I Stopped At...

2009/08/09 The Ryouanji premises This temple is an old Buddhist temple in Kyoto. This was famous as a meditating center and still is.  This temple is situated a little away from the normal temple city area. But this has not been a reason in the least  to stop visitors coming. This is situated in the middle of a large green woods with a beautiful pond in the middle. What we visit as the Ryouanji is only one portion of what it really was. A trail lined with beautiful maple trees and sakura led us to the main hall of Rouanji. As it is seen in the picture below the steps leading to the hall is roofed with green maple leaves. It was so serene and calm just reminding me of the serenity and the calmness of the Buddhist temples back home(Sri Lanka). The entrance Once you have entered the premises, you see an enlarged photo of the famous rock garden on the inner entrance. Then a model of the rock garden is kept for exhibition.  Rock garden is a white pebbled area wher

2015/4/4 So it is the Sakura season, awakening the world top a new beginning.. It is a moment everybody waits eagerly to receive liveliness and to get freshened for the next fiscal year. I will start the post with an introduction to flower viewing or Hanami. This is what the Wikipedia has to say. " "Hanami" is the centuries-old practice of picnicking under a blooming  sakura  or  ume  tree. The custom is said to have started during the  Nara Period  (710–794) when it was  ume  blossoms that people admired in the beginning. But by the  Heian Period (794–1185), cherry blossoms came to attract more attention and  hanami  was synonymous with  sakura . [7]  From then on, in both  waka  and  haiku , "flowers"  ( 花   hana ? )  meant "cherry blossoms". The custom was originally limited to the elite of the Imperial Court, but soon spread to  samurai  society and, by the  Edo period , to the common people as well.  Tokugawa Yoshimune  planted areas of che

2015/4/2 The main Sakura event in 2015 for me was at Meguro River. Meguro River is a famous Sakura spot in Japan. A Sakura viewing event is held every year.  Thousands of people come to walk along the riverside in day and night under the fully bloomed Sakura  trees. Following are some moments I captured with my phone.. Sakura Pinkier with the Lantern Light Long river with Sakura hanging over Sakura at night Pinkier than ever All Rights Reserved.