Trip to Kyoto

Kinkaku-ji - Temple of the Golden Pavilion - Zen-Buddhist Temple in Kyoto, Japan One of the 1600 Buddhist temples in Kyoto (in addition to 400 Shinto Shrines). The history of this temple dates to the 1300's, though the building pictured was burned by a crazy monk in the 1950's, so has since been rebuilt. The gold helps purify negative thoughts (although apparently not that particular monk's). The little islands in the water represent land masses, the largest  signifying Japan.  Visually striking, to say the least!

fractured

self portrait

Blog, I have not forgotten you. I've been traveling a lot. Hopefully this means I'll be updating you retroactively. Here is a self portrait at a Tokyo press conference. I know it's cluttered and I'm obscured, and it's hard to know where to settle the eye, but that invokes the feeling of what these press conferences are like for me. Manic, innumerable people, trying hard not to have my vision completely obscured by the 100's of photographers more determined and ruthless to get a shot than I've ever been. Of course, you're not really seeing the other photogs and reporters in this picture, mostly just the extra people. I don't really know what all of these extra people do. I'm sure they're important, as the majority have clipboards and iphones, and stay busy seeming.  There are always a ton of extra people at every such event in Tokyo. It certainly makes said events crowded and chaotic...but what fun would it be any other way?