journal A record of life in Japan

[Erasmeus71]

8 hours ago, amber22 said:

Oh...I sincerely hope she is alive.
I will never forget that day of the earthquake, even when I become a grandmother. I was very young at the time and didn't really understand the situation, but I just knew that it was a very difficult situation. I studied it over and over again as I grew older. I remember watching the images of the tsunami when I was older, and the horror of it all left me cold.
Nature is beautiful but terrifying.
It makes us live and it kills us.

Then for next year the Japanese stuff went across and hit on the west coast. First the Hawaiin islands. Then Alaska to California. Sure Canada and Mexico I am sure got there stuff too. We knew it was Japanese. The characters was Japanese on one ship that washed up in California one day. All the way from Sedai. Japan.

[amber22]

January 25

Yesterday I took a walk in the morning.
Kyoto was hit by a huge cold wave that blew a blizzard and piled up a lot of snow.
I immediately made plans to go to a temple.

This is the entrance to the temple.
I walked to get here, but my feet were already wet with snow.
But it doesn't matter. I could only admire the silver world.
As here, there was no snow on the ground near the entrances to other temples and shrines. I guess they must have shoveled the snow.

This temple is a Zen temple with a long history.
It is famous for its beautiful autumn leaves. I don't like crowds, so I don't go there at that time of the year, but in this cold season, there were few people and I could stroll around calmly.

Inside this building, cultural assets were on display.
There are pictures and letterpress printing tools.

I entered a different building.
Perhaps this is where everyone watches the autumn leaves.
I sat upright on the tatami mats and just watched the snow fall from the branches.

In Japan, you have to take off your shoes before entering the room.
My toes were cold, but even that was important. I used all of my senses and my body to feel winter and snow.

Bamboo forest.
I never knew light on snow could be so beautiful. The light was running like playing with snowflakes, illuminating them.

This is the view from the mountain.
It was a beautiful view of the city.

This pond seemed a little lonely.
The plant in this picture seemed to have frozen with its head in the water.
And behind it I could see some orange shadows. Probably carp. They are in a state of suspended animation in the icy pond.
When it gets warmer and the ice melts, they will start moving again, but all time seemed to stand still.

There were no people around when I saw this. I was the only one breathing white breath.

The shape of the snow probably reflects the pattern of the sand below.
Karesansui is often seen in Zen temples like this one. Karesansui is a style of Japanese garden in which rocks and sand are used to create a landscape without water.

 

Well, I left the temple, but Kyoto is a town where you can reach temples and shrines if you walk.
I went to a shrine on my way back.

There is always a place to wash your hands at the shrine, and there was a cute rabbit there.
Looks cold but I bet they are enjoying this snow.

Washing hands is not just an effect of the corona.
Shrines are sacred places where we can greet God, so we need to cleanse ourselves.

There were some great artists.
Finally, a quiz.
What is this character?

[Vampiress]

So gorgeous, thank you again for sharing! Love the totoro snow creatures!

[Guest]

Absolutely beautiful! Such a feeling of peace and tranquility just looking at your pictures. They are wonderful. You are really talented taking pictures. Thank you for sharing. 

[Andriel_Isilien]

I like your descriptions/narration along with the photos. It's poetic 😊 Thank you for sharing this with us!

[Guest Crybunbun]

Ohhhh that was so amazing. I love the picture of the snowy bamboo forest.
And the view on the city - wonderful and magical.
Japan has such beautiful places. And those cute bunny figures !
And the last one was a snow totoro !! Adorable !
I bet it looks also magical in the other seasons ~

[LeftyGuitar]

Those are some amazing pictures!