Walking to Okunoin in Koya-san

November 25, 2015 — Leave a comment

Stay at a temple in Koya-san was truly a treat. It was really quite and relaxing to do such a thing and highly recommend it for anyone traveling near Osaka. This is a walk that travels up to the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi who is the creator of Shingon Buddhism and one of the most revered religious person in the history of Japan. The walk though Japan’s largest gravel yard gets you to the mausoleum and it is a very interesting walk and it made me feel small. the trees are tall and straight, some have cables to keep them up.

Taken with a Voigtlander Bessa R4M on Ektar Film

Bridge at Imamiya-jinja

November 4, 2015 — Leave a comment

Imamiya-jinja is a shrine in northern Kyoto that is probably overlooked a lot by tourists. It is not as amazing I guess as most of the other sites in the city and if you are pressed with time then it is completely understandable. It is a shrine that is very close to Daitoku-ji temple complex which should be a must for most tourist so it isn’t that far out of the way to take a look. It has been around since 1001 so a thousand years! It protects against epidemics and was built at a time when there was one going around Kyoto. On one side of the bridge is the east gate to the shrine where there are two restaurants that offer roasted rice cakes and have been in business since the year 1001 roughly. I believe they are the oldest business that is still running in the world. That’s a long time.

Taken with Bessa R4M with 50mm f1.4 Canon ltm with Ektar Film

Silver Pavilion in Kyoto

October 28, 2015 — Leave a comment

The Silver Pavilion as it is called was at one point supposed to be clad in Silver foil just like the Golden pavilion but never got to it. The Silver Pavilion, Ginkaku-ji, (real name Jisho-ji) was built around 1482 by Ashikaga Yoshimasa as a retirement villa. He modeled it after his grandfathers, Golden Pavilion (Kinkakuji), which is why it looks familiar to it and then once he passed it was converted into a temple. the gardens are great and sprawling even up the Higasiyama hills. Great part of the Philosophers walk as the beginning or end. Grab a bike and go!

Taken with Bessa R4M with 21mm Color Skopar and Canon 50mm f1.4 ltm on Ektar Film

It was not covered in Silver but you can see the foil on display near the end of the walk by the store…

The gardens are a pleasure to view as you walk through them with water on two sides. I enjoy looking at the trees and two times I have been there and they were up in them pruning them…

Looking over at the buildings that are not part of the tour but are pretty setting for the gardens indeed…

Thanks for looking

Shoren-in Temple in Ektar

October 25, 2015 — Leave a comment

I brought some Ektar film with my on my trip and decided to do some shooting. This is nice temple with a great garden. Not to large but you can enjoy the garden from inside the temple and sit and relax. After you can take walk through the gardens and also around behind the gardens. Green all around from the moss and evergreens and maples.

Taken with Voigtlander Bessa R4M with 21mm Color Skopar lens Kodak Ektar

Ryojin no Ike pond which portrays the back of a dragon bathing in the pond…

Shin-den is the largest of the buildings with this front area large and full of rich moss…

Lovely and we made it to catch some of the azaleas bloom…

thanks for looking today…

Walking up Fushimi-Inari

October 18, 2015 — Leave a comment

The mountain that the tori gates rise up on is splendid walk. I wish I have done it at night or right as the sun rose in the morning. there are a lot of little trails that branch of the main path up. Small shrines to stop at and enjoy. Mind you I got attacked a few times by mosquitoes. Some stones and little wooden tori gates are all over.

Taken with Voigtlander Bessa R4M with 50mm f1.4 on Ilford FP5

S Clinton Lewis

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