Cherry Blossom Season in Kyoto

Cherry Blossom Season in Kyoto

There is a time in late spring where women weave through flowers. Kimonos of color mirror the latest bloom in silk stitches. The trees are in celebration, decorating Kyoto with a sea of cherry blossoms. Pink petal confetti fills the streets, sticks to stairways and...
A Tunnel Between Worlds

A Tunnel Between Worlds

One morning in Kyoto, I set out to explore the famous torii of Fushimi Inari-Taisha Shrine. I woke at 5am and put my body on auto pilot, following my phone’s directions to the nearest station that headed there. Few people stood on the platform as the melodic chimes...
My Maiko Makeover in Kyoto

My Maiko Makeover in Kyoto

One rainy day in Japan, I became a ghost of white from another time. I floated through sliding doors and knelt in layers of red silk with a small smile on lips of the same color. I held a fan up delicately into the air and gazed out the window at the rainy sky of...
All of My Days in Kyoto

All of My Days in Kyoto

Enjoy this Kyoto movie I created during the two weeks I visited. I was lucky enough to see the city in every stage of the cherry blossom season, from their buds about to open to the blankets of petals fallen on the ground. To view more movies from my journey, click...
The Joy of Japan

The Joy of Japan

When I was a child, my parents gave me a small porcelain statue of a geisha. It belonged to my father’s mother who passed away before I could form a memory of her. The statue was all white with pale blue and pink markings. The geisha knelt with a small drum...
Three Nights in Nara

Three Nights in Nara

Long ago in Japan, a deity appeared on Mt. Mikasa riding a white deer. For centuries after his visit, deer were seen as messengers of the gods and to this day are protected under a national treasure status. Nara is the present day area where these once sacred...