An Autumn Tale In Kyoto, Japan

I am more of a traveler than a tourist. My favorite parts of trips are meeting people from around the world and sharing stories.

On a trip to Kyoto, Japan this month I was shocked at the number of pictures people took. Everywhere we were, all we heard was click click click and all we saw was selfie sticks. The majority of pictures are never looked at again. I kept asking myself, how do we make our pictures more precious?

While documenting my trip, I decided to reduce my pictorial representation and make it more meaningful by adding text – particularly in the form of a traditional Japanese poem, the Haiku.

A Haiku is a traditional Japanese poem. Haikus are made up of 17 syllables, in the form of 5-7-5 syllables over three lines. A Haiku usually focuses on some aspect of the seasons or nature and avoids rhyming and use of simile or metaphor.

Kyoto had myriad scenes for me to capture through my lens and to inspire me to write. Here is our autumn’s tale in Kyoto, 9 pictures for 9 days with 9 haikus.

For autumn we came.
Fire engulfs the garden now
The only flames are the leaves.

A crimson greeting,
Fragile parchment on the bough
Yet, as red as blood.

Vermillion prayers:
The gates of the foxes call,
The mountain beckons.

Through the gate we walked
Teak pillars, a tall winged roof
Framing harmony.

Night doesn’t mean dark
Through the temple, lanterns show:
Light is all around.

I stop for the view:
Carmine, persimmon, jonquil
Horizon’s palette.

A still pond reflects,
Multi hued leaves and my mind
Peace is everywhere.

Whistling hollows,
Olive green striped skyscrapers,
The bamboo grove creaks.

Ivory fortress,
As if rising out of air
A pristine goodbye.

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