Finally Over a Cold, Some Rustic Temple/Shrine Visits in Western Kyoto
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a wall of sake barrels at the Matsuo Shrine, Kyoto Japan
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1800 — map & image datanearby photos
Wall of Sake Barrels
Matsuo Shrine (松尾大社)
Kyoto Japan
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Having recovered from a mild but lingering cold, I went out for some lite temple/shrine exploration in western Kyoto with Paul Barr yesterday. The autumn colors are late and weak this year, but it's always fun to explore new nooks and crannies of Kyoto, so I enjoyed it.

There's a tradition of sake (rice wine) companies sending donations to shrines in exchange for prominent display of their patronage, and the barrels on display at this particular shrine we came across were particularly large.


Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/500 sec, f/2.5, ISO 1000 — map & image datanearby photos
Born

It's the season for children's “7-5-3” celebrations (as described here, and as seen with my own kid here)...


Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/500 sec, f/2.5, ISO 640 — map & image datanearby photos
Cute Photo Op
Child celebrating the “7-5-3” holiday

Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/500 sec, f/2.5, ISO 500 — map & image datanearby photos
Heading Home

Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/500 sec, f/2.5, ISO 320 — map & image datanearby photos
Weathered

Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/500 sec, f/2.5, ISO 320 — map & image datanearby photos
Taking Aim

I'm not really sure what the above thing was about, but I suspect it has to do with fortune telling. The girls were giggling the whole time. She missed, but they clearly got their presumably small fee's worth of fun.

golden red-orange leaves
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/500 sec, f/2.5, ISO 1800 — map & image datanearby photos
Finally
a touch of color
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Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/500 sec, f/2.5, ISO 1100 — map & image datanearby photos
Fringe

After leaving that shrine, we putzed around the back roads looking for lunch, and happened upon a simple cafe with good food. I snapped a picture of the entrance just to mark the location (because my photos are geoencoded, as per the map link under each photo)....


Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/500 sec, f/2.5, ISO 800 — map & image datanearby photos
Matsuo Soba Restaurant

We could see on the map that a large temple was not far, so we headed over, but it turns out to have been the Moss Temple, which I have no interest in seeing and requires a reservation a week in advance anyway, but nearby we happened across the fairly-hidden “Bamboo Temple”, still apparently undiscovered by the hordes of tourists buzzing nearby...


Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/100 sec, f/9, ISO 6400 — map & image datanearby photos
Entrance to the Bamboo Temple

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/20 sec, f/4, ISO 200 — map & image datanearby photos
Bamboo and Sun
mild autumn colors at 地蔵院, the Bamboo Temple, in Kyoto Japan
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — 1/200 sec, f/1.4, ISO 500 — map & image datanearby photos
Quiet Color
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Then we thought to head up towards the main area of Arashiyama and seek out the remote temple seen in this picture that I posted two months ago, from a lookout on a mountain-top park.

From the main road it's a pleasant 1.1km walk along the river to get to the stairs that lead up to the temple, though in our case it was a pleasant 1.1km scooter ride. 🙂 Then we left the scooter and started up the mountain...


Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/100 sec, f/7.1, ISO 6400 — map & image datanearby photos
Up the Mountain
on the way to the Senkouji Temple (千光寺)

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/250 sec, f/1.6, ISO 400 — map & image datanearby photos
Along the Way

In the photo above, Paul is taking a shot of a lively roof....


Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/250 sec, f/2.5, ISO 1400 — map & image datanearby photos
Living Roof

These are common in rustic temples and shrines, and I love them and have posted photos from them many times, but this one was particularly low so that I could get easy access with my macro lens...


Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/250 sec, f/2.5, ISO 2200 — map & image datanearby photos
Little Universe
growing on a roof that's been allowed to grow close to nature

Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/250 sec, f/2.5, ISO 2000 — map & image datanearby photos
Alien Landscape

There wasn't much in the way of fall colors, but a few bland tinges here and there made for a nice backdrop from time to time...


Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — 1/125 sec, f/1.4, ISO 560 — map & image datanearby photos
Textures

Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/250 sec, f/2.5, ISO 200 — map & image datanearby photos
Lookout

If you look carefully at the photo above, you can see people at the top center. It's from there that I took the “remote temple” photo two months ago, and now this photo is the reverse angle of that one.

The “remote temple” is pretty rustic, in a pleasant way...


Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/400 sec, f/2.8, ISO 450 — map & image datanearby photos
Rustic

... and offers a very nice view of the river, the mountains, and northern Kyoto, though the view of the city is washed out in this shot...


Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/400 sec, f/2.8, ISO 640 — map & image datanearby photos
Nice View
From the Senkouji Temple

Back down at the bottom of the steps where I'd left the scooter, we saw employees standing on a dock waiting to meet a boat carrying customers to a place with the name 星のや (hoshinoya), which I assumed to be a pricey restaurant....


Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — 1/400 sec, f/4.5, ISO 5000 — map & image datanearby photos
Customer Arrival
Hoshinoya Inn, Spa, and Restaurant

It turns out to be an inn, spa, and restaurant, and that “pricey” was an understatement. Its web site lists dinner starting at $200 per person, and the three-day spa course runs $2,200, though that doesn't include a 10% service charge, nor even accommodations, which one supposes must be equally spendy.

Riding the quiet, mostly-empty path back to the main road did not prepare me for the scene once I arrived. It hits the main road at the western end of the famous Togetsukyo Bridge (渡月橋, seen here and more recently here). The whole area was positively swarming with people and traffic and unfun. I much prefer out-of-the-way places that my scooter gives me access to.

Today I'm off to Yoshiminedera. I still haven't looked at most of the photos I took last year, but it's nice to have them in reserve because this year's colors are so weak, I may not end up with anything today. We'll see...


All 3 comments so far, oldest first...

That “Born” is really “Bon,” (梵) which is that character, which means Sanskrit (and which has big Buddhist connotations in Japan).

— comment by Zak on November 25th, 2011 at 4:42pm JST (12 years, 4 months ago) comment permalink

Seems you have an overload of opportunity for fabulous shots. Think you could made and sell dozens of different calenders or photo books with your work.
BTW, under “Taking Aim”, you had “where” instead of “were.”

Thanks, I’ve fixed the typo. As for sales, I’m not really the entrepreneurial type, but I appreciate the vote of confidence. —Jeffrey

— comment by Anonymous on November 26th, 2011 at 5:31am JST (12 years, 4 months ago) comment permalink

Glad you are not the entrepreneurial type as then maybe you would not be so generous posting up full resolution versions of your really great pics. 🙂
Have just spent a happy half hour working out which of these lovely shots is going to be the desktop background for the next few weeks.
I sooo enjoyed the bamboo temple shots…
Meanwhile, I’m hoping you won’t completely write off the Moss temple even though it is pricey to get in and you have to sit through a prayer experience as by the photos I have seen in the Gardens of Japan book, it is indeed very special.
Keep up the great posting work!
Your fans are very happy!
Annie

— comment by Annie in London on November 27th, 2011 at 1:06am JST (12 years, 4 months ago) comment permalink
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