PICT7238-01, originally uploaded by laurenz.

The “Okano” crater lake at Zao San (Near Yamagata, Japan) lies still and displays its incredibly green colour - for a few seconds before it is again covered by mist.

PICT6001-01, originally uploaded by laurenz.

Much less peaceful: the crater lake of Mount Aso on Kyushu (Japan), also shows an impressive greenish colour.

Castles of Japan I, originally uploaded by laurenz.

Kumamotojo - the most famous castle on Kyushu (Japan).

Castles of Japan II, originally uploaded by laurenz.

Tsurugajo, Aizu Wakamatsu

Mountain Sunset, originally uploaded by laurenz.

I saw this on the way back from the termal springs of Zao Onsen to Yamagata.

Path in the Garden, originally uploaded by laurenz.

a footpath in the beautiful Japanese “Oyakuen” garden, Aizu Wakamatsu, Japan.

Celestial Calligraphy, originally uploaded by laurenz.

interesting clouds seen over Aizu Wakamatsu (Honshu, Japan).

Kiyomiza Temple at Sunset, originally uploaded by laurenz.

a magical moment in kyoto, Japan.

Japanese Theatre, originally uploaded by laurenz.

This is a scene from a funny “Kyougen” play: distrusting his servants, the a master binds them before leaving the house.
However, even bound, they find a way to get to the master’s sake provisions and drink from it.

Gion Corner in Kyoto presents short snippets of Japanese arts including various styles of theatre, the tea ceremony and the art of flower arrangement.
All this is quite touristy, but still fun and a good way to get some fascinating shots (you can even use flash throghout the performance).

Fishing Bears, originally uploaded by laurenz.

Ten years ago, when walking tetsugaku-no-michi (path of philosophy), I saw a bear fishing near Ginkakuji temple.
Now upon revisiting the site, I did not really expect to see him again, but when I came to the same site, there now actually was a pair of bears fishing the same waters.
Cuddly continuity…

Kinkakuji Temple, originally uploaded by laurenz.

This is the famous golden pavilion that figures in Yukio Mishima’s famous novel “the temple of the golden pavilion”.
Like the pavilion in the novel, the real one was burned down by fanatical young man.

Mishima himself tried to stage a coup by taking a Japanese Military commander hostage.
When he realised that hist plans for restoring the traditional Japan would not succeed, he committed ritual suicide.

The real golde pavilion was rebuilt in 1987 this time also covering the lower storey with a relatively thick layer of gold.

Popularly known as Kinkaku-ji, the temple’s real name is Rokuon-ji.

Araucaria, originally uploaded by laurenz.

quite a big plant?- inviting passers by to enter a flower shop next to Wiesbaden’s “Marktkirche”.

Fukuoka Sunset 2, originally uploaded by laurenz.

another shot from the Fukuoka Tower at sunset.

The way to Mount Aso, originally uploaded by laurenz.

Mount Aso is one of the largest active volcanoes in the world and the largest one in Japan.
It’s almost 1600 meters high and its caldera has a circumference of 120 km.

Dejima, originally uploaded by laurenz.

For a long time, Dejima (in Nagasaki) was Japan’s only door to the world.
In the reconstructed Dutch factory, you can now see the unique blend of Japanese and Western culture: chairs furniture standing on “tatami” mats that are usually meant for sitting on a small zabuton or sleeping on the rolled out futon mattress.

Nagasaki Atomic Bomb museum, originally uploaded by laurenz.

next to the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb museum is a vault that you reach through grey concrete tunnels while always there is water flowing next to you.
A very impressive place. The racks in the central vault hold the names of the victims of the second nuclear bomb.

View from Fukuoka Tower, originally uploaded by laurenz.

taken a few minutes before the actual sunset.
Here I combined two differently exposed versions of the same picture to show the foreground as well as the sky.

Lanterns at the Shrine, originally uploaded by laurenz.

Now at the time of O Bon, many lanterns are lit all over Japan, - as here in a Fukuoka shrine

Lotos Bud, Tochoji temple, Fukuoka, originally uploaded by laurenz.

a Lotos Bud, seen in the Tochoji temple, Fukuoka (Japan)

Oil lamp in Tochoji temple, Fukuoka, originally uploaded by laurenz.

This temple is famous for holding the largest wooden Buddha statue in the world, but unfortunately photographing this impressive (albeit recent) statue is not permitted.

Somewhere in Fukuoka, originally uploaded by laurenz.

A temple in Fukuoka, Japan.

Naka River, originally uploaded by laurenz.

in Fukuoka, Japan.

ACROS Fukuoka, originally uploaded by laurenz.

I placed my camera on the ground and shot upwards using a delay of 10 seconds.
Konica Minlta 7d Sigma 15-30.