Japan Day 6.1 - Kyoto

Kyoto is the ancient capital of Japan, so I figured this was the perfect chance to visit as many shrines as I possibly could.

The morning was dedicated to making my way up to the bamboo forest from Arashiyama Station.

Early Morning Reflections

At this point in the trip I thought I’d be better at judging the time it would take to travel to places within the cities of Japan. However, when I stepped off the train and wandered to look at the Togetsu-kyō Bridge, it was about 40 minutes earlier than I expected.

Arashiyama Bamboo Forest

On my pathway up to my ultimate destination, there was a gorgeous bamboo forest It was wonderfully green and the morning birds were singing.

Little Inlet

Often in these parks I’ve been finding these small sections of the park where you can relax and reflect. This was one of the sections.

Mossy Branch

Back in Canada, I can’t say that I’ve ever been all that interested in moss. What surprised me about Japan is the detail that came out in the light. I loved the texture it presents.

Nison-in Temple

My first stop of the morning came after a morning stroll through the small neighborhoods of Kyoto. This was a section of town I enjoyed and would like to spend more time in.

Shrubbery

Ever since I got my new portrait lens I’ve been interested in pulling out the smaller details of objects. I liked the contrast of the berries against the main temple.

Inner Prayers

This was the main prayer area of the temple, where the priests would come to sit and reflect. The deep red rug sitting on the shiny floor was an interesting aspect I didn’t expect to see.

Morning Light

Another aspect of the morning is I love how dramatic all the statues look. This is one of the better examples from the day. The harsh light bringing out the detail from the left, while blanketing the right in darkness,

Side Temple

Off to the side of the main temple was this smaller area, which I believe is meant for prayer. Truthfully, there was no one around to ask, so I’m using context clues!

Don't Miss Anything

I wandered around to the back of the building and ended up at the main temple again. Although coming from the new angle revealed this interesting sculpture to me. A pertinent reminder to not rush and take it all in.

Rituals and Prayer

While looking at the main temple again, I found myself interested in the objects on the table. Without any idea what they were used for, I wanted to capture the vast colour differences.

A Srinkle of Colour

Outside of every shrine there’s a small section where you can wash your hands and mouth before prayer, and in this instance they had flowers floating on top.

Branches Are Lovely

I was addicted to the fig blossoms, and felt pretty lucky to be in Japan during their bloom.

Ring The Bell

I have no idea how they made this bell and if it’s from a single cast or if they carved the characters into it. However, that didn’t stop me from appreciating how intricate and well made it was.

Graves of Emperors

What I didn’t know when I was there is Nison-in Temple is a renown grave site for Emperors. This was one of the grave sites that caught my eye.

Once More With Light

A little ways down I found another grave I couldn’t identify. A common problem I had in Japan is I couldn’t read Japanese, so the history and meaning behind some of the places I visited was a bit lost. A shame really!

Leaf It To Me

This was the pathway that led up to my selfie spot. I loved how the leaves covered the path and the roots of the tree encroached upon my walkway.

Little Terrors

While I was on the pathway I could hear several birds chirping in anger and trying to scare away a predator. Turns out the predator was this owl and he was perfectly happy to just hang out and let the local birds freak out.

There's the City

The city seemed to stretch on forever. It was fun to think about all the places I could explore and come back to!

Where People Live

It was pretty incredible to walk through a small neighborhood that led to the temples. I came up to this lookout to see what it looked like from above. I liked the contrast of the modern buildings through the trees.

Natural and Beautiful

I loved the contrast of the light in this picture, how it glances off of the bench and illuminates the green moss.

More Graves!

It became clear to me at this point that I would have more photos of graves than I anticipated. However I’ve seen how a few cultures bury their dead and am perpetually interested in how we choose to be remembered.

One The Way Out

This was one of those details I noticed on my way out that sat at the entrance. I should probably know this, but I wonder if these lanterns ever get lit, or if they’re purely ceremonial.

Rain Protector

I remember taking this specifically because I found the stacked layers of wood interesting.

Shadow Branch

This statue was one of my favourites from the whole trip. I loved the detail of the statue itself and how commanding he looks. In partticular, the way the shadows from a nearby tree frames his face was a fun detail to capture.