toge Pass, Shizuoka・薩埵峠から望む駿河湾の朝焼け｜静岡

After capturing the soft, warm light washing over the eastern slopes of Mount Fuji, I turned my lens toward the Izu Peninsula across Suruga Bay. There, the rising sun crested the ridge of Mount Amagi (天城山), a range that runs the length of the peninsula roughly 50 km (31 miles) to the southeast from Satta-Toge Pass.

Despite the midwinter chill, the golden light felt surprisingly warm on my skin, which was helped by the unusually still, windless, western coastline of Suruga Bay.

Location: Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
Timestamp: 2026/01/04・07:07
Pentax K-1 II + DFA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6 + CP
53 mm ISO 100 for 1/100 sec. at ƒ/9

Read my full write-up (1-minute read) with sources for a deeper dive: https://www.pix4japan.com/blog/20260104-satta-toge


#ゴールデンアワー #海景写真 #風景写真 #駿河湾 #薩埵峠 #静岡県

21/04/2026

Welcoming the First Sunrise with Mount Fuji at Satta Pass・駿河湾越しの富士山の朝焼け｜静岡

After capturing long-exposure light trails from passing vehicles along the highway beneath Mount Fuji during blue hour (see my previous post), the sun began to rise, casting warm light across the mountain’s eastern slopes and the fishing port of Yui along Suruga Bay in Shizuoka.

Historically, Yui was the 16th post station on the Tōkaidō Road, once the most important route linking Kyoto and Edo (modern Tokyo). It was also the smallest post station in Shizuoka Prefecture. Today, the town is home to Yui Honjin Park, built on the former site of a honjin—an inn reserved for traveling feudal lords. The park now includes the Shizuoka City Tokaido Hiroshige Museum of Art, the first museum in Japan to bear the name of ukiyo-e woodblock artist Utagawa Hiroshige, where visitors can explore the art and culture of the Edo period (1603 - 1868).

Although I wasn’t able to visit the museum while traveling with my border collie, I was more than satisfied to photograph a snow-capped Mount Fuji from Satta Pass in winter when the air is clear and free of the haze that often softens the mountain’s details at other times of year.

An added bonus was welcoming my first sunrise of the new year with Dale-chan at my side!

Location: Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
Timestamp: 2026/01/04・07:04
Pentax K-1 II + DFA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6 + CP
63 mm ISO 100 for 0.4 sec. at ƒ/13

Read my full write-up (1-minute read) with sources for a deeper dive: https://www.pix4japan.com/blog/20260104-satta-toge


#ゴールデンアワー #海景写真 #風景写真 #富士山 #薩埵峠 #静岡県

14/04/2026

Returning to Satta-Toge Pass for Blue Hour and My First Sunrise of the Year・青の刻と今年初めての朝日を求めて、薩埵峠へ再び

I returned to Satta-Toge Pass in the early hours to finally capture the light trails I missed on my first visit, arriving well before dawn to watch them emerge beneath Mount Fuji. The reward of a winter visit was a snow-capped peak and crystal-clear air, but more than anything, I was simply glad to share the quiet, cold morning with my border collie as the first sunrise of the year unfolded.

光跡を撮るために再び薩埵峠を訪れ、澄んだ冬の空気の中、愛犬とともに今年初めての朝日を静かに見守りました。

Location: Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
Timestamp: 2026/01/04・04:30
Pentax K-1 II + DFA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6 + CP
45 mm ISO 100 for 180 sec. at ƒ/11

Read my full write-up (1-minute read) with sources for a deeper dive: https://www.pix4japan.com/blog/20260104-satta-toge

#ブルーアワー #長時間露光 #光跡 #風景写真 #富士山 #薩埵峠 #静岡県

06/04/2026

Second-Generation Owner of Maruyasu Shoten, Kazuhiko Fukazawa・有限会社丸安商店 二代目店主・深沢和彦

Beneath the railway tracks of Ameyoko, Fukazawa-san gestures toward shelves filled with dried delicacies; some of which have been sold here for generations.

A second-generation shopkeeper, he grew up helping in the family business, which began in Ueno’s post-war black market. Today, he carries on his father’s legacy; not just through quality goods, but through small moments of connection, greeting visitors from around the world in their own language whenever he can.

Location: Ameyoko Shotengai, Taito Ward, Tokyo
Timestamp: 2026/01/02・17:28
Fujifilm X100V with 5% diffusion filter
23 mm ISO 320 for 1/125 sec. at ƒ/5.6
Astia/Soft film simulation

Read my full 1-minute write-up (with sources for a deeper dive):
https://www.pix4japan.com/blog/20260102-ameya-yokocho


#丸安商店 #アメ横 #上野 #東京 #ストリートスナップ