{"id":1882,"date":"2011-11-09T19:50:45","date_gmt":"2011-11-09T10:50:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2011-11-09\/1882"},"modified":"2011-11-09T19:50:45","modified_gmt":"2011-11-09T10:50:45","slug":"my-day-walking-aimlessly-in-kyoto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2011-11-09\/1882","title":{"rendered":"My Day Walking Aimlessly in Kyoto"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
\nNOTE<\/b>: Images with an icon next to them have been artificially shrunk to better fit your screen; click the icon to restore them, in place, to their regular size.\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>640 sec, f<\/span>\/2, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nSad Puppy<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 cropped — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/2, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

For some reason that I can't fathom at the moment, I let<\/span> Zak Braverman<\/a> talk me into taking\na walk<\/span> through Kyoto, ostensibly for some vaguely-defined health benefits. We were to<\/span> meet at Kyoto Station and then walk the couple of miles to a restaurant for lunch, but I\ndecided<\/span> walk to the meeting point as well, and after adding a few<\/span> things in\nthe evening, ended up walking about 12 miles.<\/p>\n\n

I brought the camera with me, of course, but since I'm not much into street photography,\nI didn't<\/span> take all that many shots. (I made<\/span> a post<\/span> from a similarly<\/span>-random short stroll\nfour years ago<\/a>, but I think<\/span> my threshold for\nwhat to post is a bit<\/span> different now.)<\/p>\n\n

The abandoned bike with the flat tire and puppy decal was about the only thing I bothered<\/span> taking a picture<\/span>\nof on the walk to the station. The other<\/span> thing was the burnt-wood siding of a house.<\/span>...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 1600 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n
Desktop-Background Versions<\/b>\n\n1280×<\/span>800<\/a>  ·  1680×<\/span>1050<\/a>  ·  1920×<\/span>1200<\/a>  ·  2560×<\/span>1600<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

One can see this fairly often, and I've even posted a similar<\/span> closeup\nbefore (here<\/a>), but\nwhat made this place unique was that the burnt-wood siding was used for the\nentire height of the wall, from ground to eave, and on all four walls. I'd never<\/span> seen that before, and if I go<\/span> again, I'll try to bring a wide<\/span>-angle\nlens so I can<\/span> get an overall picture.<\/p>\n\n

After lunch, on the way home near my house I\ndecided<\/span> to pop into a small<\/span> inner-city\ncomplex of temples that I'd passed a thousand<\/span>\ntimes but had never actually entered.<\/p>\n\n

There are lots and lots of temples in the city parts of Kyoto. This map shows more\nthan 50 in a small<\/span> area (about 1\/6th of a square<\/span> mile) just west of my place...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/4.5, ISO 1000 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

It's nice that they're close by, but they tend to be surrounded by the\nugliness of “city” (utility poles, ugly apartment buildings, etc.) and the\nowners often succumb to the easy tax-free money of turning large swaths of\ntheir grounds into monthly-rent parking lots. At the spot<\/span> marked in red on the map,\nhere's the view I would<\/span> see for brief moments when passing by...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>500 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

It looks all full of nature in that shot, and indeed, inside, the main building is really quite impressive...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1000 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nChomyoji Temple (\u9802\u5999\u5bfa)<\/span><\/span>\nKyoto Japan\n<\/div>\n\n

... but it's less enjoyable without the selective view<\/a> of the camera. Panning down a bit.<\/span>..<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/5, ISO 800 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

Some ginkgo trees were starting to look nice...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>2500 sec, f<\/span>\/1.8, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/5, ISO 250 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

... which reminds me to make sure to visit the Ochiba Shrine<\/a> earlier this year than last.<\/p>\n\n

But what struck me most about this temple building was the grain of the wood...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 320 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nFinely Aged<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 320 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 560 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

Those three shots were from near one area of the veranda that circles the whole building:<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

Also nice were its impressive eaves, though less impressive my\nphotography skill that suddenly left me for some reason, though I was<\/span> able\nto recover some details in post...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 800 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>500 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 360 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>640 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nAbove the Eaves<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

More impressive grain on the bell-support structure...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/4.5, ISO 360 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1600 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

One of the small sub temples in this area looked very nice, but was marred by an ugly apartment building next door:<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/4.5, ISO 500 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nShinjoin Temple (\u771f\u6d44\u9662)<\/span><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

You can see a “tree wall” that they've likely been growing for 30+ years since the apartment building went up.<\/p>\n\n

After returning home and resting a bit,<\/span> I thought<\/span> to visit Shogunzuka\nwith its sweeping view of\nKyoto<\/a> (or check out this really<\/i> sweeping view<\/a>), and hope for a\nnice<\/span> sunset<\/a>. But in keeping<\/span> with the theme for the day, I thought<\/span> I'd\nwalk, something I'd never done.<\/p>\n\n

On the walk, you can definitely feel the foliage season approaching...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f\/2.8 @ 200mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

The setting sun also made for a dynamic<\/span> view on the side of an apartment building...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f\/2.8 @ 200mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1000 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

The path to Shogunzuka involves a short<\/span> (20-minute) but steep mountain\nhike, along the these\nlines<\/a>, but then I'm up to the overlook for what turned out to be a pretty<\/span>\npedestrian sunset...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f\/2.8 @ 175mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>8000 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

The crows, always\nactive here at dusk<\/a>, were in prime form this evening, accumulating in\nthe trees near the overlook then launching into the sky en masse<\/i> in a noisy<\/span>\ncacophony of caws and flapping wings...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f\/2.8 @ 70mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/5, ISO 500 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nAt Sunset<\/span>\n\n<\/div>\n\n

... only to return and repeat the process over and over.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f\/2.8 @ 70mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 2200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nTwenty Minutes Later<\/span>\nthe city lights have been switched on\n<\/div>\n\n

On the way back down I passed near the entrance to the Shogunzuka Mound<\/a>\ntemple and grounds, which were open for a special<\/span> autumn lightup.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f\/2.8 @ 98mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>30 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 6400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nEntrance to Shogunzuka<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

I didn't go in because it seems a bit<\/span> early in the season, and my one\nlens (a 70<\/span>-200\/2.8) didn't see appropriate anyway.<\/p>\n\n

On the return path home, just before descending into the trees, I was treated<\/span> to a nice<\/span>\nview of the Osaka skyline almost 30 miles away...<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f\/2.8 @ 135mm cropped — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 6400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

I knew it would be really dark in the woods by the time I headed<\/span> down,\nbut on the way up I realized<\/span> that I'd forgotten to bring a flashlight,<\/span> so\nwhile waiting for the sunset, I was able<\/span> to catch a few<\/span> radio waves with my\niPhone and I downloaded<\/span> a free<\/span> “flashlight” app, which, as the name\nimplies, turns the camera-flash<\/b> LED into an always-on light<\/b>. It's shockingly<\/span> bright, and made the return hike a breeze.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

Entering the edge of the city again, I passed<\/span> by a ritzy<\/span> restaurant with a sign<\/span> on the employee-entrance door...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f\/2.8 @ 70mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>13 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 6400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n“Propping Open Strictly Prohibited”<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

After Anthony was down for bed, I walked<\/span> another four kilometers, first stopping\nby Hiyoshido<\/a> in Gion for a leg<\/span>\/foot massage,\nthen across the river to Uroko (\u9c57)<\/a>\nfor a beer<\/span> and their most-excellent \u86c7\u306e\u76ee\u713c<\/span>\u304d janomeyaki<\/i> chicken.<\/p>\n\n

Then I walked home, and slept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For some reason that I can't fathom at the moment, I let Zak Braverman talk me into taking a walk through Kyoto, ostensibly for some vaguely-defined health benefits. We were to meet at Kyoto Station and then walk the couple of miles to a restaurant for lunch, but I decided walk to the meeting point as well, and after adding a few things in the evening, ended up walking about 12 miles.<\/p>

I brought the camera with me, of course, but since I'm not much into street photography, I didn't take all that many shots. (I made a post from [...]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,14,2,10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1882"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1882"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1882\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}