Shrine shopping

Had the day off from work today...the occasion? Spring equinox! One of the things I love about Japan is that there is a holiday at least once a month. What better way to celebrate the coming of spring than to wander around Kyoto? Some friends were looking into shrines for their upcoming wedding so I tagged along.

Some people have asked me what the meaning of "hoya hoya" is. The Japanese language is full of onomatopoeia, often consisting of repeated words - "pari pari" (crispy), "waku waku" (excitement, beating heart), "byuu byuu" (wind blowing), etc. "Hoya hoya" is used to describe something new and fresh, like steaming hot rice, bread just out of the oven, a new couple in love, and so on. One of the things I love about living in a foreign country is seeing things from a different perspective, finding beauty in places you've never looked before. I guess that's part of the reason why I've become so interested in photography...same world, but when looked through a different frame, even the most ordinary thing can be transformed into something beautiful and fascinating.