Taking shelter @ 高野山

I got off at the wrong bus stop (Okunoin-mae or 奥の院前) on Koyasan. Turns out that was a good thing as 30 seconds later the skies went crazy, and I would have been stuck in a 20-minute downpour with nothing but the trees to take cover under had I gotten off at Ichinohashiguchi (一の橋口).

The thunder I heard, just after taking this photo, was like nothing I have ever heard before. The sound seemed to originate from just a few feet away rather than the normal, somewhat distant sound.

Posted on August 28th, 2013 under Japan. Tags: koyasan 高野山, lanterns, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, okunoin japanese cemetery 奥の院, rain. Comments Off on Koyasan (高野山) in the rain

No Swimming sign in UN Memorial Cemetery in Korea (재한유엔기념공원)

There were two things that I packed for Korea that I never used. One was a long-sleeved shirt. I’m not sure if I ever encountered temperatures in the 70s during my two-month, summer stay in Korea, let alone the 60s (even after midnight). The other was a swimming suit. I never saw a swimming pool. I did see a couple of beaches, but several people told me that Koreans can’t swim, at all. In fact, while I was there a group of Korean kids died after their boat capsized just off the coast of the Boryeong Mud Festival (보령머드축제). Sad, but with no swimming pools it isn’t too surprising that the chance to swim or that the swimming skills of the natives are slim to none.

I found this sign to be a bit humorous. Is it really necessary to have a sign saying “no swimming” in a dry ditch that is less than one foot in depth? Maybe it is not always dry, but still…

BTW, this was in the UN Memorial Cemetery in Busan. I will have more pictures and stories from there later. It was an emotional experience for me despite the weirdness of this sign.

Posted on August 27th, 2013 under Korea. Tags: busan, Nikon 24mm f/2.8 AF-D nikkor lens, Nikon D600, UN Memorial Cemetery. Comments Off on No Swimming (Korea Tuesday)

Kamo Shrine (賀茂神社)

Posted on August 24th, 2013 under Japan. Tags: kyoto, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, Shimogamo-jinja 下鴨神社, shinto, torii. Comments Off on Kamo Shrine (賀茂神社)

Sakura Gate (桜門) leading to Osaka Castle

Posted on August 23rd, 2013 under Japan. Tags: castle, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, osaka. Comments Off on Osaka Castle’s Sakura Gate (桜門 Sakura-Mon)

Japanese lady in Shukkei-en (縮景園)

A Japanese girl was going through a photo shoot in full kimono in Hiroshima’s Shukkei-en (perhaps for her coming of age or seijinshiki or 成人式). My self-appointed personal guide asked the photographer if I could take some photos of her too, and they were all too happy to oblige. However, the model’s smiles all looked a little forced and unnatural in the dozen or so photos I took. I took one of her mom watching her daughter have her picture taken and found her smile to be far more genuine.

Posted on August 22nd, 2013 under Japan. Tags: hiroshima, Nikon AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED Telephoto Lens, Nikon D600, 縮景園 Shukkei-en. Comments Off on Happy Japanese mom @ Shukkei-en (縮景園)