Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — ¹/1600 sec, f/2.8, ISO 250 — map & image data — nearby photos
Temple Pagoda

I've been posting a lot of the same stuff lately (snow, Heian Shrine, and shots from Amami), so I thought I'd mix things up and revisit some older files in my library. I often get caught up in new events, leaving many shots I want to share to languish in my library until I find a chance to get back to them. So today, I randomly picked a day from last year to revisit, and it turns out to be June 3rd, which was the first day of Aunt Jeannette's visit to Kyoto.

The shot above contains a temple pagoda – the Taisan Temple's Koan Pagoda – but in “Where's Waldo” fashion, it's not obvious until you see it the first time. Here's a zoom that might help:

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 55 mm — ¹/1000 sec, f/2.8, ISO 250 — map & image data — nearby photos

These are views of the pagoda from the Kiyomizu Temple, which was the first stop on the first day of Aunt Jeannette's tour in Kyoto. Other shots were included here and here.

On the way out, I came across these two school pals with matching Hello Kitty purses:

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 45 mm — ¹/640 sec, f/4.5, ISO 640 — map & image data — nearby photos
Friends Forever

Later, the tour went to the Heian Shrine, and visited the gardens that I mentioned in yesterday's post about the amazing snow the other day. The gardens don't cover much area, but are very nicely done, and they feel huge.

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 34 mm — ¹/500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Lakeside in the Gardens

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 38 mm — ¹/320 sec, f/5, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Random Quaint Bridge #27

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 55 mm — ¹/320 sec, f/5, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Bridal Photoshoot in the Garden
That's the groom with the tiny camera at right

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 55 mm — ¹/350 sec, f/5, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Sisters?
(I particularly like the birds in the kimono at left)

The Heian Shrine is a popular place for wedding ceremonies; there are a few related pics in my Weddings and the Heian Shrine post.

Later in the day, the tour group visited a tea house in Gion where they were treated to sweets made and served by Master Sweet Maker Ji'ichiro Kunieta. I took this picture of a lady on a bridge from the window of the second floor of the tea house:

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 52 mm — ¹/250 sec, f/6.3, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Oasis in the City

It's right in the heart of Gion, but it looks like the middle of nowhere. The lady in the picture above is standing pretty much in the exact spot that the first picture on Night Cherry Blossoms in the Gion area of Kyoto was taken. Two other night shots taken in the immediate vicinity are here.

Outside the tea house by the side of the road, I found this flower...

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 55 mm — ¹/200 sec, f/2.8, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Pretty Flower

Generally, photography can be difficult in Gion (and most of Japan) due to all the utility poles and wires. Ugly.

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 26 mm — ¹/250 sec, f/9, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Ugly

On the walk home, I passed the site where a house had been taken down, and you could see in the old, dilapidated side of the house next door the shape of the roof where some part of the razed house had been attached.

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 38 mm — ¹/180 sec, f/4, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Not Quite Watertight

As Zak explains in his History in (of) a Roof post, you can read a lot of history in the shapes, colors, and construction of old walls.

The construction in this case is the same wood veneer over bamboo and mud walls seen in my Old House of Bamboo and Mud, but you can see much of the same kind of history in a brick wall as well.

Continuing on the walk, I came across these flowers growing wildly on the bank of the stream that runs by our place, among the weeds. The photo isn't particularly great, but the flowers are pretty.

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 38 mm — ¹/500 sec, f/3.2, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Weeds, Etc.