A lamp at dusk

Make-up with snow at Ohara Hosen-in, in Kyoto

BTW, here is the same place in summer.

the art of calligraphy

A wooden house surrounded by pine trees, at Ginkakuji Temple, in Kyoto

River bank for lovers, along Kamo River, in Kyoto

This river, Kamo River, penetrates the east area of Kyoto city and used to be known as the river for dead people, a long time ago. Dead people used to be thrown away into the river. But now the river is known as a place for lovers. Many couples are sit down at the riverbank in a certain interval. I think riversides seem to be popular spots for going out on a date all over the world.

Shoji, a thin-papered window, in a house for tea ceremony, at Daitokuji Temple, in Kyoto

Fugu Zosui

This is called Fugu Zosui, boiled rice with blowfish soup and the fish is one of typical fishes in winter. This dish is one of the most delicious dishes among the blowfish ones.

An entrance for a restaurant, near Kozanji Temple, in Kyoto

Wooden sign boards at Kozanji Temple, in Kyoto

A phenix on the top of roof at Ginkakuji Temple, in Kyoto

A mouth of drain, at Katsura Imperial Villa, in Kyoto

A stone in raked small gravels, at Zuiho-in Daitokuji Temple, in Kyoto

The end of the rope for praying, hang in front of the main building at shrines, in Kyoto

On the top of the rope is the bell put and people shake the rope and ring the bell to let deities out there know that we come there to pray.

Noren, a cloth hang on at the entrance of a restaurant, near Daitokuji Temple, in Kyoto

Skillful hands putting a thin paper on the wooden frame of shoji, a papered sliding door which allows sunlight into a room

Decorative wall with worn out roof tiles, at Daitokuji Temple, in Kyoto

Under a eave, at Gingakuji Temple, in Kyoto

The mould of the moon, at Gingakuji Temple, in Kyoto

This is the zoom-in of the post and the flat on the top of the object means the moon. The sand, which contains more quartz than usual, is said to shine slightly at night by the light of the moon, Together with the object of the water surface close to it, this garden takes us to the realm of the fantasy and tranquility.

Tile roof at Nishi-Honganji Temple, in Kyoto

Stones in line, at Adashino Nenbutsuji Temple, in Kyoto

Incense sticks in front of a building at Nanzenji Temple, in Kyoto

We offer and burn incense sticks inside or outside the building of temples before praying.

The zoom-out of the previous post: the sand objects, meaning the water surface and the moon, in a garden, at Gingakuji Temple, in Kyoto

The stripe on the sand, at Ginkakuji Temple, in Kyoto

The stripe is a part of the object in a garden of Gingakuji Temple, one of the main attractions in Kyoto. The pattern is drawn on the sand just close to a small pond and means the water surface. The sand is said to contain more a-kind-of-quartz than usual and shines slightly at night by the full moon, though it is unfortunately closed at night and we cannot see it.

Giving a toast to angles out there!

This is the inside of a cask and the inside is visible for visitors of this whiskey distillery, Yamazaki in Kyoto.

The inside might be full at first, but has been getting less due to the breathing of the cask. The sounder the whiskey sleeps, the more it mellows and, however, the less it gets. The missing one is said to be called 'Angels' Share' in Scotland. Regarding the rest and the color in the cask, it has been sleeping at least for ten years.

I hope the angles don't drink too much!

Have a nice weekend:-)

Sashimi of fugu, blowfish

These are sliced blowfish or pufferfish, one of winter's fish with full of poison especially in the liver and ovary. The fish has very strong poison but delicious!! So we eat it at restaurants or buy cut or sliced fugu because the license is needed to cut and open the fish and remove the poison from it.

We eat the sashimi with cut green onion, grated Japanese radish, grated chill pepper, vinegar, soy sauce and more. This is surely delicious. However, I feel zousui more delicious, boiled rice with fugu soup, something of a Paella.

Monthly Theme day:when people think of my city...

Even to Japanese visitors outside Kyoto, like me living in Tokyo, Kyoto seems exotic because it has remained a old good Japan: old wooden architecture with a garden, many temples and shrines, tea ceremonies, women with kimono walking on the streets, which is hardly seen in Tokyo. Among them, maikos are Kyoto's icons. Their graceful carriage shows the sensitive side of Kyoto and their kimonos, together with hair sticks, wooden shoes, express the colorful side of Kyoto.

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