An experimental journal
After a hiatus of about three years, I’ve resumed attending meetups. The pandemic and subsequent family hardships led me to withdraw from socializing. I’m uncertain if I’ve fully recovered from the trauma. Nonetheless, I’ve noticed a significant change in my mindset recently – I now crave real in-person interactions, moving away from exclusively online ones. …
“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” ― Albert Camus Autumn is fantastic. Japan is blessed with distinct four seasons, and of the four seasons, autumn is an ideal season to photo-walk across Yokohama to enjoy red and gold-colored leaves. And it is of course an in-between season whose length varies with the weather, and lately thanks to global warming, it’s getting harder to tell the difference between summer and autumn. Still, the seasons are changing, and it heralds a change of daily rhythms of life. As autumn arrives across the nation, I like the gentleness of the season, before the cold sets in. Even though …
“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.” ― Bill Keane This is the highlight of my Kyoto trip. KInkakuji Temple is one of the hardest sightseeing spots you can ignore when visiting Kyoto. You can definitely be guaranteed to geta breathtaking photo of this gold leaf decorated temple. I walked around the surrounding lake and garden to take the temple from every angle. This place is somewhat magical and is really worth your visit!
“There are very few bad people. There are just a lot of people that are unlucky.” ― Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Yep, you’ve read the title… During my trip to Osaka, my friend told me Kyoto is only 30 minutes away from the city. Since I have already visited almost all major sightseeing spots of Osaka back in May, I thought why not visiting somewhere new, like Kyoto. As the title reads, my first destination of the city turned unfortunate. Kiyomizu-dera Temple should be a landmark sightseeing spot. It, however, was under renovation… But the visiting experience in the temple overall was great and refreshing. Even though …
“Strength is seeing yourself as you are.” ― Taro Okamoto The tower was built for Expo ’70 and was designed by a Japanese artist, Taro Okamoto. During the expo, the tower was open to the public but closed after the event. Back in 1970 during the expo, the gallery inside displayed a huge artwork “Tree of Life”, which represented the evolution of creatures. Since then, the tower was long closed until 2014 for repairs and reformation. The Expo and the tower itself are occasionally mentioned in modern Japanese history as symbols of the post-war economic recovery. The tower is so Osaka, and look a little comical. My dad jokingly told me not …
“Time eventually positions most photographs, even the most amateurish, at the level of art.” ― Susan Sontag Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan is eight stories high with a massive tank in the middle. Without a shadow of a doubt, it contains an amazing collection of sea life and is home to two large whale sharks. Actually, it was my second visit to the aquarium since my childhood. Because I had been just a kid during my first trip to the Kansai region, I barely remember my first visit to the aquarium. My mom told me we had seen massive whales sharks alive. Probably the whale sharks I saw in the recent visit …
“Don’t pack up your camera until you’ve left the location.” ― Joe McNally Along with Shimokitazawa, which was featured in the last post, the anime Someday’s Dreamers Natsu No Sora set in Enoshima Island as well. This island has been one of my favorite weekend destinations outside of Tokyo. The iconic Enoden trains were featured in the opening theme of the anime with the sunset in background. The island offers all sorts of attractions, including shrines, park, observation tower, and caves. Additionally, you can enjoy authentic seafood cooked with local ingredients.
