文書は英語ですが、写真は共通
(though I'm taking a break from blogging for a while)
Archive for June, 2007When Aunt Jeanette was in town two weeks ago, we headed up to Kibune to enjoy the drive, and to have lunch at Hirobun, an inn with a nice restaurant that overlooks the river. However, when we arrived, it turned out that the restaurant was serving lunch over the river. We were on the middle of three straw-mat-covered platforms, at what would have to have been the best seats in the house (so to speak). Next to us was a six-foot waterfall just far enough away not to get us wet. As if the breeze from the river wasn't enough [...] 
View full post » Taking a pause from mossy temple pictures for a moment, I'll return to our trip to Hokkaido (northern-most island in Japan) last month, and the picturesque countryside of Biei. (Previous posts on Biei: one, two, three). More random shots from the mostly-overcast days of our visit.... I wasn't the only one to enjoy the views...
View full post » As I mentioned in my previous post, I made a rain-drenched visit to the Hougon'in Temple (宝厳院) in the Arashiyama area of Kyoto yesterday. Like the nearby Giouji Temple (祇王寺) that I recently discovered, there's lots of moss and architecture elements made with only natural materials. In that last category, Hougon'in seems to have the edge, because it has such a wide variety of things (fences, gates, barriers, path markers, ...) and all seem to be made from bamboo and twine... no nails, wire, screws, or the like. On the other hand, it's also much more "busy" a site, with [...] 
View full post » Today was entirely miserable, weather wise, with an unrelenting rain that just would not, er, relent. The rainy season has started, where the key phrase seems to be "100" (at which the temperature, humidity, and chance of rain converge and stay). At least it should finish by.... oh.... August. Having noticed the Hougon'in Temple (宝厳院) while in the Arashiyama area of Kyoto yesterday, and finding out that it was about to close to the public for the summer, I wanted to pay it a visit. It's open through Sunday, but I wanted to avoid the weekend crowds, and I thought [...] 
View full post » I spent the most enjoyable day today playing tour guide to some friends from The States, and although it's not as if I'm lacking pictures from Kyoto, of course I brought my camera along. We visited Kibune, drove through the mountains (seeing this village and these rice paddies), and then headed over to the Arashiyama area of Kyoto to take a look around. (While there, we stopped by Giouji knowing that it would be closed for the evening, just so they could scout its location for a later visit.) My guests were Lawrence Solum, his sister Alex, and their [...] 
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