This year, the Imabari District Tourism Association has introduced a new Instagram category in its popular tourism photo contest. Following the successful Photo Trips last year, another trip is planned for 2018, on January 28 (Sun).
The theme of this Photo Trip is the built environment of Imabari.
Imabari has many distinctive buildings, including works by famous architects, and there are numerous interesting structures on the Shimanami Kaidō between Honshu and Shikoku.
On this Photo Trip, we’ll photograph structures built using new technology, and historic buildings that have survived to the present. We’ll shoot both inside and outside. This trip offers a chance to discover new possibilities in Imabari through a deeper appreciation of these facilities and technologies, and by bringing their appeal into clearer focus.
The trip will be led by Rod Walters, who will also be a judge of the 2018 Imabari Tourism Photo Contest sponsored by the Association (deadline for submissions, Jan 31).
Date
January 28 (Sun)
Price
2,500 yen
Includes bus, insurance, and lunch. Please pay on the day.
Participants
Foreign residents who enjoy photography. We have places for up to 25 people.
What to bring
The following things would be good to have
- Camera. Whatever you have – DSLR, compact camera, box brownie…
- Smartphone. Some apps that you might want to download in advance include ProCamera, Pro HDR X, and Snapseed.
- Selfie stick
- Warm clothing
Itinerary
| 7:00 | Assemble at JR Matsuyama Station |
| 8:00 | Pick up from JR Imabari Station |
| 8:30 | Uzushio Electric Co., Ltd. Mirai Factory |
| 9:30 | Imabari Harbour Building |
| 10:30 | Mt. Kirō Observatory, Ōshima |
| 11:50 | Lunch at Setouchi Chaya, Ōmishima |
| 12:30 | Minna no Ie, Ōmishima |
| 13:30 | Climb the Tatara Bridge |
| 15:30 | Itoyama Park |
| 16:30 | Arrive at JR Imabari |
| 17:00 | Arrive at JR Matsuyama |
How to apply
Click the link here to send email to kankou@oideya.gr.jp, and fill in the information requested (your name, age, sex, date of birth, address, mobile phone number, email address, emergency contact, and pick-up place).
Also, please let us know if there’s anything in particular you want to learn about, whether relating to photography or Imabari.
We look forward to seeing you!
About your photos
We ask that you submit some of the shots you take on the day to the 2018 Imabari Tourism Photo Contest.
If your work wins a prize, Imabari City and the Tourism Association will use it in the following ways.
- On the Association’s website
- In a calendar featuring regional tourism resources
- Tourism pamphlets
- Make it available to travel agencies, travel magazines, media, etc. as free stock photos (we will contact you for permission if necessary)
About the buildings and structures
Uzushio Electric Co., Ltd. Mirai Factory
Shaped like a paper airplane, this factory appears at a glance like a huge monument. It has a shape like a ship of the future with a unique form that changes depending on the angle that you see it from. Since it’s surrounded by nature, the factory is known as “the forest fan boat”. The strongly progressive design concept incorporates a fan symbolizing the spirit of respect for the past and tradition, a boat symbolizing the future and an enterprising spirit, and a forest symbolizing a spirit of responsibility for society and the environment. It was designed by Kiryū Mitsuru.
Factory tours are possible. There’s also a ship-handling simulator in the Future Museum.
Imabari Harbour Building
This building was designed by Hara Hiroshi, one of Japan’s leading architects, whose masterpiece the Umeda Sky Building was elected one of the world’s top 20 buildings, alongside the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. On the land side of the port, a huge black ship made of wood, with beautiful curves, appears to float on a base of glass. This building was designed and built as part of a harbour rehabilitation project to restore the once-flourishing Imabari port as a place not only for transport but also for social interaction.
Mt. Kirō Observatory, Ōshima
This observation platform was designed by Kuma Kengo, who was involved in the design of the new national stadium in 2020 as the main venue of the Tokyo Olympics. Like the Chichu Art Museum in Kagawa Prefecture, it was designed with the concept of ‘invisible architecture’, embedded in the mountain top so as not to adversely affect the scenery. With its geometric structure, it provides an interesting contrast to the natural scenery around it.
Minna no Ie, Ōmishima
Ito Toyō, who won the Pritzker Architecture Prize (the Nobel Prize of architecture), serves as Director of the Ito Toyō Juku. This organization restored the former Legal Affairs Office on the approach to Ōyamazumi Shrine using local stucco. It’s used as a café and bar serving wine produced on Ōmishima. Here you can get a sense of the intention behind Ito’s project to turn Ōmishima into Japan’s most beautiful island. It’s located about 5 minutes on foot from Ōyamazumi Shrine.
Tatara Bridge
We’ll go inside Tatara Bridge where you can’t normally go. Naturally the view from the top is amazing, but the internal structure of this huge construction is also noteworthy.
Itoyama Park
If we have time remaining, we’ll go to shoot around Itoyama Park.
The dramatic Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge is impressive as a giant structure, complementing the beautiful natural scenery of the nearby islands. Free shooting. The little museum on the observation deck showing the structure and parts of the bridge is interesting. In front of the museum, you can look out over the Kurushima Straits, selected as No. 1 out of Ehime’s Top 20 Spectacular Places.