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Anthony visited his friend Monet today. She lives up in Hieidaira, a community in the mountains between here (Kyoto) and Otsu. The drive up the twisty crowded mountain road was breathtaking, and while they played I returned for a few photos.
I stopped at a few places along the short (5-mile) route, but there were way too many colors to fit in one post; these are just a few shots from the first place I stopped....
Fall colors at a temple or shrine in the city can be really pretty, especially at a big place that gives you opportunities to find interesting angles (such as last week's colorful visit to the Eikando Temple), but I'm pretty sure that the trees that line the tiny Shirakawa River and the road as they both wind up the mountain are native growth.... part of a small percent of the mountains not taken over by tree farming.
Nikon D700 + Zeiss 100mm f/2 — 1/250 sec, f/2, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Just. Too. Vivid.
The range of colors at most any spot is breathtaking. Nothing is arranged.... it's just as nature haphazardly put it.
Nikon D700 + Zeiss 100mm f/2 — 1/250 sec, f/2, ISO 360 — map & image data — nearby photos
Center of the Sun
This is all visible just off the road, which itself runs next to a small river at the bottom of a ravine that twists down the mountain. The road itself is horrendously ugly.... standard-issue small-mountain road, with beat up guard rails, lots of utility poles, piles of garbage by the side of the road, etc.
I found one thing I certainly did not expect to find.....
Nikon D700 + Zeiss 100mm f/2 — 1/250 sec, f/2, ISO 360 — map & image data — nearby photos
Stone Graveyard?
Piled along one stretch of road, perched precariously over the river, were piles and piles of cut and carved stone, as if a large monument of some sort had been meticulously dismantled, each piece painstakingly readied for transport, carefully brought to the this site, then, in the dead of night when no one was looking, haphazardly jettisoned from the truck into a big pile.
Nikon D700 + Zeiss 100mm f/2 — 1/250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 640 — map & image data — nearby photos
Cut Stone Carefully Prepared
then carelessly abandoned
The site was quite a sight, and quite a mystery.... whose deeper investigation must wait for another post....
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Nikon D700 + Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 20 mm — 1/250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 560 — map & image data — nearby photos
Zak Braverman photographs the main gate to the
Kaneda Inari Taisha Shrine
Kyoto, Japan
Buddhist shrines and Shinto temples can be almost any size, ranging from huge sprawling multi-building complexes, down to little things a few feet square. Often they're found in clusters, so it was no surprise when Zak Braverman and I went to visit the small Himukai Shrine tucked away at the base of a mountain in eastern Kyoto, we found next to the parking lot a tiny room-sized shrine, the Kaneda Inari Shrine.
What was somewhat surprising (to me, at least) was the state of its gate, rotting so much that I didn't dare touch it for fear of toppling it.
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/250 sec, f/2.2, ISO 500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Gate of Disrepair
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 2200 — map & image data — nearby photos
“Kaneda Inarai Taisha”
Inarai shrines are dedicated to commercial/worldly success, and as I described in “Kyoto's Dazzling Fushimi Inari Shrine” post about the shrine 5km away with thousands of gates like this, they are donated by patrons hoping for good fortunes. If well maintained they can last for a long time, but if not, well, they very apparently don't last that long.
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/250 sec, f/3.2, ISO 1600 — map & image data — nearby photos
“October 1993”
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/250 sec, f/3.2, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Leafy Lichen
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/250 sec, f/3.2, ISO 500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nice View, Though
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/250 sec, f/2.2, ISO 450 — map & image data — nearby photos
Fox of Many Lichen
fox idols are another hallmark of Inari shrines
I liked the foxes. According to the inscription, the fox statues dated from the 1950s. They looked much older; I suspect the location in the hollow at the base of a mountain with little direct sunlight leads to a continually humid environment good for lichen and bugs; not so good for wood and stone.
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Structurally Sound
( the sound of crashing timber )
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 66 mm — 1/250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Last Legs
The shape of the cement footers make for easy recognition, and so when you find a pile of broken footer pieces somewhere, you know that a gate used to stand nearby.
At least this one was still standing... one couldn't say the same to its friend in the scrap heap a few meters away...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 35 mm — 1/200 sec, f/7.1, ISO 3200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Scrap
among lots of other stuff, the remains of an orange gate
Despite being fairly out of the way, there was a steady stream of other photographers visiting. Nothing like the teeming throngs at the Eikando Temple... maybe another few people every 10 or 15 minutes... so it was quite pleasant. But Zak and I were the only ones to pay any attention to the poor little gate....
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/250 sec, f/3.2, ISO 1000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Other Aims
What on earth could draw their attention away from such a noteworthy sight, you ask?
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — 1/200 sec, f/6.3, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Colorful Entrance to the Himukai Shrine
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We had a bit of fun this evening; with Fumie's folks and my friend Shimada-san, we went up to Shogunzuka (from where I often try to catch a photogenic sunset) to watch the Space Shuttle and the Space Station pass almost directly overhead, 215 miles up. We arrived, literally, just as the space station popped up over the horizon, 725 miles away, followed 10 or so seconds later by the space shuttle. They seemed to be moving quite fast – it was pretty obvious that they weren't airplanes – but it still took a couple of minutes for them to pass at their directly-overhead closest.
They're just very bright points of light (the ISS was at mag -4, the space shuttle at -2), faster than an airplane but nothing at all like a meteor, so it's not at all “exciting”, but it's interesting to think that there are people up there looking down, probably waving at us. We waved back. (not really)
They went by at about an hour after sunset. They'll go by again, directly overhead, on Sunday just 15 minutes after sunset, so maybe that'll be more sparkly... if the weather's clear, we might go take another look.
NASA has a difficult-to-use web tool where you can check flyovers for your location here, but it's poorly designed and gives misleading results, so if you're interested, you might want to check this site instead.
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In last week's “Family Bike Outing on a Brisk, Blustery Kyoto Afternoon”, I wrote about the start of our weekend family bike outing, ending with us heading toward Kyoto Gosho, the grounds of the old imperial palace (which may not be that “old”, since it seems that the emperor actually stopped by while we were there, the first I'd ever heard of such a thing).....
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/125 sec, f/4.5, ISO 280 — map & image data — nearby photos
North Wall
of the Kyoto State Guest House where visiting dignitaries stay
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/125 sec, f/4.5, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Perfect Alignment
Anthony and Fumie ride ahead
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 52 mm — 1/125 sec, f/4.5, ISO 220 — map & image data — nearby photos
Glowing
the large yellow ginkgo positively glowed in the gloomy overcast
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/125 sec, f/4.5, ISO 280 — map & image data — nearby photos
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!
( pretending that he's going to crash into me )
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/500 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Fierce Competitor
about to display some mad skilz with the badminton racket
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/640 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
( I must have done something silly )
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/640 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Two-Handed Stretch
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/500 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Mommy Smash!
( or, perhaps, “mommy lunge and miss”.... I'm not sure )
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/400 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Scoop Shot
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/400 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Gentle Serve
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/320 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Forehand Setup
It started to sprinkle a bit, so we headed home, and another, larger ginkgo tree was glowing as if it had been transplanted from Chernobyl....
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/100 sec, f/13, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Wow
I mentioned the other day that I didn't really care much for ginkgo trees and their yellow leaves, but cited this “huge glowing yellow, with a carpet of yellow” as an exception. It was wonderful.
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Heading Home
just outside the east wall
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Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1400 — full exif
Pig in a Pocket
awaiting permission to look
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1250 — full exif
( I don't remember what was going on for this one )
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/4.5, ISO 4500 — full exif
Playing Peek-a-Boo with Piggy
magnetic hooves add to the fun
Anthony got a new cousin today, but last week got a new member of his own little family, a stuffed plush pig he's named Buta-chan (ぶたちゃん, which essentially means “Little Piggy” in Japanese). He's a gift from one of Fumie's ballet friends, Aoyama-san, who has never met Anthony, but sort of fell in love with him via my blog.
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/4.5, ISO 4500 — full exif
Climbing Play
again, the magnetic hooves are key
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/3.5, ISO 2000 — full exif
Meeting Curious George
plush-toy buddies
George and Buta-chan became fast friends, so I may need to get another plush-toy passport. As I write this, Anthony, George, and Buta-chan are all sleeping together.
Anthony learns one new kanji (“Chinese character”) a day in school, and it just so happened that today's was “青” (blue / spring green), the “Ao” of Buta-chan's benefactor, Aoyama-san. He's already had the character for “yama” (山, mountain), so on his practice paper earlier this evening, he could use her name as an example word (青山さん), which he did and thought was cool.
Thanks, Aoyama-san!