Japan 16 - Miho Museum

 Sunday, 24 May 2026

The Miho Museum, located almost 2 hours east of Kyoto, was a highlight of the entire 2 1/2 weeks. This stunning art museum was designed by famed architect I.M. Pei.

The reception pavilion is about 500 meters from the museum. A tunnel connects the two sites.

Inside the curved tunnel.

The tunnel ends in at a short suspension bridge over a gorge.

Suspension bridge and tunnel.

The entry hall of the museum. Most of the museum is underground. Like many of the museums we visited in Japan, the collection is small, but significant.

View from the entry hall (and more tree supports).

Japan 15 - Kyoto - Shrine Gardens

Sunday, 24 May 2026

This morning we walked the gardens in two of Kyoto's most noted shrines - Kinkaku-ji and Tenryu-ji.

Kinkaku-ji - Golden Pavilion

The Golden Pavilion. Inside, each floor is in a different architectural style: palace (first floor), samurai (second floor), Zen temple (third floor). The grounds were crowded and getting good views could be difficult.

A golden phoenix tops the pavilion.

Tree supports.

Amulets (background) and bad luck fortunes for the wind to blow away (foreground).

Tenryu-ji

We walked through the grounds of Tenryu-ji on our way to the bamboo forest. It was too crowded to really enjoy the gardens.

Ceramic fox - more commonly found in Inari Shinto shrines than Zen Buddhist temples.

Just outside Tenryu-ji is a small bamboo forest. This path was even more crowded than the temple. From here we walked through the park that surrounds the temple to our lunch location next to the temple gate for a "shojin ryori" or Zen Buddhist vegetarian meal.

Japan 14 - Nara

Saturday, 23 May 2026

After disembarking our cruise ship in Osaka, our bus took us to Nara - the ancient capital of Japan.

Horyu-ji

Horyu-ji is a large Buddhist temple complex near Nara that is reputed to be the oldest surviving wooden buildings  in the world, dating to the 7th century CE.

Guardian demons at the Great Lecture Hall in Horyu-ji

The western & largest courtyard in Horyu-ji.

The main hall.

The washstand's water spouts from a dragon.

I've always been fascinated by roof lines and ornaments. The following are some of my favorites from Horyu-ji.

Todai-ji

Todai-ji is a Buddhist temple in the heart of the large Nara-koen (Nara Park).

I thought deer were a plentiful nuisance at Miyajima, but they were nothing compared to the crush of deer in Nara.

More deer - including a male with large antlers.

The main entry into the temple complex.

Guardian demon in the main gate. The screen makes it look like this is a monochrome print or painting, but it's a 3-D wooden statue.

The smaller central gate that leads to the Great Buddha Hall.

The Great Buddha (Daibutsu)

The Great Buddha as seen from the side.

Guardians inside the Great Buddha Hall.

A large bodhisattva in the Great Buddha Hall.

Everything is super-sized in the Great Buddha Hall - even a bronze butterfly sitting on the base of a large pillar.

Japan 13 - Okayama

Friday, 22 May 2026

After lunch we visited Koraku-en (Koraku Garden) in Okayama.

The garden has a view of the Okayama Castle - also known as the "Black Castle" or "Crow Castle" because of its dark exterior.

Small hill and lake.

The teahouse.

Another part of the garden and lake.

"Lightning bolt" stepping stones.

Pavilion roof.

One of the things that makes Koraku-en unique are the crops. The shogun maintained that the first duty of a ruler was to make sure his subjects had food, so he had plots for rice, wheat, veggies, and tea.

Japan 12 - Kurashiki

Friday, 22 May 2026

Kurashiki is home to the Ohara Art Museum - the first museum in Japan to feature Western art. It’s a small museum with a wide-ranging selection. It doesn’t have a specialty, but has a piece or two by many different important artists – a “survey” of significant Western art. To a tourist from the West, the museum is mostly interesting for its history and meaning for Japan. Nonetheless, it was worth a visit. [No photos worth sharing.]

More interesting is the museum's neighborhood: the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Area.

Attention to detail is a defining characteristic  of Japan. We watched as large trees were trimmed by hand.

Branches were individually pruned with hand clippers.

Originally, this canal served warehouses. Now those warehouses have been converted into shops, cafés, galleries, and museums.

Former warehouses.

Another street in the historic district.

Display outside a ceramics shop.

Now tourist boats ply the canal.

Swan on the canal.