Kansai Color

It’s been 7 or 8 years since I’ve been to Osaka and Kyoto. In fact, I barely remember much from that last trip aside from Arashiyama, Nara Deer, and an insane bowl of ramen with a slab of pork short rib that melted in your mouth. The goal for this trip was to eat our way through Osaka and catch the fall colors in Kyoto.

Originally, I was framing the ferris wheel with the building signs when I saw this guy strike a pose for me.

Saw this scene while waiting in line to eat some huge musubis at Onigiri Gorichan. Waited for some trains to pass by with a subject passing through the light in the foreground.

The hustle and energy around the JR train stations can get pretty wild. I like this shot for the things I didn’t notice at the time. Due to the shutter speed, it looks like the cartoon on the TV is blowing her brains out. And a Yoshi livery on the train. Maybe I’ll join the train spotting club, Densha Otaku.

Golden rush hour at Osaka Station.

Osaka is gearing up for the 2025 World Expo. This skyline will look entirely different in a couple years. I wish things would be built on time and on-budget here in Hawaii.

Osaka Sky building catching the last bits of color as the sun sets. Friends gather while they wait for the lights to come on.

Dotonbori at night. Feels almost as crowded as Shinjuku or Shibuya

There are much better options for ramen than Ichiran, even in Hawaii. As the kids would say, it’s mid.

Osaka Castle illumination. Also mid.

Osaka Castle and fall colors.

First stop in Kyoto, Kinkaku-ji. Here’s my tip for managing large crowds: enjoy the people-watching. Watch how people interact with strangers, how they behave (or not), and if you want pictures without anyone in the frame, aim up or aim down.

There’s a lot more bus riding vs train commutes in Kyoto. I really like how this rendered like a movie scene (almost) straight out of camera.

Sunrise at Kiyomizu-dera, peak fall color I think.

Drinking water from the spring is believed to grant good health, longevity, or success on an exam. It was pretty cold this morning and yet there were still people willing to get their hands wet to take a sip. Normally, there’s a long line. We both passed on the drink because I couldn’t feel my toes.

The sun finally popped over the mountain to illuminate the side of the pagoda.

Chion-in Temple, Sanmon Gate. This place must have been a sight to see back in the 17th century. The steps inside the gates were huge, especially by Japanese standards. We didn’t make it back for the illumination, but I’m sure that would’ve been worth the price of admission.

The color version from my last post

There are a lot of places in Kyoto with stone work similar to this. Makes for a nice element in pictures. I wonder what I look like in that other guy’s photo.

An empty Heain garden.

Eikando/Zenrinji Temple. Prime leaf-peeping spot.

Not even exaggerating.

Always take time to point the camera at the ground.

Despite the crowds, Kyoto was amazing. Our time there coincided with the weekend, which may be the reason for the large crowds. I definitely will remember my time here. Osaka food crawls and Kyoto colors and temples.