Shyla and Ryan’s Japan Tour 2018/2019 (Presentation)

Shyla and Ryan’s Japan Tour 2018/2019 (Presentation)

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So, yesterday I was finally able to share Shyla and I’s Japan Tour with my colleagues at Carleton University Library. Over an hour “Lunch and Learn” presentation we looked at over 200 photos on an absolutely massive 107 slide Google Slideshow (featured below). The session was well received with over 40 library staff, and even external university staff in attendance. You often hear the saying that “less is more”, but in this case, I didn’t feel comfortable cutting anything from…

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Dogwood Photography 52 Week Photography Challenge 2019

Dogwood Photography 52 Week Photography Challenge 2019

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Do you want to be a better photographer? If you are like me then the answer is, yes! Having the chance to travel around Japan and photograph some truly awe-inspiring locations was truly a pleasure and it is something I hope to continue to do in the future. It was in Japan and shortly after the new year that this article popped up on my Pocket news feed. The challenge itself looked interesting. The Dogwood Photography 52 Week Photography Challenge is simple. 52 weeks,…

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Visiting the Imperial Palace: Emperor Akihito’s Final New Year’s Greeting

Visiting the Imperial Palace: Emperor Akihito’s Final New Year’s Greeting

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On January 2, 2019, Shyla and I got to visit the Imperial Palace in Tokyo to see Emperor Akihito’s final new year appearance. The Emperor’s New Year Greeting is when the current Emperor addresses the people and the people offer good wishes to the Emperor. The Imperial Palace’s Inner Garden is not accessible to the general public, except in some special circumstances, such as the Emperor’s Birthday on December 23rd, or the Emperor’s New Year’s Greeting on January 2nd. Guided tours are also…

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Things don’t change that much in 29 years…

Things don’t change that much in 29 years…

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…except maybe the hair… and the clothes… and the shoes… and the technology… and the way we take photos… You know what? Plenty of things change! Not Kinkaku-Ji Temple and its grounds though. On December 18th, Shyla and I visited Kinkaku-Ji Temple (also sometimes referred to as the Golden Pavillion). On December 26th, I got an Instagram message from my dad. You know the picture of you in front of the pond and gold temple in Kyoto? I have a picture of me and a…

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My Favourite Photos from Japan

My Favourite Photos from Japan

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When I set out to write this post, I was determined to narrow down my thousands of Japan photos down to my top 10.  Yes, you read that correctly, thousands. I honestly didn’t think it would be that difficult. As I sat down and flipped through my photos, however, I knew it would be impossible for me to narrow it down to only 10. As many people have, I watched Marie Kondo’s Netflix show, Tidying Up With Marie Kondo. Yes, I too have…

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The Journal of Japanese Gardening’s Shiosai Rankings

The Journal of Japanese Gardening’s Shiosai Rankings

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If you followed along with Shyla and I’s Japan trip, you will have noticed we made a stop at Nomura Samurai House and Garden. Gardens were an aspect of Japan that wasn’t really on my radar when I was planning my trip to Japan. The trip was in December so I was not thinking of the wonderful gardens available around Japan. In Japan, gardens are an important art form and have been refined for more than 1000 years. While researching this…

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Kanazawa: A Place Well Preserved (December 29 to 30)

Kanazawa: A Place Well Preserved (December 29 to 30)

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Kanazawa was spared from the air raids during World War 2 which allowed many of the old structures and areas of the city to remain well preserved (source). Hence the title of this post. Day 1: December 29 Arrival Day Unfortunately for me, our last day in Fukui was wet. We walked around for about an hour before heading to the Shinkansen and my shoes became drenched. When we arrived in Kanazawa it was cold. Wet and cold are an…

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Fukui: The Dinosaur Capital of Japan? (December 26 to 29)

Fukui: The Dinosaur Capital of Japan? (December 26 to 29)

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Day 1: December 26 (Arrival Day) So we left Osaka behind us and began our trip home. Well, not quite home, but in that general direction, East. To a small little city called Fukui. Some of Shyla’s coworkers asked why we were going there? One word, dinosaurs. We weren’t disappointed either. There were other reasons to go to Fukui but you’ll see those on day 2! Immediately getting off the train you could tell things were slower paced here, and…

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Osaka: The Bright City Lights (December 22 to 26)

Osaka: The Bright City Lights (December 22 to 26)

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Osaka was a beautiful city but as Shyla says, it feels very much like Tokyo. When I visited Europe last year, this was one of the problems I had when I visited cities like London, they felt too, commercial? Too, similar to big cities back home. I had a similar feeling when visiting Osaka. When I went to Europe last summer and visited Cork and London I preferred Cork, because it felt less commercial. To me, London could be any…

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Hiroshima: A City Rebuilt (December 19 to 22)

Hiroshima: A City Rebuilt (December 19 to 22)

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Hiroshima is infamous for being one of two cities targeted by the United States during World War II (the second being Nagasaki, another 300 km south west of Hiroshima). So it was important to make this stop on our 14-day tour outside of Tokyo. Both Shyla and I knew this would be an emotional, powerful, and exhausting portion of the trip. That isn’t to say we weren’t going to enjoy the city of Hiroshima, it just means we had some…

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