“We take a deep breath and scan our eyes again and again across the prospect below, almost forgetting to snap a photo, stunned as we are with the flawless blend of urban and natural beauty before us. Regaining our senses we bring forth our cameras — and in so doing experience the landscape all over again through their lenses.”
Client: Setouchi Reflection Trip, the official travel guide to the Setouchi Region of Japan.
Project Description: Write a travel advertorial with photographs.
A Quote
“We take a deep breath and scan our eyes again and again across the prospect below, almost forgetting to snap a photo, stunned as we are with the flawless blend of urban and natural beauty before us. Regaining our senses we bring forth our cameras — and in so doing experience the landscape all over again through their lenses.”
The Inside Scoop
Onomichi is a cool town, and definitely off the beaten path.
We didn’t have any interviews or primary sources for this article, so really this article is exactly what it sounds like when you read it — an account of someone tooling around the city and reporting back on what they find. It was a lot of fun.
Of course there was some research to be done to round it out. Can’t just talk about nothing. But mostly it’s the impressions of a traveler having a damn good time. Hence the abundance of funny quips and clever word plays which pop up throughout the piece (quips which, by the way, provided no end of headaches for the Japanese translators, LOL).
I was particularly proud of the passage describing the landscape from the viewpoint above Jodo-ji Temple. The view is so gorgeous that I wanted to paint a picture with my words (as you can see in the accompanying photo). To help push my pen in the right direction, I actually thumbed through the intro to The Fair Maid of Perth by Sir Walter Scott (my favorite author), and loosely modeled my prose on his stunning description of the Valley of Perth. Needless to say, my rendition isn’t a shadow of his, but I still think I managed to capture some real beauty in my words.
My Favorite Part
Anytime I get to echo Scott, it’s a good day.
See the results:
Onomichi City – Where Temples, Cats, and Bicycles Collide (in a Good Way!)
