Photomerged panorama of the interior Kabuki Theater known as Kurehaza (呉服座) currently on the grounds of Meiji Mura (明治村)

The exterior of this theater can be seen in my earlier post.

I wanted to sit, relax, and soak in the ambiance of this 19th Century theater, but one isn’t allowed in unless doing the tour. Once in, the tour began almost immediately so I fired these photos off in quick succession as my group headed to the stage. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to perfectly center myself or wait for the people to clear out of the way and make this photomerged shot showing more than 180 degrees of view more perfect.

Posted on February 5th, 2014 under Japan. Tags: inuyama, meiji mura, museums, nagoya, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, panorama, photomerge. Comments Off on Kurehaza (呉服座) interior

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

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