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Justin Schultz
Sep. 20, 2021
Went canoeing in Hagure, Saitama and I managed to turn red thanks to a nice sunburn. Was super tired the next day after a ton of canoeing but still managed to get a good amount of sightseeing done in Gyoda. Visited Oshi Castle (忍城) and the nearby museum, bought some tabi shoes from a shop that’s been in business for more than 100 years (創作足袋千代の松), stopped by a couple of shrines and enjoyed some of Japan’s scenic beauty. Had a total blast, and one of the locals even gave us some incense as a gift for visiting Gyoda!
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  • Japan
  • Saitama Prefecture
  • Travel
  • Sightseeing
  • Canoeing
  • Nature
  • Castles
  • Shrine
  • Torii
  • Park
Dylan Gibson
Sep. 17, 2021
Some more photos I took at Todaiji Temple. The first statue is of Vaisravana (多聞天/毘沙門天), another of the Four Heavenly Kings, holding a staff and some sort of small pagoda,. The second statue is Cintamanicakra (如意輪観音), a bodhisattva. The third photo is a (unfortunately poor quality) photo of Vairocana, the Cosmic Buddha from my understanding. The rest of the photos are models of Todaiji's Great Buddha Hall from 800 and 300 years ago, and Nandai-mon, the Great South Gate. The pagoda is, from my understanding, a replica of one of the lost pagodas that used to be located at Todaiji Temple, but I believe was burnt down? I could be wrong about that though. Then last is a photo of the heads of Virudhaka (増長天)(left), and Dhrtarastra (持国天)(right), two of the Four Heavenly Kings. Lots of cool stuff to be seen at Todaiji! Definitely recommend it. My photos don't do it justice at all.
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  • Japan
  • Sightseeing
  • Travel
  • Nara Prefecture
  • Temple
  • Buddha statue
  • Photography
  • Model
Dylan Gibson
Sep. 16, 2021
I found some photos of when I visited Todaiji Temple. I took a photo of the bronze lantern out front of the temple because I thought it looked really cool, but it's pretty crazy to think that the lantern is around 1,300 years old at this point. I also took some photos of a few of the statues inside the temple, the first being Akasagarbha (虚空蔵菩薩), one of the Eight Great Bodhisattva, and the second (which took me forever to find the name of...) being Virupaksa (広目天), one of the Four Heavenly Kings. I'm not sure what Virupaksa is made of but I think this statue is made of wood, although I could be wrong. It looks like a different material from the other statues inside the temple, although it's been quite a while since I visited and I can't recall exactly. All the statues are really awesome though. I'll have to upload some more photos later!
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  • Japan
  • Sightseeing
  • Travel
  • Nara Prefecture
  • Temple
  • Buddha statue
  • Lanterns
Dylan Gibson
Sep. 15, 2021
Some photos I took at Nijo Castle in spring 2018. You can see the cherry blossoms in some of the photos just starting to bloom, but not quite in full bloom, and the rest of the gardens were really enjoyable as well. I really liked the gold decorations/designs on the buildings. The gate was also really cool. I believe it's called Karamon Gate although I'm not 100% sure on that. The moat around the castle was pretty neat as well, I can imagine it was a strong fortification, especially since it belonged to Tokugawa Ieyasu, although I'm not entirely sure about the rest of the castle's history. The photos of the moat and surrounding area were taken from on top of a small vantage point, and I wonder if it was originally some sort of turret, but I'm not sure about that either. Either way, I definitely recommend giving it a visit to anyone in Kyoto or anyone planning to visit Kyoto. I believe it was relatively close to the Golden Pavilion as well, so if you have the chance, why not?
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  • Japan
  • Sightseeing
  • Travel
  • Castles
  • Kyoto Prefecture
  • Cherry blossoms
  • Architecture
  • Japanese garden
Dylan Gibson
Sep. 13, 2021
A photo I took of Tatsuko, the golden lady of the lake at Lake Tazawa in Semboku, Akita 4 years ago. I really love everything about Akita, there's so much natural beauty in the area, especially around this lake. I'd like to go back during the summer (this was taken in early fall) and try some kayaking on the lake. I'd also like to go cycling around the lake if possible, it'd be some good exercise at the very least. Anyways, for those unfamiliar with the legend of Tatsuko, from my understanding, she was a girl who wished for eternal beauty but was turned into a dragon, and so she drowned herself in the lake. It sounds kind of dark, but apparently she and another dragon fell in love with one another and together they keep the lake from freezing during winter. Considering how cold it gets during winter in Akita, or at least that year in Akita, that's a pretty impressive feat!
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  • Japan
  • Sightseeing
  • Lakes
  • Autumn
  • Japanese mythology
  • Travel
  • Akita Prefecture
  • Semboku
  • Photo Contest

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