Oideyasu! Please take off your shoes.
Shisen-do is a 17th-century zen temple of the Soto sect rather than the Rinzai type more common in Kyoto.
Hanshin Tigers coach's gravestone. Better luck next year, pal. Somebody get this guy a drink.
Looking north over the Kamo (duck) River; just beyond that bridge (kamo oohashi) the river branches in a perfect "V" with the Kamo continuing up to the left and the Takano River to the right. In the middle is Shimogamo forest and Shimogamo Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the background are the Kitayama mountains. It's mountainous like this for more than a hundred kilometers all the way to the Japan Sea in northern Kyoto Prefecture.
After visiting Kyoto City's childproofing house of horrors, showing all the ways that babies can get maimed or killed around the house, we tried to implement some of the suggestions, including putting safety latches on cupboards. Here, Greg (age 1 year, 8 months) shows how much respect he has for safety latches. Halfway through I mumbled "It's tough, isn't it?" And then he popped the latch. At the end I say "o-yatsu power!" o-yatsu just means "snacks" in Japanes. He knew there were cookies in that drawer. Taken with a Vodafone phonecam (Toshiba V-603T)
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The building which has the principal Buddha image at a Japanese temple usually has a circular dragon painting on the ceiling. I believe it's there as a protector spirit.
That's why there is sometimes a flashlight (torch) next to the altar. It's not provided so you can check out how much money is in the collection box, it's there so you can get a look at the ceiling dragon. Such buildings are typically quite dark, and you may not be able to see the ceiling at all without the flashlight.
I couldn't even get a decent strobe-less photograph of this ceiling with an 8-second exposure.
the Kurama Hi-matsuri fire festival is this Saturday night. One of Kyoto's most wildly spectacular festivals, the Kurama townsfolk carry torches ranging from big to huge to immense. This follows the Jidai matsuri the same morning, a more spectator-friendly parade in costumes of Kyoto's history.
If you are going to either one, go early. for the Jidai festival, I recommend the southern gate of the Imperial Palace, where they exit the palace park grounds and head out onto city streets. If you show up 2 hours to 90 minutes early, you can stake out a spot with the huge gate as your background for photos.
If you go to the Kurama Hi-matsuri, be aware that you and everything you wear/bring will absolutely reek of smoke for days afterward. Even cameras. try to get there by 5 (Eizan train to last station Kurama) so you can get a good look at the constructed torches before it gets dark. Don't bring small children, it's too wild and they might get trampled/separated from you. Be aware that the Eizan train is so crowded for this festival that you might have to wait in line to get there, and on the way back you may have to wait 2 hours to get on a train.
Another brilliant idea from his brain trust.
Asahi News (Japanese)
Mainichi Daily news (English)
I've always wondered what tear gas tastes like...
Unfortunately, Kyoto has just finished building a geihinkan, a huge state visitor guesthouse complex inside the grounds of the old Imperial Palace Park (aerial view). Thus, it will be easy for security to keep the common folk far away. You'd probably need around 80 stout men with a really boss battering ram just to knock down the huge, wooden eastern gate to the Imperial Palace park, and that would only get you inside the first wall.
I hope they announce his sightseeing itinerary.
Click for 1024 X 768 desktop background of 17th century Mikage-do sutra storehouse at Chion-in, Kyoto, with Higashiyama mountain range behind.
Mist clinging to the Hiei-zan mountainside in Northeastern Kyoto; also, rice unsuccessfully drying out after the harvest on bamboo bucks.
(snippet from KJ News) In Okazaki, one street east of Okazaki-michi (which runs past the east side of Heian Jingu), 100 meters south of Marutamachi, on the east side of the street. Tel. 075 751 2678.
Kyoto Journal contributing editor Sherry Nakanishi and husband Hirofumi have opened a tearoom in their old Japanese house — Tearoom Kyoto Chocolat. Healthy organic teas, tanpopo coffee, cakes, meals, and Hirofumi's superb hand-made mouth-watering chocolates.
I haven't been there yet. I want to go and this is just an online memo so I don't lose the info.
Boats like this used to carry manufactured goods and rice from Kiyamachi down to Fushimi, parallel to the Kamo River.
