messed up in miyako: a sleep-deprived photographer's guide

i'm in miyako and i haven't slept in 36 hours. not by choice, mind you - my flight was delayed and now my internal clock thinks it's 3 pm in tokyo when it's actually 6 am here. but whatever, the light's great. it's this soft, diffused thing that makes everything look like an old postcard. i just checked my weather app and it's 9.92 degrees celsius, but feels like 9 due to the humidity. hope you like that kind of chilly, damp air. it's perfect for black and white shots, if you ask me. my lens fogged up twice already just from going outside to inside. pro move: keep your camera in the bag until it acclimates. learned that after ruining a roll of film. yes, i still shoot film. sue me.

that map shows the whole region. i'm pinned near the port, where the fishing boats are all stacked up like toys. my hostel is above a ramen shop that's only open from 11 pm to 4 am. i found that out after i arrived at 2 am starving. the guy running it, mr. tanaka, doesn't speak much english but he gave me a bowl of miso ramen that warmed my soul. someone told me that the broth is simmered for 48 hours, but i think that's an exaggeration. still, it was good.

speaking of gossip, i heard at the tourist info center that the best view of the sanriku coast is from a cliff called ‘takogami’ but you have to hike for an hour. i did it yesterday and nearly slipped on the wet rocks. the view was worth it, but my camera lens got salty spray. not ideal. i met a local photographer there who said the light is best at blue hour. i stayed till dusk and caught the fishermen returning with their catch. got some keepers, but my hands were so cold i could barely press the shutter.

i've been snapping photos of everything: the old ladies selling oysters by the roadside, kids playing in the empty lot next to the shrine, even the vending machines that glow in the rain. this place has a vibe that's hard to pin down. it's not bustling like tokyo, not dead like a ghost town. just... quietly persistent. i read on a local blog that the town was rebuilt after the 2011 tsunami, and you can still see the memorials. heavy stuff, but important.

that's a stock photo, but it captures the mood. the coastline here is rugged, with rocks that look like dragon scales. i tried to get that shot myself but the tide was in. such is life. i guess i'll have to come back.

if you're coming here, check out the Miyako City Official Site for event calendars. they have a lantern festival next week that i'm stoked for. also, the local train schedule is a nightmare but worth navigating. i spent an hour at the station trying to figure out the rapid vs local trains. a salaryman helped me, muttering about tourists. i bought him a coffee from the vending machine. small kindnesses.

neighbors? oh yeah. if you get bored of miyako's slow pace, kamaishi is just a short train ride away - like 40 minutes. they have a famous surf spot and a whole different energy. or you can go inland to hanamaki for hot springs. i tried one and nearly fell asleep in the public bath. embarrassing. someone told me that the onsen in hanamaki is the oldest in the region, but the water smells like eggs. worth it for the soak.

reviews online are split. on Yelp, some people say the seafood is to die for, others say it's overpriced. i think it depends on what you order and when. i had grilled saury that was melt-in-your-mouth, but my friend got something rubbery. gamble, i guess. i also read TripAdvisor forums where someone claimed the best sushi is at the place with the green awning. i went, and it was mid. but the chef gave me a free appetizer because i complimented his knife skills. nice guy.

this is from last night. i was at that izakaya with the swearing parrot. the parrot actually said ‘kanpai’ when i toasted. true story. i have a video, but it's too blurry to post.

the weather's been consistent: 9.92°C, feels like 9, humidity 47%. i'm starting to think the numbers are a joke. like, who reports temperature to two decimals? but it's miyako, so maybe they're just precise. pressure's high, sea level's same as ground level. doesn't mean much to me, but i'm sure a meteorologist would have a field day. i asked my landlord about it and he just laughed and said 'it's miyako, what can you do?'

i'm running out of clean socks, which is a photographer's worst nightmare. wet feet lead to bad decisions, like eating three donuts for breakfast. no regrets. i found a coin laundry that's open 24 hours, but it costs 500 yen a load. ouch.

oh, and i should mention the photography meetup group i joined. they have a walk next weekend. might go, if i can stay awake. the leader said we're going to shoot the fish market at dawn. that means 5 am. yikes.

anyway, i need to crash. but first, more coffee. because sleep is for people with consistent temperatures. and consistent temp? 9.92 degrees, baby. bring it on.

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