Spread around the country there are temples and shrines for all kinds of things, from not failing a test to fertility and phenomenal phalluses. Yet even in Japan, where babies aren’t exactly bountiful, Jishu shrine’s offer of everlasting love still seems more unlikely than landing a little ‘un.
Not, or course, that such cynicism stops young hopefuls from nervously tackling the task of navigating their way between the temple’s two presumably super-powered stones with their eyes firmly shut.
As a successful bid, hence their struggles, is said to bring a life filled with happiness instead of heartbreak.
Which these two, perhaps foolishly, think they’ve found.
Laughably believing that love is all you need.
Paul says
What are those lasses pretending to hold? And why does it take two of them?
GIRTH, that’s why.
The Envoy says
Sometimes hope (or delusion) is all that keeps us going.
Matt says
Now all i have to do is hang around and bump into a cute one as they make that walk…
Taylor says
While subscribing to this blog I’ve learned to avoid the forced poetry and enjoy the photos alone instead. On a lark I decided to read the superfluous writing and found it to be smug and condescending, but spoken through the shallow voice of cynicism. It seems a little self serving as the photographer to take pictures, especially like the last one where the people are obviously posing for you, then shun them for doing so. As the author of the photo and it’s context, then your commentary about the photo that you took; it makes me question who is more foolishly deluded, you or your subjects?
Lee says
The writing style and who is the more deluded are definitely up for discussion, but your argument about the last photo isn’t, at least in regards to them posing for me, as it’s quite obvious they aren’t.
Taylor says
It’s hard for me to see how those girls weren’t aware of the white dude with the camera right behind the girl they were looking at. Even still, in photography the narrative voice lies so heavily in the photographer, the way they shoot and the way they contextualize the shot… I’ve had enough photo theory from art school to rot my mind to it all. I just wasn’t on board with your narrative.
Lee says
That’s fair enough. To be honest, the narrative was basically used as just a brief explanation of what they were doing, with a Beatles lyric (minus one ‘love’) used as the title and closing line, meaning the cynicism, at least on this post, was forced.
But back to the picture. As the girls were so engrossed in getting the picture right, and in the Kiyomizu-dera complex there are so many people with cameras (including lots of white folk), they were utterly oblivious. Something that to be honest, made a nice change.
amy says
Taylor, a few words on your art school hubris: I “found it to be smug and condescending, but spoken through the shallow voice of cynicism.”
Taylor says
Touché. Did you say that to be witty, or because you actually disagree with what I’m saying? I genuinely was not on board with the text surrounding the photos in this post, and I wouldn’t have commented if I didn’t care and appreciate Lee’s photos and contributions. It’s easy to write a witty remark and bounce, but I’d like to talk about this and I really appreciate that Lee was willing to respond.