EATING THROUGH JAPAN

a little over a year ago i was fortunate enough to go on my dream trip and visit the wonderful country of japan.  ever since i was a wee little samurai, i have had an interest in everything japan had to offer. i can't pinpoint exactly what drummed up this interest within me but if i'm speaking honestly it could be a lot of cliche things that my grade school self thought was truly authentic "japanese" - ninja's, sushi, white faced geisha girls, bonsai trees and mr. miyagi.

over the years, i learned that japan is so much more and for whatever reason i still kept pushing it out in the future in favor of other destinations around the world.  and even in visiting these other exotic locales (sometimes more than once) my mind wouldn't let go of the idea of the need to go to japan, even if it was by myself. so in the early spring of 2015 i packed my bags and ventured out on my own to discover the wonders of the land of the rising sun.

now i could go on forever about how awesome the trip was and how each passing day only added another day of proof that i needed to visit again. but instead of using my words, i'll let the photos do the talking.  at first i wanted this photo essay to be my big embrace to japan and all its storied history, culture and people but then i realized that should be a work in progress and i'll never capture it all in one slideshow.  so instead i focused my attention on one particular aspect of the country that had me buzzing from the moment i stepped off the plane in tokyo to the minute i landed back on canadian soil....FOOD.

this is by no means an attempt to flood your senses with emotional, beautiful photographs the way someone like Peter Lik or Steve McCurry would (those will come later on in a future post) but rather these images are only intended to make you salivate and tug at your tastebuds for the savory sweet art that is japanese food.  in fact, many of these images are captured directly from the iPhone and still you can get a sense of how simply inspiring dining is in japan, let alone how delicious it is.  from sushi to curry and ramen to rice bowls, the only way to really enjoy authentic japanese food is by going there yourself and spending yen at the nearby izakaya, the local hole in the wall noodle house or even the closest 7-11 or lawson's.  and if after you watch the slideshow and you still have absolutely no cravings for a succulent piece of tuna nigiri or a piping hot bowl of ramen, i feel sorry that you have no heart.  go enjoy a bowl of cheerios and ice water and talk to me when you want to enjoy life again.


have any questions or comments? did i miss out on something that i should enjoy the next time i'm there (and there will be a next time). find me and drop me a line on either facebook, twitter or instagram.

de jesus. irasshaimase! and then out.
  

GOHAN SUSHI LOUNGE

opening a new restaurant is never easy.  there are a lot of things behind the scenes that need to be taken care of and then there are the things in the front of house that needs attention.  you have to worry about the menu, the equipment, the staff and making sure that the decor is in line with the basic theme of the restaurant.  often times it's not the food itself you have to worry about as much as making sure people know about the food.  that's where i can help.  

the good people at calgary's newest sushi restaurant GOHAN Sushi Lounge asked me to help with the photography of some of their exquisite and colorful menu items to help promote their opening to the local community.  the shoot was broken up into two parts: 1) photo work with a model and 2) photo work with the food itself.

i decided that using a jet black backdrop for the shoot would really help make the vibrant colors pop and to add some refined elegance to the images, i used a black glass table to help highlight the reflections of the dishes as well as the food.  so armed with a small softbox, continuous light strobes and my 105mm nikkor macro lens, i think i managed to capture some stunning images which hopefully not only delight your eyes, but perhaps your taste buds as well.

having spent a dinner there just recently, i can assure you that the food is delicious and worth your time to check out.  the staff are very passionate about their menu and want to make sure you leave with a desire to come back with your family and friends. i'm reminded that there is nothing better for a restaurant than customers feedback and word of mouth business to keep the kitchen busy.

  

GOHAN is already open to the public with a grand opening scheduled in the coming weeks.  and for those that have a knack for creating delicious food, GOHAN is holding a contest where you can submit a recipe to the restaurant and the winning roll will be featured on their menu for an entire month!  (time to work on my spam, over-easy egg and garlic fried rice roll...)

so what about the model shoot?  below is one of my edited images and then below that the final image which is currently being used by GOHAN for their social media advertisements as well as their front of house banner.  those with a keen eye will notice how the image was photoshopped to replace the patterned badge on vanessa's right shoulder with the logo of the restaurant.  in the coming weeks, i will share some of the other stunning japanese inspired images vanessa and i worked on in our shoot together.

de jesus. goto gohan. out.