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Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 500 mm — ¹/800 sec, f/7.1, ISO 220 — map & image data — nearby photos
Slightly Disorienting
I think the gazebo is a bit off vertical

The hotel that I recently wrote about (at which we stayed during our recent mini trip to Awaji Island a couple of hours south of Kyoto), Westin Awaji Island, is part of a conference center and park called the “Awaji Yumebutai” (淡路夢舞台;, “Stage of Dreams”, English home page), a complex array of buildings and visuallly-interesting areas built on the side of a mountain that had been half taken away in the early 90s for use as sea-fill during construction of the man-made islands that are now Kansai International Airport.

One of the “visually-interesting areas” is known as the “100-level garden” (百段苑; hyakudan'en), which consists of 100 squares of terraced gardens.

On the hotel post the other day, I showed the view looking left from our room balcony, and if it were possible to look further left still, through the hotel, this is the view I would have been able to show:

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 48 mm — ¹/800 sec, f/10, ISO 560 — map & image data — nearby photos
View from the Hotel's Elevator Lobby

Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 500 mm — ¹/1600 sec, f/6.3, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Reverse-Angle View
view from near the kids play area at the Akashi Straights National Park

We weren't able to explore the area around the hotel except for our last morning just before checking out, so having time for just one of the many interesting areas, we picked the squares to pay a quick visit.

Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 50 mm — ¹/1600 sec, f/6.3, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
View from the Top Elevator Platform
we didn't have much time so we took the elevator up; yes, I felt lame

Reverse Angle Back to the Top Elevator Platform
Photo by Fumie Friedl

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — ¹/320 sec, f/18, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
View from the Highest Corner
the big building is the hotel

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — ¹/1000 sec, f/6.3, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Going Off Trail

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 42 mm — ¹/320 sec, f/18, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Closer to the Bottom

Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 210 mm — ¹/640 sec, f/6.3, ISO 220 — map & image data — nearby photos
Common Sight at this Site

Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 340 mm — ¹/1250 sec, f/10, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Wish

Most of the squares' flowers were decorated by school kids with pinwheels or the like. This bed of little yellow flowers (the same flower bed that lead on my Pretty Flowers to Brighten the Day post) had wishes by the kids, The one above, by a third-grade boy named Naoki, says “Preserve nature; don't litter in the mountains”.

And speaking of wishes, I wish I would have had time to explore the visual opportunities the site offered. Most of these shots are just pedestrian establishing shots that merely document that we visited. We were there for just 13 minutes. Pausing a moment as I was racing down the stairs to catch up with the family, I made one quick effort at a “geometric art” shot of some stairs running up to the side...

Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 116 mm — ¹/1600 sec, f/5.3, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Meh

I'm not really happy with it, but a minute later, my last shot at the terraces turns out to be my favorite shot at the terraces...

Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 50 mm — ¹/800 sec, f/5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos