4-9-2011

I'm a sucker for bright pink cherry blossoms.  These were found in Kamakura in the garden near the Daibutsu (Big Buddha statue).  We decided to stop there for lunch and to admire the pretty pink.

4-7-2011

Gates are paths into the spiritual world.  The paper streamers hanging across the front are meant to absorb any bad things that may cling to you as you pass through the gate.  The shape of these is distinctly Shinto (this type of gate is called a torii), as is the row of gates.  I'm still trying to find out the significance of so many torii in a row.

4-6-2011

This pretty temple is situated in Shinjuku, one of the busiest areas in Japan. Still, it's quite pretty (and empty) in the early evening after work.

3-30-2011

These little cubbies all have golden figures in them.  Each is labeled with a number.  After doing some research, I still don't know what these are.  What I can say is they're usually inside the "no photo" area of the temple, but I found this one awaiting installation (or perhaps awaiting disposal) behind the temple so it was fair game.  Pretty cool.

3-27-2011

There appears to be a dragon attacking this pillar.

Found at Ma Zhu Miao in Yokohama Chinatown..

3-16-2011

Yes, I seem to find dragons everywhere. These were along the sidebar of a staircase in front of a Chinese temple.

1-18-2011

Someone put some leaves in the lanterns lining a temple walkway.  Or at least I think someone put them there; they may have fallen.

1-15-2011

I've always been a sucker for woodwork, and the details found at temples often really impress me.  Looking at the shape and cleanness of some of these pieces is pretty impressive considering their age.

This was found over the hand-washing fountain at the Kamakura Daibutsu.

12-23-2010

Kanteibyo is one of the more famous places in Yokohama Chinatown. What most people probably don't notice are the lovely steps leading up to the temple.  If you look carefully you can see the glowing red lanterns hanging from the temple behind the iron lace gates.

Despite being cold and closed, Chinatown never seems to disappoint.

12-19-2010

Found this in a garden in Arashiyama in Kyoto. Warm details like these can make you forget how cold you feel at the moment.

12-13-2010

It's easy to imagine this shrine is old, built when the tree was still a sapling.  It makes you wonder whether the person who put it there suspected the tree would take over.

11-22-2010

Last night I went to Arashiyama with my host mother to see the illuminated autumn leaves.

While the brilliant orange and red are featured at every one of these, Tenryuji also has bamboo featured at the end.  Sure it's not bright orange, but it looks lovely surrounded by the autumn colors.

9-28-2010

Asakusa is famous for the Thunder and Lightning gate.  This isn't that particular gate, but is its much nicer-looking cousin inside the grounds.

8-29-2010

 
Went out for Israeli food again, but that's already been posted here and the photos didn't turn out how I wanted anyway.  Need more practice with indoor lighting and using the white balance on my camera.

In lieu of my intended photos, here's the gate of the temple near my company's GHQ in Osaka.

8-28-2010

As is often true after I travel, I didn't do much today.  Here's more from the shrine in Osaka.  I have no idea what the purpose of these stones is, but they look neat.  maybe it's the style of the stone that I like so much.  It's amazingly photogenic and old-looking.  The ones in Tokyo never seem to photograph so well.  Maybe it's an age thing.

Edit: I've been told that these are the donors who funded construction.

8-27-2010

Near my company's GHQ in Osaka there is a temple that I love to take photos of.  These are the lanterns that run across the front of one of the buildings.  There's also a small historical record building / museum, shrines and other small structures throughout the area.  It's not particularly large, being rather close together, but it's beautiful and never particularly crowded.  I tend to go before heading to work if I do an overnight business trip to Osaka.

8-25-2010

Went to Hanayashiki in Asakusa for work today and found this little waterfall and shrine.  Sometimes the little details here are the best.

8-14-2010

I didn't do much of anything today but there were a ton of nice photos from Hong Kong so instead I'll post one of those.  Here I am "supporting" the Big Buddha (Tian Tan Buddha, 天壇大佛) in Ngong Ping.

8-8-2010

There was a nice park at Diamond Hill station that we spent most of the day exploring.  It was pretty nice.

7-25-2010

This crew wasn't particularly skilled at carrying their shrine...

During summer there are festivals where men (women aren't allowed to help) carry portable shrines, called mikoshi, around town.  The women carry lanterns and banners but cannot touch the shrine.  It might be because dropping mikoshi is forbidden and they are afraid women are too weak to carry something so heavy, but that's just speculation.  These guys were swerving like a drunken beast and almost dropped it in the middle of the main intersection along the route.