Editors at National Geographic Japan put me in contact with the Hayashibara Museum of Art in Okayama, which has a huge collection of swords and is run by prominent industrialist Ken Hayashibara.
I went out to lunch with him, and we hit it off. He's interested in photography, so we started talking about cameras and film. Of course he was very happy that I used mostly Japanese brands. It then came up that I collect knives from all over the world. After he heard that, he had his swordmaker craft a small knife for me. The blade, which is what it's all about in Japan, is extremely sharp and made out of meteorite ore that the sword maker uses for his bigger samurai swords. It was a wonderful gift, and I was happy to add it to my collection.
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When it comes to photographing artifacts, museums aren't easy to access. That was especially true in Japan. While museum officials wouldn't often say no to me, they wouldn't say yes either. Instead I got a lot of, "Oh well, let's see. Maybe you can give us a list of what you want to shoot, and we'll think about it."
So I'd get my expectations up only to be disappointed later when it became apparent they never intended to give me permission. I'd rather have someone straight out refuse me in the beginning than string me along.
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I've always enjoyed Japanese food, so being on this assignment for five weeks was fantastic—and interesting—because I got to experiment with a lot of different dishes. I went to a sushi restaurant with my friend Kunio, and I kept telling him how I could eat anything. Well, just as I was saying that, I looked up and saw the chef sticking a completely intact grasshopper on top of a rice ball. He then put it on my plate. I thought, Oh my God! Why did I open my big mouth?
Since I was at the point of no return, I popped it into my mouth. It was a little crunchy, but it actually had a nice flavor. And if someone offered me grasshopper sushi again, I'd eat it. It just takes a little while for the visual shock to wear off.
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