Western Japan
Written By Mark Eaglesfield
Kyōto
It was easy to find streets not crowded with tourists, located just a few blocks away from streets that were. There are more than 1000 temples, so there are plenty of compounds open to exploration. Bring warm socks in winter, or wear a double layer of socks, because you have to take your shoes off inside temples.
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Sannen-zaka or nearby
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Kinkaku Temple
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Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
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Nanzen Temple, filtered in GIMP
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Cat tchotchke shop
Ōsaka
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One of my favorite jumbles of buildings.
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Mahjong pagoda at my hostel.
Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture
Engetsu Island
Okayama Prefecture, Chūgoku region
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Okayama Castle
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Shachihoko (tiger-carp), a fire protection charm.
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Castle moat
Hiroshima Prefecture, Chūgoku region
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Looking east, Onomichi.
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Looking southwest, Onomichi.
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Peace Dome, Hiroshima.
Yamaguchi Prefecture
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NE from Kameyama Park, Yamaguchi City.
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Canal separating Castle Town from modern Hagi.
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Matsumoto River near Hagi Port
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Rainbow above Matsumoto River.
Shimonoseki (Kanmon) Straits, between Honshū and Kyūshū
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Commuter port, Shimonoseki. Opposite, Kita-Kyūshū.
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One of my favorite spots in Japan.
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Collecting shellfish, perhaps.
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Taira no Tomomori, loser of the Battle of Dan-no-ura.
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Moji, Kitakyūshū
Crossing the straits.
Other parts of Fukuoka Prefecture
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Crows over Kokura Castle, Kita-Kyūshū
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Kokura Castle Garden. Site of my first tea ceremony.
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Fukuoka
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Dazaifu Tenman Shrine
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Niō temple guardian, Kyūshū National Museum
Other cities of Kyūshū
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Nagasaki
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Daion Temple cemetery, Nagasaki
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Nagasaki
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Shōfuku Temple, Nagasaki
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Kumamoto Castle after 2016 earthquake
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Saidai Temple, Kagoshima
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Beppu, Ōita Pref.
Three night views compared
Japan has three famous night views: Nagasaki, Kōbe (next to Ōsaka), and Hakodate in Hokkaidō. I’ve never been to Hokkaidō, so instead I’m using Tōkyō as the third night view.
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Nagasaki from Mt. Inasa
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Ōsaka Bay from Mt. Maya, Kōbe
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Tōkyō from the Tōkyō Skytree