• Friday-What'sUP October 12 - 08:50 pm

I am so excited, I can barely contain myself. Who is the most asked about former contributor of photos from our earlier Pasty Cam days? If you just said, Taka Aoki, then you're absolutely correct and he was recently back here in the Keweenaw for a quick visit, with his camera tagging along, too. He snapped this panorama shot on top Brockway Mountain this past Saturday, along with the accompanying photos and gives us a taste of what we've been missing since he left the area after graduating from Michigan Tech 10 years ago.

When these photos arrived in my Inbox, I immediately emailed Taka back asking for information about where he's living now and what he's been up to, along with telling him how much he's been missed and how often someone will mention his name and wonder where he is and whether he's still snapping beautiful photos. The following is Taka's reply:

Thank you for remembering about me. About your question of my activity, I live in Hiroshima, Japan now, and am developing automotive audio systems at Mazda. I had been a little bit busy in work and had no chance to visit the USA since my graduation from MTU ten years ago (time goes by so fast). When I finally made it back this time, I saw many changes around MTU and saw no-changes in the beauty of Upper Peninsula - both were a fresh surprise for me. I quit photography many years ago, but this time I was helped by those fresh feelings to motivate myself to click.

It looks like I will be visiting the USA often, for business meetings with our automotive parts suppliers from now on. I hope to come back to the Upper Peninsula again on the days-off during those USA visits.

Taka

Edie and I were also up on Brockway over the weekend. Wish we had known, our paths may have crossed with Taka, as there were LOTS of people up there catching the color.

video:

Wow! That's great to finally hear from Taka. I hope he comes back often. He IS missed!

Mary barely containing herself; now there's a scary thought!! ;-)

Glad to see your photographic skills haven't decreased for being out of it for so long Taka. Excellent photos as always. It looks like the UP was treated this year with an exceptional colour palette....

What a nice surprise! I was on Brockway Monday, en route to the Harbor Haus! Colors were beautiful!

Welcome home Taka!
I sincerely hope you will soon have time to continue your incredible photography!
So many of your pictures of the Keweenaw are so beautiful and unforgettable.

Great to hear from Taka! Great to hear also he's doing well! Like so many here I have taken to a "Pasty Family" and take an interest in their well being! The pictures are so pretty, my favorite, and pretty season is way too short!

Taka, welcome back! It's so wonderful to see pictures taken by you again. I hope we will have the chance to see many more from you! These pictures were amazing! Stay well!

Lots of orange/yellow this year....so beautiful.
Thanks, Taka!

A Decade already, Taka.....Welcome home indeed! BEAUTIFUL pictures....

Great to see Edie's smiling face and such a colorful background!

Kitty

Counting time is not so important as making time count. Glad you stopped by, Taka. Our old Mazda was probably the best car we've owned, got almost 300,000 miles (hard miles) on the old girl!

Nice pix...especially the first one!

Breathtaking photos! I especially LOVE the panoramic one!

We had a little glitch on the main Pasty Cam page this morning, and I just noticed the thumbnail next to Cam Notes had not uploaded. It is labeled "Taka", but I'm not sure if it was instead his "twin", Kit Mun Wee. Maybe Taka can let us know.

beautiful pictures.

Beautiful is right! Thanks Taka!

It was so nice to hear from Taka again and his pictures are
beautiful! Hope he stays in touch with us and ,perhaps, he will
send us some pictures of scenes in Japan,

Hooray! Taka is alive and well, after seemingly falling off the face of the earth!

He has never updated his alumni profile at MTU's Husky Link either (class of 2003).

Did you ever do an Internet search for Takashi "Taka" Aoki? (Its hopeless — you have no idea how many bazillion hits you get on such a search! Is that the Japanese equivalent of "John Smith"?)

Mary, please encourage Taka to re-register for a Pasty ID/account for those future visits to the Copper Country. (Not that the use of such an ID should be limited to those visits!)

Taka: 連絡を取り合うしてください、あなたは家族の一員だ！
(I hope that's close: "Please stay in touch, you're part of the family!")

Autumn, Autumn, Autumn. Beautiful!

So great to hear about Taka after so long! I hate to hear he has quit photography, because he has a gift. Can't wait to see more! Thanks for the update. I have wondered about him many times.