After leaving Singapore, my wife and I spent a few days in Japan in December 2014. We rode the bullet train to Kyoto and stayed in a hotel next to Sanjusangen-do (三十三間堂) and walked the grounds there after checking-in.
It was a cloudy and wet day, and I had low expectations for photography as I had not found much inspiration at this temple on our previous visit in 2013. As we were walking around, however, the clouds parted briefly, allowing a shaft golden light to stream onto the brightly colored walls surrounding the grounds of the temple and I made the image above.
West side of inner temple of Sanjusangendo.
We didn’t tour the inner temple building, but went around the perimeter to the west side, where an archery tournament is conducted that dates to the Edo era.
Narrow street on west exterior wall of Sanjusangendo.
Outside the temple, the narrow streets make for an interesting continuation of the walk—along the way, we found one of the shops that makes beautiful, high quality hammered aluminum pots, trays, and other kitchen items that was featured in an episode of NHK’s At Home with Venetia in Kyoto.