Yes, life can be beautiful, a photo from Nara, Kinki

Photographer's Note

Nara - Yes, life can be beautiful especially when youre not the rickshaw runner

The pulled rickshaw is originally a Japanese invention (from the 2nd half of the 19th century).
The name in Japanese, Jin (human) Riki (power) Sha (vehicle) means a vehicle driven by manpower.
Ten years after its invention it had become a very popular way of travel. Then there were more than 150.000 rickshaws in the country.
It became also very popular in many other Asian countries (even in East - and in South Africa).

Residents of rural areas who migrated to large cities in Asia often worked first as a rickshaw runner. Terrible but it was the deadliest occupation. The pullers lived a life of poverty and many slept in the rickshaws.
In Japan the popularity of the rickshaw declined by the 1930s with the arrival of cars and trains.

But today - in a more romantic and nostalgic flurry the rickshaw is back in Japan, at least in the traffic poorer parts of Nara and Kyoto where there are lots of temples, pagodas and shrines. Also in the district Asakusa in Tokyo, as well a part with many temples and shrines.

In the background you can see the upper part of the Kofuku-ji five-storey pagoda, a landmark and symbol of Nara.
It dates from 1426 and is the second tallest pagoda in the country.

Indrasish, COSTANTINO, jhm, holmertz, Cricri, ikeharel, Kamilutka, jacquest, cornejo, mirosu, jcpix, kwekwekan, nikkitta, photoray, dip, Royaldevon, kato, PiotrF, ourania, macjake, Gigidusud, fritzi007, adramad, mkamionka, ChrisJ oznaczył to zdjęcie jeko użyteczne

Critiques | Translate

jadesgran (5433) 2014-05-12 20:53

Hello Paul
I love your picture!
A well composed image showing the pagoda in the background as well as the mane subjects.
Excellent clarity T.F.S.
Best Wishes
Gladys.

Indrasish (2943) 2014-05-12 21:22

Hello Paul,
Hand pulled rickshaws are very rare in world.. In my hometown, we can see hand pulled rickshaws.. Excellent shot here.. Also I like the composition and the expressions of these characters.. Superb image quality and nice colors too.. Very well done..
Good morning and best wishes from Kolkata, India..
warm regards,
indrasish..

COSTANTINO (117940) 2014-05-12 21:37

Good morning dear friend
excellent shot here I would like to be
there not as rickshawrunner
interesting scenery with excellent
sharpness and lightness I liked
the expressions of their faces
showing the great pleasure of
travelling of course except rickshaw
runner another beauty also is
the pagoda included into this
landscape
regards
have a nice time
Costantino

siudzi (34141) 2014-05-12 22:54

Hi Paul,
All of them look very happy at your shot but no doubt that this must be quite tiring job... Like the scene a lot with an interesting top of the pagoda in the background and lovely bright tonality of the view. Well seen and captured! TFS.

Have a nice day!
Gosia

lousat (140070) 2014-05-13 1:53

Hi Paul,beautiful capture from your last trip,they smiles in front to your camera,and the result is nice and funny,i like a lot the magnificent pagoda in background,great quality as usual.Have a nice day and thanks,Luciano

Sergiom (117241) 2014-05-13 4:59

Bonjour Paul,

J'aime beaucoup cette belle scčne de la vie quotidienne.Le porteur semble trčs souriant malgré sa charge et l'arričre plan est superbe pour une visite touristique.

Amicalement

Serge

jhm (211738) 2014-05-13 5:11

Dag Paul,

Het leven kan mooi zijn wanneer men gezond is, geld is gemakkelijk maar een bijzaak naar gezondheid toe.
Opnieuw een goed overwogen opnamen met de toren netjes tussen de loper en rickshaw.
Ook een goede scherpte en samenstelling, misschien is Japan nog steeds het land van de reizende zon, een land met een beruchte geschiedenis.
Heel mooi foto werk Paul, bedankt.

Groeten uit Oost-Vlaanderen,
John.

holmertz (103732) 2014-05-13 7:13

Hello Paul,
Human touch, local flavour, somne bright colours, traditional and modern architecture - all in one picture. Maybe that is a reasonable summary of today's Japan. It seems that all three persons in the foreground kindly agreed to let you take this photo. The very few times I have gone with a hand-pulled rickshaw (in Calcutta) I felt rather uneasy. Does the rickshaw puller hide his left arm behind his back, or does he actually have just one arm?
Kind regards,
Gert

Cricri (176) 2014-05-13 11:15

Bonjour Paul
Et oui c'est ce que je pensais, c'est charmant, romantique pour celui qui ne soutien pas le pousse pousse, bien qu'il sourit l'on voit que c'est un dur travail, belle vue sur l'arričre plan, bonne lumičre et présentation
Belle soirée
cricri

ikeharel (114751) 2014-05-13 11:37

Rickshaw-runner guy looks happy to pose for you, unlike his passangers, Paul, they really forced themselves to smile knowing they are on camera.
Yet, managed a beautiful view of the Pagoda "rising" from a grove and a pond in FG.
Nice taken the moment, good evening,
Ike

Kamilutka (8107) 2014-05-14 0:07

Hello Paul,
very interesting note and the picture illustrates it very well. What strikes me the most is the positive mood of this photo - the riksha driver as well as his passengers seem to be very content and relaxed. The whole scene has been placed well with pretty background which gives us a glimpse of the Japanese architecture.
Very nicely framed and with good quality of the colors, sharpness and contrast.
Thanks for sharing
Kind regards
Kamila

jacquest (19269) 2014-05-14 14:03

Bonjour Paul,

Une image trčs bien composée et un beau portait de vie quotidienne. Les reflets dans l'eau sont un atout et la pagode est bien placée entre le conducteur et les touristes. Un trčs bon rendu des couleurs avec netteté.

Meilleures salutations

Jacques

npecanhuk (79329) 2014-05-14 18:43

Hi Paul!
Lovely moment that you so nicely photographed!
I specially enjoyed the light management, colors and simple, bute effective composition! In the background I love the details of the temple on the left!
TFS - congrats,
Cheers,
Neyvan

cornejo (61504) 2014-05-15 12:48

Hi Paul, great shot of this scene of daily life, very well composed and captured in this interesting image with good sharpness, depth, pretty light, color and quality. A great job well done, congratulations my friend. Thanks for sharing this beautiful work.

Good night and happy weekend.
Best wishes from southern Spain.
Angel.

mirosu (16313) 2014-05-16 2:53

Hello Paul,
Excellently arranged photo in very good light & clarity. I like the smiling faces and the composition with the green trees and the temple in background. Very good POV.
Very well done.
Greetings,
Miro

jcpix (14030) 2014-05-16 20:29

Hi Paul,

Yes indeed, life can be beautiful...and as you pointed out, more so for the rider than the person carrying. :) Be it "driver" or passenger, all parties look happy here, their smiles bring a lot of good emotion to this daily life scene being played out. Very well framed to see the important background features and natural surrounding, putting context to the immediate subjects. Enjoy the weekend. Take good care.

Friendly wishes,

Jason

carlo62 (81265) 2014-05-18 0:25

Ciao Paul
bella scena, ricorda i tempi antichi.
Bella la sua ambientazione, con i bei riflessi sull'acqua e la coperta rossa a colpire l'attenzione.
Buona domenica
Carlo

kwekwekan (1078) 2014-05-18 17:43

Hello Paul,
There is lots to like about this image: the rickshaw and the temple are so well positioned and framed that they both could be the main subject of your picture; there is a nice soft light and peaceful atmospheric mood; the warm smiles of the three persons - all natural and unforced. Very beautiful.
Best wishes,
Caleb

fabbs99 (17179) 2014-05-18 23:59

Hello Paul

Excellent shot of the rickshaw.Nice colors and sharpness.Excellent POV.TFS.

Regards,Farhat

nikkitta (17070) 2014-05-19 14:08

Hola Paul

I believed this kind of rickshaw was extinct, but they are still working , interesting to see
Quite catching scene, well composed leting the view of the pagode at the back
Nice to see people smiling at a capture
Well done with informative note
Maria

photoray (13981) 2014-05-19 16:18

Howdy Paul,

Fine view of the classical rickshaw in operation with the park pond with reflected landscaping and distant temple rising above.

Thanks for sharing,
Cheers,
Ray

dip (21408) 2014-05-20 23:55

Hello Paul,
the smiling people,and especially the rickshaw runner seems to enjoy the moment where you photographed them ,the pagoda in backgound is a beautiful detail of architecture,and the red blanket adds colour in composition,
altogether create a very beautiful scene,and you captured it very nicely!
thanks for sharing,
Dimitris.

mesutilgim (0) 2014-05-21 9:19

Hello Paul,
Nice capture from Nara. Maybe a little bit much commercialised but still part of an old tradition.
Good photographic qualificationa and many perfect inifotmations. Nice framed.
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

Royaldevon (86564) 2014-05-23 15:21

Hello Paul,

An interesting photograph and equally interesting notes.
Yes, life can be beautiful when you are being transported around, especially in an open vehicle, which is surprisingly high off the ground.
The vehicle and its occupants are nice and sharp, well positioned in the frame and you have supplied fine b/g details for us to appreciate the context.

My warm regards,
Bev :-)

kato (11630) 2014-05-29 17:16

Hello Paul,

You're capturing well this traditional vehicle by a good composition and excellent tone/clarity, so it's interesting and impressive to see the rickshaw and its runner wearing uniform peculiar by manpower which is stopping around Sarusawaike. It's good impact for the red lap robe. Tourist riding on rickshaw seem to satisfied expression. And, the Kofuku-ji in back draws out a good atmosphere.

Kind regards,
mikio

eldancer1 (36343) 2014-06-02 10:03

Nice to see the rickshaw driver smiling and life can be beautiful for rickshaw runner too if he makes a lot of money for his family. Nice capture of this scene with beautiful architectures in the background. Good lighting and nice details. Well done, tfs.

PiotrF (56188) 2014-06-03 12:29

Hello Paul,
Nice scene from daily life in Nara.Composition and presentation be superb. Nice moment.
Very well done
Regards
Piotr

elenimavrandoni (0) 2014-06-03 16:50

Paul, I refused for so long to take a ride because I felt sorry for the rider...but finally I gave in and it was a great ride..I must admit that they ride very fast...
a great souvenir!!
Eleni

ourania (51103) 2014-06-08 4:40

Hello Paul,
even if there are a several modern touches, your picture reminds me of old, exotic images that once formed the perceptions of the western world about the far East. I like very much the splendid, full background and the clear way in which the foreground scene stands out against it. The lighting of this composition was surely demanding but you've done an excellent work with the light, the shade and their contrast. The colours are delightful too. I hope the rickshaw runner get a fair reward for his effort. Congratulations and thank you!
All the best, have a great day,
Ourania

macjake (98544) 2014-06-11 7:45

Hi Paul
really enjoyed reading your note, lots of interesting facts and figures. Easy to see why with the invention of trains and cars that the rickshaw soon became obsolete.

I like that you composed the scene with the temple in the bg, it shows the culture of the city and country.

interesting subject, very unique and the note fits the photo perfectly.
well done
cheers
craig

wolf38 (30) 2014-06-16 0:32

Hi Paul. The title says it all. Overall a nice and worth seeing photo. I would now like to be somewhere in Japan and let me ride in a rickshaw.
Best rgds, Wolfgang.

Gigidusud (21679) 2014-06-20 13:29

Bonsoir Paul,
Une scčne de vie quotidienne bien capturée avec un arričre plan splendide et une belle lumičre. Trčs jolie photo accompagnée d'une note trčs intéressante. J'aime beaucoup!
Merci pour le partage.
Gigi

fritzi007 (14698) 2014-08-22 10:39

Hallo Paul,
Very nice snapshot, good comment, congratulations!
best regards
Wolfgang

adramad (73498) 2014-08-30 8:38

Hi Paul.
Wonderful image, with a superb treble, I'm surprised that such a modern country like Japan, continue to exist this type of transport, carried by a person, of course great moment to capture it and an ideal environment, excelling the charm of the temple in the background.
Great photo, with beautiful natural colors, bright light and excellent sharpness.
You enjoy the weekend.
Well done. I love it.
Best wishes.
Luis.

mkamionka (75255) 2021-07-20 4:05

Hi Paul,
a very educational upload with interesting note. The composition is brilliant, you have well placed the characteristic tower in the space between the "driver" and his "vehicle".
Yes he looks tired indeed.
Great work,
M

ChrisJ (172442) 2021-07-20 4:52

Hello Paul

I took a similar shot in Nara but the rickshaw driver was concerned I might step in front of him as he was coming downhill. My shot had a bride and groom just married. Good sharpness and color & I like the bg pagoda and reflections. Tfs!