Travel with me

Travel snapshots from Toonsarah

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  • Archive
  • Home
  • Destinations
    • England
      • London
      • Newcastle-upon-Tyne
    • Europe
      • Albania
      • Austria
      • Bulgaria
      • Croatia
      • Estonia
      • France
        • Paris
      • Germany
      • Iceland
      • Italy
        • Sardinia
      • Jersey
      • Latvia
      • Montenegro
      • Norway
      • Portugal
      • Spain
        • Seville
      • Switzerland
      • Ukraine
    • Beyond
      • Africa
        • Botswana
        • Cape Verde
        • Gambia
        • Kenya
        • Madagascar
        • Morocco
        • Namibia
        • Senegal
        • Tanzania
        • Zimbabwe
      • Americas
        • Belize
        • Canada
        • Chile
          • Rapa Nui
        • Colombia
        • Costa Rica
        • Ecuador
          • Galapagos Islands
        • Guatemala
        • Jamaica
        • Mexico
        • USA
          • California
          • Chicago
          • Nevada
          • New Mexico
          • New York City
          • Washington State
      • Asia
        • DPRK
        • India
          • Kerala
          • Rajasthan
        • Indochina
          • Cambodia
          • Laos
          • Vietnam
        • Japan
        • Nepal
        • Oman
        • Philippines
        • Syria
        • United Arab Emirates
        • Uzbekistan
  • Themes
    • Architecture
      • City streets
    • Art
      • Crafts
      • Street art
    • Colour
    • Dark tourism
    • Eco-tourism
    • Food & drink
    • Gardens
    • History
      • Ruins
      • War
    • Landscape
      • Coast & seascapes
      • Deserts
      • Mountains
      • Rivers
    • Nature and wildlife
      • Animals
      • Birds
      • Plants
        • Flowers
        • Trees, forests and woodland
    • People
      • Culture & tradition
      • Street photography
    • Travel in general
  • Photo galleries
    • Themed galleries
    • Travel galleries
  • Postcards from the road
  • Challenges
    • Photography challenges
      • Lens-Artists
      • CFFC
      • Monochrome Madness
      • One Word Sunday
      • Photographing Public Art
      • Pick a Word
      • Squares
      • Sunday Stills
      • The Changing Seasons
    • General challenges
      • Bird place of the month
      • Happy Place Happy Space
      • Monday walks
      • Weekend Coffee Share
      • Words of Wisdom
  • About me
    • Contact me
    • ‘Always Write’ interview
    • My love of travel
    • My photography
      • Photographic techniques
      • My photography journey
      • Video
    • Disclaimer & GDPR
  • Archive

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Topics I’ve touched on

africa animals architecture art birds black_&_white california churches cities coast colombia colour dprk ealing england flowers france friendlyfriday Friendly_Friday history india landscape lens-artists Lens_Artists_Challenge london Monday_Walks monochrome Monochrome-Madness museum naturephotochallenge nepal north_korea paris people photography pick_a_word PPAC ruins Street_Art Street_Photography Sunday_Stills thechangingseasons usa views wildlife
  • Strips of colourful paper birds
    Architecture,  Art,  Japan,  Lens-Artists,  Travel galleries

    Gallery: the delights of Japanese design

    May 19, 2024 / 68 Comments

    A wonderful sense of design pervades the whole of Japan it seems, from architecture to clothing, household items to gardens … Somehow the Japanese know how to balance minimalism with intricate detail, with an apparently effortless emphasis on simple, natural elements.

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  • Black and white landscape with red tinted Japanese gate
    Japan,  Mid-week Monochrome,  Monochrome Madness,  Photographic techniques,  Travel galleries

    Gallery: seeing Japan in black and white

    January 26, 2023 / 45 Comments

    There’s a restraint, a rejection of what is not necessary, in Japanese art and architecture. What is left out is as important as, if not more important than, what is put in.

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  • Colourful manhole cover
    Culture & tradition,  Japan,  Photographing Public Art,  Travel galleries

    Gallery: the humble manhole cover as public art

    June 22, 2021 / 23 Comments

    The Japanese seem to take pride in making everything look the best it possibly can; even the humble manhole cover is an opportunity for some decorative design. Each town or city has its own unique styles, and many are not only intricately moulded but also colourfully painted.

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  • Golden temple reflected in a lake
    Culture & tradition,  Gardens,  Japan,  Lens-Artists

    Exploring the temple gardens of Kyoto

    May 9, 2021 / 46 Comments

    Japanese gardens are not beautiful by accident. Every detail is carefully considered, every plant and rock precisely placed. And the result is often stunning. It was in Kyoto that I really came to appreciate the nuances of Japanese garden design.

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  • Little boy and two little girls in Japanese costume
    Culture & tradition,  Japan,  Sunday Stills

    Celebrating childhood at the shrines of Japan

    April 25, 2021 / 13 Comments

    Nikko’s Futarasan shrine is only five minutes’ or so walk from its more famous neighbour, Toshogu, but it seemed to us that we were in a different world. The crowds had dissipated, leaving just a handful of tourists and some local families. We strolled around in a much more leisurely way than had been possible at Toshogu, taking photos and soaking up the tranquil atmosphere and the rich colours of the leaves just starting to take on their autumn hues.

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  • Colourful decorated archway
    Japan,  Squares,  Street photography,  Travel galleries

    Gallery: on Tokyo’s lively Takeshita Dori

    April 7, 2021 / 35 Comments

    The Tokyo district of Harajuku is known as a focal point for some of Japan's most extreme teenage cultures and fashion styles. And at its heart is Takeshita Dori, the perfect place to see Tokyo’s youth at play. This narrow street, little more than a lane, is lined with uber-trendy clothes shops interspersed with the kind of refreshment stops likely to appeal to its mainly teenage market.

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  • Smiling man in chef's whites
    Japan,  Just One Person,  Street photography,  Travel galleries

    Gallery: a visit to Takayama’s morning market

    April 1, 2021 / 21 Comments

    Takayama is a mountain town, and the river that runs through it, the Miyagawa, is a clear mountain one. Every morning on its banks stall-holders set out their wares at the town’s famous morning market, in a long-held tradition.

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  • Man with green umbrella by a river in autumn
    Japan,  Landscape,  Monday walks,  Rivers,  Sunday Stills

    Where the gods descended: Kamikochi

    March 8, 2021 / 28 Comments

    Nestled among the dramatic peaks of the Japanese Alps lies the high plateau of Kamikochi; the name means ‘Where the gods descended’. The Azusa River flows through a valley formed by great elemental upheavals, including glaciers and volcanic eruptions, over many thousands of years.

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  • Dark table with lots of small dishes
    Culture & tradition,  Food & drink,  Friday’s Foods of the World,  Japan,  Travel galleries

    Gallery: Dining in (Japanese) style ~ kaiseki

    March 6, 2021 / 27 Comments

    A traditional Japanese feast, a kaiseki, is a thing of beauty. It isn’t just a meal; it’s an art form balancing taste, texture, appearance, and colour. The dishes are beautifully arranged and presented, on plates chosen to enhance the visual impact, and equally beautifully decorated, often with edible garnishes.

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  • Line of seated stone statues wearing red caps and bibs
    Colour,  Culture & tradition,  Japan,  Sunday Stills

    The Bake-Jizō of Kanmangafuchi Abyss

    February 16, 2021 / 18 Comments

    Red, in Japan, is the colour of the sun (not yellow as in other cultures). It stands for life, power and protection, but also for death. It is thought capable of expelling demons and illness. You see red everywhere; on temple roofs, torii gates at shrines, lanterns and pagodas. And in the bibs and caps worn by the haunting Jizō statues of Kanmangafuchi Abyss in Nikko.

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Some topics I’ve touched on

africa animals architecture art birds black_&_white california churches cities coast colombia colour dprk ealing england flowers france friendlyfriday Friendly_Friday history india landscape lens-artists Lens_Artists_Challenge london Monday_Walks monochrome Monochrome-Madness museum naturephotochallenge nepal north_korea paris people photography pick_a_word PPAC ruins Street_Art Street_Photography Sunday_Stills thechangingseasons usa views wildlife

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  • May 03, 2025 Colonial churches of the Philippines

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