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.

Stroll-in-Rain-in-Kinosaki-Japan-Copyright-Jean-Huang-Photography

Living in the Beauty of Ambiguity - Los Angeles Travel Photographer

Most of time, we see things clearly and want to know where our future holds exactly.  On occasions, when we are dealing with areas being lack of black or white, we become unsettled.  The question is, are you seeing as thoroughly as you think?

Impressionism brought reality into our vision on a different level.  Omission of clarity and details apparently does not affect us understand the subjects at question.  If you are still zooming in, trying to pick every brush stroke, go across the globe to the other side of the world, where renowned Chinese painter Daqian Zhang (张大千) took it even further.  It's believed that he developed the splashed color, or pocai (泼彩), style as he suffered deteriorating eye-sight.  Nonetheless, thanks to such "ailment", he sees beauty in ways that we otherwise would not have.

Years ago, as we were strolling the streets of Kyoto in the Gion district, a geisha passed us by in a "whoosh".  But that quick impression and what became "baked" into my camera has stayed with me.  

This image kind of reminds me of a later creation, Catch Me if You Can (2 of ...), which I once had a friend asking me what it's about after seeing it in my studio.  My response, "it is whatever you see in it".  What do you think of my reply? :-)          

Geisha-Running-through-in-Gion-Kyoto-Copyright-Jean-Huang-Photography

Sometimes, Life Completes Itself in a Shape of Rainbow - Los Angeles Travel Photographer

Creating arte was not my profession yet.  Let's just say, ten years ago, I was a different person.  

A trip was booked to Buffalo, NY to visit Niagara Falls.  It was meant to be a weekend extension of my business trip in NYC.  But, we did not get to see the Falls, after a series of failed attempts to salvage the situation.  

It had been raining the week before the supposed trip.  NY state was flooded.  We fought the Friday traffic to arrive at the LaGuardia airport, witnessing people running in rain, trekking in water, on the streets covered in puddles.  After a long line at the check-in counter, we were only told that the original flight had been cancelled due to the storm.  Our only choice was to be put on a plane going to Philadelphia that leaves in half an hour.  We obliged.  We check in our luggage, we went through security, we arrived at the gate, and we found out that the plane to Philadelphia had departed, ahead of time.  We then were pointed to the next gate, where we were put on a wait-list.  When we inquired about our checked luggage, the reply was "we'll know where it is when we get there".

After sitting uneasily for half an hour, a voice told us that we needed to cancel the trip.  Calls were made to cancel the flight, the lodging and the tour.  We then proceeded to the JFK airport, waited in line for a flight back to LA.  By the time we arrived back home, it was deep into the night.  The next morning, we woke up to a typical sunny day in LA.    

A lot can happen to a person in ten years, especially for someone like moi.  We've travelled to many amazing places in the world, waterfalls or not.  Niagara Falls has been brushed to the corner of our mind, until we had an opportunity to visit Toronto, Canada lately.

This time, I'm (supposedly) ten-years wiser, more at peace with myself, and, most importantly, surrounded by family, family that's gotten more meaning to me over the years.  The toughest part was to walk through the misty (more like rainy) stretch on the Canada side.  We all survived it, soaked head-to-toe, with child-like grins to the sides of our faces.  When I turned around, a big rainbow greeted me arching in front of the Rainbow Bridge.  

Thank you, my partner-in-crime, for orchestrating the trip.  Thank you, sista, for insisting on bringing me here.  And thank you, papa and mama, for being such a good sport playing along.  Life is complete on this account.  

Rainbow-Floating-in-Front-of-Rainbow-Bridge-Niagara-Falls-Canada-Copyright-Jean-Huang-Photography

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