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Japan 2 Photographs
| The Nijo Castle
Garden, located in central Kyoto. |
This tangled mess of
bicycles looked out of place in orderly Japan. |
At the Heian Shrine
Garden a path of stepping stones crosses a tranquil stream. |
| Many plant specimens
line this walking lane at Nijo Castle. |
Also at Nijo Castle,
I call these plants 'Porcupine' Trees. |
The Kinkakuji Temple,
which is also known as the Golden Pavilion. |
| On the grounds of
Nijo Castle, a pedestrian gate
built by hand using hand-tied bamboo poles and strips. |
A beautiful place for
an inner city walk is the Nijo Castle Gardens. |
A thatched hut built
to historic specifications caught my attention. |
| A Nijo Castle walk
bordered with unusually colored and shaped trees. |
A garden path interrupted
by the roots of a large pine tree. |
The Kasuga Lantern Shrine in
Nara, Japan, the oldest capital located near Kyoto. |
| The Japanese are
masters of stonework, which they use to great effect to enhance their
gardens. |
A hand-tied bamboo
fence serves as a handsome border between walk and foliage. |
A typical view of a
Japanese residential street. The houses are close together and the
streets are narrow. |
| Street scene of
annual Gion Matsuri Festival parade, which is held during the middle of
July. |
The parade showcases
dozens of these floats, which are pulled by large groups of men. |
The Ryoanji Temple veranda, where visitors
over the centuries have sat and gazed at 15 mystical rocks embedded in
gravel that has been raked into geometric patterns. |
| Nijo Castle's ornate
Karamon Gate, which was built in 1626, leads into the inner palace courtyard.
The roof is shingled with cypress. |
A Gion Matsuri float
shaped like a ship with a phoenix bird for a masthead. |
A two-tiered Bell
Tower
showcased on a pedestal of fine stonework. |
| A view of the steep
main shopping street that leads up to Kiyomizu Temple. |
An ancient
three-storied pagoda, which is part of a larger temple complex. |
Atop the Nanzenji
Temple gate where fine wood work has been polished by centuries
of stocking feet. |
| Yoshiko on the famous
Philosopher's Path in eastern Kyoto. |
These ubiquitous
stone Jizo statues sit in neighborhoods and near temples and shrines
throughout Japan. |
Japan is a train
country, so automobiles are optional. Here, an express train pulls into Kyoto station. |
| The monks at
Ginkakuji Temple rake and pile gravel into unique symbols.
The cone reflects moonlight onto the garden. |
The Silver Pavilion,
built in 1473, was supposed to be plated with silver, but for whatever
reason it was never done. |
The meticulously
landscaped grounds of the Silver Pavilion. Moss grows everywhere in
humid Kyoto. |
| The crown of the
Silver Pavilion peeks out from the verdant landscape, which proliferates
in Kyoto's climate. |
A View of the boat
porch from the back side of Kinkakuji Temple, or Gold Pavilion. |
The moss covered
grounds in the Gold Pavilion Temple complex. |
| A tree propped
up and prevented from toppling over into the immense Ryoanji Temple pond. Reddish orange
Shinto gates hide behind garden evergreens. |
Beloved Nara City
deer roam freely throughout the city, but most congregate near the sprawling
central city park. |
Clean vending
machines keep drinks at just the right temperature and are on every
other corner. Here, they sell drinks, cigarettes, and liquor. |
| In populous Japan, I braved the street crowds of 1.3 million revelers
during mid July's Gion Matsuri Festival in Kyoto. During festival
evenings, lighted floats and organizational treasures are on display and
vendors sell food and other goods in street stalls. |
A 1960's era
home bath. A hand-held shower is taken on the blue pad, then you rinse, remove the
cedar cover, and enter the tub. Several baths are taken over a couple of days
before the natural gas heated water is drained and replenished. |
Todaiji Temple,
located in Nara near Kyoto and founded in 745, is one of the largest wooden buildings in the
world. Built with no nails, it houses the famous 49 ft. tall seated Buddha. |
| The great pond and garden from behind the famous Golden Pavilion Temple.
Its real
gold leaf facade shimmers in the sunlight. |
Dressed in ancient
garb, these men are participants in the main parade of the Gion
Matsuri Festival held during mid July in Kyoto. |
One of a pair of 10
ft. tall seated Buddhas that flank the gigantic Daibutsu Buddha
inside the monumental Todaiji Temple in Nara. |
| Overlooking Tenryuji
Temple, which originated in 1339 as a Zen complex. It is located in the
Arashiyama area of Kyoto. |
The pond and hillside
on the back side of Tenryuji Temple's main Hojo building. The pond
reflects circling plants around a great pond, a traditional Zen garden
style. |
Japanese enjoy
visiting temples during the fall to view the changing colors. Here, a
group strolls amongst the fall splendor at Tenryuji Temple. |
| Yoshiko and parents
stroll near Horyuji Temple in Nara. Nara was the oldest capital
of Japan and showcases many early temple complexes and gardens. |
Todaiji Temple, the largest wooden building in the world at 157 ft. in
height, houses the
15 meter gilded bronze Daibutsu Buddha, a National Treasure which dates
to the 8th century. |
In Nara, a group of girls dressed in blue school uniforms take a break from their
studies to view fall foliage. |
| A forest cemetery of stone
tombs, lanterns, fences, walls, and stairs. |
The Okochi Sanso
Villa was home to a famous Japanese silent film star and overlooks Kyoto from Mt. Ogura in
Arashiyama. |
Small
gardens and strolling areas in the inner recesses of Ryoanji Temple,
home of the famous 15 stone and raked gravel Zen garden. |
| A view of the boat
porch and great pond from the rear of the world renown Golden Pavilion
Temple. |
On the grounds of the
Golden Pavilion, this small Bell temple is obscured behind crimson
colored Maple trees. |
A group of stone Jizo,
located near the Golden Pavilion, memorialize deceased babies and
fetuses. |
| A colorful strolling
lane inside the sprawling Ninnaji Temple complex in northern Kyoto. |
At Ninnaji, the
walled compound is broken at predetermined places by ancient gates, some
which are closed to the public. |
Although the Ryoanji
complex appears to be a dense jungle, upon closer inspection everything
is masterly under control and well placed. |
| Near Byodoin Temple,
a housing neighborhood sits between the Uji River and the mountains that
shelter Kyoto on three sides. |
School girls on a
Kyoto train. Japan is so safe, I saw ten-year-olds on the train alone
after midnight. |
Driving on the left
on Japanese streets can be challenging. Exterior side mirrors are hinged
and can be folded out of the way. |
| The 5 ft. tall
Byodoin Temple Buddhist Bell, one of the finest in appearance and sound
in Japan, and a National Treasure. |
The Buddhist Bell
National Treasure hanging in its shelter on the grounds of Byodoin
Temple, which was built in the 10th century. |
The Uji River flows
near the Byodoin Temple complex in southern Kyoto. |
| The Kasuga Shinto
Shrine in the foothills of western Nara dates to 710. Some of the 2,000
stone and 1,000 Brass lanterns date to 1324. |
Ancient stone
lanterns at the Kasuga Taisha Shinto Shrine, one of the most famous in
Japan. Lanterns were donated by common people of faith. |
An 80 ft. torii gate announces the Heian Jingu Shinto Shrine in Kyoto. Torii gates mark
Shinto complexes and separate the finite world from the infinite world of the
gods. |
| Nigatsudo Hall,
founded in 752, is noted for its raised veranda supported by pillars and
the fantastic view it offers of Nara City. |
Overlooking Nara in
the western foothills, Nigatsudo Hall is part of the Todaiji Temple
complex. This is the temple veranda. |
View of Nara, the
first capital of Japan from 710 to 784. This photograph was taken from
the veranda of Nigatsudo Hall, shown in the photo on the left. |
| The Nigatsudo Hall
veranda overlooks the temple complex, Nara City, and the roof of Todaiji
Temple in the distance. |
A stonework lane
that leads gently uphill to Nigatsudo Hall Temple, which is visible
through the trees in the distance. |
A stone lane
skirts the east side of the great Todaiji Temple complex in Nara. The
building does double duty as a temple compound wall. |
| The interior space
within a temple building can be opened to expose the wood veranda that
overlooks an exterior garden. |
A rather large
building on the grounds of the Tofukuji Temple complex, which was
founded in 1236 in Kyoto. |
At Tofukuji Temple,
the Sanmon Gate, which was completed in 1425, is considered the oldest
and finest Zen gate in Japan. |
| The rocks in the
southern Zen garden at Tofukuji Temple symbolize islands, and the
moss covered mounds at the far end represent sacred mountains. |
The east end of the
southern garden at Tofukuji Temple as viewed from the wood veranda that
skirts its perimeter. |
A view back from the other
direction from the west end of the southern garden at Tofukuji Temple. |
| The western garden at
Tofukuji Temple is composed of moss and Azalea shrubs, which represent
the checkered pattern of divided land in China. |
At Tofukuji Temple
there are many beautiful formal gardens, but even the public areas are
exceptionally landscaped. |
At left of center, a
path leads to a covered bridge which spans the deep valley at Tofukuji
Temple, which is a fantastic place to view color in the fall. |
| An expansive view of
the Tofukuji Temple valley which is overlooked by a covered bridge. |
A shady moss garden
on the grounds of the Tofukuji Temple complex. |
A residential garbage
truck is not much bigger than an American pickup truck. |
| A fleet of miniature
concrete trucks waits in line to off load concrete at a work site. |
An arborist takes
extraordinary measures to prune a specimen tree at a temple complex. |
On Enoshima Island,
Jizo statues are lovingly tended as memorials to deceased babies and
fetuses. |
| A Jizo Memorial Court
at the top of a mountain on Enoshima Island near Kamakura. |
On a street corner in
Yokohama's Chinatown, a monk begs for alms. |
The Great Buddha of
Kamakura was cast from bronze in 1252 and weighs 850 tons. |
Japan 2
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