Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — ¹/4 sec, f/10, ISO 2500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Snowy Heian Shrine
Kyoto Japan
平安神宮、京都市

As I mentioned Yesterday, New Year's Day brought Kyoto's biggest snow in 60ish years. I went out for a bit in the evening to snap some pics and play with Anthony.

It was really coming down...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — ¹/250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos

Compare that shot to the lead shot on this post.

The snow just stuck to whatever it first touched, and accumulated in improbable amounts on the most insubstantial of surfaces....

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — ¹/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos

The moment I walked outside I knew that the expressway (whose nearest entrance is more than 6km away) was closed, because when it closes, traffic ends up bogged down on my street...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — ¹/30 sec, f/2.8, ISO 2500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Expressway Refugees

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 31mm — 0.6 sec, f/7.1, ISO 2500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Not Much Traffic Here

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 31mm — 0.6 sec, f/7.1, ISO 2500 — map & image data — nearby photos
But Lots of Snow Play

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 31mm — 0.6 sec, f/7.1, ISO 2500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Bus Stop

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 0.5 sec, f/7.1, ISO 2500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Seating Available
Kyoto Prefectural Library, Okazaki

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 32mm — ¹/8 sec, f/2.8, ISO 2500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Clearing the Slide
as a matter of public service, of course 😉

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 45mm — ¹/6 sec, f/7.1, ISO 2500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Festival

Earlier in the day, when there wasn't a flake of snow, I took lots of pictures with the intent to write about the new-year's crowds. This whole are was packed with folks making their first shrine visit of the new year. At the time, the road was closed to vehicles and was lined with food vendors. Now the vendors have battened down the hatches until tomorrow.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 0.8 sec, f/13, ISO 2500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Entrance Gate
Heian Shrine

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 40mm — ¹/15 sec, f/5, ISO 2500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Lame Impersonation
of this shot when he was four

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — ¹/4 sec, f/6.3, ISO 2500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Splats in Waiting
on a side building
The slumping snow on the roof made me think of
“When You Tempt Fate, Sometimes You Lose”

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — ¹/20 sec, f/5, ISO 2500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Main Building
Heian Shrine

Then it was time for more snow play with Anthony...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — ¹/6 sec, f/2.8, ISO 2500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Moving Target

By the time I put the camera aside to play, my hands were so frozen that I couldn't feel them other than by proxy through the pain. At the shrine it had gotten to where I couldn't tell whether I had pressed the shutter button or anything... I had lost any sense of touch in my right hand, so I was taking shots with my left. I hadn't been that cold since I was a kid.

When I started to play with Anthony, my right hand hurt so much I just couldn't do it, so I shoved it under my armpit for five minutes to warm it, with that exquisitely painful pain one gets when an over-cold finger or toe is warming. Wow, it really really hurt.

But oddly, after that I was fine for the rest of the night. We threw snowballs and such for well over an hour and they didn't feel so much as chilly again. Odd.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 35mm — 0.5 sec, f/5, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 28mm — 4 sec, f/18, ISO 1600 — map & image data — nearby photos

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 36mm — 10 sec, f/11, ISO 1600 — map & image data — nearby photos
Canal
looking a bit like cherry blossoms, the snow here reminds me of this

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 45mm — ¹/13 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1600 — map & image data — nearby photos
Impromptu Elevator Selfie
with both camera and self slightly snow encrusted

I'd mentioned at the end of yesterday's post that the forecast was for more snow overnight and that I might try to get up to photograph in the morning. Neither happened. I was so tired (from the snowball play, I suppose) that I slept until 10:30am! It turns out no new snow fell anyway.

This evening (it's 11:30pm as I write this) the snow is coming down hard again, and it looks to be more than yesterday. Probably I'll head out tonight even for a bit after posting this, lest I have to wait another 58 years for a similar chance...

Update: it turns out I had to wait only one day for a bigger snow.

Continued here...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 105mm — ¹/500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 280 — map & image data — nearby photos
Big Snow in Kyoto
biggest in 58 years, at least (though this photo was taken near the start)
京都市内の58年ぶりの大雪

While setting up in my living room for the silly photoshoot today, I noticed a few flakes of snow starting to fall a bit after 1pm. According to the news later in the evening, by 6pm it was already the biggest snowfall in Kyoto City in the last 58 years.

By 6pm the accumulation was only 16cm (6¼ inches), which is nothing for Ohio where I grew up, or New Hampshire where I went to grad school, but for Kyoto City it's a big deal.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — ¹/320 sec, f/5, ISO 500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Two and a Half Hours In
main gate of the Heian Shrine (平安神宮の大鳥居)

Just to show how quickly it came down, here are two photos taken at the same spot in the Heian Shrine, three hours apart...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 140mm — ¹/640 sec, f/2.8, ISO 140 — map & image data — nearby photos
Leaving an Unlucky Fortune Behind
if your fortune paper is bad, you tie it here for better luck
12:35pm (午後12時半)

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 150mm — ¹/640 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Same Spot
at 3:45pm (同じ所、午後3時45分)

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 105mm — ¹/500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Whiteout Dash
I was maybe 20m or 30m from the building, but it was mostly invisible

The forecast is for substantial more snow tonight and tomorrow. I should take advantage of the rare opportunity to visit some temple gardens at first light, but after dinner I went out into the snow again for three hours of frozen photography and snow play with Anthony, and I'm exhausted to the bone. I think this is the most tired I've felt all year. 😉

I have plenty more to post from today, but these few shots will do until I can get some sleep under my belt.

Continued here...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — ¹/60 sec, f/10, ISO 640 — image data
Getting Warmed Up
家族撮影の軽い準備

We did a silly family photoshoot today. We had planned to do it a month or so ago for our Christmas cards, but to my shame I was just too lazy to do cards this year. So to sort of make up for not having sent Christmas or New Year's cards, we did this shoot and are posting these photos.

今年は喪中で年賀状を送らないので、そのかわりに面白い家族写真を撮りました。 文枝はまだ 12才の息子より背が高いけれども、そろそろ息子に負けそうです。

Fumie is still taller than 12-year-old Anthony, but that won't last long, and Anthony will be taller by the time next year's photoshoot rolls around.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — ¹/60 sec, f/10, ISO 640 — image data
Getting Close
ギリギリです

At 5′ 3½″, Fumie still has two inches on Anthony (he's 5′ 1½″, and FWIW, I'm 6′ 3½″), but Fumie has quite the trick up her sleeve...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — ¹/60 sec, f/10, ISO 640 — image data
Huh!?
あらっ！

文枝はバレエのポワントの様に立ってますが、靴は履いていないです。親指だけで立ってるみたいです。

Fumie is standing directly on the edge of her toes (the big toe of each foot), as if she's wearing ballet pointe shoes, but she's in just stockings. I can't fathom that kind of strength (and my toes hurt just thinking about it), but this is what ballet dancers do.

Animatable Wigglegram (16 frames) — slowly sweep mouse from side to side to view 3D effect
写真の上をマウスで左右にゆっくり動かすと「３D」な感じが出ます。

Andrei Zmievski Wigglegram
(version #1)
at the Fushimi Inari Shrine, Kyoto Japan

An old friend from my days at Yahoo! swung by Kyoto the other day, and we made a quick walking tour of a few sightseeing spots.

I first met Andrei Zmievski at an Open Source Conference circa 2002, and we worked together a bit on things related to PHP's regular-expression support (of which a chapter of my book on regular expressions is dedicated). As an expert in PHP, he later joined Yahoo! a couple of years later when Yahoo! made heavier use of PHP.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 38mm — ¹/500 sec, f/4.5, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
New Year's Prep
at the Heian Shrine (正月の準備、平安神宮)
a shrine's most busy time is the first few days of the new year

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 48mm — ¹/2000 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Selfie Stick

These “selfie stick” (my word) things seem to have suddenly exploded in popularity. I've seen them around for years, but on this few-hour outing I saw more than in my entire life up to that point.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — ¹/1250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Andrei at the Heian Shrine

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — ¹/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Lighting Incense at the Chion'in Temple

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — ¹/640 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
More Selfie Sticks
at least three visible in this shot at the front steps of the Kiyomizu Temple

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — ¹/640 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Snapshot the Old Fashioned Way

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — ¹/250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Andrei Overlooking Kyoto

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — ¹/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1000 — map & image data — nearby photos
With Fox
at the Fushimi Inari Shrine (伏見稲荷)

Inari shrines have a lot of fox statues; the shot above was taken almost next to where this fox shot was taken, though to much different effect. :-)

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — ¹/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Gates Everywhere
every gate, large and small, represents a donation to the shrine

Here's another version of the wigglegram given at the top of this post. It's derived from the same original photos that the one above was derived from. As described in “The Art and Science (and Complex Frustrations) of Creating my Wigglegrams”, once you have the master shots in camera, there are still all kinds of different results you can get depending on how you crop the individual frames.

The version above has the apparent movement rotate about Andrei; the version below has it rotate about the far background...

Animatable — slowly sweep mouse from side to side to view effect
写真の上をマウスで左右にゆっくり動かすといろいろな撮影効果を楽しむことができます。

Andrei Wigglegram Version #2

Which version do you like better?

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — ¹/1250 sec, f/7.1, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
New Vantage Point
above eastern Kyoto, Japan
将軍家の新展望台

When I mention “Shogunzuka”, it can refer to an overlook with nice views of Kyoto that I often visit for sunsets, or its nearby temple. The latter has long had a dilapidated observation deck, but for the last year they were working on a remodel, and this past October they finally unveiled a new temple building and spiffy observation deck.

Nikon D4 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 500mm — ¹/2000 sec, f/13, ISO 1800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Same Observation Deck
and the new building, as viewed from the edge of the city

Nikon D4 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 50mm — ¹/200 sec, f/13, ISO 160 — map & image data — nearby photos
Wider View
from near the Heian Shine

This past October 8th they finally had the grand opening, so I popped up for a visit.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — ¹/80 sec, f/4.5, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
New Old Building
at Shogunzuka

The new building is actually an old building moved here and repurposed for use as a temple, but that'll be the subject of another post. Today we're looking at just the observation deck and its views.

Nikon D4 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 58mm — ¹/250 sec, f/8, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Expansive Deck

Nikon D4 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 290mm — ¹/640 sec, f/6.3, ISO 180 — map & image data — nearby photos

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — ¹/1000 sec, f/3.5, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos

The views are sweeping. Here's one looking back toward the area from where the 2nd and 3rd photos of this article were taken...

Nikon D4 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 170mm — ¹/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO 220 — map & image data — nearby photos
Okazaki Area of Kyoto
from orange gate of the Heian Shrine, going left:
municipal library, National Museum of Modern Art, Chamber of Commerce Exhibition Hall
京都岡崎、平安神宮の大鳥から左へは図書館、国立美術館、みやこめっせ

The green roof just to the upper left of the orange gate that looks like a temple is actually part of the Kyoto City Municipal Museum of Art, and the temple-like roofs to its upper right are of the martial arts center (where I took photos for “My First Look at Kendo: Masters Tournament in Kyoto”).

Another direction shows the Chion'in Temple and its main building shrouded in a protective shell...

Nikon D4 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 78mm — ¹/200 sec, f/5, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Chion'in Temple
工事中の知恩院

Another direction finds a temple nestled in the forested mountain...

Nikon D4 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 116mm — ¹/250 sec, f/10, ISO 720 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nestled
The Anyoji Temple (安養寺)

Nikon D4 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 240mm — ¹/500 sec, f/10, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nanzenji (南禅寺)

The big temple-looking roof in the center above is the main gate of the Nanzen Temple, seen from ground level here, and from another (lower) mountain here.

Nikon D4 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 240mm — ¹/500 sec, f/10, ISO 450 — map & image data — nearby photos
Temples and Small Mountain
Komyoji Temple and Mt. Yoshida (光明寺と吉田山)

The temple buildings in the center are of the Komyouji Temple, which I visited last year for some spectacular shots, but I've yet to post any but this one.

Mt. Yoshida, a tiny bump of a mountain that's fun to explore, has been mentioned in my blog many times, including here, here, here, and here.

Looking back to the new (old) building, you can see that the bump on the end of it is completely new construction...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — ¹/500 sec, f/7.1, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — ¹/60 sec, f/11, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — ¹/100 sec, f/11, ISO 160 — map & image data — nearby photos
Doors

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — ¹/400 sec, f/3.5, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Door Detail

Desktop-Background Versions
1280×800  ·  1680×1050  ·  1920×1200  ·  2560×1600  ·  2880×1800

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — ¹/100 sec, f/8, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Interesting Lock

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — ¹/100 sec, f/11, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Simple Roof Carving

On the way to check out the inside of the building, I noticed this:

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — ¹/100 sec, f/11, ISO 900 — map & image data — nearby photos
Afterthought

Better late than never, I suppose.

While I'm here, here are a few photos from the underside of the deck, taken a few weeks later on this hike.

Nikon D4 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 240mm — ¹/1000 sec, f/6, ISO 2200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Lots of Lumber

Nikon D4 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 50mm — ¹/250 sec, f/5, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
New Deck
built perhaps 5m above the old one

Nikon D4 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 95mm — ¹/400 sec, f/5, ISO 360 — map & image data — nearby photos
More Lumber

Oh, and here are some articles (in Japanese) with photos of the construction: here, here, and here.

Continued here...