If you think of the beauty of any place, you probably think of something like the above photo.  You imagine some famous spot that has some kind of aesthetic value; a place where maybe you could walk around for hours just enjoying the beauty.

Certainly Japan has its fair share of that kind of beauty.  Over the last year I’ve been able to see a lot of it.  Here in Kojima, there’s the Seto-Ohashi Bridge crossing from here to Shikoku (pictured above).  The view of it from Washuzan Mountain is tough to beat!  An hour or two south of here, there are multiple sites including Miyajima, Kintaikyo, and Hiroshima.  A couple of hours north of here, and you find yourself around Osaka and Kyoto, filled with both ancient and natural beauties alike.  All of this within just a few hours in either direction.  Add in places like Okinawa, Kyushu, Tokyo, and Sapporo, not to mention the beauty of the seasons throughout Japan (like Sakura season for example), and what you find is one of the most photogenic countries in the world.  It is a place filled with jaw-dropping beauty, worth every penny of the flight expense to come see it. I’ve been blessed to have the opportunity to visit and photograph many of these places.  I have to admit that I love doing it.  If I’m going to get up at the crack of dawn to pull out my camera and tripod, these are the kinds of places at which I prefer to be doing it!

Nevertheless, if you asked me what makes Japan beautiful, those are not the things that come to my mind.  Had you asked me a year ago, I probably would have mentioned all of that.  But after living here for a year, away from any military base, away from most of the comforts I knew in the U.S., and so much else, those are not at the forefront of my mind.  They’re there – I appreciate them – but they’re not the first thought I have when thinking about the beauty of Japan.

So if this isn’t what makes Japan beautiful, what is it?  I’m not sure I can answer the question directly.  I can only do my best to tell you what comes to my mind.  When I think of the beauty of Japan now, I see the kids playing in the narrow streets between their homes – laughing, jumping, and being silly.  I see the school kids riding their bikes to and from school in their sharp looking uniforms.  I see the mom playing with her kid on the playground, or the dad teaching his son how to throw a fastball in a small dirt parking lot.  I remember the people, both young and old, seeing my children and bursting out with “kawaaiiii!”, enthralled by their large blue eyes.  I remember the kindness of countless strangers simply wanting to show some act of kindness to my kids, or even to me and my wife.  I remember the patience with me as I incompetently spoke broken sentences of Japanese.  I remember the food, the festivals, the ancient rituals, dances, songs, and dress.  When I think of the beauty of Japan it is all of this, and so much more, that now comes to mind.

Culture is a beautiful thing.  It’s disappointing to me that so many people are closed off to other cultures, not wanting to get out of their comfort zone.  I can personally attest to you what you are missing when you take that approach.  Coming here was not easy for me.  I had a child already, nearly 2, and a pregnant wife.  I was leaving a flexible job of frequent time with my family, to a job where I clock in, clock out, and wear a uniform every day.  The first several months were unexpectedly difficult for me.  But in that difficulty I came to appreciate something about this place that you just cannot do any other way.  There is a beauty in this place that is unique in every way – far more unique than a beautiful landscape, and far more powerful in its beauty as well.

Early Tuesday morning, my family will make our return to the U.S.  We deeply desire to return to this place and work more and harder than we have, and God willing this will occur.  But if not, I know this: God has blessed me to experience this place already.  He blessed me with challenging me and teaching me through this experience.  I know I have failed some of those challenges and lessons, but I hope its a net gain for his cause!  And no matter what, I hope that he blesses this country in a very deep and meaningful way.

Anyway, I got up early one morning to go take some photos in the area before it became filled with tourists and before it got unbearably hot.  I still have quite a few pictures to sift through from here, and Kyoto in general.  But here’s at least one for you to check out in the meantime.  Enjoy!

If you don’t know, this is a picture of the Kintai Bridge in Iwakuni, Japan.  I lived there for a while as a child, and in fact I was baptized in this river maybe a kilometer or so down stream!  Very special place for me!  If you ever get a chance to visit, do so – especially if you can during the Cherry Blossom season.  I personally think it is one of the more beautiful spots in Japan, and it’s a great little town too.

Want a print of this photo? Want to download a digital copy? You can purchase either here: Kintai Bridge on Smugmug

Want to use this as your computer background? You can purchase a larger version (without a watermark!) for only 99¢ right here: Les Taylor Photography on Smugmug

You can also buy large prints and other items from my smugmug site! Do check it out!

Like this photo? You can purchase it in many different sizes here: Seto-Ohashi Bridge at lestaylor.smugmug.com

P.S. I have to thank Trey Ratcliff of Stuck in Customs for his HDR tutorial.  I have been doing HDR for a while, but some of his tips really helped me pull this picture together to make it pop.  You can check out that tutorial here: Stuck in Customs HDR Tutorial

By the way – stay tuned for some of the photos I took tonight!  I am pretty pumped to get it all together to share!

1. Athletic difficulty
2. Preparation (i.e. how much/what kind is involved to participate)
3. Fame

So without further ado – I bring you…

The Top 5 Greatest Sporting Events

The 2010 MLB World Series Logo

5.  Major League Baseball World Series.

This is probably the one sporting event with which I am most biased.  It was tempting to put it at number 1.  But in terms of worldwide sporting events, I’m not sure I could do that in honest fashion.  However, I do think it legitimately makes it into the top 5 greatest.  In terms of athletic difficulty, one might begin to think only on an individual basis.  But Baseball isn’t an individual sport (even if Alex Rodriguez thinks differently) – it’s a team sport.  And as a team, it involves so much precision, strength, stamina, and preparation that it would be difficult for me to really leave it out of the top 5.  Every aspect of the team is crucial, and unless you are at your top performance, a team will not even make it there, let alone win it.  And of course in terms of fame, it is certainly well known throughout the world.  Many places outside of the U.S. enjoy Major League Baseball.  Among them being the country I currently live in – Japan.  So while it pains me to put it in 5th place, I think the MLB World Series earns a deserved spot in the top 5.

Large quantities of all the physical activity most people hate jammed into one event. Now that's hardcore.

4. The Ironman Triathlon

Triathlons happen all over the place.  But not many of them were begun by Navy Commanders with the sole intent of bragging rights.  The Ironman Triathlon is insane: you swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and finally run a full out marathon of 26.2 miles.  All in one day.  The first guy to finish it did so in 11 hours, 46 minutes, and 58 seconds.  He beat a Navy Seal to do so.  Um, yeah, everything about that is just plain crazy.  So when we’re talking about athleticism, it would be hard to find something that beats the Ironman Triathlon, particularly when we’re talking about individual athleticism.  And of course the preparation for such an event would have to be absurd.  You don’t just mosey up to the start line of this thing and hope for the best (unless you’re an idiot).  What knocks it down to 4th place for me is the fame factor, as well as the aforementioned individual factor, and finally the fact that it is a relatively young event.

The face of pain and determination on Andy Schleck

3. Le Tour de France

At over 100 years old, this is no doubt one of the most historic sporting events in the world. How many events can boast (if one can use that word here) that they were interrupted by both World War I and II?  It is also one of the longest in many ways – it takes place over the course of the entire month of July, and covers a distance of over 2,200 miles (3600km for my international readers).  It takes the riders through beautiful places like the rolling fields of Champagne and the gigantic mountains of the Pyrenees, and of course the finale on the Champs-Élysées.  If you are wondering about athleticism, just take a cue from the same Navy Commander who started the Ironman Triathlon.  He used Eddy Merckx (a famous cyclist at the time, and 5 time winner of the Tour) as an example to say that cyclists might be the most fit people of all athletes, due to his massive lung capacity at the time.  From ridiculous sprints which even on a flat road can reach upwards of 45 mph, to grueling climbs of over 10% (this is about a 36% angle!), it is no wonder that this kind of fitness would be needed.  And of course, to achieve that fitness, one needs a ton of training and preparation.  Add in the fame of this race, especially in the last decade or so with Lance Armstrong’s career, and you get something that clearly deserves to be in the top 5.

Whatever he just did, you can bet it was amazing.

2. The World Cup

Perhaps no other sport draws out as much emotion as the World Cup.  What other sports cause crowds to actually kill players for failure in-game?  What other sports leave grown men weeping like babies? What other sport causes Twitter to actually get overloaded as a country overtakes it with celebration?  It seems hard to compare any sport to the World Cup in terms of pure sports fanaticism.  It makes sense – these people are not just representing a team or themselves – they are representing their nation and their people, before most of the nations of the world.  And of course, these guys have to be in really good shape.  As good of shape as the guys in the Ironman Triathlon or the Tour de France?  Maybe not (though probably close).  But in terms of their ability to manipulate a ball and work together to make goals, they definitely need a skill set that is unique and extremely difficult to attain.  Making a goal in these games is worthy of insane celebration – one goal may indeed be the only goal made the entire game!  That’s not because everyone stinks, but just the opposite – everyone is amazingly talented.  Just watch one of these guys bend a soccer ball into the corner of a goal post from 30 feet away, and then the ensuing celebration (or day of mourning), and I think you’ll agree this deserves its place in my list at number 2.

HULK SMASH!

1.  The Olympics

Who doesn’t love watching the Olympics?  It’s got something for everyone.  Between the Summer and Winter versions, you can watch gymnastics, swimming, diving, sprinting, cycling, baseball, skiing, skating, and so much more.  And of course, nothing beats the Olympics when we’re talking about longevity.  Officially beginning in Ancient Greece, this event finds its roots further back than perhaps any other event held today.  And even in recent times, the Olympic Committee was formed in the 1800s (if you call that recent)!  Moving to preparation, clearly it takes a lot of dedication from every side.  The hosting city really needs at least a decade to prepare properly.  Athletes need every day of the 4 years between each event to prepare to compete and win even a podium spot.  Between all the different sports, it would be hard to argue that anything takes more athleticism.  And what could be more famous than an event that hosts nearly every country in the world?  No matter what factor you are considering, it seems obvious that the Olympic Games make up the number one sporting event in the world. You might say it wins the gold medal.

So those are my top 5 choices, and my reasons behind them.  What do you think?  Agree with my analysis?  Disagree?  I’d love to hear what you think are the top 5 greatest sporting events in the world.  Just don’t say anything involving NASCAR. 

Quick fun fact – the town around the bridge is called Shimotsui, and is the town in which I currently work! I can actually see this bridge from the school, and see it every morning as I ride to work.