NARA, JAPAN: A TRIP TO THE ANCIENT JAPANESE CITY. TODAIJI TEMPLES, TRAVELLING TO SACRED BUDDHIST GROUND.
Ah, Nara. The ancient Japanese capital. A sacred/cultural ground, located about an hour from Osaka. A peaceful haven for the elderly to stroll…
Until these two cyber freaks came along.
If you’re in Kansai, we urge you to make a day trip to Nara. As I wrote in my CNNGo article: “The cultural capital dazzles with six Buddhist temples, a Shinto shrine and the Imperial Place.”
Nara gave me a chance to stretch my photography muscles. (Some of you have asked – which cameras do you use? These images were taken with a Sony DSL 700 with Minolta lenses. The others are with a Canon Powershot S90.)
How we suffer for high fashion! Yukiro endured the heat through a furry jacket and walked for hours in high-heeled purple knee boots.
The path to Todaiji Temple had a festival atmosphere. Traditional food and colorful game stands. We ate takoyaki (octopus balls) and yuzu ice cream twice!
Todaiji Temple is the largest wooden building in the world. Inside, we were in awe at the gilded Buddhas and fierce protector statues.
Under the Bodhi tree.
Top: h.NAOTO Blood (I wear it in our Abandoned Curse B-movie)
Skirt: Algonquins
Purple lace tights: Very old…
The secret gardens were closed, so we snuck in and surreptitiously took photos. We heard the caretaker’s approaching footsteps and ran!
Wait — what about the infamous sacred deer, the tame beasts that roam around Nara Park? Those photos are coming right up. You’ll die when you see how we incorporated them into a fashion-forward photoshoot…
Have you ever been to Nara, Japan? What were your favorite attractions?
Japanese Word of the Day: Onoono = Each
Song of the Day: Kazoku – Ukigumo (A superb song from a Visual Kei group that disbanded. Found this video on Lemon’s channel.)
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LA CARMINA
16 Comments
Oooh he kinda looks like xena in a weird way. i like it
yukiro Warrior princess <3 I'd like that XD
<3
i think i’ve been to “NARA” when i was small..i was still in Japan. next to kyoto. kyoto is pretty , too. saw “geisha girls”
also, my gran-ma was a teacher of “shamisen” to “geisha girls” before she met my gram-pa. she was kyoto beauty…xo
*cringes at the inferred Buddhist iconoclasm*
Shame on you for perverting poor Sento-kun. XD lol
A little off topic, but it’s pretty cool that your a CNN journalist that gets to use the name La Carmina. Seems pretty cool to someone like me who also doesn’t want to use “given” names. :)
haha yeah, only our minds are that dirty…
Oh, interesting point! Part of it is because a) my editor is awesome, and b) I’ve published books as La Carmina and am known by this name in my work/public life. Since the name is more recognizable than my real one, it makes sense for CNN to use it. If you want to write under a nickname, I’d suggest using the name as much as possible, and try to get published under it :)
Very cute! Yay for antlered Buddhist perverts!
hehe ;) Wait til you see the photos we took with the sacred deer… they weren’t so sacred afterwards!
sooo cute! i wonder if i would fit into these dresses…
the last picture is the best! love your hair carmina.
ohh! scandalishous <3
can't wait to see the FIERCE Deer photos :D
The photos! Only we would do this to the Sacred deer mauaah
I haven’t been yet but I dream of going to Puroland…where Hello Kitty dreams come true!
Yukiro looks beautiful!!! I want to steal his beauty secrets! ;-P xxx