“Mega Egg” passing the Koamicho Bus Stop
Hiroshima, Japan

Today’s photo was taken while I was waiting for the “bus” near the place where I stayed in Hiroshima. By the way, if you want a friendly host, inexpensive rate, and great WiFi access while in Hiroshima, stay at Sansui Ryokan (山水旅館). Pretty much everyone who stays here is a foreigner so if you don’t want that scene pick somewhere else. However, when I stayed here (during rainy season) there were no other guests. The bike rental was an attraction for me, and I rode the bike all over Hiroshima.

The place isn’t really a ryokan; it’s more of a minshuku. And the bus stop isn’t really for buses; it’s for the Hiroshima Electric Railway (Hiroden Streetcar) as you can see. The owner of Sansui is super nice and helpful. She was excited to have someone she could speak with in Japanese. I helped her translate some of her messages into English so that they made sense, and she was very grateful as I was to her for her hospitality.

Posted on December 17th, 2013 under Japan. Tags: hiroshima, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, recommendations, reviews. Comments Off on Koamicho Bus Stop (小網町バス停)

paper chain made out of hand-made Japanese paper
purchased at the Isetatsu store in the Yanaka / Sendagi area of Tokyo

While in Tokyo this past summer I asked my wife if she wanted me to bring anything home. She wanted some of the unique paper that can only be found at a little shop near where I was staying in Yanaka. I didn’t know which styles she would want so I started taking photos to send to her. The shop owner came flying out of the back and was quite angry that a photo had been taken. I tried to explain, but she didn’t care if my photos were going to help her sell more paper. I probably should have just left. Instead I bought some of the paper and brought it home. Last week my wife turned the paper into one of the world’s most expensive paper chains to decorate our house for the holidays.

Posted on December 16th, 2013 under Japan. Tags: christmas, isetatsu, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, yanaka. Comments: 3

Shinjuku Gyoen (新宿御苑)
Tokyo, Japan

My random, desktop image of the day is another one from the 2010 archives.

Posted on December 14th, 2013 under Japan. Tags: park, shinjuku, Tokyo. Comments Off on Shinjuku Gyoen

Photomerge of Ninna-ji’s South Garden
Kyoto, Japan

When I lived in Japan in the 1980s I didn’t get the chance to travel outside of the Tokyo and Yamanashi area. I purchased a set of postcards at the time and looked at them often. Probably half or more were from Kyoto. The only two scenes in these twenty or so postcards that I actually saw in person in the 1980s were Mt. Fuji and a Shinkansen.

Fast forward 25 years, and I was riding a bike through Kyoto stopping at any place that looked interesting without any prior research. I ended up at the entrance gate for Ninnaji and payed 500 yen. After walking around the grounds I felt a bit ripped off. Just before leaving I saw someone hand their admission ticket to a man and enter a building so I followed suit. Moments later I realized that my 500 yen was well spent. This was one of the scenes from one of those postcards I had looked at so fondly decades before! Not only that, but the place was mostly empty. Occasionally another person would wander in and gasp at the beauty of the South Garden (dantei) before heading back out, but for the most part this was my garden to meditate in by myself.

Posted on December 11th, 2013 under Japan. Tags: buddhist, garden, japan pictures, kyoto, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, Ninna-ji 仁和寺, panorama, photomerge. Comments: 1

Buddha statues fitted with unique beanies @ Miyajima’s Daishoin

Posted on December 9th, 2013 under Japan. Tags: buddhist, Daishoin 大聖院, miyajima, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600. Comments Off on Buddha beanies