Announcing #HolidaysinJapan 2019 photo contest winners

We’ve selected a winner for JUMP’s fourth annual #HolidaysInJapan photo contest. Thank you to all of our JUMP members who shared their pictures with us this year. As always, we were impressed by the quality of the entries. Japan looks great when viewed through the lenses of our American members.

This year’s winning entry came from Jeff Pastwick, shared with us via his Instagram profile, the_travelin_expat. Pastwick is an active duty Navy Warrant Officer, stationed in Yokosuka. He and his wife live in Ikego. 

Pastwick took the winning photo in Kusatsu Onsen town in front of a yakitori stand during the first week of January. Here’s how he described the scene: “It could be titled ‘last call’ because it was cold and snowing and the stand was about to close. Everyone was huddled around trying to stay warm and get their last orders in.” As his prize, Pastwick will receive a gift basket valued at $100 in goodies.

Photography is a hobby for him right now, Pastwick said, but he plans on pursuing it further. He provided us with a number of striking images, which you can see in this slideshow:

Evelyn Espinoza, a military spouse who lives on Yokota Air Base, entered the striking image below of folded red cranes she shot while visiting the Tokyo City Dome Winter Illuminations with an Edo Japanese theme. She shared the image with us via her Instagram account, evelyncurryart. She is an artist who uses photography as a medium for her artwork. She creates digital photo montages and also paints in oil and watercolor, using her photos as inspiration.

Espinoza shared with us a number of other images from her Tokyo City Dome visit. She described the visit this way: “All around the Dome were arches lit up. Floating glass balls with color changing lights. Christmas trees lit up. Displays of umbrellas and pinwheels. And an origami crane three tier tower. It was a great opportunity to play with depth of field and Bokeh.”

Joni Abando submitted a stunning image of Mt. Fuji frosted with snow on Christmas 2018. Abando is active duty, living in Zama and serving at Yokosuka. Abando shared the story behind her shot: “I have always love taking photos  of Mt. Fuji. This was taken the morning of Christmas 2018 at Lake Tanuki. I drove up on Dec 24 and took photos of the mountain from Lake Yamanaka, Lake Kawaguchi, Lake Motosu, and finally this shot was at Lake Tanuki. I stayed overnight, slept in my car, and did not mind the freezing temp early in the morning to get a wonderful view and beautiful shot of Mt. Fuji on Christmas.” Photography is a hobby for Abando. 

We appreciated seeing all the submitted photos and have selected a few of our favorites out of the more than 50 entries this year for our gallery. Thank you to everyone who sent in entries!

JUMP is sponsoring our fourth annual #HolidaysinJapan photo contest. We’re gathering photos that show how Americans — past and present — celebrate the holidays while stationed in Japan. The #HolidaysinJapan photo contest is open to JUMP members of all ages and skill levels, current and retired military, family, friends, and anyone in between.

For many service members and their families, celebrating the holidays in Japan is a highlight of their tour in Japan. The season provides many opportunities to leave base and explore, to view spectacular light displays in cities and parks or sample takoyaki and yakisoba while browsing for shime-kazari at outdoor New Year’s markets. On base, neighbors compete for most spirited holiday display in their front yards and make the effort to share American traditions with their Japanese neighbors.

Please note that by submitting your photos to a JUMP photo contest, you are giving permission for them to be used on the JUMP website and social media. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter to view photos from earlier contests and to see this year’s winning entries.

How to Enter

Join the JUMP network. Only JUMP members will be eligible to win. If you haven’t already, click here to sign up. 

Submit your photos. You can email them to JUMP@spfusa.org. Or post them on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter and tag them with #HolidaysinJapan and @JUMProgram.

Deadline

The deadline for submissions is January 15.

Prizes

The winner will receive a gift basket valued at $100 in goodies, and will see his or her photo featured on the JUMP website and social media accounts. We’ll also display our favorite submissions in an online photo gallery and at our annual JUMP dinner in Washington DC.

Pictured is last year’s #HolidaysinJapan winning entry of Mount Fuji by Jennifer Cox. 

We’ve selected a winner for JUMP’s third annual #HolidaysInJapan photo contest. We were impressed by the quality and beauty of the photos submitted to this year’s contest and had a difficult time choosing just one winner from the many outstanding entries.
This year’s winning entry came from Jennifer Cox, who is currently living at Yokosuka Naval Base with her active-duty husband and three children. Jennifer was a runner-up in last year’s photo contest. This year, her submission features a spectacular view of Mount Fuji taken from the outdoor terrace of a family restaurant in Hayama, Kanagawa Prefecture.

Here’s how she described the scene:

“In the wintertime, the cool air makes for very clear skies; the terrace had a breathtaking view of Mount Fuji and the torii gate in the water of the Sagami Bay created a picture-perfect setting. I was having an early dinner with my husband and three children and patiently waited until sunset to capture the image.”

Congratulations Jennifer! For winning, she will receive a gift basket valued at $100 in goodies.

We also selected two runner-up entries. Johanne Shelton, a military spouse who is also stationed in Yokosuka with her husband and three children, submitted a snowy family photo taken at Hakuba Cortina Ski Resort in Nagano Prefecture, and Joshua Simmons shared a beautiful daytime view of Mount Fuji from Arakura Sengen Shrine in Yamanashi Prefecture.

Johanne and Joshua’s photos can be viewed in the top row of the gallery below. We loved seeing all the submitted photos, and we have selected a few of our favorites out of the more than 50 entries this year for our gallery. Thank you to everyone who sent in entries!

Japan can be an amazing place for American service members and their families to experience during the holiday season. We’d love to see your photos, whether you venture out to enjoy the spectacular light displays in cities and parks, sample the takoyaki and yakisoba while browsing for shime-kazari at an outdoor New Year’s market, or compete against your neighbors on base for most spirited holiday display in your front yard.

JUMP is sponsoring our third annual #HolidaysInJapan photo contest. We’re gathering photos that show how Americans — past and present — celebrate the holidays while stationed in Japan. The #HolidaysinJapan photo contest is open to all ages and skill levels, current and retired military, family, friends, and anyone in between.

To submit your photos, email them to JUMP@spfusa.org or submit them to us on Facebook or Twitter. To be eligible to win, you also must join the JUMP network. Tag all social media entries with #HolidaysinJapan and @JUMProgram! The deadline for submissions is January 15.

The winner will receive a gift basket valued at $100 in goodies, and see their photo featured on the JUMP website and social media accounts. We’ll also display our favorite submissions in a photo gallery.

Please note that by submitting your photos to a JUMP photo contest, you are giving permission for them to be used on the JUMP website and social media.

Pictured is last year’s #HolidaysinJapan winning entry of Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen shrine by Lauren Shaft.