Castle and Cherry Trees, Hirosaki, Japan
I had to climb over a fence and slide part way down a hill toward the moat to get this shot. All I can say is that one day I … Read more
Tom Bartel
Temple Ruins, Hiraizumi, Japan
At the Motsu-Ji site in the World Heritage town of Hiraizumi, Japan, most of the huge temple complex built in the 8th Century has been destroyed by wars, fires, and earthquakes over the years.
The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, Kyoto, Japan
The most famous temple in Japan, the gilded Temple of the Golden Pavilion of Kyoto, was intentionally burned to the ground in 1950 by a deranged monk.
Visiting the A-Bomb Memorials in Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Seeing the stark record of the atomic bomb destruction in Hiroshima and Nagasaki makes us reflect yet again on the horror of war.
Sakurajima Volcano, Kagoshima, Japan
We took sort of an unplanned side trip to Kagoshima, at the very end of the southern Japanese island of Kyushu, just to see one of the most active volcanoes … Read more
Itsukushima Shrine, near Hiroshima, Japan
The Itsukushima shrine, a torii arch set into the sea near Hiroshima, and its attendant Noh theater stage, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Zenkoji Temple, Nagano, Japan
Zenkoji Temple in Nagano offers a variety of religious images best taken in context.
Matsumoto Castle, Matsumoto, Japan
We toured the castle at Matsumoto, which is entirely made out of wood, btw, while we waited for the light to swing around and hit the “good” side of the … Read more
The Temples of Nikko, Japan
The temples of Nikko, Japan are some of the most ornate in Japan. The Nikko shrines were built by the Tokugawa Shoguns in the17th to 19th Centuries.
Getting Lost in Tokyo
We had a notion that Japan was going to be a bit, shall we say, inscrutable. And we were right. There’s something about not having an alphabet so foreigners can … Read more
