I’m rounding out my final two posts from my Japan trip earlier this year. These will be all the images I shot on my 5D Mk3, as previously all my Japan posts have been taken with my Canon G7X. This post features a collection of stills from what I would call the ‘Old Japan’: Temples, nature, shrines and gardens. I had a wonderful time walking around all these stunning places, I really cannot recommend visiting Japan enough in that respect. Most of these were shot with my new 85mm 1.8 lens, which I got just before the trip. Most of my photography revolves around action, and I realised that because of that I rarely get to shoot images with nice blurry bokeh. Therefore I especially enjoyed shooting with it here!
(From the Japanese: [boke]) Bokeh is the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in the out-of-focus parts of an image produced by a lens. Bokeh has been defined as “the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light”)
This was early morning in Nara, which is famous for its numerous wild deer that inhabit the shrines.
You have to be very slow, and very quiet. This one was a little shy, but generally they are quite tame. Especially if you have ‘Deer Cookies’ to give them!
It slowly approached me.
As it looked up at me, time stopped. Blessed to have shared a moment with this majestic creature.
Even though it was late august, some trees were still blooming!
This pagoda on the lake was a tranquil spot.
I then walked over to the major temples to visit.
Tōdai-ji temple is the largest wooden structure in the world. It houses a stunning cast bronze buddha.
It was absolutely gigantic!
Some of the other statues were also exquisite.
Nara was just wonderfully peaceful.
I love that 85mm lens.
Being in Nara so early, I literally got the entire temple complex more or less to myself. There were parts where I would walk through shrines and not see another human. Very spirited away.
These gates are a very common sight in Japanese shrines.
I then walked over to a working temple.
The girls that were here had a strange kind of grace to them.
A little red bridge.
I wandered back over to the pavillion and saw this couple having wedding photos taken. I love the umbrellas.
Walking through the Isuien Garden in Nara, a great stop if you enjoy Japanese landscaping.
Leaves and ripples.
Arashiyama is a Bamboo Grove in Kyoto.
Its only really about 500m of one walkway, which is where all the famous photos are taken.
Once again, I was there by 7AM so I could enjoy it in peace.
This is Kinkaku-ji, also knows as the Golden Pavillion. It was probably the busiest place I visited, tourist wise.
Found a mirror, took a selfie.
This is Fushimi-Inari, in Kyoto that comprises of some 20+ separate shrines all up the side of a mountain.
Its most famous for its 10,000+ Tori gates, which when you walk through, line up to create this beautiful tunnel.
Again, I was here very early.
This tree looked quite magical in the morning light.
Each gate is donated by a Japanese business, as the shrine is dedicated to ‘Inari’ the god of business.
I spent over a hour doing the hike across the mountain and I actually bumped into a few businessmen on the way. Apparently sometimes they will visit the shrine before an important meeting or job interview.
Finally, a couple images from my garden walks in Kyoto and Himeji.
I’ve been trying to create natural frames in my compositions recently.
This was a beautiful day.
These stepping stones are so perfectly Japanese. Whimsical and functional.
My final Japan 2015 post will be my photos from the new japan, mostly Tokyo, with plenty of rooftop images to come!