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My most recent two posts, “Three Blades of Grass, and Friends” and “Table with a View”, are about a restaurant we visited on Saturday, Toganojaya (とが乃茶屋), in the Takao area in the mountains of north-west Kyoto.
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — 1/200 sec, f/22, ISO 5600 — map & image data — nearby photos
View from the Entrance
Seeing me take the shot above, the proprietor kindly opened up the big parasol (the red cone-looking thing to the right of center), and I tried to get a shot with it...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — 1/200 sec, f/18, ISO 1000 — map & image data — nearby photos
These bamboo-and-cloth parasols are not uncommon, but they're difficult to photograph well because digital cameras can't handle their deep color, especially with the huge dynamic range of bright sunlight and dark shadows. Doesn't stop me from trying, for example, as I did here.
Anyway, back at the restaurant, dining is done in simple, airy rooms with ample views of the river and trees just outside the large open windows....
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 62 mm — 1/200 sec, f/9, ISO 2800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Shoes Lined Up Outside
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 56 mm — 1/200 sec, f/3.5, ISO 450 — map & image data — nearby photos
Waitress Brings Tea
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 58 mm — 1/200 sec, f/3.5, ISO 500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Anthony Sees Tea
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/200 sec, f/3.5, ISO 720 — map & image data — nearby photos
Anthony Drinks Tea
“Drink, Anthony, drink”
( the river is in the background, far below )
We appeared to be the first customers of the day... it was shocking, in a happy way, to have such a nice place to ourselves on such a pleasant Saturday.
After ordering, we took the opportunity to take some pictures. Anthony is not normally allowed to use the phone he carries for emergencies, but when he's with us he's allowed to use its camera, so he did...
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Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — 1/200 sec, f/6.3, ISO 2200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Looking Out To Other Eating Areas....
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — 1/200 sec, f/8, ISO 2500 — map & image data — nearby photos
...and Down to the River
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 44 mm — 1/200 sec, f/3.5, ISO 640 — map & image data — nearby photos
Anthony's Warabimochi
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 50 mm — 1/200 sec, f/3.5, ISO 1100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Mommy's Cold Noodles
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 44 mm — 1/200 sec, f/3.5, ISO 1250 — map & image data — nearby photos
Noodle Dip Prep
The prices were reasonable, and the food was good.
Like those in Kibune, this restaurant is sandwiched between the scenic beauty of the river on one side, and the decidedly unscenicness of a thoroughfare on the other.
As nice as this restaurant is once you're inside, there's no hint of that from the front, which is less than uninviting...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — 1/250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Roadside View
less than inviting
Across the street is a large free public parking lot, and paths that lead to an unseen Kousan Temple, a world heritage site, tucked away up in the mountain. The lot was almost empty when we arrived, but packed with cars and tour busses by the time we left.
We opted to save the temple for a later visit. but we did head down to the river after eating, which I'll opt to save for a later post, here.
Update: I finally got to the Kosan Temple across the street, two years later: Big, Moody Space of the Kosan Temple in Northwest Kyoto.
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Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 38 mm — 1/200 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1600 — map & image data — nearby photos
Table with a View
at the Toganojaya Restaurant, in the mountains of northwest Kyoto, Japan
I've still been too busy for a proper writeup about the great spot we visited on Saturday, but here's one of the first pictures I took upon arrival.
The elegant flower arrangement I posted about that evening is on a small table just out of picture to the right.
Out of frame way below is a river.
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Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/125 sec, f/4.5, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Simplicity
Understated Elegance
We took a drive in the mountains north of Kyoto today, stopping by a roadside cafe that offered a simple, tasteful Japanese interior with stunning views overlooking a river, under a canopy of sun-splashed maple trees. The prices were reasonable and the food was good.
The vase above, about the size of a football, was on a small side table net to our table. (The simple elegance calls to mind my “Japanese Attention to Presentation” post from earlier this year.)
I'll post more about the restaurant soon, but I'm still not even unpacked after returning to Kyoto from The States a week ago.
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Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 130 mm — 1/250 sec, f/8, ISO 6400 — full exif
Being Silly!
with a mouth full of teeth, a month before one fell out
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 120 mm — 1/200 sec, f/8, ISO 6400 — full exif
Semiserious Passport Photo
Having just returned from a trip Stateside with Anthony, I'm reminded that I neglected to post these photos before leaving. Before the trip, I had posted about Curious George's new passport; these are from the same photo session in early July, where I took the photo for Anthony's new Japanese passport. (We'd renewed his American passport last year.)
Anthony was hamming it up, as you can see, but we eventually got one for his passport. Even in the one directly above, he's still smiling too much for a Japanese passport, so we had to tone it down.
Until you actually do it, it's almost shocking how easy it is to get these kinds of photos. You don't need all kinds of fancy stuff, because you only need to worry about what's in frame. (As I wrote a couple of years ago, “If It's Not in Frame, It Doesn't Exist”.)
This next shot shows the super-complex setup:
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/250 sec, f/8, ISO 6400 — full exif
Attention From the Styling Department
I had forgotten that we needed the photos for his passport application, and it was getting late and light was on the wane, so I brought Anthony out onto the veranda where there was still a bit left. Fumie happened to be around, so I grabbed a big reflector and asked her to hold it just out of frame, to fill in a bit of the shadow on the side of Anthony's face. I took a few test shots while he calmed down, some real shots, and then some more silly shots because he was in the mood. Start to finish, silliness included, was five minutes.
I used a fairly good zoom (my Nikkor 70-200) so that I could get further away while still keeping somewhat of a tight head-and-shoulder shot. This helps de-accentuate the nose, which otherwise – if you're too close – gets somewhat distorted because it sticks out from the rest of the face. This is all classic portraiture, I suppose. (For an exaggerated example of the too-close big-nose effect, see this silly photo taken with a wide-angle lens.)
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/250 sec, f/8, ISO 5600 — full exif
Answer
to “how silly can you be?”
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Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 66 mm — 1/400 sec, f/11, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Sandwiched
between cloud layers at 20,000 feet
15 minutes out of Tokyo Narita, heading toward Osaka
My body is back in Japan after a month in Ohio visiting my folks with Anthony. Unlike my trip out, my luggage did arrive with me, though I seem to have lost my brain somewhere during the 22-hour trip.
We came through Tokyo Narita on Sunday evening. During the flight back out, I was surprised to notice how stratified the clouds were: as we ascended, we would pop through a layer of cloud to find clear air, but another layer above. I took the photo above while in the second such “sandwiched zone”.
10 minutes later we were a mile higher and passing Mt. Fuji, though I'm sure I was the only passenger that noticed, since it wasn't more than a bump in the clouds...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — 1/400 sec, f/8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
That Dark Spot Center-Right is Mt. Fuji's Summit
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/500 sec, f/8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
21½ Miles Over, 2½ Miles Below
The summit 2½ miles below is about half way between the ground and the plane
It wasn't much of a view, but it was better than the one we had going out. For whatever reason, we passed much further away on that trip...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/5000 sec, f/4.5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
The View Heading Out a Month Ago
67 Miles Over, 4 Miles Below
I'm glad we came in on Sunday, because Tokyo got slammed by a powerful typhoon on Monday, grounding 60 flights.
For reference, here's a point-n-shoot photo of Mt. Fuji taken from a speeding train. During our flight in last year, we didn't see Mt. Fuji, but did have a photogenic surprise.