Osaka sunset
Shinyodogawa (新淀川) from Umeda Sky Building (梅田スカイビル)
Osaka, Japan
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Posts tagged Nikon D600
Wladimir Balentien – Home Run King?
Wladimir Balentien hits a 3-run home run for the Yakult Swallows on June 22, 2013
Balentien rounds the bases in Hiroshima
Coco Meter for Balentien just prior to him tying Japan’s home run record
With 23 games to go in the Nippon Professional Baseball season, my Yakult Swallows have no hope of winning the title this year as they are dead last in the standings. However, there is still much excitement for the team as one of their players is almost a sure bet to set the single-season home run record for Japan. I went to two Swallows games this year, and they were both won by the Swallows thanks to the heroics of Wladimir Balentien.
When I saw them in Hiroshima, Balentien hit a home run with two runners on base. The Swallows beat the Carp 3-0 on that day. Yakult also won when I saw them in Tokyo in August, a day in which Balentien drew two walks, was hit by a pitch, and scored two runs in a 2-1 victory. (Unfortunately, the Swallows are 45-71-2 when I wasn’t in attendance; perhaps they should make sure I’m at all of the games.)
The “Coco Meter” projects 65 HRs for Balentien, which will best the prior record (co-held by Alex Cabrera, Tuffy Rhodes, and Sadaharu Oh) by 10 home runs. He currently has 54 home runs for the season.
Gwangju
Gwangju, South Korea
It’s Tuesday, and you know what that means…
Sun bursting through @ Okunoin (奥の院)
Koyasan’s Okunoin (奥の院)
Meiji Village Museum
Kabuki Theater (Kurehaza or 呉服座) in Meiji Mura (明治村)
Inuyama, Japan
Inside the open air museum known as Meiji Mura (not too far from Nagoya) you can find this theater built in 1892. The Kurehaza was relocated to Meiji Mura (like the other 60 or so other buildings you can find here which were moved to this location beginning in the 1960s) in 1971. Kabuki and other performances were held in this building more than a hundred years ago. The building was officially recognized as an “Important Cultural Property” in 1984.
Fudoin (不動院) – temple lodging (shukubo or 宿坊) on Koyasan (高野山)
Fudoin Japanese garden (日本庭園)
The reviews and recommendations of the temples you can lodge in on Mount Koya are vague, to say the least. I looked in guidebooks and all over the internet and couldn’t find many details like you can when choosing to stay in a hotel, ryokan, or minshuku in most parts of Japan. While my review of Fudoin isn’t going to tell you which temple on Koyasan offers the best value or which temple to avoid, I can tell you about Fudoin.
The first thing to note is that if you plan to go to Koyasan (and you should), don’t make it a day trip. The best part (similar to Shirakawago) is the overnight stay. To make your overnight stay in a Buddhist temple as relaxing as possible, don’t bring all of your luggage with you. The people on the trains, cable car, and buses with a suitcase and large backpack are not happy campers. Instead, stay in the same place in Osaka or Kyoto the night before you go to Koyasan as you do on your night after visiting Koyasan. Most places will allow you to leave your luggage there if you are coming back after being away for just one night. Then you only have to bring a small backpack or camera bag for your one night on Koyasan.
There is no place to stay on Koyasan that isn’t a temple. There are many temples to choose from, but the thing that struck me when I was there is how similar they all appear to be. I somewhat randomly decided on Fudoin. The price was a bit higher than average, but there really aren’t any cheap or inexpensive places. Everything about Fudoin exceeded my expectations. The food was outstanding. The view from my room (pics here) was incredible. The morning prayers were wonderful. There really was nothing to complain about, and I felt the price was very worth every last yen.
Today’s photo, by the way, is a 180 degree panorama from the room where I ate my vegetarian monks’ cuisine (shojin ryori or 精進料理). I assumed that the meal would be served in my room or in a hall with everyone else. Instead, I was ushered into a room overlooking this lovely Japanese garden and ate by myself as the sky darkened.