Here are a few photos from my recent trip to Japan. I didn’t capture nearly as much as I could have (outcome of being in the moment 90% of the time) but ended up with a few great pictures.
Starting with Tokyo
The trip to Kyoto…
Traveling by train allows you to see some of the areas less traveled across Japan. There was beautiful scenery going and coming (much more hilly than I imagined), it was clear where much of the inspiration for many anime came from (e.g. Studio Ghibli)
In Kyoto…
Mt. Inari
After hiking Mt. Inari, seeing the Inari shrine, getting lost, finding myself on a quiet local hiking trail (a break from the tourist-heavy hike), I ended up running into something breathtaking. Tokofuku-ji Temple (a Buddhist temple).
A collection of random sightings during my last few days in Kyoto…
Wrapping up, just a few shots during Tokyo wandering in my last few days in Japan
As an honorable mention, in some of my Kyoto wanderings I came across an annual market close to Shimogamo Shrine (one of the oldest Shinto Shrines in Japan). There was a wedding going on at the time and I got to see some of the formal attire worn during the occasion (sorry no photos, felt weird taking pictures of such an intimate event).
I digress. One of the stalls had some really interesting treats. In talking with the baker, I came to know that her hometown (a mountainous region in Japan) is what inspired her creations. Some took the form of leaves, birds nests, birds, rocks. The pictures don’t do them justice and they were all delicious. More here.