February | 2014 | johnliddlephotography

February 25, 2014
by johnliddlephotography 4 Comments

Crossing Paths with Omikoshi (Tokyo)

This week’s post continues the chaos theme by recounting the day I kept crossing paths with an Omikoshi.

It happened one Sunday when I visited the Nihombashi district in search of old Edo style buildings. As is so often the case the primary objective was trumped by something more interesting. Crossing the bridge over the river I noticed a crowd outside the Mitsukoshi department store and crowds must, of course, be investigated. Drawing closer I could see that the focus of activity was an object I later learned to be a mikoshi, for which omiskoshi is the honorific form.

Anyone who has experienced or seen images of Japanese matsuri (festivals) will be familiar with mikoshi. A brief description is that they are portable Shinto shrines used to transport deities between (say) a main and temporary shrine. They typically resemble a miniature shrine building and are often crowned with a phoenix bird statuette. I don’t know what they weigh, but they are substantial objects and are mounted on rails to be carried by their followers.

What impressed me most was the sense of community and the happy nature of those preparing to transport the mikoshi through the streets of Nihombashi. One often hears that Japanese people are reserved … well this was not the case on this particular Sunday in Nihombashi and everyone I approached welcomed me. Perhaps it helped that I was the only foreigner around.

The photographs are shown in sequence and I hope they communicate the energy of the occasion, which builds as the procession moves. Allow me to draw attention to a few shots. The first person I noticed through the crowd was the gentleman in “Standing Guard” (pic 3). He did not move from his post until the procession started and he looked as if he was indeed guarding his mikoshi. Participation is an equal opportunity as shown by “Women Power” (pic 6) and “Next Generation” (pic 10), where women and children share the load with men of all ages. It was very much a family event and one can imagine the children in these photos being accompanied by their children in years to come.

My favourite shot is “Success” (pic 9), where the men at the front, who had carried the mikoshi from the start showed their joy at reaching the rest stop. Unfortunately, I must apologise for this and other shots being somewhat blurred – the result of my having been drawn into the scrum and being jostled while trying to walk backwards. However, I’m happy to trade some blur for the experience.

There must have been well over a hundred people involved, with fresh people taking over from others in a spirit of seamless cooperation and teamwork. Except of course for the men at the front – they were staying the journey. Throughout the journey the followers chant “wasshoi” over and over in a rather hypnotic rhythm and indeed, it did seem for some people to be somewhat of a spiritual experience. By the way, I believe “wasshoi” means to share a physical load.

From time to time I tried to resume my search for the Edo style buildings, but kept crossing paths with this and other mikoshi. Even when I decided it was time for a refreshment break I still couldn’t escape. Sitting at Starbucks window I had a great view of the mikoshi continuing its journey (pic 15) – they made me feel soft and lazy.

I didn’t find the Edo style buildings, but I think the photos show the day worked out pretty well.

(Please click on any of the following images for an enlarged view.)

Omikoshi – Waiting to Begin

Omikoshi – The Head Man

Omikoshi – Standing Guard

Omikoshi – Elegant Spectator

Omikoshi – Off they go

Omikoshi – Women Power

Omikoshi – Nearing the first turn

Omikoshi – Happily working together

Omikoshi – Success!

Omikoshi – Next generation

Omikoshi – So Japanese

Omikoshi – Prepare to lower

Omikoshi – Rest stop

Omikoshi – The Restart

Omikoshi – View from Starbucks

February 18, 2014
by johnliddlephotography 4 Comments

Chaotic Calm at Shibuya Crossing (Tokyo)

Chaotic calm! Yes, I know it sounds like a contradiction of terms. Nevertheless, it is how I see Tokyo’s famous Shibuya Crossing.

Shibuya Crossing may very well be Tokyo’s most recognisable place given its inclusion in travel documentaries, photographs and movies such as “Lost in Translation”. The popular vision of the crossing, where five roads intersect, is of crowds of people crossing in all directions. All the lights change at once and when the lights change to green it is like observing an old-fashioned infantry charge. However, rather than clash, the scene becomes one of chaotic calm. Pedestrians and cyclists plot their course from one side to the other, artfully avoiding each other in a demonstration of humans’ innate ability to move through crowded areas with a minimum of contact. Watching this human choreography unfold from a vantage point such as the Starbucks (pic 14) overlooking the intersection is wondrous and entertaining.

For those who like statistics, the adjoining Shibuya Station is the third busiest in the Tokyo metropolis, thus ensuring the constant supply of people crossing. At peak hour it is estimated that approximately 2500 cross at each cycle.

The action is round-the-clock given Shibuya’s popularity as an entertainment and shopping precinct, hence any visit to Tokyo should include at least one walk across this famous crossing.

In this post I have included a few of the traditional wide shots, but have mostly tried to show a sample of the individuals one encounters. Where have they come from? Where are they going? Who are they meeting? Simple questions underscoring that each person in the frame is an individual story coming randomly together at a point in time. A random collection that will never again be repeated.

My first photo shows Hachiko’s statue – a famous Shibuya landmark and a popular meeting point. In brief, the statue commemorates the loyalty of a faithful dog to its owner, very similar to Edinburgh’s Greyfriar’s Bobby. Each morning, Hachiko would walk his owner (a college professor) to Shibuya Station and return each evening to greet his owner’s return. One day his owner did not return, which became the start of Hachiko’s long vigil of faithfully waiting for the impossible. Local traders and family members cared for him as best they could, but eventually he succumbed to age and the elements. This bittersweet story has been captured in the movie “Hachiko – A Dog’s Story” starring Richard Gere. Well worth a look!

The remaining photos are a small sample of whom you might see during a visit to Shibuya Crossing. If you see yourself in any of the pics, please let me know and I hope I caught you from a good angle haha.

(Please click on any of the following images for an enlarged view.)

Shibuya Crossing – Hachiko

Shibuya Crossing – Cool Dude

Shibuya Crossing – Style Clash Approaching

Shibuya Crossing – Salarymen

Shibuya Crossing – IPod Man

Shibuya Crossing – “Shopping is not fun” Man

Shibuya Crossing – He’s Photographing Me Back

Shibuya Crossing – Entertainer

Shibuya Crossing – Woman Wearing Hijab

Shibuya Crossing – Sharp Dresser

Shibuya Crossing – Young Girl

Shibuya Crossing – Happy Couple

Shibuya Crossing – Miss Candy Hunter

Shibuya Crossing – View from Starbucks

Shibuya Crossing – Wear Yellow for High Visibility

Shibuya Crossing – Outside Shibuya Station

February 11, 2014
by johnliddlephotography 10 Comments

Tenryu-ji (Kyoto)

Tenryu-ji Temple located in Kyoto’s Arashiyama district is one of those places for which adjectives were invented. However, perhaps pointing out that Tenryu-ji is the first ranked of the Five Great Zen Temples of Kyoto will stand as sufficient testimony to its significance through the ages.

Magnificent buildings within magnificent gardens within a delightful town make a visit to Tenryu-ji an experience to savour and remember. My first visit was on a holiday weekend during autumn and although the crowds made it impossible to take internal shots, the communal enjoyment and celebration of the autumn colours further enhanced the experience. An earlier post (Autumn in Japan) included several shots from Tenryu-ji and further examples of the autumn hues are shown here via the photographs of the Sogen-chi Pond. When pondering the scene, bear in mind that by retaining the same structure since their design in the fourteenth century by Muso Soseki, these gardens have truly passed the test of time.

A return visit some weeks later on a quieter day provided an opportunity to leisurely enjoy the buildings and the interior spaces. The use of dark, heavy timbers creates atmosphere and the joy of walking on timbers smoothed over the years by the steps of countless visitors is one of life’s simple pleasures.

Sitting on the Tatami floors in the Hojo (main hall) looking over Sogen-chi Pond to the landscape beyond is when one really appreciates this place. The views are serene and I distinctly remember reflecting on how difficult a monk’s life would have been centuries ago, yet how apt a reward to be able to recharge one’s spirits by gazing over a view such as that still seen today. From that moment I have thought of Tenryu-ji’s underlying character as regenerative.

A walk through the temple buildings reveals links to the past. One such link is the image of Daruma (pic 9), the Indian Buddhist monk considered to be the founder of Zen Buddhism. Similarly, pic 10 shows a shrine to Emperor Go-Daigo who lived and studied in a villa on the site of the present temple. Following his death, Ashikaga Takauji (the first shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate) ordered the villa’s conversion to a Zen temple.

Of course, there is always place for fun amidst history and a popular attraction is a little ornamental pond where visitors delight in trying to land coins onto the frog statues.

(Please click on any of the following images for an enlarged view.)

Tenryu-ji Temple – Main Hall exterior – north side

Tenryu-ji Temple – Main Hall exterior – south side

Tenryu-ji Temple – view to Sogen-chi Pond – pic 1

Tenryu-ji Temple – view to Sogen-chi Pond – pic 2

Tenryu-ji Temple – Sogen-chi pond islet

Tenryu-ji Temple – Sogen-chi Pond in Autumn

Tenryu-ji Temple – meandering stream

Tenryu-ji Temple – garden scene

Tenryu-ji Temple – Daruma

Tenryu-ji Temple – Emperor Go-Daigo

Tenryu-ji Temple – Taho-den building

Tenryu-ji Temple – lucky frogs

February 4, 2014
by johnliddlephotography 4 Comments

Greater Nanzen-ji (Kyoto)

For me the starting point of a visit to Nanzen-ji is when one walks through the short pedestrian tunnel under the Keage incline, which, in the springtime, is awash with cherry blossom. Continuing down the lane past some wonderful residences, one finds the Konchi-in temple, which has occupied its present location since 1605.

Kyoto is famous for its temples and each temple seems to have a character of its own and when I think of Konchi-in I think of harmony. Passing through a torii gate as in pic 1 invites reflection and in this photograph I see the harmony of imperfect perfection. Although the plantings are precise and ordered, the gardeners have followed nature’s lead. Similarly, the seven-leaf maple cascading over the roof tiles (pic 3) matches the pattern on the circular ends of the tiles. Finally, even the addition of an electric light fitting above the centuries-old temple door (pic 4) blends with the overall aesthetic of the gloriously weathered colours.

Continuing on to the greater Nanzen-ji complex and passing through the Sanmon Gate (refer to my last posting), one comes across the imposing Hatto Hall. Unfortunately this lecture hall is not open to the public. A later addition (in 1890) to the Nanzen-ji complex is the Suirokaku Aqueduct, which appears more Roman than Japanese and is part of the Lake Biwa Canal, which continues to supply more than 90% of Kyoto’s water supply. Over the years the brick structure has aged gracefully (pics 6 to 8) and has become an attraction in its own right.

Behind the aqueduct is the Nanzen-in Temple, which I associate with a feeling of calm. The gardens built around the main hall seem to offer an invitation to slow down and indeed, during the autumn, most people simply stop to enjoy the splendrous colours. A glimpse is given by pics 9 to 12 and the gardens of Nanzen-in are certainly for meandering.

Finally, the Saisho-in Temple (pics 13 to 16) is a small sub-temple dating back to the eighth century and located close to the start of the aqueduct. The space is embracing, which the inscription shown at pic 16 communicates far more ably than my words.

Perhaps I will return to some of these places in later blogs, but for now I hope you find this little glimpse of the Nanzen-ji complex interesting.

(Please click on any of the following images for an enlarged view.)