I guess this is a continuation of a post three months ago looking back to last November's trip to the Shugakuin Imperial Villa in Kyoto. We're still two months away from fall foliage season in Kyoto, but it's just around the corner for much of the Northern Hemisphere, so I guess this is a getting-in-the-mood-for-Autumn kind of post.

We'd left of on that previous post having headed up a hill to a nice view. The same view with an 85mm at f/1.6 sort of has a slightly-unreal look, as if it's a close up of a model...

As described in my first post about this location, the tour moves at a brisk pace and they don't like folks to stray ahead or behind. So it's difficult to get most shots without luck and planning. Here's one such shot:

The only way to get that shot is to be the first one down the hill after they tell you to get moving, or the last one. I was the first... folks came streaming down moments later...

I'd made the trip with Damien, Paul, and Kentaro Kataoka (my masseur friend, most recently mentioned on my blog here).

(Coincidentally, I had dinner with Ken-chan and Damien last night at Via Transito, an Italian restaurant run by a friend. Was Tasty. When Paul comes in again November, the four of us will have to do it again and document the meal with photos 🙂 .

Anyway, the lake doesn't look so great in the shot above, so here's a shot of the same covered bridge, but from the other direction, and with perhaps better lighting...

The next stop on the tour was another little hut/house where the Emperor might have tea or something...

Our tour of this imperial villa was done, but another awaited, as did lunch.

Continued here...