May You be Surrounded by the Warmth of Family - Los Angeles Travel Photographer

Today marks the beginning of the holiday season in many countries/cultures.  The drop of temperatures and the changes of colors reminded me of this image.  

This was after we made our way safely from the Hyogo region and arrived in Kyoto, at the golden time of such historical city that once served as Japan's capital and the emperor's residence for more than one thousand years.  The air had chilled enough for its maple leave to turn yellow and red and momiji-watching has become a national ritual. 

Eikan-do Zenrin-Ji (永観堂禅林寺) was such an inspiring temple where autumn colors, cultures and architecture kept us occupied for a whole day (yes, we snuck out for lunch because it was so cold and negotiated our way back in the afternoon).  As the day-light faded, the warm tones glowing from within this door drew me in.  I can feel my skin slowly relaxed, just by looking at this image today.

Happy Thanksgiving and may you be surrounded by the warmth of family!

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After dinner, if you haven't, read the story and have fun trying to win a prize here to kick off the holiday season.    

It's not Just the Falls at Niagra Falls - Los Angeles Fine Art Photographer

As you know, I visited Niagra Falls recently.  It's a circle that took me 10 years to complete.  For that reason, and also due to my fine quality of being easily distracted (or hardly focused), I took full advantage of walking slowly and checking every angle and perspective so I could get as full of an experience as I possibly can.  As a result, I saw a lot more than the Falls, even more than the beautiful rainbow arched in front of the Rainbow Bridge.

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Before we adjourn, I wanted to loop back to our last post and congratulate Miranda Otte for being the first to answer the question about the situation that we ran into while in Kinosaki, Japan correctly.  I will be in touch soon to send you the prize.  That's right, we paid big price to be in Kinosaki, and now I'm paying a prize.  Hehe...

For those that missed the opportunity to grab the prize, you have one more chance.

Last time, we stopped where we were supposed to leave the small town famous for its hot springs.  And as Miranda, and many others that answered via emails, pointed out, we did not have money left to take the train, the only way to leave this area and to head for Kyoto.  What ideas do you have, if you were us, to get out of there?  
  
Here are the simple rules:

1. All eligible answers must be entered in the Facebook comment box below, with "Also post on Facebook" box checked.

2. We are looking for the most interesting/innovative/practical idea.  The answer with the most "likes" wins.  

Ready, set, goooood luck! :-)

We Paid Big Price to Be in Kinosaki, Japan, or Not - Los Angeles Travel Photographer

It was the perfect season to visit Kinosaki, a charmingly old-fashioned onsen (Japanese for hot springs) town located in northern Hyogo Prefecture on the coast of the Sea of Japan.  It started its development in the 8th century when hot springs were discovered there.  

The weather was cool and what a great idea to stroll by the willow-lined river in yukata and geta (wooden clogs), after a dip in one (or all) of the seven public hot springs.  And the thought of sleeping in a ryokan (Japanese inn), furnished with tatami, after a meal of the region's famous crab and Tajima beef was enough to keep me awake at night.

Well, no classic story is without a twist.  Due to some misaligned priorities, we failed to exchange Japanese Yen before boarding the long train journey to Kinosaki, on the last effective day of the train pass.  By the time we arrived in the reserved ryokan, it had passed 5:00 pm, on a Friday.  The bank was closed and it was going to remain that way until Monday.  All creative solutions we came up were turned down.  Using a credit card for payment?  No.  Exchanging US Dollars with the hotel?  No.  Exchanging US Dollars with the hotel staff?  No.  I guess, it is an "old-fashioned" town.

Now comes the survival mode.  We scraped up all the Japanese yen we had on us, insisted on paying the ryokan for the night's stay, and walked off to a near-by convenience store for our dinner, a delicious bowl of instant ramen.

The next morning, we were greeted with the timely drizzle that gave this town the mood that meets my eyes. :-)  

On this day, we'd leave Kinosaki on a train, heading in the direction of Kyoto.  But there's a problem.  Can you tell?  

The hint is in the third paragraph.  The first to answer correctly will be rewarded.

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