I just got back from a road trip to Portland to see Amon Amarth perform a double-set concert (“An Evening With Amon Amarth” Tour) with no opening band at the Wonder Ballroom. The first set was their new CD in its entirety. The second set was a more typical mixture of Amon Amarth classics. The full setlist (set list?) for the 2.5 hour show looked like this:
War of the Gods
Töck’s Taunt – Loke’s Treachery Part II
Destroyer of the Universe
Slaves of Fear
Live Without Regrets
The Last Stand of Frej
For Victory or Death
Wrath of the Norsemen
A Beast Am I
Doom Over Dead Man

Twilight of the Thunder God
Masters of War
Live for the Kill
With Oden on Our Side
Guardians of Asgaard
Asator
Varyags of Miklagaard
Thousand Years of Oppression
Without Fear
Victorious March
Gods of War Arise
Death in Fire

Cry of the Black Birds
Runes to My Memory
The Pursuit of Vikings

I haven’t even looked at all of the pictures and video I took yet, so this post is just a little preview. Hopefully, I’ll have a half dozen photos or more and almost as many videos for you tomorrow. Here is another pic from the gig.

For now, I’ll leave you with the first video that I have uploaded, “The Last Stand of Frej” from their new CD, Surtur Rising.

Posted on April 20th, 2011 under Oregon. Tags: amon amarth, metal, video. Comments Off on Amon Amarth photos and video from Wonder Ballroom show in Portland, Oregon

Today’s photo wasn’t taken in Japan. I took it last week on the SOU campus. It’s one of the few cherry trees in Oregon that look like the sakura so common in Japan.

I don’t have a macro lens for my Nikon D7000. The camera with the 18-200mm lens simply won’t focus on anything closer than half a meter (1.6 feet) from the lens. I thought this would be problematic in taking these kinds of macro shots. That has not been a problem though. Instead of going inches from the target and taking the photo at or near 18mm, I just back up and zoom. This photo was taken hand held with a breeze blowing at 150mm. Not a bad macro, close-up shot for a non-macro lens like this…

Posted on April 10th, 2011 under Japan, Oregon. Tags: cherry blossoms, macro, Nikon 18-200mm VR II, nikon d7000, photography, sakura, 桜. Comments: 1

Unfortunately, the misinformation about Japan’s radiation situation continues to seep into the consciousness of society and become a false reality. People, in the USA anyway and probably much of the world, picture Japan now as a radioactive wasteland thanks to the media not presenting an accurate picture. If you look at actual radiation readings taken by independent citizens (or even biased groups like Greenpeace) you will see that radiation levels in 99% of Japan are no different than they were prior to the Tohoku Quake, tsunami, and Fukushima Nuclear Reactor problems.

The media’s influence is even warping the minds of Japanese living in the USA. The top photo is from a Bento/Hot Dog stand in Ashland, Oregon owned and run by a Japanese person.

In addition to the top photo sign, which made me cringe, Koko’s Bento Dog helped raise some funds during Friday night’s “art walk.” I attended and it was a great event. I didn’t realize there were so many Japanese people in my hometown.

Despite the radiation sign, which I disapprove of, Koko’s Bento Dog Cafe makes a fine hot dog.

Posted on April 3rd, 2011 under Japan, Oregon. Tags: food, signs. Comments: 2

You don’t have to go to Japan to find good ramen anymore. Not that you can find five shops per block like you could in my old Nishi-Waseda neck of the woods, but we discovered Toshi’s Ramen in Eugene, Oregon the day after Thanksgiving. There wasn’t any tonkotsu on the menu, but you could choose from shoyu, miso, or shio broths. Possible toppings included pork (much leaner than any I experienced in Japan), corn, garlic, green beans, butter, bean sprouts, green onions, seaweed, and bamboo shoots. The noodles are hand made at Toshi’s. However, they were thinner than most I had in Japan. I like them a little thicker. I didn’t try the gyoza but will next time.

Here is a photo of the bowl I had, miso with corn, garlic, pork, green beans, bamboo shoots, and bean sprouts.

Posted on December 5th, 2010 under Japan, Oregon. Tags: food, ramen, signs. Comments Off on Toshi’s Ramen

I didn’t know which blog this would be most fitting to post on so I’m posting it, with different photos, both here and on my Ashland Daily Photo blog.

This past Sunday, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival was having its “Culture Fest.” At noon a matinée Green Show featured Mitsuki Dazai on the Japanese koto. Ms. Dazai was lots of fun between songs, telling stories and enchanting the crowd.

Here she is performing Shaei (斜影 or “Diagonal Shadows”) by Hikaru Sawai (沢井 比河流). Sawai was in a heavy metal band before writing this piece for the koto.

Posted on October 5th, 2010 under Japan, Oregon. Tags: people, video. Comments Off on Heavy Metal Koto