Frances Freyberg photographs of Japan on display at Portola Art Gallery in Menlo Park
“Japan Revisited” is the name of an exhibit of Frances Freyberg photographs on display at the Portola Art Gallery in Menlo Park through April. A reception for the photographer — a frequent contributor to InMenlo — is scheduled for Saturday, April 5 from 1:00 to 4:00 pm.
The vibrant color photographs feature landscapes, cityscapes, shrine scenes and portraits from Frances’ travels through Japan in May 2013. She took the trip with her father, fellow Menlo Park resident Dr. Derek Freyberg, who studied there as a chemistry graduate student from New Zealand.
Highlights include moss-covered stone statues lining the Kanmangafuchi Abyss in Nikko (top right) ; flooded rice paddies reflecting the sky over Magome in the Kiso Valley (below); and Maneki neko (“beckoning cat”) statues, which are popularly used to welcome good fortune into a home or workplace (bottom). She shared some additional photos with InMenlo at the beginning of the year.
“I love traveling in Japan because it provides that wonderful sense of culture shock that makes travel so exciting, and yet it’s such an easy country to navigate,” said Frances. “The people are warm and welcoming, the public transit is first-class, the cities are safe, the scenery is beautiful, and the food is delicious.
“The real highlight of this trip, though, was exploring the country together with my dad — hearing stories about his life there as a student, revisiting favorite places we had traveled as a family, and discovering some new favorites along the way.”
In addition to signed and framed photographs available for purchase, there will also be a variety of photo cards for sale.
Frances specializes in portraits of people, wildlife, nature and architecture from her travels to more than 60 countries. Her photos may be found in galleries and private collections worldwide, as well as on her website. She spent 2008 traveling around the world and building an extensive educational weblog with photos and commentary.
The Portola Art Gallery is located within the Allied Arts on Arbor Road in Menlo Park.
Photos by Frances Freyberg
