Trip 130, Spring 2016, Japan



041 New mission of loading up Obama’s luggage and head to Japan for two weeks. Never been before, so this set will be picture intense. We had LOTS of time off, so loaded up the camera bag with snacks, and we went full tourist mode.







042 I don’t like this side of the road.







043 Through the two weeks of looking as goofy as I normally do, I must have had been asked to take my picture standing next to someone 50 times.







044 “Anyone know how to figure out the train schedule?” “No.” “Perfect!”







045 Ashley was excited to finally be taller than average.







046 Don't lick the windows Lt.







047 No personal space today.







048 Hashtag much excite.







049 Subway selfie while the responsible one in the group asks for directions in the background.







050/51 Let the touristing begin.











052 Someone is all smiles borrowing my Nikkor 28-300! Unlike my ole D3000, her full frame camera body has the horsepower to run it effectively. If I can finally get around to stop buying guns, a D750 is on my shopping list.







053 Jump!







054 And the crowd parts for the loadmaster hero shot.







055/59 Full tourist mode.























060 Ok, I want my 28-300 back. This kit lens isn’t cutting it.

 

061 - Oh, thank heaven.







062 - “Hi friend, what do you have like Coors Lite?” “???” “Dammit.”







063 - Lt Dan, ICE CREAM!







064 - Glamor shot.







065 - “Nom…”







066/070 - Full tourist mode.























071 - After urban hiking all day, we need a break.







072 - Full tourist mode.







073 - Well, no idea if that place is good or not, but screw it, I’m hungry.







074 - “Can we get the menus with pictures?”







075 - “What do you mean there is ain’t a fork around here? How am I supposed to use these things?” I rode the struggle bus to get them to work, but it was pretty damn good, so I'll write it off as a win.







076 - Next door was a puppy store.







077/078 - I was the tallest guy in the square. No selfie stick required.











079 – “What?”







080 - That guy got you hook, line, sinker.

 

081/083 - After a week of goofing off, it was inevitable the phone would ring to go to work. Thanks Obama.

"Hey you guys are set legal for Bravo. Nothing expected, have a nice day."

Go to poop...

"Ya'll are alerted."

The fawk???

Taylor…"Oh ok. Hey Lane, chief is trying to punk us."

A Charleston C-17 ran into engine trouble at its gas stop in Alaska, and while only delayed after getting fixed, the crew would expire on their duty day limit at the first stop after crossing the Pacific Ocean. My crew was alerted to deadhead fly as passengers and preposition ourselves at Chubu Centrair International Airport in Nagoya Japan to keep the jet moving. It’s an interesting man-made island airport in the water of Ise Bay. The Boeing 787 production line sources its wings from Mitsubishi, and they are loaded up into a heavily modified 747-400 Dreamlifter. Really interesting airframe.



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084 - Everywhere we go, a crowd gathers for a shot. Hashtag rockstars.



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085 - Tokyo tower.



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086 - Sexy piece of big new Boeing.



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087 – Airbus trash.



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088 – Not ready to rock.



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089 - Ready for takeoff in sequence.



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090 - That overrun at Chubu Centrair International Airport is a doozy.



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091 – Pilot hero shot.



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092/093 – Copilot hero shots.



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094/096 – Only work we did on this trip.



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097 - Jet was delivered, and we went back to the hotel to change for more touristing. Never go full phoam!



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098 - Some kind of algae garden contraption.



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099/100 - Headin’ out again.



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101/106 – Back to full tourist mode.



























107/110 - Did go into this store, but they were adamant on no photography, and let me know it quickly seeing the camera around my neck.



















111 - Nerds!







112/113 - Waiting for a traffic light, we saw these guys breaking down scaffolding by the hand method. Must not have OSHA around these parts.











114 - It’s hungry time again. That looks fancy, let’s stop for lunch.







115 - Good steak, and they had forks, so all smiles from me.







116 – Refreshed and back on the streets.







117 That tower looks interesting, might be a hike to get there though. No worries, nothing else to do.







118 – We need ice cream.







119 – There’s ice cream down that way.







120 - Time for ice cream break on the long and perilous trek.

 

121 - The most interesting things get stumbled upon when in random places without having a plan of what to see. Even quality lens’ and amateur talent cannot capture the amount of visual overload this temple area held.







122 - I thought these were Chinese lanterns, but what do I know?







123/125 – Details.















126 - Place was packed, but I didn’t see many other westerners.







127 - She’s getting married, and I think she needs a 28-300 as a wedding gift.







128 - Wringing 300mm out.







129 - Now I just need a non cropped frame body to make this 28mm shot all the wider. Nikon D750 is on my shopping list.







130 – I don’t know what that is.







131 - So I hand my old D3000 and the nice 28-300 lens to the loadmaster that ran it on her camera the day before, “What is this? A potato?” Yes, autofocus has come a long way in the last 5 years.







132 - She still got the good shot.







133 - “Excuse me, are you a real cowboy?” “Uhh, hi friend. Well, I do have a few Broncos.” “May I take a picture?” “Uhh, sure.”







134 - Guy was shooting with 35mm film too. I hadn’t heard of the camera brand before. Now prolly on some Japanese retro film blog somewhere.







135 - “Here fishy fishy fishy.”







136 - f/5.6, 105mm, ISO 100, 1/80 and no photoshop required.







137 - f/5.6, 112mm, ISO 100, 1/100 and no photoshop required.







138 – Calming.







139 – Onward and upward.







140 The girls then wanted to go shopping. I'm not buying anything over five bucks.

 

That Dreamlifter is one ugly-a** airplane.....

Next time, order the fried crickets -- they're delicious.....

 

These pictures from Japan are about a year behind with quite a bit to go. Normally I don't skip to current deployed events, but after being awake 30 hours, I needed to stay up 5 more to reset a sleep cycle before a next flight.

There are plenty of things to bitch about on a TDY to the desert. Food, weather, dirt, sand, rocks, non-potable water, laundry, cold showers, and other random nonchalantness that drags out the day. Even the best job I’ve ever had gets taxing with a combined pile of non-constant rest time, bag drags, customs checks, locked doors, dirty gear, small vans, more rocks, no trash bags, demanding flight schedules and beat to **** jets.

It’s no one’s fault when everyone does their best to work them along, but without the luxury of time parked with piles of spare parts, the love is lost. Of course safe to fly, but minor quirks come along for the ride. Pushing the bodies, beans, bullets, and bombs in and out of the ‘box makes the night to day to night cycle strum on with a solid rhythm across all the airframes.

Then a phone rings. A soldier is hurt. A sailor is sick. A Marine is wounded. An airman is burned. A contractor is bleeding. No one wants these calls, but they will come. Centers are alerted, references are run, medics are located, and the big board is looked at. “Where’s the closest bird that isn’t broken?” “There sir.” “You, Reach 456, stop loading now, push what you have out, and ready for immediate departure!” Slammed with a new call sign, new diplomatic clearances, new destination filed, and a weary norm takes a new direction.

I believe the jet knows it too. Com 1 has been scratchy and not transmitting from the co-pilots side? Cristal clear. Ramp and door needing a manual override to seat and settle? Locks first time. Number 1 engine lagging on EGT rise after fuel flow? Spools faster off the APU than ever before. Left air conditioning pac discharge temp high? Blows cooler than a Manas Kyrgyzstan winter.

For all the different missions a C-17 can quick turn to perform, I get no greater satisfaction than riding along with a successful medivac run. The sum of all the players is greater than the whole to get care to those who desperately need it.









Adrianspeeder

 

141 - “Hey chief, you need these goofy goggles to work on the plane with.”







142 - “I’m not spending over five bucks here. How much are they?” “Five bucks.” “Damn it.”







143/147 - Nautical nonsense.























148 - Unknown thinger.







149 - Getting closer to the Tokyo Skytree, but I was right on it being farther away as an optical illusion.







150 – Loadmaster hero shot.







151/152 – I don’t know how to describe this other than a big concrete bowl on legs with four random head holes.











153/160 – Tokyo sky tree.

 

I didn't realize there was such a thing as train cars without graffiti sprayed all over them!

 

161/162 – Stood in line for a while, and got this cool picture.











163 – Perspective.







164 - You are one goofy looking dude.







165 – Tasty dinner.







166 - “Thanks Lt! More beer for everyone.”







167 - “Uhh, this one is for me. Ya’ll get your own.”







168 - Next day waiting for the commissary to open.







169 - This was the cutest little thing with a turbo and lockers. I liked it in its own weird way with the big shoes.







170 - I got snapchatted.







171/172 – Last day of freedom. Goal? Tokyo Disney.











173 - Firstly, I’ve not seen many Disney movies. Secondly, I’ve never been to Disneyland or Disneyworld. What are we going to go see today? “Tokyo Disney!” a copilot and loadmaster replied. Screw it, nothing else going on.







174 - My biggest problem was not knowing the character or movie references in the first place. Add that to nothing being in English, and not a lot made sense, but the rides were decent for the price.







175 - Which three white crackers don’t belong?







176/178 - Well finally after two weeks of us screwing off, Obama wanted his luggage brought back home. Returned via Alaska, and this trip was my first time to the state to check it off my map. Very pretty views.















179 - Hey someone left a hostess cake on top of a 707.







180 - Sir! Ready to prime the magnetos for engine start to fight the Red Baron!

 

Not sure I've ever seen a rail car without graffiti before......

 

Glad you're serving our great country while having some fun doing it. Better then getting shot at on the ground!

 

Stage 4

 

Stage 4

 

Amazing pics. Thanks for sharing.