Julian Köpke

On the return flight I remembered the many Japanese drawings and paintings. During my stay I had taken extra pictures of pine branches in the hope that I would be able to achieve a painterly effect by post-processing them. I set to work with my laptop. The first image should be a pine branch of the Rengeo-In shrine in Kyoto.

I felt encouraged to try more, although operating the laptop on the plane was sometimes a bit difficult. The next try should be an image of the Golden Shrine Kinkaku-Ji in Kyoto.

The coloring of the picture is decisive for the success of this illusion. The colors of the Japanese paintings I have in mind are rather not saturated and the contrasts are raised more. With the photograph of an art installation in the port of Takamatsu I could still achieve a little of this illusion.

We met the first signs of autumn in Nikko.

Often gold is just pushy. Not in the wonderful garden of Kunkaku-ji temple. We started early in the morning to have a chance to take a photo. A warm and permanent rain supported us. There were many people, but not as much as usual.

Our next stop was Ryan-ji temple. 15 is the sum of 3+5+7 and a holy number. 15 stones are dressed in a field in front of the temple. No one is able to see all 15 stones at once, without moving the head. Photographing the field without being allowed to move freely yields a distorted image.

The change from the quiet and rich impressions of the Zen gardens in the city to the Nishiki market was a kind of crash program. The folding fans of Kyoto appeared as a motif once again.