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Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — ¹/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 1800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Lack of Vertigo
there should be plenty

The other day after a short stroll through the Chishaku-in Temple in eastern Kyoto, we made our way behind it to search for a set of stairs that Stéphane had suggested. We found it.

Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — ¹/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 280 — map & image data — nearby photos
First Steps
just a few baby ones

At the top of the small set of steps was a park with cherry blossoms and kids playing, beyond which was a large wooden gate building...

Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — ¹/800 sec, f/2.5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Gate

Paying a scant 50 yen (US$ 0.60) to pass through, we found the main set of stairs....

Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — ¹/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 1400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Now Those are Some Steps

Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — ¹/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 5000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Challenge

Just as we started up, someone came to jog the stairs, reminding me of north-east Kyoto's Tanukitanisan Fudouin Temple where athletes train by running the stair-filled path.

At the top of this very long set of stairs is another little park and little gate...

Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — ¹/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 1400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Mid-Level Gate

... followed by, you guessed it... more steps...

Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — ¹/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 3600 — map & image data — nearby photos
Lots More Steps

Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — ¹/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 2800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Looking Back Down
this is the only photo I got that seems to capture the steepness

There's nothing much to speak of at the top... a large but remarkably-boring grave monument of some kind... so the attraction is the 523-step trip, not the destination.

Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — ¹/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Fence
about the only interesting thing at the top

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Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — ¹/500 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Heading Down @ 125mm

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — ¹/640 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Heading Down @ 50mm
represents the scale more realistically

Photographically speaking, this post so far has been free from the burden of color and quality, but I'd like to inject at least a bit of color (though not quality) via some less-than-thrilling tsubaki blossoms, if for no other reason than it gives me the opportunity to refer to this utterly-perfect blossom, a related tsubaki variety at a temple a mile or so away.

Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — ¹/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 220 — map & image data — nearby photos
Tsubaki
not such a great specimen

Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — ¹/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 720 — map & image data — nearby photos
Tsubaki Bud
also not so great

Better than the sad tsubaki was the sunshine and cherry blossoms, though it's sad that this is the best photo I can share:

Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — ¹/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO 280 — map & image data — nearby photos
Cherry Blossoms and Shrine Gate

Also sad is that when researching the location in writing up this post, I realized that the grave monument at the top is for a decidedly-vile person from 400 years ago in Japanese history, which greatly lessens the appeal to me. Oh well.