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

Sajik Baseball Stadium – Busan, South Korea

One of the problems with watching live baseball in Korea is the amount of netting they put up around the field. One time at a game, when I was sitting next to a Korean who could speak English, I asked him why all the netting and whistles with every foul ball. He told me that a video of a fan getting hit in the eye with a foul ball (and subsequently losing eyesight in that eye) in the USA made the rounds in Korea and it freaked people out. At the KIA Tigers games I purchase seats a little above the netting so that the net doesn’t obstruct my view. That wasn’t possible at Sajik Baseball Stadium as nearly every seat has a net-obstructed view. I couldn’t take it anymore after a few innings so I headed down to one of the first few rows far down the foul line which were the only seats without a net in front of them. There was an usher checking tickets to get into this section, but I just walked past him. He figured it was easier to let me go then try to have a conversation with me in English.

Posted on August 12th, 2013 under Korea. Tags: baseball, busan, Nikon 24mm f/2.8 AF-D nikkor lens, Nikon D600, panorama, photomerge, sajik baseball stadium. Comments Off on Sajik Baseball Stadium (사직야구장)

Panorama (photomerge) of Gwangan Beach and Gwangan Bridge at night (Busan, South Korea)

I spent last weekend in Busan on the southeast coast of South Korea. The sun never came out, and the sky was never blue during the day. However, the “blue hour” still happens even with an overcast sky.

I didn’t have a tripod and there was nothing really easy to set my camera on for a long exposure so I climbed a lifeguard tower and set my camera on the floor of the lifeguard station in order to take the photos that were photomerged together into today’s final pic.

You’ll be able to see a lot more detail in this image if you click on it while viewing it on a large screen.

Posted on August 3rd, 2013 under Korea. Tags: blue hour, bridge, busan, East China Sea, night photography, Nikon 24mm f/2.8 AF-D nikkor lens, Nikon D600, panorama, photomerge. Comments: 1

View from Owolru or Owoldae Tower (오월루)

I took today’s photo (photos actually as this is a eight photo photomerge covering about 160 degrees) from the top floor (3rd floor) of a pagoda/tower in the May 18 Memorial Park in Gwangju.

When they built this tower, Owol-ru or May Observatory, more than a dozen years ago, I don’t think they thought about what would happen once the trees all grew to their full height. Right now, most of the views are obscured by trees, and that condition will only grow worse. I had to stand my 6’4″ body on the top of the top rail to see anything above the trees and take this panorama. I saw a photo in the 5.18 Memorial Culture Center (in this same park) that showed the tower with no trees around it. As things stand, if they don’t do a massive trim job on the trees soon, they will need to add another story or two to the pagoda or the views from there will be of only trees regardless of how tall you are or where you stand.

The 5.18 Memorial Culture Center shows a 12 minute or so video of the Gwangju massacre that is narrated in English. Don’t miss it if you are in Gwangju. There are also many large photos of late May 1980 in the room that I haven’t seen elsewhere.

Posted on August 2nd, 2013 under Korea. Tags: gwangju, May 18 Memorial Park 5.18 기념공원, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, Owolru 오월루, panorama, photomerge. Comments Off on May 18th Memorial Park (5.18 기념공원)

Jikso waterfall

The Jikso Falls can be found inside Byeonsanbando National Park (변산반도국립공원). You can’t drive to this location. You can hike to it from two different directions. We took the shorter route (not the route from Naeso Temple) which was probably about 3 kilometers and not as steep. The waterfall can be seen in the far right portion of today’s panorama. We ate lunch right next to the waterfall even though a sign had been put up in the prior month saying you can no longer eat there or go in the falls. Our guide did not know about these new rules.

Posted on July 31st, 2013 under Korea. Tags: jikso falls, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, panorama, photomerge, waterfalls. Comments: 1