The Golden Pavilion

“Zen is not some kind of excitement, but concentration on our usual everyday routine ”
— Shunryu Suzuki

Calm….is what this picture brings. This is the Golden Pavilion or in Japanese, Kinkakuji and it is a Zen temple. According to various publications, the history of this place dates to 1397 when the villa was purchased by shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. It was his retirement villa and converted by his son into a zen temple when he died. What is notable about this structure is that it represents three different styles of architecture - shinden on the first floor, samurai on the second and zen on the third. Have you noticed it from the outside? There is no shortage of publications about the history of this temple and I will not even attempt to rewrite one.

Instead, I would like to talk about my experience here and some quick tips to take good photos. I am lucky enough to see this place through one of our land tours as part of the cruise around Japan my husband and I did a few years back now. I soaked in all the sights, sounds and smell and I was determined to take really good photographs. I was mesmerised by the colours, the illusion of simplicity and the strong feeling that nature and structure were integrated. I was impressed that there is a tree in these pictures that is more than 6,000 years old.

However this is a heritage listed place and attracts thousands of visitors throughout the year. There was a swarm of people and millennials taking selfies by the pond with the Golden Pavilion in the background. All my zen quickly disappeared and I had wrestle my way in just to have a moment of opportunity to snap these photos. Then we had to quickly turn around or else you will be pushed by the throng of Instagrammers and their smartphones. One positive thing is that many people want to have a glimpse of this historical place and it will not be forgotten.

Today I look at these photos to remember the zen it brought me as soon as I viewed the temple from a good, elevated vantage point. As a novice photographer, I was lucky to have set my camera into the mode that I want to have these image effects before I got off the bus. All I had to focus on was to aim and shoot. I used my 55 mm Sony prime lens set to aperture priority at f1.8, and on wide area focus. Because the weather was perfect and there was plenty of light, I left the rest on auto and let the camera do its job.

My top tips:

  1. Know beforehand if you are going to shoot fixed objects or moving objects AND if it is indoor or outdoor

  2. Observe the weather, is it sunny or gloomy if outdoors, or if indoors it is well lit or dimmed

  3. Set your camera to desired setting, as I did and described above and don’t fiddle with settings while on shoot. Even for a short period of time the lighting could change

  4. Take as many photos as you can, you’ll never know what will turn out to be the best

  5. Last and most importantly, take time to put your camera down and SEE it with you naked eyes and be in the moment.

Oh Deer!

“The man who hunts a deer does not gaze at the mountains”
— Takeda Nobushige

One of the most tranquil places I have visited where animals and humans mingle is the Nara Deer Park. Deers roam welcoming their human visitors to the park and the nearby shrines.

Nara Koen (park) is located in Nara, Japan at the foot of Mount Wakakusa, and is home to over a thousand shika deers. Despite the large number of deers roaming around and buses offloading both domestic and international tourists, it is quiet, tranquil and peaceful at the park. As you can see in my photos, there seem to be an unwritten rule of mutual respect. At least in this visit, I have seen the respect animals gave to humans. There are occasional persistent ones who sniff and follow a visitor. They perhaps assume that humans have some shika-senbei (deer crackers) hidden in their bags. Yes, you may feed the deers, but only with deer crackers sold in the park and it is the only food allowed. That sight is fascinating to behold.

Along the path from the deer park to the entry to Kasuga Shrine, are the breathtaking stone lanterns. According to my readings there are 3000 lanterns in total. The feeling I experienced as I walk and pass by each lantern is hard to describe. In simple words, I felt relaxed and unburdened, like something heavy was lifted off my shoulders and chest. I guess that was partly due to being in nature.

We joined this tour as part of the around Japan cruise we took with Princess Cruises. The cruise also included a tour in Busan, South Korea. The tour operators are third party providers contracted by Princess Cruises. We are fortunate to have a very organised, well-spoken, funny and knowledgeable Japanese tour operators who “educated” about Nara and Kyoto prefectures during the short trip. There are so many articles already published about Nara and Kyoto, and folklores about the deers, so I won’t repeat them here. I hope you enjoy these photos instead.

A few things that I observed and would like to also share are:

  1. Cleanliness - the Japanese are known for being tidy and clean. I have not seen any litter in this park and it was very enjoyable to experience.

  2. Respect for environment - despite the country’s size and overpopulation, they have areas of nature both man-made and preserved to protect their environment and for their citizens and animals to enjoy.

  3. Understand the animals - they are wild and they are not pets. Therefore, to enjoy the visit, do not tease or scare them, nor take a selfie close to their faces.

Bring your camera and a selfie stick to capture moments without being so close.

Stay tuned for my next post which is the nearby Kyoto.

Do leave your comments below, and if you have questions I will do my best to answer promptly. Thanks for stopping by.

Photos were taken by me with my Sony Alpha A7II and 50 mm f1.8 prime lens.