Late one night, I jumped into a taxi and headed to one of my favorite areas of Kyoto to the Fushimi Inari Shrine. It was absolutely beautiful. The best thing about being there at night is that absolutely no one is around. You have the rule of the whole place to yourself… you can walk anywhere. It’s nice and safe and there is an infinity of places to explore.
I took my 2nd house and turned it into an AirBnB! I know travel to New Zealand is impossible right now, but, when you do come, be sure to check it out at the Secluded Paradise website!
And here’s the view that you can see out of the sliding glass doors and the master bedroom. Speaking of the master bedroom, if you’re feeling frisky, you can head out into that field and commune with the sheep!
I wonder how much practice this required…
Kyoto has about 100 temples within a short trip from the city center. You can visit a different one every day and go for a walk. In fact, that’s a pretty good idea if you’re going to spend time there. I like to go on morning walks, so this is a great excuse to explore new areas and get the exercise done early in the day!
We started off our European photo tour here in Sintra, Portugal. It was my first time there and we visited some of these hilltop villas. They were all cool in the way they worked themselves into the rugged and rocky surroundings. Here, you can see Tane in action!
This guy was quite the visionary to design all of this in his mind. It’s too bad he never got to see it in person. They’re still building the cathedral and I think it’s gonna be another 20 years or so. When you’re inside, however, it looks to be almost 100% complete. The first time I went I didn’t even realize you could go inside, so I missed that opportunity. I don’t know why I didn’t at least go and ask… that’s not like me.
On Netflix, there is a new show called “Have a Good Trip on Psychadelics” that is absolutely hilarious. There are funny stories from Anthony Bourdain, Carrie Fisher, and a ton of others.
It’s hard to believe how huge Mount Fuji is until you see it in person. It’s so big you can even see it from Tokyo! There is a hike that you can take to the top to see the sunrise. I thought about doing that, but I also heard that the way down is quite slippery and dangerous. Sometimes going uphill on a hike is even easier than downhill.
If you haven’t seen a show called “Devs” – then definitely check it out if you like Sci-Fi. It’s made by the same guy that did Ex Machina, so if you loved that, you’ll love this show too.
This area of Tokyo is gold for photos! There’s not a bad angle, and, even better, no one cares if you use a tripod. Or, if they do mind, Japanese people are so polite that they would never say anything anyway.
If you go to Kyoto, I recommend you visit this area with thousands of red gates at night. It’s open all night and there are absolutely no tourists. It can get a little creepy because you’re totally alone and there are no other humans around, but I like the creepy factor of the place. To add to the creepiness, there are lots of cemeteries sprinkled all around.
Here’s a new Video from my cabin about why your should doubt and question all conspiracy theories!
Before I piss off MOST people that will watch this, let me say one thing… When people feel like they are “out of control” of their own lives (which many people do now), they may seek to believe in outlandish ideas that confirm their navel-gazing victimhood. If you don’t believe in yourself, you’ll believe in anything. This video, while fun, will give you another perspective. Many people will be insulted by this video (especially those of you that believe in scientific properties of Essential Oils). If you can, try not to let your ego be affronted; instead, use it as an opportunity to do more critical thinking on your own rather than adopting the ideas of other people because they sound good.
The world and the universe are not out to get you. It’s not happening against you; it’s happening for you. A positive frame of reference is important. Don’t adopt other people’s ideas because they confirm your own nascent notions of self-doubt and that you are a victim of some globalized or localized plot against you. All of these self-fictional instantiations are creations that spring from an over-active ego and self-identity which will make you think you are the center of the universe. You’re not. You’re here to help, love, and take care of other people, yeah! 🙂 I hope this video helps you to put yourself in a more positive place, rather than many other videos out there that will take you down a spiraling rabbit hole of your own demise.
Below are some great resources for you to keep you in the right frame of mind! 🙂
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Humans can be tricked into the belief of fictional realities via Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari.
Reliable information on misinformation here and here.
Best Covid-19 News fact site without opinions.
World Dashboard Tracking the Spread of Covid-19.
An interesting opinion piece on conspiracy theorists.
I believe that Kyoto has hundreds of temples, and at almost every one, you can see scenes like this. I don’t know a lot about trees, but I’m pretty sure those red ones are Japanese maples. Well, now I’m not so sure because the Japanese maples in my yard turn red in the Spring. Maybe they turn red in the Autumn too? Well, I guess I had should pay better attention!
This is a shot of the top level of the Ritz-Carlton there in Okinawa. It’s a beautiful property, as you can see. This area is not really a pool, even though it looks like a pool. It’s more an area where you can walk around and take in all the environment and architecture. I thought the clouds piled up very nicely there along with the shape of the roof.
