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Tokyo: Harajuku Station
Inspiration: I cannot tell if the girls in the top photo are in Cos play style or Bosozoku military style. In any event, it's pretty awesome to see how creative they can get. The girl in the bottom photo (which photo is not great but illustrates the elaborate costume of the girl) is wearing Gothic Lolita style.
Tokyo: Harajuku Station
Inspiration: I spied a Harajuku girl dressed in the style of "Gothic Lolita".
Tokyo: Harajuku Station (on the aerial walkway)
Inspiration: I spent the whole day in Shibuya and Harajuku and on Omotesando and Aoyama-dori today. Loved it! These areas are not only great for shopping (big name brands on Omotesando and unique boutiques on the side streets), they are pretty awesome for people watching too. I spied this girl waiting anxiously for someone as I crossed the aerial walkway near Harajuku station. When I showed her the photo, she burst into peals of laughter and thanked me for thinking her interesting enough to take it. How lovely is that? I am in love with Japan. I love the people, their culture, the food, the shopping, the arts, the style, the countryside . . . and I cannot wait for my next trip here. I am already thinking about coming back over New Years and I am sad to leave on Tuesday. Although, I do very much miss my little village (well, New York feels that way compared to Tokyo).
Japan: Arashimaya
Inspiration: Rickshaws abound in New York's Central Park, but I had never considered taking a ride until I saw them lined up something like this in Kyoto a couple of days ago. At that moment, having walked for hours, a 30 minute ride seemed like a perfect idea. Until I saw the tremendous effort it takes to pull one of these babies with pounds of people in them. While I suffered a bit of guilt initially (for the first ten minutes), I finally managed to ignore the huffs and puffs of our runner/driver to enjoy the breezy ride.
Japan: Arashimaya
Inspiration: But for the contemporary attire worn by the rickshaw runners, the sight of these women sitting in the rickshaw, togged in traditional kimonos, made me think I was gazing at a moment from an earlier time.
Japan: Arashimaya
Inspiration: Rickshaw rides are tremendous fun and a guilty pleasure. We enjoyed a 30 minute ride around about Honen-Ji and the Path of Philosophy in Kyoto a couple of days ago. While our 17 year-old runner/driver was in great shape (he's a long-distance runner) and he insisted that we were oh so light (I am a runner too, so I wanted to believe him), I suddenly felt as heavy as a moose and guilty as hell as I watched him struggle up the hills with us in tow. Nonetheless, about ten minutes into the ride, I chose to believe him, mostly because I wanted to enjoy the scenery and the beautiful day and I couldn't do so if I kept dwelling on his agony. So when I saw this runner's grimace today in Arashimaya, I was reminded all over again about what our poor runner was going through two days before. Guilty pleasure.
Kyoto: Chion-in
Inspiration: Steps. Steps. And more steps.
Kyoto: Nanzen-in Temple in Northern Higashimaya
Inspiration: There are hundreds of temples and shrines in Kyoto. Nanzen-in is just one the few we visited yesterday. I've come to terms with the fact that I will not see and do all that I want to. I just have to return. And then return again.
Kyoto: Kiyomizo Temple
Inspiration: For photographs of her in gorgeous colors, check out The Photodiarist in Color.
Kyoto: Kiyomizu Temple
Inspiration: I've only been in Kyoto for 5 hours but already I love it. It is so different from Tokyo. Smaller, quieter, older. Within an hour of getting off the Nozumi high speed Shinkansen train from Tokyo, we went to Kiyomizu Temple, one of the most popular sights in Kyoto. In the midst of one of the temple structures is this bronze Buddha, which people touched, caressed or rubbed for luck. I will post more photos of this excursion later.
