In the Land of the Rising Sun

• Aerial view of Mount Fuji: 

• Kinkaku-ji temple (the Golden Pavilion), Kyoto:

 

• Nijo Castle, Kyoto:

Unforunately, cameras are not allowed here. This castle was abode to the Tokugawa shogun. I was most impressed by the concept of the "nightingale floors" here, which generate a pleasant squeaking sound when tread upon, however lightly, to protect the shogun from intruders.

• Kasuga Grand Shrine, Nara:

This is a Shinto shrine, famous for the thousands of lanterns in its premises. These lanterns, lit daily in the ancient times, are now only lit during festive seasons twice a year. 

Sake casks stacked near the Kasuga shrine:

Arrays of lanterns at the Kasuga shrine:

More lanterns:

• Toda-ji temple, Nara:

This temple is a Zen Buddhist temple. Its Great Buddha Hall is the largest wooden building in the world and houses the world's largest bronze statue of the Buddha. This temple is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The bronze Buddha:

Hungry deer inside the Toda-ji premises:

• Hiroshima:

Nozomi Shinkansen:

Japan is famous for it's bullet trains. The Nozomi N700 series happen to be the fastest of this. This is the train I took from Kyoto to Hiroshima.

Hiroshima Castle, Hiroshima:

The A-Bomb Dome, Hiroshima, one of the few structures that survived the fateful bombing of the city:

Hiroshima before and after 8:15 A.M., August 6, 1945:

Paper cranes sent by kids all over the world in memory of Sadako (a little girl who was one of the many unfortunate victims of the lethal post-explosion radiation):

• Miyajima:

This is a uniquely beautiful island near Hiroshima and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It it home to the sacred Itsukushima shrine. It is particularly famous for its "floating" torii (a wooden gate leading to a Shinto shrine.) The highest point on this island is the peak of Mount Misen, which can be accessed via a ropeway, followed by a long and tedious hike.

The Itsukushima shrine torii that appears to be floating under high tide but can be reached on foot when the tide is low:

Itsukushima shrine:

The five-story pagoda near Itsukushima shrine:

A Shinto altar, where you offer money (through the wooden slots) and then clap to wake up the deity before you join hands and make a wish:

 

View from Mount Misen: 

The actual view is simply ethereal and no camera can do justice to it. Uncountably many little islands are visible in the misty horizon. The mist makes it all the more surreal. Unfortunately, this is the best my Powershot could do. 

The sun setting in the land of the rising sun: