|
Sullied seaside, frog-suit females and a floral faux pas initial signs of 'your' Japan
Trash washed up on a beach in Ishikawa. (Etienne Santerre)
A simple but powerful image of a discarded motorcycle helmet with a
strong environment message was the initial major prize winner of the
new My Japan column on the MSN-Mainichi Daily News site. MSN-Mainichi Daily News sincerely thanks readers for all your efforts and support for the start of My Japan. Please continue to contribute to My Japan as it grows and progresses over the coming months. Etienne
Santerre of Ishikawa won a Mottainai T-shirt courtesy of the Mottainai
Campaign spearheaded by 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai. "The
locals blame Korea for the garbage that washes up on the beach. Sadly
enough, all of the trash is 100 percent made in Japan," Santerre said.
Feeling blooming silly in a Kobe classroom. (Jamie Macfarlane)
Jamie Macfarlane from Kobe picks up a Mottainai tote bag as second
prize for both topicality, considering it's cherry blossom viewing
season, and the hilarious description of the background to his
submission. "I was so happy to see cherry blossoms and photograph
them so early this year, when I took them into my classroom for
discussion I was shot down in flames for taking pictures of a plum tree
and not a cherry blossom. Silly me, I was left with egg on my face,"
Macfarlane said. Osaka's William Metcalfe, meanwhile, won third
prize literally in a toss-up between competition judges for his picture
of a group of Osaka girls displaying some of the hospitality Japan is
world renowned for. "Walking past the Dotonbori bridge I saw
these girls sporting a uniquely Japanese fashion. It was the frog and
panda hats that really caught my attention so I snapped a candid shot.
Unique Japanese fashion at Dotombori Bridge in Osaka. (William Metcalfe)
"The flash caught their notice so two of the girls turned and posed for this picture," Metcalfe said. Entries
received for My Japan were of such high quality that MSN-Mainichi Daily
News may periodically run galleries of the photos that came close to
picking up a prize but didn't quite make it. Entering My Japan is easy. Use
the Entry Form you can find linked at the bottom of this page and
simply send in a photo about "your" Japan news, preferably something
that has happened recently.
Here's the prizes you can win while letting the world know your news at the same time.
It can be funny, sad, serious, heartwarming or completely absurd. The
photo must be accompanied by a short description of no more than 50
words to describe what happened in the picture, where the photo was
taken and when it occurred. Entries close at 12 noon Fridays, Japan Standard Time. (By Ryann Connell)
The Green Belt Movement Official Website
http://www.greenbeltmovement.org/
April 2, 2006
|
Print-friendly version
