The Japanese maples in autumn are in all their fiery beauty. Wandering around Kyoto with my camera I felt the need to write poetry. Hence these two haiku, the form…
Saihoji, the serene Zen moss garden in Kyoto, is known—-as you’d expect—-for moss. The Japanese Maples in the garden are also wonderful, and beautifully tended. Here are two photos showing…
This Japanese white pine with its imposing roots was originally a bonsai given by the 11th Tokugawa Shogun, Ienari, to the ninth lord of Takamatsu, Matsudaira Yorihiro, in Edo (Tokyo)…
Exiled to remote Shikoku, the sad samurai played the Biwa beneath this waterfall in melancholy melodies of their distant home.
This pair of camphor trees were standing tall near the epicenter when the bomb fell on Nagasaki. Blasted and burnt they were thought to be dead in the wasteland. In…
I'm pleased to announce that a visit to the just-opened New Art Museum on Naoshima Island in the Seto Inland Sea has been added to our Off-the-Beaten Track Japan photography…
Heading home from Japan in a long day of travel, I’ve had a chance to glance through some of the many photos I’ve made on this trip. What’s different this…
It will likely come as no surprise to my friends and those who follow me that this trip to Japan I am very observant of stone works: paths, walls, and…
Engetsukyu (Moon Bridge) in Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens in central Tokyo is said to have been designed by Zhu Shun Shui, a Chinese Confucian scholar of the 1600s. It’s called “Engetsukyu…
This photographic journey will take us to areas of Japan that Westerners often do not see, with an emphasis on photography and visual art at a pace specifically designed to…
Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. From its origins in Kyoto more than a millenia ago, this is an art form that has evolved within a formal tradition…
Iya Onsen Hotel perches high above the Iya River in the mountainous and less-traveled region that is in the interior of Shikoku, Japan's fourth largest island. The area is magical,…
I'm recently back from a magical time in Japan. Almost all parts of this journey were wonderful. I enjoyed traveling on my own to Nikko National Park, and the group…
Some photographic subjects resonate in the poetic sense. For example, spirals, bridges, the light at the end of the tunnel. Of course, this possible subject-matter resonance is not sufficient to…
I've never understood the lyrics of the song "Don't go chasing waterfalls." Apparently, if you Google it, the lyric to this catchy tune (I've worked out to its beat at…
When and where: November 6-19, 2024; the adventure begins in Osaka and ends in Kyoto, Japan. Group Size: This is an exclusive, small photo workshop (non-photographer significant others are also…
I think that "subversive metaphoto" is a mouthful, but I kind of like the phrase. Ponderous? Sure. Pretentious? Double sure. But here's the thing. I spend much time thinking on…
The Grand Shrine of Ise is dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu. One of Shinto's most sacred shrines, this complex of shrines, inner shrines, and sub-shrines covers a larger land…