[BA] 17 Days of Autumn - Kyoto/Toyama/Tokyo

[Baracus]

It's been a while since my last landscape thread. Off to Japan for the 4th time around, and I've yet to get out of Tokyo. :sweat:
Series from Japan - Spring 2009

This was a very sudden trip for me as I bought my tickets/accommodation 2 weeks prior to the trip. Basically, I had no set plans, besides meeting with a fellow photographer/backpacker in Kyoto for 5 days. This trip was performed from 18 Oct - 4 Nov 2012.

Shot with Pentax K10D + Sigma 10-20/f4-5.6 + SMC M50/f1.7, with Lumix LX3 as backup.

Day 1-4
Kyoto

1) Set out the day early hiking Fushimi Inari. They weren't kidding about the thousand tori (gate) part.

2) A sample of the ema found at one of the many shrines.​

 

[Baracus]

3) If one looks behind the tori, the names of sponsors (individual/families/companies) can be found inscribed.

4) Saw a number of cats wandering around the grounds, from the town below, to way up the hilltop​

 

[Baracus]

5) Bought tickets for Sagano Scenic Railway at this small Train & Piano Museum.

6) Model trains for kids (and kids at heart) to toy with.​

 

[Baracus]

7) There wasn't much to do at Kameoka, the end of the line. You either took a horse cart ride around the fields or went further up for a sampan ride back to Saga-Arashiyama.
The folks here were harvesting seaweed of sorts or doing a spot of river rafting.

8) The boat trip was about 3000(+) yen. I opted for the 170 yen JR train. :bsmilie:​

 

[Baracus]

9) The Sagano Scenic Train pulls away from the station

10) Suburb Japan in a nutshell. Railway, low-rise buildings, paddy fields and mountains.​

 

[Baracus]

11) Dropped off a station later since valley view caught my attention. Valley pics didn't out that well due to harsh midday sun.

12) Saga-Arashiyama Bamboo Forest was full of people due to some festival. Did some shooting from the hip instead of focusing on the grove.​

 

[Daoyin]

Very nice shots you have here. More please.

 

[Baracus]

Thank you Daoyin.

13) Hiked up Mt Kurama at the outskirts of Kyoto. Old and young alike made the tiring pilgrimage up the temple.

14) The temple at the halfway point of the Mt. Didn't take anymore pictures after this since I was knackered.
This is what you get for trying to scale a mountain, when your sole means of daily exercise is the trip to the office cafeteria. :bsmilie:​

 

[Baracus]

Day 5-6
Fukui

15) Explored the sleepy town of Fukui. They were preparing to celebrate the anniversary of the town center (or something)

16) Various modes of transport by the shopping arcade.​

 

[Baracus]

17) Commissioned graffiti mural in a corner of the shopping arcade.

18) Change to local line for 1hr trip to Tojimbo Cliffs for sunset.​

 

[Baracus]

19) Had to walk a further 40 mins along the coast to the cliffs, while racing the fast approaching sunset. Didn't have time to deploy the tripod for this one.

20) The sun had hidden behind the clouds once I got to the cliffs but the strong sea breeze made up for the long trek, even though it made traversing the rocks and setting up tripod a tricky affair.​