Autumn in Kyoto - part 2

- Nature -

If early spring has its hanami, the celebration of the cherry blossom, late autumn also indulges into its own, spiritual and contemplative way to aknowledge the seasons' cycle. Momijigari, a.k.a. kōyō (紅葉), literally means "hunting the red leaves" and refers to the act (widespread throughout Japan) of going and witnessing the reddening of the leaves - mostly the maple trees'. Kyoto is a very popular place for kōyō...

- Toriis -

Generally found at the entrance of Shinto shrines and temples, a torii (鳥居, literally "bird perch") symbolically represents the transition from mundane to sacred. The word torii likely derived from the Indian torana, as did the German tür and... the English door. At Inari temples, people often donate a torii as an expression of their gratitude: the Fushimi-inari featured below has thousands of them.

- Wallis...

...and Futuna, too. Not that we particularly enjoy appearing on pictures. But sometimes, it happens anyway. Well, it's not like Kinkaku-ji needs any of us on the postcard: wouldn't make it look any better whatsoever. It's still nice to scroll through some un(t)ravel pics - or just "life" pics - and recognize your partner, yourself, or the two of you, somewhere special. Or somewhere unspecial, as well. And not all of them, just some.

Well, that's mostly it. You probably ended up here after seeing the first part of this blog/album.
Were it not the case and would you crave to anyway, you could still click here: Autumn in Kyoto - part 1.

Almost time to pack and go home now, whatever that means for us at the moment...

Autumn in Kyoto - part 1

- Temple -

There are over 2.000 temples in Kyoto. Rent a bike, ride along and you'll find one, eventually. Kinkaku-ji and Sanjusangen-do (first row) are probably among the short list of the most famous, but you'll want to go witness the beauty of Fushimi-inari (see the Toriis section here) or consider jumping from the terrace at Kyomisu-dera... Whatever you're looking for, there is a temple for you in Kyoto!

- People -

Of course, it's not Shibuya, Tokyo's vibrant and picturesque district (and a tourists' favourite). Yet, with almost 1.5 million inhabitants, Kyoto does host many people. It's only a matter of time until your start running into exotic, strange, eye-catching or freaky characters. And, no! These "geishas" are not real. They're Chinese tourists who rent those costumes to "blend" in while wandering around the city's must sees...

- Creatures -

In Kyoto, there are many creatures, too. They live everywhere - aside and among people - so, you'll get to meet some. They can be lonely or they can be legion. They can be fluffy and goofy. Foxy, or hungry. Some look at you from the dark ; some look after you on the street ; some look orange from far away. There's even one who looks at you from above, whose name says just that in hindi - Avalokiteshvara.

- Textures -

There are probably many reasons why craftmanship is such a core element in the Japanese culture. Wood, stone, paper, fabrics... even straw. It seems that everything the hand touches reaches some sort of perfection. Perfection of cutting, jointing, weaving, threading, carving or folding. Most objects tend to transcend shape and function: they become a tribute to the very nature of the raw materials they're made of.

You enjoyed this post with less talking and more pictures than usual?

You're tired of Futuna's logorrhea and you'd like more of this?

Well, check the second part of this album/post here: Autumn in Kyoto - part 2.