#explore japan
Uhhhhhhhh, I just remembered that I went to Daikoku earlier this year.
Canon 5D & 24-105mm f/4L.
January, 2017.
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Around Tokyo, into 2017.
By this time, I was tired of carrying around a DSLR everywhere.
Canon 5D & 24-105mm f/4L.
January, 2017.
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Monday 9th October 2017. 12:00 Kyoto Japan.
We then cycled to Kamigamo-jinja (上賀茂神社). It was such a beautiful day today and we were greeted by numerous wedding ceremonies taking place at the shrine which was interesting to see. We wandered around the grounds and up to the view point.
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Monday 9th October 2017. 11:00 Kyoto Japan.
We visited The Garden of Fine Arts which is about a 20 minute cycle from my house, situated right next to the Botanical Gardens.
The project was conceived as a contemporary, volumetric version of a stroll garden. The open-air Fine Arts Museum is situated below ground level to keep the view from the adjacent Botanical Gardens towards the Higashiyama mountains intact.
The museum displays reproductions of famous masterpieces on ceramic plates with permanent, weatherproof properties. The scheme is open; large concrete beams on massive pillars, overlapping bridges and ramps, walls of cascading water and pools with paintings floating on the water surface.
Circulation is intersected by massive concrete walls, allowing views from different angles, and adding depth and variety to the exhibition spaces. The greenish glass railing, in contrast to the concrete and stone surfaces, interact with the water surface reflecting the different materials.
I’ve wanted to visit here for a while and at just 100yen entrance fee you can’t really complain. The actually space was really cool I just wasn’t too keen on the actual art works.
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Sunday 8th October 2017. 13:00 Kyoto Japan.
We watched some traditional Japanese dancing whilst we strolled through the beautiful Arashiyama.
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Sunday 8th October 2017. 12:30 Kyoto Japan.
Our cruise ended in Arashiyama. Once everyone had left the boat the guys allowed me and Nomu to stay on and they let us row across Arashiyama. They were all so kind and it was an awesome end to the rover boat experience.
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Sunday 8th October 2017. 11:00 Kyoto Japan.
Today me and Nomu went on the Hozugawa River Cruise. We have wanted to do this for a while and decided to go today as I only have a few more weekends left in Kyoto. We couldn’t have picked a better day the weather was glorious.
Hozugawa River Cruises (保津川下り, Hozugawa Kudari) are sightseeing boat rides down the Hozugawa River from Kameoka to Arashiyama. The cruises utilize traditional style, flat bottomed boats piloted by boatmen who guide the craft with oars and bamboo poles. The boats take about two hours to leisurely make their way down the river and are a relaxing way to see the natural scenery of the largely undeveloped ravine. The river cruises are often combined with a ride on the Sagano Scenic Railway.
The Hozugawa River was originally employed to transport logs that were used to build many of Kyoto and Osaka’s famous temples and castles. During the Edo Period the river was cleared of obstructions so that boats carrying grain, firewood and other cargo could safely navigate it. Trains and trucks eventually made river transport obsolete, and operations ceased after several hundred years of use. However, the boats were brought back and eventually became popular as a sightseeing attraction.
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Tuesday 3rd October 2017. 15:30 Kyoto Japan.
We then cycled to Heian-jingu Shrine about 10/15 minutes from the previous temple. The weather was perfect so I thought it was a great idea to take Jake here and see a glimpse of traditional Japan.
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Tuesday 3rd October 2017. 14:00 Kyoto Japan.
Honen-in Temple 法然院
My friend Jake from the UK has finally arrived in Japan and he is staying with me for 3 weeks. I will have to go to work during this time but I have this first week off which gives us to time to hang out, catch up and explore Kyoto together. This was my first time at this temple although it is so close to my house. It was deserted and a pleasure to walk around. I’m glad this was Jake’s first visit to a temple in Japan, it was beautiful.
Established in 1680 to honor Honen (1133-1212), the founder of the Jodo sect, the temple is especially worth visiting in April for its cherry blossoms and again in the fall for its magnificent maples. Honen-in also has a small camellia garden visible from Hojo Hall.
The Hojo Hall, which houses paintings by Kano Mitsunobu, is opened to the public only in the first two weeks of April (1-17) and the first week of November (1-7), when the temple becomes very popular with Kyoto visitors.
Honen-in often stages small exhibitions by local artists and musicians in a small hall to the right of the main Sanmon gate. In fact, in recent years there has been over 100 events a year held at the temple including symposiums, Western and Japanese music recitals and tea gatherings.
Reaching out to the wider community has been a policy of the abbot Shinsho Kajita, who became the head monk after the death of his father in 1984. Honen-in also sponsors nature walks in the area through the Honen-in Mori no Kyoshitsu.
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Thursday 23rd November 2017. 14:30 Mt. Kurama Kyoto.
Part of the trail up the to peak of the mountain was closed due to fallen tress from the recent Typhoon, which was a shame, but no the end of the world. I felt satisfied in my visit to Kurama today, so so beautiful.
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Sunday 22nd October 2017. 16:15 Kyoto Japan.
After a short visit to Gion I cycled further down the river to Kiyomizu-dera. It’s been a while since I visited here but as the sun was setting over Kyoto there was no better time ti visit this awesome temple. This is one of the best places in Kyoto to view Koyo (紅葉). Koyo refers to the phenomenon of changing autumn colours, mainly when it occurs to the leaves of deciduous broad-leaf trees before the leaves fall to the ground. Although I think I was a little early with my visit.
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