![Photo of dancing Japanese man](https://i0.wp.com/lestaylorphoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Dancing-On-The-Rooftops.jpg?fit=678%2C1024)
Narita Gion Matsuri
This past weekend I went with fellow photographer Anthony Wood to the Narita Gion Matsuri. Since coming back to Japan in 2012, I haven’t been to that many festivals, so when Anthony invited me to join him at this one, I was excited to take him up on it. And this one did not disappoint! From the crowds to the floats, the atmosphere is a wonderful mixture of playful and traditional. I could say more,...
![Photo of Japanese plum blossoms](https://i0.wp.com/lestaylorphoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Tiny-Glow-of-Spring.jpg?fit=1024%2C678)
Plum Blossoms at Yushima Tenjin Jinja
Although Japan’s most famous flower is almost certainly the Cherry Blossom, the country also boasts another beautiful floral tree known as Ume [oo-meh], better known in English as the plum blossom. Like most flowers these come in a variety of colors, though primarily visitors will run across two specific colors: pink and white. While these lovely trees are not as numerous as the Cherry Blossoms, there are many great places around Tokyo to enjoy them....
![Photo of komainu](https://i0.wp.com/lestaylorphoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Frozen-Protector.jpg?fit=1024%2C678)
Frozen Protector
This is another photo from one of the big snows we had around Japan in February. The statue here is called “komainu” – a lion/dog which is believed by some to protect the nearby shrine from evil spirits. I don’t know about that, but I do know it makes for an interesting photographic subject and I’ve often been interested by this particular angle, but until it snowed I had a hard time getting a shot...
![Photo of Matsudo Shrine](https://i0.wp.com/lestaylorphoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Autumn-Evening-at-Matsudo-Jinja.jpg?fit=1024%2C678)
Orange Autumn Evening at Matsudo Jinja
Although Spring is on the way, it feels to me like Autumn was only yesterday. I think part of the reason is that the Autumn colors this year seemed to last for a while. The Autumn of 2012 didn’t seem nearly as colorful to me, especially around where I live. But this year the colors lasted well into December. Not that I’m complaining – it was a beautiful sight, and gave me plenty of opportunity...
![Photo of Nezu Shrine in Tokyo](https://i0.wp.com/lestaylorphoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Half-Clean_small.jpg?fit=1024%2C678)
Half Clean at Nezu Jinja
I took this photo back during last Summer at the Nezu Jinja in Tokyo, an area I actually pass through every day in and out of the city. The architecture around this shrine is pretty impressive, and for a lesser known one its grounds are quite expansive. I spent most of my time actually on the outside edges of the grounds, where to me at least the most interesting photographic subjects were located. This water...