Nijo Castle (二条城) Kyoto, Japan

Recently I’ve been reading Romulus Hillsborough’s Samurai Revolution which says that “Tokugawa Iemochi became the first shogun in more than two centuries to set foot in the Imperial Capital, staying at his castle, Nijojo, in the western part of the city.” (p. 226) As I walked through Nijo Castle last summer and saw the figurines depicting the shogun addressing all of the daimyo it never crossed my mind that such an event never, or at least seldom, took place. I pictured the scene to be something like an annual one or at least one that happened for most Shoguns, but I guess that wasn’t so. According to this page, 229 years passed between shogun visits to the shogun’s flatland castle in Kyoto.

Posted on May 27th, 2014 under Japan. Tags: kyoto, nijo castle, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600. Comments Off on Samurai Revolution

Butsuden (仏殿) @ Shofukuji (聖福寺) – (Fukuoka 福岡)

In a country that rains as much as Japan, a wooden foundation for a structure isn’t going to stand up to the elements well. On the other hand, a concrete foundation like this one may take a little something away from the 400+ year old building it supports. Originally built in 1589, this temple appears to have been freshened up fairly recently.

Inside this structure are three golden Buddha statues. Every month on the 15th a ceremony is held here.

Posted on May 23rd, 2014 under Japan. Tags: buddhist, fukuoka, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, Shofukuji 聖福寺, temples. Comments Off on Ancient architecture on a modern foundation

Momijidani River

I took a short walk in the rain behind my ryokan (Iwaso) on Miyajima while I waited for my room to be ready and found this spot.

Posted on May 20th, 2014 under Japan. Tags: miyajima, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, waterfalls. Comments Off on 紅葉谷川

HEP Five ferris wheel along with Ippudo (ramen) and Matsuya (gyudon) – Osaka, Japan

What better way to draw attention to your shopping center than to put a giant ferris wheel on top? Ferris wheels weren’t my destination on this evening. Nor were Ippudo or Matsuya (for once). Instead, I was heading to BAR MiDiAN. If you can’t find something of interest in this part of Osaka, well, let’s just say, you may not have any interests.

Posted on May 16th, 2014 under Japan. Tags: night photography, Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 AF-S NIKKOR G ED N, Nikon D600, osaka, ramen. Comments Off on Umeda, Osaka after dark

Japanese kids approaching Baruto in January 2010

I haven’t watched, or even followed, sumo for a couple years now. In part, it’s because of Baruto. A larger part is because I’m not in Japan. However, I did follow sumo, as closely as one can outside the country, in 2011 and early 2012 largely because of Baruto. He was to sumo what Fernando Valenzuela was to MLB in the 1980s. I saw Baruto live several times in 2009 and 2010 when he was an up and comer, a fan favorite (unlike most of the gaijin sumo). He rose to the top, earned Ozeki status, and won the championship just two years after I took today’s photo.

Unfortunately, injuries cut short his stay at the top and he retired last year.

Posted on May 15th, 2014 under Japan. Tags: sumo. Comments Off on Baruto on the rise