Some Geishas (and me!)

Kyoto temple mania!!

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October 3rd 2006
Today we tackled the east side of Kyoto - temple land! Sanjusangen-do temple was our first stop and it was incredible. It is a massive building and inside there are 1001 life-sized statues of the thousand-armed Kannon (the Buddhist goddess of mercy who actually has 42 arms). I am usually pretty good about respecting the no picture rule, but I couldn’t resist snapping an illegal photo of this one ... read more

Asia » Japan » Kyoto

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In 1603, a Tokugawa shogunate (military dictatorship) ushered in a long period of isolation from foreign influence in order to secure its power. For 250 years this policy enabled Japan to enjoy stability and a flowering of its indigenous culture. Fol... ... read more