Looking at the photo I posted yesterday, I thought a tighter crop might be better and actually prefer the cropped result:

Fresh green leaves coming through a massive iron fenceat Yoyogi park (Tokyo, Japan)

another impression from Ritsurin garden.

in Takamatsu (Shikoku):

There were quite a few puppies in this shop in Himeji, near the famous castle, every one in its own small plastic box, looking outside.
Of course I wish that every one finds a nice home and a good owner, but isn’t it a pity that such shops can make money this way?

This picture is the view one has from the top level of Kochi castle.
The castle was never actually attacked.

This historic train in Matsuyama (Shikoku) had to be shifted to the neighbouring track in order to make room for the arriving streetcar.
Obviously, it was easier to move by muscle power than to attach the (also historic locomative) and let it leave under its own power.
I saw the same train in action though, a bit later.

More pictures:

The easy way to get to the top of the mountain offering a beautiful view of small islands and the coast is, of course, the ropeway.
However, if you take a return, you are missing out on many scenic spots and small mountain temples.
In this little temple hundreds of small Buddha statues line the way.

many years ago, I took a shot of the famous floating Tori at low tide.

Now I visited again at high tide.

Impressions from an Ikebana exhibition in Meiji Jingu:

Seen in Kamakuras Haze Dera temple.

The great Buddha statue in Kamakura is among Japans best known attractions.
Although the huge structure seems quite compact, it is actually hollow and visitors are actually admitted to enter inside.
Not really photogenic, but quite an experience nevertheless.
Below, you see a shot taken upwards, the black whole wolud be where the neck joins the torso.

Lampions decorate both sides of Megurogawa river in Nakameguro, Tokyo (Japan):

(more…)

well maybe his distant offspring…

A red sky on a slightly rainy evening in Sapporo (Hokkaido, Japan)

Gion Corner in Kyoto may not be the most authentic place for Japanese Theatre, but it’s a good way to see different styles of theatre in one evening - and photography is allowed.

Bunraku is the art of the Japanese puppet theatre - one puppet may require several puppet players although there’s always a lead player who sometimes is fully visible.

More about Bunraku
Bunraku at Gion Corner, Kyoto

A lotus flower in a Fukuoka Temple.

Not a full-fledged tea-ceremony - but still a very meditative process: with her back to us, a woman prepares two cups of green macha tea in Tokyos Shinjuku Gyoen Park.
Her silhouette is reflected on the lacquer wood of the table.

More on Shinjuku Gyoen Park at Wikipedia.

Japanese Sushi, originally uploaded by laurenz.

eaten together with a portion of “bif-tan” (that is how it appeared on the menu, actually the Japanese version would be “Gyu-tan” and the English one “beef tongue”) as set menu in a Matsushima restaurant.
I preferred the sushi.

Who’s that?, originally uploaded by laurenz.

no idea what type of bug this is - but it sure is sitting on a beautiful lotos seed pod in a Fukuoka temple.

Seagull, originally uploaded by laurenz.

highly recommended: a boat trip on a beautiful day near Otaru (Hokkaido).
Otaru itself is a pleasant enough city, but the colourful harbour is a photographer’s paradise.
One of the attractions aboard are the seagulls which are attracted by crumbs of bread thrown into the air by some passengers.

Sapporo Reflection, originally uploaded by laurenz.

There is a small park with two beautiful ponds next to the old Sapporo government building.
A very meditative spot right in the centre of this Northern metropolis.

Sapporo at sunset, originally uploaded by laurenz.

view from the JR (Japan Rail) Tower.
This building was completed in 2003 and is 173 meters high.
The only thing I hated when going around the 38th storey was the very repetitive background music.

As an aside: when you go there, have a look at the toilets - I do not think that there’s a loo with a better view anywhere on this planet

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.

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.

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.

Small Buddha statues in Kamakura.

Display of Japanese Food in a Kyoto restaurant.

Yet another scene from a Kyoto theatre performance.

And another photo from the same theatre performance in Kyoto (Japan)

The pond in Hida Folk Village, Takayama, Japan. Already, you can see the first autumn colours.
Hida folk Village is worth a visit anyway as youi can learn a lot about traditional Japanese architecture and see demonstrations of traditional crafts.

Visiting a theatre performance can be quite an experience - especially if this takes place in another culture.
I’ll never forget this performance in Kyoto - the colourful costumes, the light, the traditional music.
The short piece here is about a Koi (goldfish) and a crane.

Stone lantern in a Kyoto Park.

Very tasty, and also quite decorative.
Seen in Kyoto, Japan.

Shinto shrine in Miyajima. The ceremony performed there was solemn and impressive - although I didn’t understand it at all…

One of the most impresive sights in Hiroshima are the innumerable brightly coloured paper cranes at the Children’s Peace monument.
I was told that the origami cranes had become a powerful peace symbol because of the story of a little Japanese girl who developed leukemia 10 years after the nuclear bomb had been dropped.
She had begun to fold 1000 origami cranes but died before she could complete her task. Others continued for her and there are thousands and thousands of new cranes every year.

Ashino-ko lake is a crater lake and only a few thousand years old.
On it’s shores, there’s a small red Torii which is illuminated at night.

A very quiet atmosphere.

Miyajima is renowned as one of the most beautiful attractions in Japan. In the background you can see the famous “floating torii”, the entrance to the Itsukushi Shrine, that stands inthe water at high tide.

A bear is fishing in Kyoto (Japan).

In the Hida Folk Village (Takayama, Japan) one can visit traditional Japanese houses from various epochs as well as many almost forgotten skills.

What is the real purpose of the Tea Ceremony? Philosophy? Zen? The perfect cup of tea?
Well, I would guess that, today, the answer is simple: money.
The event no longer takes place in a small garden house but in theatre-style halls.
Even so, one shouldn’t miss the opportunity to attend such a ceremony. It’s beautiful.
And you even can take photographs, which would not exactly be compatible with the traditions of Cha-Do - the way of tea.

A beautiful sunset in Kamakura. More on taking pictures of silhouettes.

I’m going to post some pictures from Japan in this Weblog, in addition to this, here’s my Japan photo gallery .