Farther Lands, Human Cities, Ancient Places

Osaka Castle Simply Marvelous , all those big stones , the castle, the place, breathless!. A vast state surrounds the castle making it a good place to rest from the city. After just heard of it in many occasions,i went there and spending half of the day was the motivation to start digging thru its history. A Brief History of Osaka Castle The castle tower is surrounded by secondary citadels, gates, turrets, impressive stone walls and moats. The Nishonumaru Garden encompassing the former "western citadel" is a lawn garden with 600 cherry trees, a tea house, the former Osaka Guest House and nice views of the castle tower from below. Unlike most of the rest of the castle grounds, the garden requires an admission fee.The entire Osaka Castle Park covers about two square kilometers with lots of green space, sport facilities, a multi-purpose arena (Osakajo Hall) and a shrine dedicated to Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The park is one of Osaka's most popular hanami spot during the cherry blossom season, which usually takes place in early April. Built 1583 (05/2015)

Inari is a popular deity with shrines and Buddhist temples located throughout most of Japan. The kitsune statues are at times taken for a form of Inari, and they typically come in pairs, representing a male and a female.These fox statues hold a symbolic item in their mouths or beneath a front paw — most often a jewel and a key, but a sheaf of rice, a scroll, or a fox cub are all common. Almost all Inari shrines, no matter how small, will feature at least a pair of these statues, usually flanking or on the altar or in front of the main sanctuary. Offerings of rice, sake, and other food are given at the shrine to appease and please these kitsune messengers, who are then expected to plead with Inari on the worshipper's behalf. Founded 711 (05/2015)

People began settling in Okutama at least during the Jomon Period and many archaeological sites have been found with ancient pottery. During this time period, humans hunted and gathered edible plants. However, during the Yayoi Period, humans learned the skill of growing rice, and began moving to the rather flatter lands of present day Okutama. But there is not much evidence for the moving of humans during the Yayoi Period, for 94% of the town was covered by forests and only small flat lands existed. Located in western Tokyo, the town is very mountainous. The largest municipality in Tokyo, Okutama is also known for having the highest mountain in the prefecture, Mount Kumotori, as well. A large portion of the town is covered by forests, and the upstream of the Tama River is located here. Area 225.63 km2 (05/2015)

Known as the "Crow Castle" (Karasu-jō) due to its black exterior. It was the seat of the Matsumoto domain. It is located in the city of Matsumoto, in Nagano. Matsumoto Castle is one of four castles designated as 'National Treasures of Japan' and the oldest castle donjon remaining in Japan. Construction began in 1592 of the elegant black and white structure with its three turrets. its origins go back to the Sengoku period. At that time Shimadachi Sadanaga of the Ogasawara clan built a fort on this site in 1504 which was originally called Fukashi Castle. In 1550 it came under the rule of the Takeda clan and then Tokugawa Ieyasu. During the Edo period, the Tokugawa shogunate established the Matsumoto Domain, of which the Matsudaira, Mizuno, and others were the daimyo. In 1872, following the Meiji Restoration, the site, along with many former daimyos' castles, was sold at auction for redevelopment.When news broke that the keep was going to be demolished, however, an influential figure from Matsumoto, Ichikawa Ryōzō, along with residents from Matsumoto, started a campaign to save the building. Their efforts were rewarded when the tower was acquired by the city government. (05/2015)

According to legend, Yatsugatake was once higher than Mount Fuji, but Konohana-Sakuyahime, the goddess of Mount Fuji, tore it down out of jealousy, leaving the collection of peaks we have today. Elevation 2,899 m (9,511 ft) (05/2015)

Las Sierras de Minas is a mountain range with a wide variety of elevations ranging from 10 to 3.010 m, allowing the formation of different types of ecosystems and forests, which range from dry thorn forest to cloud forest. Las Sierra de las Minas stands out as an important source of freshwater, it born more than 63 rivers that feed the flow of the Motagua and Polochic river San Jerónimo. This site covers 242.642 hectares (2,426 km2) and is one of the Biosphere Reserves recognized by the program "Man and Biosphere" (MAB) of the United Nations and has been under our management and protection since 1990. The variety of heights, together with the state of preservation of forests, make the reservation save an important natural wealth. Here the fullest extent of habitat worldwide for the Quetzal, the national bird of Guatemala emblematic remains. The area also produces a lot of food and medicinal plants.

Cabo Polonio has no roads leading to it and is located about 7 km from the main highway. It is accessible by walking through the dunes or by 4x4 vehicles. The region has no electricity or running water for the few hundred houses of this town, and wind power and a few generators are used to power some of the posadas and grocery store. There is a lighthouse that gets power from the national grid. Residents obtain water from nearby water wells or collecting rain water. Cabo Polonio sits on the tip of a moon-sliver shaped peninsula that extends into the Atlantic Ocean. The back side experiences relentless powerful waves, and on the inside of the moon-shaped area, the water comes calmly to shore. At the top end, a lighthouse stands over boulders tumbling into the sea. Two small, rocky islands dot the coast nearby. This village principal attraction is the Atlantic beach, with water and sand, a natural reserve of sea lions and one of the area's few mobile sand dunes, in which the sand is blown by the wind and moves around the sandy places and the dunes actually change their position. The village land is shared by the Uruguayan government and private owners. The government has included the area into the SNAP (Sistema Nacional de Áreas Protegidas) National System of Protected Areas.

For many centuries, Asakusa used to be Tokyo’s leading entertainment district. During the Edo Period (1603-1867), when the district was still located outside the city limits, Asakusa was the site of kabuki theaters and a large red light district. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, modern types of entertainment, including movie theaters, set foot in Asakusa. With so many religious establishments, there are frequent matsuri (Shinto festivals) in Asakusa, as each temple or shrine hosts at least one matsuri a year, if not every season. The largest and most popular is the Sanja Matsuriin May, when roads are closed from dawn until late in the evening. The neighborhood is famous for its annual Brazilian style Carnival. There is a significant Brazilian presence in the local community and the Association of Samba Schools of Asakusa is based there.  (11/2013)

I want to share the beautiful colors this season has to offer., wonderful, inspiring and full of joy. (11/2013)

Kyoto is old Japan writ large: quiet temples, sublime gardens, colourful shrines and geisha scurrying to secret liaisons. is a city located in the central part of the island of Honshu, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan for more than one thousand years, it is now the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture located in the Kansai region, as well as a major part of the Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe metropolitan area. Few cities of this size offer such a range of excellent restaurants. Work your way through the entire spectrum of Japanese food, from impossibly refined cuisine known as kaiseki to hearty plebeian fare like rāmen. In Japanese, the city has been called Kyō (京), Miyako (都), or Kyō no Miyako (京の都). In the 11th century, the city was renamed Kyoto ("capital city"), after the Chinese word for capital city, jingdu (京都).After Edo was renamed Tokyo (meaning "Eastern Capital") in 1868, Kyoto was known for a short time as Saikyō (西京, meaning "Western Capital"). Although archaeological evidence suggests human settlement in Kyoto basin as early as the Paleolithic period, relatively little is known about human activity in the area before the 6th century AD, around which time the Shimogamo Shrine is believed to have been established. Area 827.90 km2 Population 1,469,604 (11/2013)

Adashino Nenbutsuji (Kyoto) The temple was founded in the early 9th century when the famous monk Kobo Daishi placed stone statues for the souls of the dead here. Today, the temple grounds are covered by hundreds of such stone statues. In the back of the temple, a short path leads through a bamboo forest... (11/2013)

Kinkakuji (Kyoto) Kinkakuji (金閣寺, Golden Pavilion) is a Zen temple in northern Kyoto whose top two floors are completely covered in gold leaf. Formally known as Rokuonji, the temple was the retirement villa of the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, and according to his will it became a Zen temple of the Rinzai sect after his death in 1408. Kinkakuji was the inspiration for the similarly named Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion), built by Yoshimitsu's grandson, Ashikaga Yoshimasa, on the other side of the city a few decades later. it is an impressive structure built overlooking a large pond, and is the only building left of Yoshimitsu's former retirement complex. It has burned down numerous times throughout its history including twice during the Onin War, a civil war that destroyed much of Kyoto; and once again more recently in 1950 when it was set on fire by a fanatic monk. The present structure was rebuilt in 1955. (11/2013)

The pavilion is one of only two buildings on the grounds of Ginkakuji which have survived intact the many fires and earthquakes of the past centuries, although it has been undergoing periodical renovation works to keep it well preserved. Most recently the building's roof was redone and its earthquake resistance was improved. The works were completed in spring 2010. Next along the route is an expansive, meticulously maintained dry sand garden, known as the "Sea of Silver Sand", with a massive sand cone named "Moon Viewing Platform". Besides the garden stands the Hondo (main hall), which displays paintings on its sliding doors (fusuma) but cannot be entered. (11/2013)

Goiás  is a state of Brazil, located in the central part of the country. The name Goiás (formerly, Goyaz) comes from the name of an indigenous community. nestled in the heart of Brazil, is a state surrounded by Tocantins, Bahia, Mina Gerais, the Federal District of Brazil, Mato Grosso do Sul and Mato Grosso. It is the most populous state of the region and is characterised by its extensive plateaus. Its driest period is between June and September, when the beaches of the Araguaia River are exposed by an amazing two extra kilometres due to the falling of the water level. is located on a huge plateau in the highlands of Brazil in the country’s central area. It varied from being about 750 to 900 metres above sea level. It is drained by several major rivers, including Paranaíba River, São Francisco River, Araguaia River and the Corumbá River. The vegetation of Goiás is defined as woodland savannah. However, much of this, as well as some of the tropical rainforests that line the rivers, have been damaged and destroyed to make way for farming. The tropical climate means pleasant daytime temperatures, even in the winter months. (03/2009)

The Strasbourg astronomical clock is located in the Cathédrale Notre-Dame of Strasbourg, Alsace, France. The current, third clock dates from 1843. Its main features, besides the automata, are a perpetual calendar (including a computus), an orrery (planetary dial), a display of the real position of the Sun and the Moon, and solar and lunar eclipses. The main attraction is the procession of the 18 inch high figures of Christ and the Apostles which occurs every day at half past midday while the life-size cock crows thrice. (09/2010)

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris, commonly known as Sacré-Cœur Basilica ,is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in Paris, France. A popular landmark, the basilica is located at the summit of the butte Montmartre, the highest point in the city. Montmartre It is 130 metres high and gives its name to the surrounding district, it is primarily known for the white-domed Basilica of the Sacré Cœur on its summit and as a nightclub district. The other, older, church on the hill is Saint Pierre de Montmartre, which claims to be the location at which the Jesuit order of priests was founded. Many artists had studios or worked in or around Montmartre, including Salvador Dalí, Amedeo Modigliani, Claude Monet, Piet Mondrian, Pablo Picasso, Camille Pissarro and Vincent van Gogh. (09/2010)

The buildings of Venice are constructed on closely spaced wooden piles. Most of these piles are still intact after centuries of submersion. The foundations rest on plates of Istrian limestone placed on top of the piles,and buildings of brick or stone sit above these footings. The piles penetrate a softer layer of sand and mud until they reach a much harder layer of compressed clay, submerged by water, in oxygen-poor conditions, wood does not decay as rapidly as on the surface. Population 270,660 Area 414.57 km2 (09/2010)