Repost: Tsurugaoka Temple in Kamakura

Yet another time the mobile network in Japan deceived me of my "sent" files. This is the main entryway to the Tsurugaoka Temple in Kamakura. Date was July 16th.

Repost: Nagano: Zenkoji Temple 060615

This entry was prepared and ready to send, when the first trouble with the mobile network came about. Here is the picture I wanted to show, the Zenkoji Temple facing south, in town of Nagano.

Akasaka Aston Fredrik

Akasaka is the new, western-style, part of Tokyo. High building, new and fancy companies and a lot of cafes and asphalt is the core of this part of town. It was hard to resist a photo at one of the car dealers.

Yasaka Shrine by Night

Yasaka shrine was visited both in daylight and in the night, but the best picture was definetely this one, taken by the K800. The temple really stands out from the surrounding, and as this is still downtown it does not look odd.

Kiyumizudera Temple

After some trouble with roaming the mobile network in Kyoto, here are some picture from Kyoto and the Kiyumizudera temple in the Hills of Kyoto. Featured on The Last Samurai, this temple is beautifully situated and it is built on high poles, engineered in an elaborate way.

Kyoto Wine and Spirits

Why not enjoy both religion and food at the same time? Or maybe this is just a way for church with not so much money to co-exist with other businesses, sharing the building and maybe also some visitors. Found in Kyoto

Nijo Castle, Kyoto

Nijo-jo, built 1601 as residence of the first Tokugawa Shogun Ieyasu. Picture show Ninomaru Palace from the Honmaru garden.

Shinagawa backyard

Neighborhood close-by can hide some surprises, luckily the phone is always with you.. :-)

Kusunoki Masashige

Imperial Garden in Tokyo houses this Samurai warrior.

Bamboo forest tea session

... in Kamakura, temple-dense town south of Yokohama. A green tea session was held in the bambooo forest of Hokokuji, and Jomyoji and Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Templates were also visited before the stomach decided it was time for lunch. A shirt was also bought before heading back to Tokyo, having walked for most of the day and feeling rather sore in the feet. Beautiful weather in Kamakura, overcast in Tokyo.

Ueda backyard

Friday was spent in a town to the north of Tokyo called Ueda. The town is 50 km short of Nagano, and its known for the hot springs with high sulphur content. These springs are quite pleasant to relax in, and the hotel Hanaya had a lovely garden with fishes in the small pond (depicted). A nice dinner followed in the hotel before we headed to downtown Ueda for a beer at some local bars. Saturday was spent in Nagano, host of the 1998 Summer Olympics, visiting the Zenkoji temple yard and seeing some of the 1998 Olympics Arenas.

Ebisu architecture

Cool buildings are always fun, and this was one I found in the Ebisu (Yebisu) area. There are also a 'beer station' close by...

Shibuya

New day, new people at the Shibuya crossing. The traveller might recognize the spot from where the picture is taken, and the iced caffe macchiato just right on a hot and humid day.

Green Tea ceremony...

Ryokucha ochakai is the Japanese name for the ceremony. I could have gotten the spelling wrong, but I wrote it from the way I heard it. The ceremony involves 168 steps, but the version I took part in was shortened to roughly 40 to save time. Beautiful pot, apparently the original ones are fed with charcoal, but this version was electric and that is more likely better for the air in the room.

Pedestrian roadblock

When they shut down parts of a street to repair the pavement, they do it properly. All cones are lit from within, and there is one every meter... There is also about 10 men standing with "light sabres" to keep you on the safe side of the fence... By the way, if you are a motorcyclist and not so happy about wire fences in the middle of the road, please go to the link below and sign your name on the list. You do not need to add your email address unless you want more information.

Link

Tokyo nightlife

This is what happens when Koizumi listened to cab drivers more than the people and decided not to let the metro go all night. You see people sleeping everywhere, waiting for the first metro home...

Meiji shrine, Harajuku

Meiji shrine is located in a calm park area between Shinjuku and Shibuya. If lucky, you might see a wedding ceremony here.