We Paid Big Price to Be in Kinosaki, Japan, or Not - Los Angeles Travel Photographer

It was the perfect season to visit Kinosaki, a charmingly old-fashioned onsen (Japanese for hot springs) town located in northern Hyogo Prefecture on the coast of the Sea of Japan.  It started its development in the 8th century when hot springs were discovered there.  

The weather was cool and what a great idea to stroll by the willow-lined river in yukata and geta (wooden clogs), after a dip in one (or all) of the seven public hot springs.  And the thought of sleeping in a ryokan (Japanese inn), furnished with tatami, after a meal of the region's famous crab and Tajima beef was enough to keep me awake at night.

Well, no classic story is without a twist.  Due to some misaligned priorities, we failed to exchange Japanese Yen before boarding the long train journey to Kinosaki, on the last effective day of the train pass.  By the time we arrived in the reserved ryokan, it had passed 5:00 pm, on a Friday.  The bank was closed and it was going to remain that way until Monday.  All creative solutions we came up were turned down.  Using a credit card for payment?  No.  Exchanging US Dollars with the hotel?  No.  Exchanging US Dollars with the hotel staff?  No.  I guess, it is an "old-fashioned" town.

Now comes the survival mode.  We scraped up all the Japanese yen we had on us, insisted on paying the ryokan for the night's stay, and walked off to a near-by convenience store for our dinner, a delicious bowl of instant ramen.

The next morning, we were greeted with the timely drizzle that gave this town the mood that meets my eyes. :-)  

On this day, we'd leave Kinosaki on a train, heading in the direction of Kyoto.  But there's a problem.  Can you tell?  

The hint is in the third paragraph.  The first to answer correctly will be rewarded.

Stroll-in-Rain-in-Kinosaki-Japan-Copyright-Jean-Huang-Photography

Sometimes, Life Completes Itself in a Shape of Rainbow - Los Angeles Travel Photographer

Creating arte was not my profession yet.  Let's just say, ten years ago, I was a different person.  

A trip was booked to Buffalo, NY to visit Niagara Falls.  It was meant to be a weekend extension of my business trip in NYC.  But, we did not get to see the Falls, after a series of failed attempts to salvage the situation.  

It had been raining the week before the supposed trip.  NY state was flooded.  We fought the Friday traffic to arrive at the LaGuardia airport, witnessing people running in rain, trekking in water, on the streets covered in puddles.  After a long line at the check-in counter, we were only told that the original flight had been cancelled due to the storm.  Our only choice was to be put on a plane going to Philadelphia that leaves in half an hour.  We obliged.  We check in our luggage, we went through security, we arrived at the gate, and we found out that the plane to Philadelphia had departed, ahead of time.  We then were pointed to the next gate, where we were put on a wait-list.  When we inquired about our checked luggage, the reply was "we'll know where it is when we get there".

After sitting uneasily for half an hour, a voice told us that we needed to cancel the trip.  Calls were made to cancel the flight, the lodging and the tour.  We then proceeded to the JFK airport, waited in line for a flight back to LA.  By the time we arrived back home, it was deep into the night.  The next morning, we woke up to a typical sunny day in LA.    

A lot can happen to a person in ten years, especially for someone like moi.  We've travelled to many amazing places in the world, waterfalls or not.  Niagara Falls has been brushed to the corner of our mind, until we had an opportunity to visit Toronto, Canada lately.

This time, I'm (supposedly) ten-years wiser, more at peace with myself, and, most importantly, surrounded by family, family that's gotten more meaning to me over the years.  The toughest part was to walk through the misty (more like rainy) stretch on the Canada side.  We all survived it, soaked head-to-toe, with child-like grins to the sides of our faces.  When I turned around, a big rainbow greeted me arching in front of the Rainbow Bridge.  

Thank you, my partner-in-crime, for orchestrating the trip.  Thank you, sista, for insisting on bringing me here.  And thank you, papa and mama, for being such a good sport playing along.  Life is complete on this account.  

Rainbow-Floating-in-Front-of-Rainbow-Bridge-Niagara-Falls-Canada-Copyright-Jean-Huang-Photography

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Magical Light in Castelluccio di Norcia, Umbria, Italy - Los Angeles Travel Photographer

Castelluccio di Norcia truly is a place "out of this world".  As mentioned in this post, the people here have cultivated lentils for generations.  During the time of our visit, the seeds had been sowed and the rest was left in the hands of nature.  The temperature's not quite there yet and all the lavish colors of yellow, red, purple, etc. that this town is well-known for during summer were not ready to show.  However, lentils were starting to bloom and, day by day,  we were seeing more flowers and colors appearing in the graphic display down in the Piano Grande (the "Great Plain").

This image was made when we went out to explore and the storm was rolling in.  The magic light of this place looks as if a naughty fairy lit up the patches of yellow flowers with a mirror behind the roaring clouds.

Check our Italy gallery often for more images from this amazing land.
 

Piano-Grande-being-Lit-by-Mirror-Like-Light-in-Stormy-Weather-Castelluccio-di-Norcia-Umbria-Italy-Copyright-Jean-Huang-Photography

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