Traditional Japanese Archery

Hitotsubashi University (一橋大学) has a Japanese archery club ("kyuudou," 弓道) that is over 100 years old. In addition to various club fees, members must buy or rent traditional garb and gear that can run around $1,000 if buying. The atmosphere inside the "gudoukan" (求道館) is unmistakably Japanese and typical of many student clubhouses, including the seasonally necessary mosquito coils with their distinct aroma. The walls bear the archer's code of conduct, and students approach this military art with great earnest, many putting in long hours. Over half the club members in this military art began it after entering the university. The concentration that allows the grace and precision of a good shot is remarkable. Successful shots are rewarded with cheers and thanks.

Thanks to Geocoding.jp for helping locate the exact coordinates of the range.

Thanks to Pat Swovelin for input on leveling and the Flash version equirectangular. You can see how I need to improve my photo processing and color management skills.

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Asia / Japan

Lat: 35° 41' 44.615" N
Long: 139° 26' 39.498" E

Elevation: 43m.

→ maps.google.com [EXT]

Precision is: High. Pinpoints the exact spot.

Canon 350D, Peleng 8mm fisheye, Velbon tripod, Nodal Ninja 3. Canon's RAW software, LensFixCI, PTGui, Pano2VR, Photoshop CS3, QuickTime Pro, Audacity.