If a picture has a red border, move the cursor over it to see an alternative view.
Japan, March–April 2007
Wednesday 4 April
Travelled by shinkansen (bullet train) from Kyoto to Tokyo, where we stayed at the Prince Park Tower Hotel.
The ten-storey atrium at Kyoto Station.
The train came exactly on time at 11.14...
... and arrived in Tokyo exactly on time at 13.06.
Our hotel room looked out at the Tokyo Tower. (Move the cursor over the photo to see the same view by night.)
Banks of azaleas by the hotel forecourt (and beautifully lit up at night).
Seen from the top floor of the hotel, a Buddhist temple in the heart of Tokyo.
Also seen from the top floor of the hotel: an early morning view of Mt Fuji, 75 miles away.
Thursday 5 April
Day trip to the beautiful town of Kamakura, where there is an open-air statue of Buddha almost as large as the one at Nara (from which it was copied).
The Kamakura Great Buddha, cast in bronze in 1252. (Move the cursor over it to see an inside view of the neck and chest.)
Windows in the shoulder blades.
Lotus sculpture (one on each side of the main statue).
The Hase Kannon temple in Kamakura.
Carp pond in the grounds of the Hase Kannon temple.
Approach to the Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū Shintō shrine in Kamakura.
Crowds enjoying a fine day on the beautiful avenue of cherry trees leading to the shrine. Here, the blossom was at its absolute peak.
In the gardens of the shrine, each individual peony had its own parasol to protect it from sun and rain.
This was in the same gardens. The banners appeared to be connected with a wedding ceremony.
A Shintō priest officiating at the wedding ceremony.
"... every thing that grows
Holds in perfection but a little moment."
Shakespeare, Sonnet 15
Back
 |
|