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HAISAI, HOWDY, & KONNICHIWA !.

♦ WHO AM I ? :

My real name is Rob. I'm originally from Pennsylvania. I like Italian Hoagies, Philly Cheese Steaks, and street-vendor Soft Pretzels.

My Flickr "Buddy Icon" (avatar) is not me. It's a head crop of my favorite old Japanese photographer T. ENAMI, photographed over 110 years ago in his Yokohama studio. Here's the full 3-D image : www.flickr.com/photos/okinawa-soba/2822252615/

The real Okinawa Soba (a.k.a. Rob) is a white-haired American geezer in his 60s, who's been living in Okinawa on and off for most of the past 42 years (since 1973). My wife of 37 years is OKINAWAN. We have three daughters, now all grown, who were born and raised in Okinawa.

The real me is HERE : www.flickr.com/photos/okinawa-soba/sets/72157653710334074

Family pics are relatively rare on this photostream, but they can be found. I do have a Flickr Set dedicated to "MY DAUGHTERS".

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♦ OKINAWA SOBA ???



I chose this as my Flickr handle simply because I have noodles for brains. www.google.com/search?q=okinawa+soba&biw=1354&bih...

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♦ MY PHOTOS



My photostream is one of many OKINAWA PHOTO streams found on Flickr. There is so much here to see and do here, that it is impossible for just one person with a camera to capture it all. If you like any of my photos or stories about this place, then you will probably LOVE those posted by others, as well. Our offerings are all very different, with little overlap. To get a broad feel of the island, take time to search "OKINAWA", and scroll through the photos taken by the numerous photographers who call this island their home.

For the most part, my own photostream consists of an alternating mix of (1) MODERN-DAY OKINAWA (photos by me), and (2) ANTIQUE PHOTOS of JAPAN AND ASIA. The latter are largely cropped from / based on scans I've made from "public domain" originals in my own possession. That is, I own the out-of-copyright, physical prints and slides that I post. They are real photos in real boxes sitting around my house. [Please see the TAKING FLICKr AT THEIR WORD section farther down this profile ]

All of my own recent OKINAWA and USA TRAVEL stuff is general, run-of-the-mill, straight-forward, SNAP SHOTS taken with point-and-shoot DIGITAL POCKET CAMERAS set to the most basic of automatic functions. There are no DSLR pics, and no beautiful wonders of PhotoShop creativity. Everything is just a record of things I've seen and liked

Basically, any OKINAWA location images you see here (and some taken during my travels) have probably been photographed with much more skill and beauty by others.

!!! WARNING !!!

One of my daughters said to me, "....DADDY, YOUR PICTURES OF OKINAWA MAKE IT LOOK BETTER THAN IT REALLY IS....

It is true that some people really love Okinawa, and others hate the place. I happen to be one that loves Okinawa. In spite of its warts, occasional frustrations, and wacky "face palm" moments at how things are done around here, it has a particular history and spirit about it that makes the island and its people worthy of deep appreciation.

There is far more to Okinawa than just a few pretty pictures of the beaches and mountains, and that includes lots of concrete, sprawling cities, endless shopping malls, and over a million people crammed into this small space --- resulting in what the Japanese government declares to be the worst traffic jams in the entire nation.

If you can take all of that in stride while exploring the back streets, bazaars, and visually exotic distractions all around you, you will do fine everywhere on the Island(s) of Okinawa --- from the cities to the jungles --- and have those memories for your entire life.

DISCLAIMER : If anyone is inspired by my Okinawa photos (and / or nice photos of Okinawa taken by others), and based on that, decide to come here for (let's say) a two week vacation, and you wind up getting two weeks of dark, rainy weather, or being locked down in your Hotel during a super typhoon, please do not be upset with those of us posting our photos, or even worse, think that Okinawa is a total bust. We also live thorough all of that, and feel terribly sorry for all tourists who come here and wind up with the short end of the stick. All I can think to say is, if you ever make it to Okinawa, I wish you GOOD LUCK and FUN, INTERESTING, EYE-OPENING EXPERIENCES during your entire stay !


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♦ SOURCES OF THE OLD PHOTOS POSTED BY OKINAWA SOBA



THERE ARE NO ILLICIT COPIES HERE. THERE ARE NO RIP-OFFS TAKEN FROM OTHER ON-LINE SITES OR POSTINGS. NOTHING IS "PIRATED" FROM OTHER COLLECTORS.

95% of the OLD PHOTOS you see posted here on this photostream were acquired by me directly from photography dealers and collectors in over 30 countries during the 1970s through the 1990s.

The other 5% were fought down to the wire on eBay.


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[www.flickr.com/photos/okinawa-soba/5886428674/]

♦ MY CAPTIONS --- My criminally verbose captions are my own stockpile of dubious thoughts and opinions that, if ever needed in hard-copy by a student of psychology, can someday be edited down to a more functional pithy-ness of proper prose. If you are an ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE visitor to this site, then may GOD HELP YOU. You will encounter plenty of sarcasm, spoof, and satire here. I have not stripped away the color, devices, or flavor of English usage for the sake of accommodating a global audience, where some might not understand these things, and think I am saying something that could be quite the opposite.

NOTE : There are two types of criminal verbosity on the photostream :

(1) Half of the captions are dead serious and straightforward, containing historical or informational commentary about the content of the image,

(2) The other half are just plain stupid. Silly, juvenile at times, ridiculous and questionable satire and spoof, including out-and-out fictional fabrications where I use the photo as a launching pad for my meaningless meanderings. However, not all such literary devices are without a grain of truth, and many times you will find a link taking you to the realities that I so lazily detour around.

How do you tell the difference between (1) and (2) ? Use your sixth sense, gut feelings, and intuition. If that fails you, please leave a comment under the photo asking me what the hell is going on. I will get back to you !

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♦ ON THE USE OF THESE PHOTOS



With just a few exceptions, almost EVERY OLD PHOTO you see on this photostream is completely free to use for your Blogging, Website, and other ARTSY, CRAFTY, FOLKSY Creative Uses ! YOU HAVE MY PERMISSION -- NO NEED TO ASK !

ALL OF THE PHOTOS POSTED ARE ORIGINAL TO THIS PHOTOSTREAM --- NONE OF THE IMAGES ARE RIPPED, GRABBED, STOLEN, OR UNETHICALLY APPROPRIATED FROM ANYWHERE ELSE ON THE INTERNET.

MOST OF THE OLD MEIJI AND TAISHO-ERA IMAGES WERE SCANNED BY MY OWN HANDS, FROM ORIGINALS IN MY OWN POSSESSION. THE ORIGINALS ARE OUT-OF-COPYRIGHT, PUBLIC-DOMAIN, NO-KNOWN-RESTRICTION IMAGES. SINCE THEN, A FEW HAVE TRADED HANDS WITH OTHER COLLECTORS.

ALSO, IN ORDER TO BETTER "EXPLAIN" MY OWN PHOTOS, A VERY FEW IMAGES NOT IN MY POSSESSION HAVE BEEN POSTED FOR CONTEXT AND COMPARISON PURPOSES, ALL WITH THE KIND PERMISSION OF THE CREDITED COLLECTOR.

MANY / MOST OF THE OKINAWA PHOTOS I'VE TAKEN AND POSTED ARE ALSO CC LICENSED FOR USE ON YOUR WEBSITES OR BLOG. SOME IMAGES SHOWING FAMILY OR FRIENDS MAINTAIN COPYRIGHT.

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♦ KNOW YOUR LIMITS !!!


While the PHOTOS ARE FREE TO USE --- Note that Flickr (not me) requires a link back to the Flickr page as a means of giving PROPER CREDIT and SOURCE INFORMATION.

Here's a clear explanation about your permission to freely use the old photos posted on this photostream "


♥ YOU ARE GIVEN CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE TO DOWNLOAD, USE, POST, FLIP, FLOP, CROP, CHOP TO PIECES, EXTRACT PORTIONS OF, INVERT, RE-COLOR, COMBINE, STRETCH, TWIST, ANIMATE, AND MANIPULATE AS NEEDED FOR YOUR CREATIVE WORK.

♥ IF YOU ARE A BLOGGER or WEBMASTER. YOU MAY USE THESE IMAGES ON YOUR COMMERCIAL OR NON-PROFIT BLOGS AND WEBSITES FOR EITHER PERSONAL, SERIOUS, STUDIOUS, FRIVOLOUS, OR DECORATIVE USE.

♥ THE PHOTOS MAY BE RE-CAPTIONED, RE-DESCRIBED, AND FREELY COMMENTED ON --- OR BE USED IN WAYS THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH YOUR TEXT OR COMMENTARY.

♥ OTHER FAIR USE APPLICATIONS AS DESCRIBED BY CURRENT COPYRIGHT LAW ARE ALSO PERMITTED --- THERE IS NO NEED TO CONTACT ME TO ASK PERMISSION. PERMISSION IS ALREADY GRANTED !!!

♥ HOWEVER, when re-posting these images straight to blog and website pages, please make them linkable back to the Flickr page where you found them as per flickr's community guidelines, rules, and terms of service. Thank you kindly in advance for proper source credit.

♥ Basically....... USE 'EM and HAVE FUN!!


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♦ WHAT I SOMETIMES DO

Since I am under no moral, ethical, or legal obligation to post the "Public Domain" images in the oft-times scratched, faded, or decrepit condition I find them, the following is sometimes resorted to prior to posting on Flickr :

♥ MY ALTERATIONS : (1) Sometimes, I minimally use Google's PICSA to correct or restore image tones and contrast, and occasionally add simple borders. (2) I sometimes use basic MS Paint to clean dings, scratches, foxing, and gunk from any old and afflicted photos, while filling in any gaping holes or missing chunks of emulsion. Further, (3) while doing this, in lieu of obvious watermarking, I sometimes make minor modifications to areas of the print that are "off subject". [EXAMPLES : Were there seven pebbles on the ground? Now there are only six. Did that tree in the distance have thirteen branches? Now there are only twelve.] This helps me to "track" use of the photos by others who like operating outside the bounds of Flickr rules.

Please note my use of the word "sometimes". I do NOT make repairs all the time, and several of my posts retain the patina and scars of time.

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♦ WHAT YOU CAN DO

♥ YOUR ALTERATIONS : YOU ARE FREE TO DO FURTHER POST PROCESSING ON ANY CC IMAGE to make the picture just how you like it for your own needs.

♥ Please don't pull a juvenile "BOB DYLAN" stunt by copying or re-painting the images, while telling everyone that these are a "visual record" of your own personal travels and face time you've had with people during your treks around the world.

♥ Please don't be an eBay Jerk by copying, watermarking, and selling all or part of my posted photo collection, while falsely passing everything off as your own.


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♦ BASIC PHOTOSTREAM STATS.....



► STARTED POSTING THIS CC FLICKr ARCHIVE FOR PUBLIC USE on 4 March 2008 --- 7 years ago.

► THE ABOVE "VISITOR COUNTER" (TO THIS PROFILE PAGE, NOT THE PHOTOSTREAM) was activated on 2 Aug 2009 (18 months after joining flickr).

► OVER 7,500 PHOTOS --- MOST OF THEM 100 YEARS OLD AND OLDER --- ARE ARRANGED FOR YOU IN VARIOUS SETS AND COLLECTIONS.

Modern photos of OKINAWA taken by me amount to almost 3,500 images.

The last time I checked.......

► OVER 700 PHOTOS APPEAR IN OVER 500 FLICKr GALLERIES. [Currently NIPSA'd]

► WEIRD FLICKr ALGORITHMS HAVE PLACED 52 IMAGES IN EXPLORE --- 14 CURRENTLY. (The most to be displayed in EXPLORE at any one time = 14) [Currently NIPSA'd]

► AS OF NOVEMBER, 2015 --- Closing in on 35,000,000 hits on the Photostream, Sets, and Collections.

PRIOR TO MAY 2013, this photostream received 20 Million views over 5 years, or, about 4 Million hits a year. AFTER MAY 2013, Flickr changed how stats are compiled, and the rate is now closer to 5 million views a year. If nothing had changed, my stats would read about 28 million hits. I do not really understand how they do the counting, and take it all with a grain of salt.

► ALMOST 3 MILLION VISITS to the SETS & COLLECTIONS.

► VISITORS HAVE COME FROM 134 COUNTRIES.


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♦ TAKING FLICKr AT THEIR WORD (Needs Clarification from Flickr)

Based on Flickr's actual practices, which seems to be the best practical demonstration of what the TOS and CG really mean, I have arrived at the following temporary conclusions :

Look at all of those group and personal vacation and birthday shots where you handed your camera to someone and said, "Hey, could you take a picture of us?" Just look at all the Family Photos that Flickr account holders are in, all taken by your kids, your parents, and your friends at beach parties, birthdays, and family gatherings --- all using your camera, so you could be in a lot of your memory-making images. Well, you didn't take them did you? But Flickr's CG says "you can't post them, because you didn't take them". Yet, Flickr thrives on these images, and places ads amongst them to haul in revenue for Yahoo.

It's hard to imagine that Flickr Staff really meant to squash the joy of posting all of those happy photos you are in along with your wife and kids, simply because it wasn't your finger on the shutter button. But, according to Flickr's CG, that Birthday pic of you taken by your mother could get your entire account deleted by Flickr Staff. But is that really what Flickr's TOS and CG is meant to stamp out ?

Also...

The well-promoted presence of FLICKr COMMONS images is an open indicator to all that Flickr absolutely allows the posting of images that were not taken by the account member, but that are in the account member's possession (owned or administered by them), and are either (1) out of copyright and in the public domain, or (2) copyrighted images posted by those who have the legal right to do so.

Rumor has it that "institutions" may have to fill out a separate agreement with Flickr, but the result is that the same old, public domain images wind up right here on the same Flickr pages that have the same TOS and CG as the rest of us do, even while we are posting what is many times the exact same public domain images.

Flickr has yet to address this anomaly on the TOS and CG pages that we all are supposed to abide by.

The "grey areas" loom large in my meager understanding.

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♦ SO, WHAT DOES FLICKr STAFF SEEM TO BE SAYING ?

FLICKR seems to be saying, by deed and example, that If you TOOK the photo, if the photo was TAKEN BY SOMEONE ELSE UNDER YOUR DIRECTION, if the photo is part of a FAMILY ARCHIVE of personal images taken of you or your ancestors by photographers and studios, or, if you PHYSICALLY OWN AN ORIGINAL PHOTO THAT IS AN OUT-OF-COPYRIGHT IMAGE which is IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN with NO KNOWN RESTRICTIONS.... then Flickr Staff will probably not get bent out of shape and shut you down if you post it for the education and enjoyment of all.

But, I'm not really sure, and even after many years on Flickr, continue to be a bit confused by it all.

If someone from FLICKr STAFF happens to be reading this, I hope you can jump in and resolve these seeming contradictions and "grey areas" for the benefit of all of us. We really do love this place, and none of us are intentionally trying to be "that guy".


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♦ MY RELATIONSHIP WITH JAPAN

Due to having lived most of my life in Japan's southern frontier prefecture of Okinawa --- working with, being exasperated with, cooperating with, and both loving and butting heads with Okinawans and Japanese from ALL walks of life --- I have formed my own opinions about Japan and the Japanese. Some of these opinions (filtered through my own personality) show up in various sentimental ways in the captions of the images I post.

With a few shining exceptions, I have not had many positive experiences while dealing with the mainland Japanese who live and work in Okinawa in business and Government capacities. This, along with a thorough knowledge of Japan's centuries-long interference in Okinawan affairs, has tainted my view of Japan (as a national entity, and "body politic") in the way that some Native Americans, Hawaiians, Eskimos, and others have had their view of the "White Man" similarly tainted.

During my occasional travels to the mainland, I have experienced the full range of human emotions in my interactions there, and well understand both the positive and negative aspects of life in Japan for natives and foreigners alike.

I recognize that others have had different experiences than me while in Japan, and might disagree with some things I have to say. No problem. Please post your own photos and experiences, and I will applaud you for it.

As already implied, I make no apologies for any MOCKING SPOOF of anything the Japanese might throw at me. There is nothing and no one in Japan that is sacred or immune to comment --- including any Emperors that have ascended to the throne.

For better (and for worse) the Japanese in general (and the Okinawans in specific) are my maddening in-laws, and also my best friends. They are the ones I have loved the deepest, and also the ones I have wanted to strangle the most !

Within Japan, and definitely in a historical and cultural class of their own, the people of Okinawa have been an especially humbling source of great inspiration.

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♦ MORE PERSONAL STUFF....



I am an American citizen, 62 years old, who, until recently, worked as a professional photographer in Okinawa, Japan. I have lived and worked here in one capacity or another for most of the past 40 years, and remain a permanent resident of Japan. I am now engaged in other pursuits, but continue to enjoy photography as an amateur.

My wife is Okinawan. My three daughters were born in Okinawa, and have dual JAPAN-USA citizenship.

I have been asked more than once by Japanese Immigration officials if I would be interested in having Japanese citizenship. After politely declining, I stated publicly in a newspaper article that I have no interest in "becoming Japanese", (although the Mainland is a very nice place to visit) but would readily accept OKINAWAN CITIZENSHIP if there was such a thing --- which unfortunately, there is not. (Some more personal notes are found farther below)

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♦ STATIONED ON OKINAWA During the VIETNAM WAR

In 1972-73, I spent a couple of months being trained by the United States Government in the art and science of killing as many Southeast Asians as possible, including placement of "roadside bombs" (In my case, it was not "improvised explosive device" IEDs of Middle Eastern fame, but rather, the art of placing well-concealed Claymore Mines along the roadsides, each one of the devices being able to pulverize upwards of 40 human beings at a time).

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M18_Claymore_anti-personnel_mine

My Government instructors openly called the hard-working people of those distant lands "gooks".

However, in spite of twice receiving orders to Vietnam, and being prepared to ship out from Okinawa each time, these orders were rescinded at the last moment, and I wound up working my full tour of duty in the US Army Hospital in Okinawa.

Here, the results of war were daily brought to us, and we helped nurse back to health those soldiers and marines who were waylaid by sickness or injury.

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♦ I SEE DEAD PEOPLE

The Government's sole purpose for me (and others in the Hospital) was to get these injured guys patched up and returned to the field of battle, where they could continue killing as many "gooks" as our bombs and ammunition would allow --- and, in the end, hopefully win the war.

So, in this capacity, while (1) getting paid well by the US Government for my services, and (2) while religious Americans spouted off, and opined about the evils of abortion, I (3) directly aided an abetted the killing of what is now estimated to be 2,000,000 to 5,000,000 Southeast Asians, including women, children, and the elderly --- all of whom never posed an ounce of threat to the United States of America.

And, as usual, it was the "Pro-Life, Religious Right" that were the main, flag-waving supporters of my participation in America's wholesale slaughter of humanity in that region of the world.

We called it "THE VIETNAM WAR".

Nowadays, when I see the sad sight of my fellow Americans getting blown up by roadside bombs in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, It brings back memories of when the United States Government trained me to do the EXACT SAME THING to others in a country we had no business being in.

What goes around, comes around.

JUST ANOTHER DAY : www.liveleak.com/view?i=74a_1267057061

EXPORTING DEMOCRACY : www.liveleak.com/view?i=6b0_1235627650

HEAVY METAL RAIN : www.liveleak.com/view?i=0cf_1192458857

While working at the Hospital in Okinawa (eventually as E-5 Army Sergeant Oechsle, NCO in charge of the Pharmacy), I also took pictures, and privately taught basic photography and darkroom work. In fact, I've been an avid amateur photographer for over 40 years, with about 15 of those years doing it professionally in Japan.

I only wish I had taken more pictures back then.


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♦ THE AFTER EFFECTS of WAR

I'm sure that my Military Hospital experience during the Vietnam war has had a lasting effect on my psyche and personality, though I'm not really sure what it is.

I did "wax religious" for many years after the war, but found that the world of "religion" can be just as destructive to humanity as bombs and bullets.

However, to this day, I remain an un-apologetic "Cultural Imperialist" who has absolutely no tolerance for the adolescence ideas of "Cultural Relativity" and "Moral Equivalency", or any other lame excuses of the "Time / Place" variety that lets the world sit by while women and children get run over and trampled by the lame-brained misogynists who continue to run half of the patriarchal, stone-aged countries of the world.

You will probably pick up on that in a few of my captions.

Otherwise, enjoy the photos, and feel free to re-blog any CC-rated images that might help out your own Web-pages.

Cheers !



4 May 2011 --- This Account was NIPSA'd (public search restrictions imposed) by someone on Flickr Staff --- the reason given was that a half of my photostream contains personally-owned, original, out of copyright, public domain photographs. Although the images in question were formerly part of a curated archive of antique images open to the public, and posted here for educational reasons relating to photographic history, (and not copied or stolen from the Web) , Flickr has informed me that, since I did not take them, they have set my photostream to NOT BE accessible via PUBLIC SEARCHES.

Since I thought these posts were a positive contribution to the spirit of Flickr's "Commons" (archival photos posted to Flickr from many old collections such as my own), I really don't understand the NIPSA punishment, but have accepted it in lieu of no further explanation from the Staff.

Profile revised 12 December 2015.