Night Lights at Kiyomizu-dera

I ventured downtown and out into the eastern part of Kyoto last night to see the lights of Kiyomizu-dera before it was closed down at night. They only keep this independent Buddhist temple open into the late evening - maybe 9:00 or so - on two occasions per year: the fall foliage viewing and cherry blossom season in the spring. I was scheduled to see it with my fellow Rakuhoku compatriot AETs, Cindy and Mike, but both canceled due to illness, likely related to the bōnenkai (忘年会, literally "forget the year gathering") the Friday night prior, which the faculty went to for a night of drinking, fine food, and more drinking. Japanese men were falling all over themselves to pour drinks for their superiors. I even poured a few myself, all to show my honor and appreciation of them. Unfortunately, I forgot to take my camera...

For these shots at Kiyomizu-dera, I was very excited to use the long exposure setting on my camera to see what kind of images I could capture. I had no tripod, so I had to secure the camera to fixed objects like railings, trees, benches, and so on to get steady shots and no blur. The longest exposure I took that night was 15 seconds long, which meant that the camera lens was open for that amount of time, during which I could not move the camera in the slightest.

The camera was set to display "vivid red(s)" which should account for the orange glow. It's amazing what a digital camera can do.





I wish this one had been clearer. That's Kyoto Tower in the distance. You have a great view of the city from the temple.







This one reminds me of hot lava, or a fiery pit, something out of Lord of the Rings.

This one below was the 15 second exposure shot. I'm somewhat pleased with it. Thankfully no visitors walked through the shot while I was taking it.





These next two are my favorites, and they were taken from the vantage point most often experienced in Kiyomizu-dera tourist photos. Still, these feel different to me.









I spent about an hour and a half walking through the entire temple complex. It was so hard to pass by amazing scenery and forgo some potentially incredible shots. I kept putting my camera away and walking briskly to the exit only to be stopped by some image begging to be captured.

This is one of the most beautiful places I've seen in Japan for sure, a must on every tourist's sightseeing list. Just be sure to come in the spring or the fall, when the lights bring to life the leaves and flowers.