The main building of Kyoto Station, built 10 years ago, is not possible to adequately describe. It's a marvel of human engineering and visual slight of hand. I've been there many times (the first being not long after its grand opening, the day after my wedding), but I still always find something about it that surprises and delights me. Considering that in all the times I've been there, I've only really seen a total of about 10% of the place, so I've still got a lot to look forward to.
In a future post I will attempt to instil an appreciation for just how amazing and impossible-to-describe a place it is, but for this post, I offer just a few random pictures.
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 17mm — 1/6000 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
A North-Side Overlook
at about the 5th-floor level, with Kyoto Tower in the background
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 17mm — 1/90 sec, f/5.6, ISO 500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Reflections, and Reflections of Reflections
a third of the way up, from the 10th-floor level
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 55mm — 1/400 sec, f/6.3, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Exterior
somewhere along the north side, at about the 7th-floor level
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 17mm — 1/500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Way Too Early
except for kids
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 17mm — 1/500 sec, f/9, ISO 500 — map & image data — nearby photos
South Promenade
at about the 4th-floor level
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 19mm — 1/1000 sec, f/8, ISO 500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Bumpy Face
looking up from the Fourth Floor
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 55mm — 1/60 sec, f/8, ISO 250 — map & image data — nearby photos
Supports, Walkways, and Reflections
at about the 10th-floor level
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 55mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Crossing the Top of the Atrium
Nikon D200 + Sigma 30mm f/1.4 — 1/40 sec, f/1.4, ISO 1000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Gathering Place
Looking up at almost 10 stories of stairways, from about the 5th-floor level
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 55mm — 1/800 sec, f/2.8, ISO 500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Looking Across an Atrium
Fumie liked the this in black and white
As I introduced the other day, a small Shinto shrine about a hundred yards from my place here in Kyoto shut down because its main benefactor had passed away, so they had a ceremony to ask the shrine's spirit(s) to return to whence they came. Apparently, such ceremonies are exceedingly rare.
Some shrines like the nearby Heian Shrine are huge multi-acre affairs, but most are much smaller. There are literally thousands of shrines in Kyoto, with the median size probably about the size of the one that shut down: about the area of a single parking space.
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 135mm — 1/1250 sec, f/4.5, ISO 640 — map & image data — nearby photos
Shinto Priest
with the altar and offerings in the background
Nikon D200 + 1.7× TC + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 340mm — 1/1250 sec, f/4.8, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Ritual Offerings
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm — 1/1000 sec, f/5, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Ritual Offerings II
As part of the ceremony, the name/age/gender of local folk were written on sticks that were then burned. The idea is that the smoke goes along with the departing spirit, imparting wishes for good health to those whose names are included.
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 116mm — 1/640 sec, f/5, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Start of the Burn
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm — 1/640 sec, f/5, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Burn II
While the sticks burned, the priest chanted something that I assumed was a prayer of some sort.
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 155mm — 1/3200 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Chanting a Prayer
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm — 1/4000 sec, f/3.5, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Burn III
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 17mm — 1/2000 sec, f/3.5, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Entrance Area
It was difficult to take pictures because the shrine was very small, and the road in front was quite narrow and tended to be filled with people both standing and passing through. In taking the wide-angle shot above, my heels were hanging precariously off the edge of the road over the Shirakawa river.
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 17mm — 1/640 sec, f/3.5, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
The Whole Thing
The priest is standing under the entrance gates, with the “altar” (I'm not sure what it's really called, but it looks quite similar to the tabernacle in a Catholic church) a bit to the back, and that's it. I don't know what will become of the location, but as I said, size-wise, it's just large enough to park one care comfortably.
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 110mm — 1/2000 sec, f/3.5, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Burn IV
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm — 1/500 sec, f/3.5, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Burn V
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm — 1/200 sec, f/3.5, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Burn VI
Once that was done, the priest actually opened up the altar/tabernacle thing. It apparently hadn't been opened in a very long time, because someone needed to fetch a screwdriver so he could pry it open.
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm — 1/125 sec, f/3.5, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Inside the Shrine
Beside whatever was expected inside, he also found wasps, so someone ran for some bug spray....
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/1000 sec, f/3.5, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Not a Planned Part of the Ceremony
Once that was taken care of, he removed everything from inside, and the ceremony was over.
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm — 1/160 sec, f/3.5, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
The End
Despite the rather unappealing look of the surroundings in the “The Whole Thing” photo above, it's actually a nice area. The path the shrine is on parallels a small stream, and there are a lot of nice things about the area (traditional houses, quaint bridges, cherry trees), and as such, it gets quite a bit of foot traffic. While the ceremony was going on, lots of people would pause as they went by, and if they happened to have a quizzical look, I'd tell them that it was a ceremony to close down the shrine. Invariably, the first words from their mouth was “oh, that's too bad!”
It was only after it was over that I chatted with some others there about why the shrine was closing. I knew that the man had been ill, but didn't know he had passed away, so that was quite sad. I wanted to say something to his wife who was there, but my Japanese is not at all good enough that I could be sure not to phrase something inappropriately, so I just quietly left. Half an hour later, I was at Sunday mass, at which time I said my own little prayer for the man and his family.
I really hate where I live. Not only Kyoto in general, but in particular, the specific area of Kyoto where I live.
This morning I walked to the nearby convenience store for some bread, and I was assaulted by beautiful scenes of inner-city fall foliage. Not only did they positively scream at me, they punched me in the face, demanding that I photograph them. Geez, all I wanted was some bread, and I get this!? I don't have time for this. What a crappy place to live.
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/350 sec, f/9, ISO 500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Machiya on Jingu-Michi, Kyoto Japan
Jingu-Michi (“Shrine Street”, which dead-ends at the front entrance to the Heian Shrine) is lined with the trees seen in the photo above. The trees are various shades of orange and yellow, with a good hint of green still remaining. When I came around the corner to the convenience store and saw them, they took my breath away. I bought my bread, returned home to get my camera, and came back to find them not as interesting as I first thought, but still worthy to be captured.
The trees lined the whole street, but the machiya-style house above – next to the cafe that's next to the convenience store – made the nicest backdrop for photos. The weather was mostly cloudy, but I managed to snap the picture above during a brief moment of sunshine.
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Mostly Yellow
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Still a Touch of Green
In the background of the picture above, and in the upper-right of the first picture, are bamboo stalks that line the top of the wall, cut to a sharp point, fulfilling in a visually attractive way the function of modern, ugly barbed wire.
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Old-Fashioned Security
The picture above shows the bamboo lining the top of the wall, but otherwise is a fairly boring picture. I happened to have taken another shot from the same position but with the focus on the foreground leaves, and when I combine the two with my Photoshop “Darken” blend-mode technique, the result is a bit more interesting (especially when you click through to the larger version)...
Old Fashioned Security, Blended
I'd purposefully gone out with only a prime (non-zoom) lens – a Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 prime – so that the lack of zoom would force me to be more creative in composing my shots. In this case, I should have stepped back further to fill the top more with the foreground leaves, but my desire not to be hit by a bus kept me on the sidewalk.
Taking care not to walk in front of a bus, I crossed the street and looked north...
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/640 sec, f/4, ISO 160 — map & image data — nearby photos
Leaves, Gate, Shrine
The camera position here was not too far from the one in the Kyoto City Half Marathon post except that I was at the edge of the street, and a bit further back.
Besides the obvious main gate of the shrine, you can see the Shrine's entrance building just below center (with the green roof) that serves as the backdrop of the photo in this Photoshop / nengajou post.
Finally, I'll end with a shallow depth-of-field shot that shows only a deliciously smooth background, with no funky bokeh.
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/1600 sec, f/1.4, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Creamy
I hope this post helps you feel my pain. What started out as a 5-minute round-trip to the store to get bread turns into my being assaulted by photogenic scenes and then becoming indentured to my camera for 15 minutes, which then leads to being made slave to my keyboard for a few hours to prepare this post. How can a guy get any work done living in a place like this?
Oh, and if that weren't enough, later on the sun returned, allowing me to re-shoot the neighbor's tree that I posted about yesterday. And on top of that, I had occasion to visit Kyoto Station, which is one of the most beautifully enjoyable places to visit and spend a lazy afternoon with the family, and ended up with another batch of pictures I want to share.
This is ridiculous, and I still have a ton of pictures from the Shinto-shrine closing, Nijo Castle, Osaka Castle Park, last week's outing at dusk, not to mention that there are still plenty of pictures from Miyajima yet to post. Ugh.
I hate living here.
🙂
I seem to be buried under a photographic avalanche of my own making. I thought that today I'd get started with the bonanza of interesting and/or pretty pictures that I hinted at yesterday, but instead, today I took two more shots that I want to share.
While waiting for the fall colors to come into full swing, there are the occasional early flashes of color that entertain. My office window affords a nice view of the neighbor's front garden, with one such “early flash of color” tree. It was overcast and rainy today, with occasional short bursts of sun sprinkled throughout, and during one such sprinkle I finally gave in and snapped a picture.
Nikon D200 + TC17II + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 340mm — 1/180 sec, f/6.3, ISO 500 — full exif
View from my Office
It's still got a fair amount of green, so I presume that it'll only get more brilliant over the next week or so. If it does and the weather cooperates, I'll try the shot again with a wider depth of field, as the thinness in the shot above is a bit distracting, I think. (Still, it's a nice enough shot to be worth desktop-sized versions :-))
This evening I had a chance to meet with a friend I hadn't seen in a couple of years, Kousuke Fukui. He retired last spring, and has since taken on quite the dapper look that suits him very well. I'm thrilled with how this picture turned out, that I snapped handheld with available light while sitting across from him in a restaurant.
I had an unexpectedly interesting day, photography-wise. In the morning there was a rare ceremony to close down a Shinto shrine, and then I got an invite to meet an old friend at Nijo Castle, a wonderful World Heritage Site about two miles away that I've driven by a hundred times, but until today had never visited.
I'm sure that photos from both events will be filling my blog for a month, but for the moment, a desktop background from each....
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 125mm — 1/400 sec, f/3.5, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Wishes for Good Health
The shrine being closed down was a very small one (about the size of a single parking space) about 100 meters from my place. As part of the ceremony, they took a bunch of sticks with people's names and ages written on them, stacked them like Lincoln Logs, and set them ablaze. It was explained to me that it was a wish for good health, and I was invited to add a stick of my own (which I gently declined).
Update: there is now a post about the shrine-closing ceremony.
Although Kyoto's Nijo Castle has cut-stone ramparts and dual, concentric moats like the much larger Osaka Castle, the buildings are really more palatial than castle-like (the Nijo-Castle buildings all one- or two-story buildings not built to withstand attack).
Unlike Osaka Castle, most of the Nijo-Castle site is original, dating back 350-400 years (except for the Inner Palace, which dates back to 1847, having replaced the original which had been struck by lightning a hundred years earlier).
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 30mm — 1/640 sec, f/2.8, ISO 500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nijo Castle — Inner Moat
