More glimpses of unfamiliar Japan

These 2 young ladies in Gion were being photographed by a whole gaggle of foreign tourists who most probably believed they were seeing maiko...

The St. Xavier memorial Church is located in Yamaguchi City. It was built in 1998 to replace an earlier church that "mysteriously"...

Continuing with my exploration of the aesthetic potential in Japan's favorite material,.... more steps! An Escheresque view of the steps...

A huge stack of sakedaru (sake barrels) at Matsuo Shrine near Kyoto. Matsuo is the home of the patron kami of sake brewers. Sake when offere...

Foothills of Katsuragi Mountain (Nara) at sunset.

...at least according to these critters! They are Kamemushi ( Turtle Bug), and this fall there has been a much larger number of them invadin...

Circular windows are not uniquely Japanese, but they do seem a little more common here traditionally. Kennin-Ji, the oldest Zen Temple in Ky...

Haikyo is a Japanese word that means something along the lines of "ruin" and "abandoned building", and its a word that i...

It's only been quite recently that I have begun to appreciate the aesthetics of traditional Japanese houses. This one seemed a little li...

Not sure what these species are. There was an interesting article in last week's Japan Times about the invasion of Nomura jellyfish, the...