Temple of the Golden Pavilion
Kinkaku-ji "Temple of the Golden Pavilion" is a Zen temple in northern Kyoto whose top two floors are completely covered in gold leaf. The Golden Pavilion is one of the most well known buildings in Japan.
Shirakawa-go Overlook, August 2015
Shirakawa-go, Gifu Prefecture, Japan Shirakawa-go is a beautiful mountain village famous for its traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses. Gassho-zukuri means "constructed like hands in prayer", and refers to the steep thatched roofs that distinguish the architectural style. Interesting Facts: The roofs, made without nails, provided a large attic space used for cultivating silkworms. Some of the farmhouses are over 250 years old. Shirakawa-go and the neighboring area of Gokayama were declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1995. Shirakawa-go was featured in the film The Last Samurai starring Tom Cruise. Shirakawa-go.org | Instagram - Check out their beautiful images of Shirakawa-go.
Making Japanese Washi Paper
Japanese washi paper is well known for it's strength and beauty. While in Japan I had the privilege of doing a mini washi paper workshop in the mountain village of Ainokura. Watching the sheet appear when lifted from the vat was a wonderful and mysterious experience. After lifting the first sheet I added delicate flower shaped decorations to my sheet and then another layer of paper so that the decorations ended up being sandwiched between two thin sheets. The completed sheet was then placed on a hot plate to dry. The whole process took about ten minutes.
Torii Gate near Tsutsuji-so
Torii Gate near Tsutsuji-so, August 2015 This is by far one of my favorite photos from my trip to Japan. Looking at it makes me feel like I'm back on the beach in Naoshima surrounded by incredible island views. It was pure zen. This torii gate is located near the entrance to Tsutsuji-so, the accommodation my husband and I stayed at while in Naoshima. We had the pleasure of staying in a traditional Japanese beach cottage. Taking our shoes off to walk on tatami mats, sleeping on futons we rolled out ourselves, and using the unique bathing and cooking facilities was a lot of fun. Check [...]
Pond Sign in Naoshima
I'm not really sure what this super cute sign is trying to communicate, but I assume it's warning against dangerous fish. Pond Sign, Naoshima, Japan
Okayama View
The colors, shapes, and textures in this picture perfectly capture my initial impression of Okayama.
Self-portrait at Tokyu Plaza, Harajuku Japan
My husband and I are finally on our long desired Japan adventure. Today was our first full day in Japan, and it's been fantastic! We'll be here till the 25th so we have just shy of three weeks to explore central Japan. I'm dying to photograph everything, but we're here to explore and there's a ton of see so I won't have time for careful compositions and photo planning so I'm just having to snap photos quickly as we walk. It's driving me crazy! lol If anyone ever wants to sponsor a photo trip to send me back to Japan, or [...]