Front Row, Leftish

Thanks to Alex and Hamish at Kendo World magazine, I had front row seats for the Kendo championships yesterday. It was great. Too bad I was so busy trying to take photos that I barely saw any of the matches! Actually, I'm exaggerating but between messing with my camera, reviewing photos, adjusting settings, blah blah blah, and my usual bad luck, I did miss most of the good points. But it was still a phenomenal experience that I won't soon forget.

Harada from Tokyo won. I guess this is his 9th appearance. He set the record at his first appearance as the youngest-ever participant, and he made it to the quarter- or semi-finals that time. He then placed highly in a lot of subsequent appearances, and has gotten 2nd or 3rd place a few times. So basically he has been near the top for the last 9 years, and it was finally his day to shine... everybody in the place was thrilled that he finally won.

Here are some pics. Most of the photos I took, unfortunately, are pretty awful. I am starting to realize that one major limitation of my camera is the lag time between depressing the shutter release and the actual shutter. My camera is pretty slow, so I always miss the action; my only hope is to anticipate the strike and take the shot a bit early. Anyway.