The angle and tension in the branch along with the single blossom: the simplicity and strength encapsulates the essence of a flowering plum tree.

Sakura in the wind.

Hydranea in a Yokohama park. My favorite flower image to date, I only used the natural light available to me. Taken with a D70s and an Ai 35mm f1.4 lens. The glass is very old, but a perfect fit with D70s. On this body, The tactile substantiality of the Ai 35mm makes it a joy to hold and use, and, it draws a pretty decent image.

Shot with a Nikon D70s and Tokina 90mm f2.5

Maple leaves along the Kiyotaki River, Kyoto.

Study of a blue vase.

Main torii gate to the shrines on Enoshima.

Walk way to the caves on the seaward side. Once a treacherous path for those seeking solitude in the cave, the path is now popular with local couples.

Dragon dancers. Seiryu-e ritual, Kiyomizu temple, Kyoto.

Priest of Gangoji

Trees along the Kamo River in Kyoto, Japan 2006. The color pallet reminds me of an old sumie painting, but this is a full color shot. The coloring and the sky rendering reflect the high level of "yellow sand" 黄砂 blown over from China.

The muted blues and cream tones make this shot, as does the haze in between the ridges below the mountain. The color pallet in this photo is my favorite to date.

Power lines and high-rise apartments are ubiquitous features on Japanese skylines. View from Meiji Gakuin Totsuka Campus, Yokohama. Taken with the Nikon k-mount 180-600mm f8 on a Nikon D70s.

Drum in the Bentendo, Engakuji

This is the view from Inamura-ga-saki in Kamakura. Looking west, the beach in the foreground is Shichiri-ga-hama. (Disclosure: this view required quite a bit of post processing to remove unsightly florescent lights.) This was taken with a 70-180mm f4.5 macrozoom on my old D70s.

The Yasaka Pagoda, Kyoto.

Kannon (the bodhisattva of compassion) faces the faithful and other visitors. Each lantern represents a donation to the victims and survivors of the disaster.

Wheels and lines. Minato Mirai amusement park. Yokohama. The red and green lines come from a roller coaster car. Nikon Ai-s 25-50mm f4 on a D700. The lens is perhaps 30 years old, but still a nice performer.

Votive lights floating down the Katsura River during the Obon period in Kyoto.

Omizutori お水取り at the Nigatsudo sub-temple within the Todaiji grounds. Nara, 2006. For two weeks in March, the monks and temple staff carry large "taimatsu" (bundles of pine boughs) along the veranda. Scores of people gather below in the belief that the falling embers will bring spiritual benefits.

Dashi (car) spinning at the Suwa Shrine festival, Katase, Fujisawa.

Urban-sleek coffee.

A Buddhist monk gathering alms outside Totsuka Station. The more I think about this scene, the more I wonder about the monk. According to Buddhist traditions, the morning is the proper time frame for such activities, so why is he out so late?

An evening shower in Tucson. I once told a Japanese friend that one can "smell" rain in the desert, but he scoffed at the idea. In that moment, I realized how hard it is to convey experiences unique to a place and time to those who do not have a similar background. In the dry climate of the desert, we do become quite sensitive to the "scent" of humidity the precedes a rain fall. For Tucson, this is a "monsoon" rain.

A popular view of the valley, taken from the parking lot (of all places).

Mexican tin cross. Tucson, Arizona. In southwestern interior design, you can use wall colors that would be out of place in other kinds of houses.

Camp fire near Canyon de Chelley, Arizona.