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Jun 16 2023 17 Comments

Old and traditional Kyoto in the rain

Last week I was in Japan’s Kansai region to explore and photograph Osaka again, along with a brief hop over to Hyogo prefecture. There was, however, also time for a short evening stroll in Kyoto, and despite the weather not being the best, we did manage to see a little of the old and traditional in some of the city’s lesser known areas. So here then is a small series of photos from the country’s former capital.

Kyoto old and traditional in the rain

Kyoto old and traditional in the rain

Kyoto old and traditional in the rain

Kyoto old and traditional in the rain

Kyoto old and traditional in the rain

Categorized: Culture, Photography

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Richard says

    6/16/2023 at 8:41 am

    Love the last 2 photos!

    Reply
    • Lee says

      6/16/2023 at 6:41 pm

      Thanks a lot. Two very different scenes.

      Reply
  2. Norbert Woehnl says

    6/16/2023 at 9:06 am

    Splendid series, Lee. Love the lighting in the night shots, especially the one of the Geiko in front of the vending machine.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      6/16/2023 at 6:43 pm

      Thanks a lot, Norbert. Very happy with how that one came out. Fortunately had just enough time to get to where I needed to be.

      Reply
  3. Steve says

    6/16/2023 at 9:23 am

    Great shots. The geisha lit up by the vending machines is an instant classic!

    Reply
    • Lee says

      6/16/2023 at 6:43 pm

      Thank you! Very pleased with that one. Nice when things work out like that.

      Reply
  4. Denise says

    6/16/2023 at 10:04 am

    I love 3 & 4 so much! 🙂

    Reply
    • Lee says

      6/16/2023 at 6:45 pm

      Thank you. She was special to see. Glad I got the kind of photos I hoped for.

      Reply
  5. cdilla says

    6/16/2023 at 5:45 pm

    The rain and the night time make the third photograph really stand out for me. The colour matching of the Maiko’s flower hairpin and her various reds with the vending machine are nice, and the line of her sight leads perfectly to the next photograph.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      6/16/2023 at 6:47 pm

      Thanks a lot. Happy I was able to catch her in the light of the vending machines. Even better with all the matching colours. Always such a treat when things work out like that.

      Reply
  6. scruffy says

    6/17/2023 at 4:16 am

    As a wise person once said: timing is everything!

    Reply
    • Lee says

      6/17/2023 at 10:11 am

      It really is. Missed several opportunities. Wrong place at just the wrong time. Then all of sudden, it was quite the opposite.

      Reply
  7. LAObserver says

    6/17/2023 at 7:36 am

    The title of this set immediately causes quiet reflection when viewing the geisha you captured. Seeing her eyeing the vending machines makes me wonder what changes she has seen in her years, and how many more changes are coming for the next few generations of geishas. Which reminds me of the old Yiddish Proverb: “Not all movement is forward, and not all change is for the better…”

    Reply
    • Lee says

      6/17/2023 at 10:15 am

      Thank you. Yeah, that’s so true. Huge changes environmentally as well as socially.

      And thanks a lot for the proverb. Definitely one to remember. So much truth in that.

      Reply
  8. Damien Sams says

    6/19/2023 at 9:53 pm

    A great set as always Lee. There’s something about the rainy season (and wet weather generally) that brings out some of the truth and honest grime in these urban scenes. Recently we had the great pleasure of watching Wim Wonders’ new film ‘Perfect Days’, starring and executive produced by Yakusho (Hashimito) Koji, at the Sydney Film Festival. It was a splendid love letter to shitamachi Japan, set in Asakusa, and was so wonderfully understated and gentle in that way that Wenders has spent his career honing. There was rain of course, with the attendant reflections and cycling in a plastic mac. But we also got a long, lingering look inside an unrenovated sento with the obligatory painted mural inside of Fuji-san. Highly recommended if you haven’t already seen it.

    Reply
    • Damien Sams says

      6/19/2023 at 9:54 pm

      Sorry, a small typo above. Wenders, not Wonders.

      Reply
      • Lee says

        6/20/2023 at 9:41 pm

        Thanks ever so much. And yeah, never been a fan of shooting in the rain, but the results are often quite special.

        Oh, cheers, haven’t read much about that. Definitely a film I need to see then. Sounds wonderful.

        Reply

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