Pictures from Japan

[SP8]

I lived in Japan for a number of years, during which time I met and travelled widely with my wife. Here are a few shots from out and about the country that you can hopefully draw some inspiration from.


Ise

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Ise.jpg[/img]


Inuyama Castle

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Inuyama.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/InuyamaCastle.jpg[/img]


Himeji Castle

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/HimejiCastleGardens.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/HimejiCastle.jpg[/img]


Hakone Castle

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/HakoneCastle.jpg[/img]


Kamakura

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Kamakura.jpg[/img]


Kyoto

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Kiyomizu-deraKyoto.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Kyoto2.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Kyoto.jpg[/img]


Kobe

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Kobe.jpg[/img]

Osaka Castle

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/OsakaCastleGardens.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/OsakaCastle.jpg[/img]


Nagoya

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Nitai-jiNagoya.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/NagoyaStation.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/NagoyaCastle.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Tsushima.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/TsurumaiNagoya.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Togan-jiNagoya.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/TenogawaTsushima.jpg[/img]


Takayama

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Takayama2.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Takayama1.jpg[/img]


Nagahama

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Nagahama2.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Nagahama1.jpg[/img]


Hiroshima

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/ShukkeienHiroshima1.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/ShukkeienHiroshima2.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/ShukkeienHiroshima3.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/ShukkeienHiroshima4.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/ShukkeienHiroshima5.jpg[/img]

[tk421storm]

so.... beautiful....... miss.... japan.... so much......

[a0c8c]

Man I want to go there. Ancient Japan must've been so cool. Even now those castles look amazing.

[SP8]

so.... beautiful....... miss.... japan.... so much......

Sigh.... I hear you! I'd swim back tomorrow but my wife is happy to live here in Aus for the time being.

I was hoping that would change once she became pregnant but that seems to have had the opposite effect. I'll keep working on it though.

Where in Japan did you travel to or live?

I was based in Nagoya.

Man I want to go there. Ancient Japan must've been so cool. Even now those castles look amazing.

Unfortunately there isn’t much ancient about most of Japan’s castles largely due to the fire bombing campaigns of the Second World War, however Himeji and Hakone castles are originals and extremely impressive. Himeji Castle just dominates the entire city and Hakone Castle is an engineering masterpiece: check out the internal structure! It seems as though they just got what ever logs they had available regardless of shape and worked with them, incredible!

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/HimejiCastle-1.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/HakoneCastle-1.jpg[/img]

Other castles such as Osaka Castle and Nagoya Castle whilst impressive are concrete replicas and require the right camera angle to avoid things like the dirty great big external elevator attached to Nagoya Castle! Why they didn't build it internally is beyond me….

[tk421storm]

I was only there for 3 months, studying Buddhism and sleeping in temples. We were based out of Kyoto, which in retrospect was so lucky. Kyoto, once you get past the drab concrete downtown is a simply magical place. Japan is all about the nooks and crannies - statuary, moss, topiary around every corner. I hope to recreate some of that feeling in my backyard

[SP8]

Japan is all about the nooks and crannies

I couldn’t agree more! My favourite eating and drinking places were only found after getting dreadfully lost and some of the most interesting and picturesque places I visited were found by taking day trips after picking random names off a map.

[Rose White]

The photos of the Japanese gardens are gorgeous. I use to visit the Japanese Garden in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park and the peace and serenity it gives off is wonderful.