Dad always dreamt of “Xanadu” and one day decided to create it. A few thousand dollars in seeds, soil, fertiliser and a couple visits to the physio later he had his Xanadu. UPDATE: What amounts more today to something of a weed garden - remains a fertile place for bugs and bees to eat and rest.
B-Sides from a Baseball documentary
Red Komodo / Angenieux EZ Zoom / Schneider Optics Digicon filter
I shot a documentary about Baseball Australia in Japan back when COVID restrictions on foreign tourists were still in place.
I remain grateful and fortunate to have seen a version of Sapporo that I'll likely never see again - one without tourists. We were greeted at least once a day with the phrase "Sorry, no foreigners" on a venture to a watering hole or dinner spot. One doesn't get offended in a place like Sapporo, or wider Japan, for the anti-foreigner sentiment. The distinctly clean, functional and cohesive social rules are something to be marvelled at. Not, I think, always compatible with an Australian mindset, but why force my perspective on them? I came to respect the place and its people, and felt compelled to film the city during my time off.
Despite being quite lonely, I was very moved by Sapporo and the warmth of its people.
