Filmed on February 19, 2026.
Osaka Castle Plum Grove.
A crowd had gathered at the center of the grove.
I understood at once.
The true star — the leading actor among the plum blossoms — was the Japanese white-eye.
The SONY α1,
which I am convinced stands at the pinnacle of the world’s cameras.
Only a genuine lightweight telephoto lens.
I do not use oversized super-telephoto lenses.
Even on February 8, at the snow-covered Kinkaku-ji,
I was able to shoot with one hand holding an umbrella and the other the camera.
Then, through a casual remark from a close friend,
I was reminded of cropping.
This camera captured with certainty
the fleeting moment of a small life.
The music is Johann Strauss II’s
“The Blue Danube,”
performed by the NHK Symphony Orchestra.
Osaka Castle.
Plum blossoms.
The Japanese white-eye.
And the waltz of the NHK Symphony Orchestra.
When all elements come together,
a single work is born.
The Turntable of Civilization.
4K Permanent Archive Edition.