Rising above the Sakura

Walking up the road to Ninnaji from the station

Entering Ninnaji Temple

A walkway of sakura

Serene

Hidden in the Sakura

The Sakura here were feeling the rain a bit

It might have bee raining, but there were lots of people out

Sakura falling on the ground

One of the smaller structures on the site

The pagoda peeks out above the sakura

Close up of nature

The umbrellas made the scene look all the more interesting

Rain falling on the Temple roof

Map of the Ninnaji Temple grounds

Waiting for the train home

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A leisurely walk past the Kyoto Imperial Palace (京都御所) inside the Kyoto Gyoen.

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Mt Fuji from Shinkansen

On my way from Kyoto to Tokyo the other day, I captured this HD video with the new Sony NEX-7. I am not sure how to edit or mix in some music, so here it is raw. The stabilizer on the NEX-7 seemed to work quite well.

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Kamogawa

Another photo I took of the Kamogawa river area with Sakura here. This was a really nice afternoon walk with good weather and great atmosphere on the river bank.

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A few really nice sakura trees here with branches reaching down to the water below

As the Sakura season is finishing for another year, I took some shots on the weekend taking advantage of the good weather.

Sakura with blue skies

Couples enjoying the banks of the Kamogawa River with Sakura

Kamogawa

A touch of HDR with the Sakura on the riverbanks

Where did you enjoy the Sakura this year?

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The buildings set around the pathways are great to see

One of the older traditional Temples

Monk approaching as the shade starts to come over the pathway

Mossy area

The entranceways to the various smaller Temples each have their own style

The gardens are beautifully planned and kept well

Nice roofline hidden in the trees

Simple but elegant

Pathways stretch on and on as you stroll around the grounds

Where does this door lead you to?

Just keep on walking and enjoy the quiet

Very peaceful

I feel like sitting down and reading a book here

A lot of attention to detail in the rooflines

Walking the well kept paths

Entranceway and Temple roof

Nice grain in the wood here

Looking inside one of the Temple grounds

The mixture of wood and moss seem to have a story of their own

Venturing through the Mon

I should come back in the evening and see the shades cast by these lights

Follow the path to the tea house

Simple but elegant styles

It was a bit early to see sakura, but these berries looked good

Restaurant this way

A touch of Spring

Time goes by

The pathway to Zen

A very quiet area to walk around with great scenery

Relaxing in the gardens

Map of the Daitokuji Temple area

Leaving the Temple grounds. Back again soon

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Even a Temple needs to get its mail delivered

Thought it was interesting to see the postman rush down on his bike through the Temple to deliver the mail.

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Kyoto Lunch

I have been in Kyoto and was enjoying some very nice food both at lunch and dinner time. One of my favorite restaurants here is called Mumokuteki. The food is all organic, looks delicious and is very tasty.

雑穀米 Zakkoku rice

Zakkokumai or Zakkoku rice (雑穀米）means “mixed grain rice”. The mix I am eating has a reddish color. It may contain akamai (red rice) or maybe kuromai (black rice) in it.

Delicious

Miso Soup

It is probably best not to rest your chopsticks across the bowl, called watashi-bashi 渡し箸, unless you are signaling you have had enough and maybe didn’t like the meal. I certainly haven’t finished the meal in this photo, but just wanted to show off the nice grain of wood on the chopsticks.

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Sakura mochi

I had some tea and Sakuramochi while in Kyoto. Sakuramochi is a type of wagashi, Japanese sweets, made from red bean paste and wrapped in a sakura leaf. Th leaves are normally dry preserved from the previous season. The Kansai sakuramochi is made differently to that in Kanto. Can you tell the difference?

Hojicha

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Bottled water in a shape of Tokyo Sky Tree!

Tokyo Sky Tree will be opened on May 22,2012. The height is 634m.

Stick cheese cakes. We don't have to prepare a plate and fork.

Diet soup.It contains "Koya-Doufu(freeze-dried bean curd)”.

Diet Blend tea. Very nice

Chicken Ramen snack. Do not add boiled water.

Negi-Toro maki!

Bagna càuda set. Bring to the home party.

Ume(Japanese plum) Konbu(kelp). Young girls eat this as a diet snack.

Pasta sauce. Today I want to eat carbonara!

Salmon sushi!!

You can take Starbucks's coffee even at Conbini!

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The main entrance to Ishiyamadera

I think I was here on a National Holiday Day

Nice long pathways extending to the main temple area

Taking a brief look back at the main gate

Nice mix of red and black here

Simple but elegant

Temple in the pond?

Washing the hands before proceeding to the temple

It was quite a walk up these stairs

There were a number of small structures at the top of the stairs

As the name says, this is the temple of Rock Mountain

The trees were just turning a nice color

One of the temple buildings

Ishiyama Temple

The red in the wooded areas came out great

More red hidden in the foliage

The doors of the main temple

Hopes and wishes pinned up. What did I wish for? mmm, good question

Entering the temple building

The tale of Hikaru Genji was said to be written here

Outside the main temple building

The wood and green work in well

A building seemingly lost in the forest

The path back to the main road

Small shrine along the way

The train to Ishiyama Temple

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How artistic package! Please compare this with Japanese bottled tea.

Recently we have been improving the Conbini Monday content by having a team of people to assist. One of active members, who has been posting the last few weeks of Conbini Monday, visited Paris last week and has prepared a special Conbini Monday Paris style.
Please compare the photos with the normal Japanese Conbini ones.

Drink corner is not that different to Conbini in Japan. Coca-cola can be found all over the world!

Yoghurt corner.

Chocolate and Citron tart.

Maybe Parisian people have these for an office lunch.

Delicious-looking salad!

There are also wonderful looking food in a delicatessen at the corner of a street.

Walk down the street while you eat a sandwich, you can feel like a Parisienne!

Cute sandwiches are also prepared at Conbini in Paris.

How about Conbini Monday from Paris? Did you think it was very different from Japan or similar?

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