In the case of Japan, my pictures say far more than my words so, in keeping with all things Japanese, I will keep this simple:
Kyoto and surrounding area
Beautiful, historical, clean and efficient, Kyoto strikes an impeccable balance of the old and the new. Temples are to Kyoto like Starbucks is to Seattle... You can find one on just about every corner. Each temple was a masterpiece of design and joinery (although some stood out in particular for their craft and design, as shown in my photos) and many were surrounded by gardens that far out-did the temples themselves. Other pleasures involved eating (sushi, soba, sashimi, raw eggs and squid on a stick), shopping for Japanese tea cups, riding a bike around town and meeting some great new friends.
Koyasan, Wakayama Preficture
Site of one of Japan's holiest of mountains and the center of Buddhist training in Japan, Koyasan is a remote area in the South of Kansai penninsula. A small town full of shrines, temples, tall cedars, crisp mountain air, monks and the ever present, overlapping sounds of ritual music, just being in Koyasan inspires meditative reflection and inner peace. Lodging is limited to staying in traditional (active) temple-inns, which is an experience in itself. This included joining morning prayer, sleeping on tatami mats, bathing in a traditional wooden public bath, and being served trays of Japanese cuisine (so beautiful it was difficult to eat) by friendly, laughing monks.
...And a little work
Before heading back to the deserts of the UAE, I attended an interesting international conference on socially and environmentally-responsible design and design education (Cumulus Kyoto 2008). The conference combined lectures, panel discussions and the signing of the "Kyoto Design Declaration", a statement of commitment by the members of Cumulus to sharing the global responsibility for building sustainable, human-centered, creative societies. Coincidentally, this declaration was signed in the same hall in which the Kyoto Treaty was signed... Despite my concerted effort to locate the treaty and sign it on the behalf of all enlightened Americans, the treaty remains untouched by American penmanship.
I have posted a ton of photos on my flickr account:
www.flickr.com/photos/rustythumb/
Please look for the collection on the right of my flickr homepage titled "Kansai, Japan 08".
-Tonya
