brick wall texture

Tea at the Irori – An irori is a traditional Japanese sunken hearth. Used for heating, cooking and keeping water hot, it has played an integral part in Japanese domestic life for hundreds of years. This particular irori is located in a rest-house that was often frequented by samurai during the Edo Period (1603-1868) as they traveled to and from the capital city of Edo (present-day Tokyo).

Wedded Rocks – Two sacred rocks off the coast of Mie Prefecture represent the unity of a married couple. The rope that connects them is said to represent the boundary between the spiritual and earthly realms.

Frozen in Time – A traditional shop in a village that has resisted the temptation to modernise for many decades. The noren (hanging curtain sign) indicates that it is open for business. Everything about this building - the design, architecture and the noren itself - is reminiscent of the Meiji Period (1868-1912), when Japan opened to the world after nearly 300 years of isolation.

Fuji at Daybreak – Mt. Fuji presides over a new dawn at a lake in Japan's Southern Alps, where a lone fisherman tries his luck.

Way of the Gods – This line of three torii gates begins in the sea and ends in front of a small shrine on the shore of the southwestern island of Kyushu. Where there are shrines there are torii, and in Shinto, Japan’s native religion, they mark the transition from the mundane to the sacred. Shinto is also called kami-no-michi, or “way of the gods.”

Ruined Temple – A stately yet dilapidated Buddhist temple with a badly damaged roof sits in a deep forest in the countryside. Many rural areas are in decline in Japan due to negative population growth and the draw of large cities. Buddhism itself is also in decline, and over time some rural temples like this one fall by the wayside.

Adjacent Peaks – Trekking along the ridge of Mt. Happone, a break in the mountain mist that plagued most of the hike, allows a brief glimpse of the adjacent peaks in the Hakuba valley. From left to right we can see Mt. Yarigadake, Mt. Shakushidake and Mt. Shiroumadake reflected perfectly in this small pond.

The Village Ironworks – The Village Ironworks was a family-run iron smelting business founded in rural Japan in the 1880s. It was once considered the most successful smelting plant in the whole of northern Japan. But as iron was slowly overtaken by steel, sadly business began to suffer in the 1990s. The company finally closed its doors for good in 2000, and the building has since sat in ruins.

Reflecting Calm – A lake at the foot of a Tohoku mountain reflects a wooden arch bridge that traverses it, on a calm autumn evening. The muted colours of dusk lend the scene an aesthetic reminiscent of an ukiyo-e image from a bygone era.

Warm in Winter – Amid the deep snow and deeper freeze of a Hokkaido winter, one corner of this lake remains fluid due to the presence of a hot spring nearby. This natural feature pumps a constant stream of geothermally heated water, creating a popular hang-out for local swans, who use it to keep warm during the colder months.