Photomerged panorama of Portland, Oregon from the Pittock Mansion

Portland was clear and cold during the 2+ days we were there this past weekend. Even though I’ve been to Portland many times, this was the first time I can remember Mt. Hood being visible (although I have seen Mt. Hood from the air and from Salem before). I did a quick Google search on “Portland’s best views” or something similar and the Pittock Mansion came up. Getting there is easy from downtown Portland, but I’m guessing you can only see Mt. Hood from here this clearly a small percentage of the time. Apparently the Pittock Mansion was the ending point for one of the Amazing Race seasons, but I don’t think I watched that season as it didn’t look familiar. Unfortunately, a private party was happening inside so we could only see the outside of the mansion.

Posted on November 26th, 2013 under Oregon. Tags: mt. hood, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, panorama, photomerge, portland. Comments Off on Portland panorama

Danjo Garan (壇場伽藍) on Koyasan

Kobo Daishi’s life was devoted, in part, to the construction of Danjo Garan on Koyasan. The grounds are lovely and probably crawling with tourists 99% of the time. If you ever visit Koyasan, do yourself a favor, and instead of making it a day trip or being the first one back on the bus/tram/train in the morning after breakfast, head over to Danjo Garan in the morning when you will likely have the place to yourself.

Posted on October 16th, 2013 under Japan. Tags: Danjo Garan 壇場伽藍, koyasan 高野山, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, panorama, photomerge. Comments Off on Danjo Garan panorama

Photomerge of Lansdowne Street from left field in Boston’s Fenway Park

Today begins the 2013 American League Division Series.

Posted on October 4th, 2013 under Other. Tags: baseball, boston, fenway park, nikon d7000, panorama, photomerge, photoshop, Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 Lens for Nikon. Comments Off on Lansdowne Street panorama

Fourteen photos were photomerged together to come up with this more than 180 degree view from the Togetsu Bridge (渡月橋)
Kyoto, Japan

Posted on September 16th, 2013 under Japan. Tags: arashiyama, kyoto, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, panorama, photomerge. Comments Off on Arashiyama panorama

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.

Posted on September 5th, 2013 under Japan. Tags: fudoin, garden, koyasan 高野山, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, panorama, photomerge, reviews. Comments: 2