Asia

Fushimi-ku in Kyoto

It was a magical night in Kyoto, photographing torii. Torii are the traditional Japanese gates that mark the entrance to Shinto shrines. This one is at the entrance of Fushimi-ku in Kyoto, Japan.

Tilt-Shift Itsukushima Shrine

Photographed and enhanced with tilt-shifting last year during low tide, the Itsukushima Shrine (厳島神社), is a Shinto shrine on the island of Itsukushima (popularly known as Miyajima). It is in the city of Hatsukaichi in Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. The shrine complex is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Japanese government has designated several buildings and possessions as National Treasures. Every day the water floods the whole torii gate and it appears to be floating.

Tokyo Yanaka Cemetery

Strolling around at night in Tokyo, I visited the Yanaka Cemetery (谷中霊園 Yanaka Reien), close to Ueno in Taito, Tokyo, Japan.
There I took a long-exposure shot of the impressive Yanaka Five-Storied Pagoda, which was originally part of the Buddhist temple Tenno-ji (天王寺). It was built in 1644 and burned down in 1771 and was rebuilt some 20 years later in 1791. This last version, built of Japanese zelkova wood was, at almost 35 meters, the tallest of its kind in the Kanto area.

Itsukushima Shinto Shrine

The wonderful sunset of the Itsukushima Shinto Shrine in Hiroshima, Japan.

Alishan Mountain Light

“From a distant land in the east, from across the sea…” – Shenmue

This is the dawn view from the Alishan mountain in Taiwan. Alishan is well known for its sunrises, and on a suitable morning one can observe the sun come up on a sea of clouds in the area between Alishan and Yüshan. The area is also famous for its production of high mountain tea and wasabi.