CAPTURE NEW HORIZONS

On the recent trip to Japan we traveled to Kyoto on the Shinkansen, the world famous Japanese bullet train.  We traveled the 500km to Kyoto on the Tokaido line, which was the first high speed line to open in 1964, the year I was born. The trip took just over two hours, which literally flew by at speeds of 320kph / 200mph.   Speeds of 440kph /275 mph were recorded in 1996 and a new world record of 603kph /375 mph was set in 2015 by the new maglev trains. One of the things that I noticed was the frequency of the trains.  On the way down from Tokyo there were services every 20-minutes. On the way back from Kyoto there were four trains to Tokyo in a 30 minute period.  And they all ran with typical Japanese efficiency and punctuality. Now I have travelled a lot by train in the UK and in France and the first thing that struck me on entering the carriage was the width.  In the Europe the seats are usually two each side of the aisle.  On the Shinkan...

After visiting the temple at Todai-ji we jumped back on the coach and drove a few kilometres through the Deer Park to Kasuga-Taisha. Kasuga Grand Shrine (Kasuga-Taisha) is a Shinto shrine established in 768 AD and rebuilt several times over the centuries, it is the shrine of the Fujiwara family.  The path to Kasuga Shrine passes through Deer Park. In the park the deer are able to roam freely and are believed to be sacred messengers of the Shinto gods that inhabit the shrine and surrounding mountainous terrain.  The interior of the shrine is famous for its many bronze lanterns, as well as the many stone lanterns that lead up the shrine.  The 2000 lanterns are only lit twice a year for two festivals in February and August. The walk from the coach park was along the sloping path with trees and stone lanterns on both sides.  Sunlight was streaming through the tree tops and hitting some of the lanterns producing a wonderful scene with a lot of cont...

On our second day in Kyoto we travelled by coach to Nara, a small town located about 60-minutes outside of Kyoto. Our first stop was the temple of  Tōdai-ji to see the world's largest bronze statue of Buddha. Tōdai-ji  (Eastern Great Temple), is a Buddhist temple complex, that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples.    Its Great Buddha Hall (Daibutsuden), houses the 49 foot  / 15m high bronze statue of the Buddha, known in Japanese simply as Daibutsu. The temple also serves as the Japanese headquarters of the Kegon school of Buddhism.  The temple is a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site as one of the "Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara", together with seven other sites including temples, shrines and places in the city of Nara.   The Great Buddha Hall (Daibutsuden) has been rebuilt twice after fire. The current building was finished in 1709, and although immense—57 metres (187 ft) long and 50 metres (160 ft) wide—it is ...

After travelling from Tokyo to Kyoto on the Shinkansen (Bullet Train), which only two hours to cover the 500km between the two cities, the first thing we saw outside the station was the Kyoto Tower. Standing 131 meters tall just across Kyoto Station, Kyoto Tower is Kyoto's tallest building and a rare modern iconic landmark in the city famous for its ancient temples and shrines.  The tower was completed in 1964, the same year as the opening of the shinkansen and the Tokyo Olympics.  A viewing platform is located 100 meters above ground and affords a 360 degree view of Kyoto and as far as Osaka on clear days. Using the Fujifilm X-Pro2 fitted with the XF16-55mm f2.8 lens I took some images from the station concours using the new ACROS black and white film simulation mode. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY VISITING THE ADVERTISERS ON THIS PAGE...

After visiting the Golden Pavilion we took the coach back into the centre of Kyoto to visit the Nishiki Market. Nishiki Market (錦市場, Nishiki Ichiba) is a narrow, five block long shopping street lined by more than one hundred shops and restaurants. Known as "Kyoto's Kitchen", this lively retail market specializes in all things food related, like fresh seafood, produce, knives and cookware, and is a great place to find seasonal foods and Kyoto specialties, such as Japanese sweets, pickles, dried seafood and sushi. Before I started taking images I decided to take in the sights and smells of the narrow street.  Sometimes as a photographer it is good to get a sense of the place before picking up the camera. I did indulge in some local delicacies and also a spot of shopping, buying some of the locally produced Sake.  The busy market also provided some great opportunities for a spot of street photography with the Fujifilm X-Pro2 which I used with the 16-55mm f...