The view above, of the entrance gate to the Honen'in Temple (法然院) in eastern Kyoto, is from the outside looking in, as opposed to the views in yesterday's post, which were from the inside looking out.

The path leading to the entrance gate is in two parts... the first being an exceptionally-well-done cobblestone path with what seems to me to be a decidedly modern feel...

Frankly, I find the modern feel to be a bit jarring in the rustic traditional temple setting, but I like the cobblestone path a bit better than what follows directly in front of the main [...]

Dipping into my archives to last November (of "A Long But Photogenic November in Kyoto" distinction), here are a couple of photos from the Honen'in Temple (法然院) in north-eastern Kyoto. It's a simple temple with some nice garden features, including its famous entry gateway seen above (and here).

The path is flanked by two meticulously-groomed piles of sand.

Continued here...

It's been stressful for me lately, so I'm posting something tranquil to make me feel better.

On an entirely unrelated subject, here's a protip for folks living in a foreign country: when it comes time to renew your visa (your permission to reside in the country), don't forget; they don't like it when you forget.

(Japan didn't like it when I forget, but they kindly granted me "special permission" to stay, so I don't have to remember again for another three years, but wow, what a colossal paperwork headache I created for myself.)

Continued here...

It's been ages since I've been out with just me and the camera, so I took some time for myself yesterday to visit the Kuuya-taki Waterfall (空也滝) in the mountains of western Kyoto. I first posted about it a year ago, and have since posted many updates, such as here and here.

(As always, the "nearby photos" link under any of these shots brings up other photos taken over the years in the same area.)

It had been raining recently, so yesterday I hoped to get lucky with a large flow of water over the falls, and also lucky to [...]

I play and experiment a lot when I'm out with the camera, slowly trying to add bits of experience of what "works" and what doesn't. The photo above, from a trip a year ago to one of my favorite hidden gems of Kyoto, the Gioji Temple, is one of a series of five shots that I took at different apertures, to get different levels of blur in the background.

I often know exactly what I want in a result and how to get it, but sometimes I just can't predict what aperture will give a pleasing result, so I do [...]