The selection of a smaller subject area for viewing, and the contrast between the dim interior and the bright exterior really enhance the aesthetic experience of the garden: What?
Category: Pictures
Non-Dorky Poll: Silver and Gold
The Silver Pavilion: The Golden Pavilion: Which do you like better?
Non-Dorky Poll: Giant Buddha Smackdown
A simple question: We have the Great Buddha at Nara: and the Great Buddha at Kamakura: Which is better?
Picture Contest Winner
Some time back, I proposed a contest: The person who comes closest to the actual number [of pictures taken in Japan] without going over will win something cheap and tacky from Japan that I will buy before I leave. I haven’t fogotten about this, I’ve just been too busy to do all that much with… Continue reading Picture Contest Winner
Itadakimasu
At dinner with my parents last night, we were talking about the dinners at Sumiyoshi, the ryokan we stayed at in Takayama. I haven’t gotten around to uploading those pictures yet, but I dug this one out: It’s not the best picture of Kate, but she does provide a sense of scale… It was a… Continue reading Itadakimasu
Sacred and Profane
The city of Nara, near Kyoto, is full of temples and shrines dating back to the eigth centruy, when it was briefly the capital of Japan. One of the largest shrines in the city, the Kasuga Taisha shrine, is dedicated to deities that use deer as their sacred messengers. As a result, deer are allowed… Continue reading Sacred and Profane
Great Ideas in World Cuisine
Two words: Beef Sushi
USVI: Love the Hat
One final vacation picture: what with all the snorkeling and boat-chartering and hiking, I was starting to worry that I might seem too cool to be a physicist. There was a chance that I might meet somebody, and not have them realize immediately what I do for a living. At the same time, my Northern… Continue reading USVI: Love the Hat
USVI: A Good Long Walk
Our vacation in the Virgin Islands was with family, so we spent most of our time in a group of six people, and there was no small element of cat-herding involved in getting things arranged. This tends to drive me up the wall, so I made a point of spending one morning doing something that… Continue reading USVI: A Good Long Walk
USVI: Wild Wildlife
I should preface this with a note that I am one of the world’s worst nature photographers. I don’t have a very fancy camera, and I’m not terribly good at spotting critters at the best of times, so my best pictures are of relatively immobile creatures like the crab in yesterday’s post. Still, I find… Continue reading USVI: Wild Wildlife