Old Friend Fox

My cousin Brian Ochs Lives in Japan.  He is the cousin that has the ability to but the rest of the 30 cousins in udder complete silence to listen to his stories.  We only get to see Brian once a year at Christmas and us other cousins try to pry every bit of information that we can out of him.  Non of us have ever been to Japan so every detail or every gift he gives us is cherished and fairly myth like.  One day we will visit Brian… One day…

All of the comments are directly from him.

“The sacred mountain and backdrop to several temples in Nara. It’s called a primeval forest because no trees have been cut down for over 1000 years.”

“Hokkeji Temple used to be the head temple of all nunneries throughout Japan.”

“I found this mound covered in carved stones at a temple. They aren’t grave stones; they’re images of saints and deities.”

“My last stop in Kyoto. I’d always wanted to go to this bamboo grove, but always had trouble finding it. It looks so tranquil, but the unending stream of tour groups kind of spoils it.”

“Kiyomizudera: Caught in a nasty rain and lightning storm.”

Kyoto Tower from Kyoto Station.

“Kamogawa River”

“Yokozuna (grandchampion) Asashoryu performs ring purification ceremony.”

“This winner is waiting to receive the money from the referee.”

“This is the A-Bomb Dome. Not far from the bomb’s hypocenter, but its brick, concrete and steel construction kept some of it standing.  It had been a favorite building and, since it was one of the few builings to “survive”, it was preserved as a monument.”

“After Hiroshima, I went west to the small island of Miyajima. It’s famous for its shrine, which was built over the water instead of land.”

Thank you for the pictures Brian! See you at Christmas!