Though born in Hong Kong, it was the very first time I visited a country in Asia. The main purpose of the trip was to take pictures in Kyoto. Perhaps it was meant to be, that out of my 6 days in Japan including one day mainly on the train, with no photos taken at all, Kyoto was where I had the nice weather.

I booked this trip in a rush and did not have time for any research, but thanks to a great photographer friend KKM, who lives in HK but knows Japan like a book, and who acted as my remote tour guide via e-mail everyday throughout my trip, I knew exactly where I should go to shoot, instead of roaming around looking for temples.

Regardless of the cruel war in the past, the Japanese people I met have earned my genuine respect. Whenever I aimed my camera at them, they showed a friendly smile. Whenever I bowed to thank them, they would return a deeper bow to express I was welcomed. And whenever I asked for direction, they all tried to help in spite of the language barrier from time to time. When I was in Kyoto, a lovely young lady Ai and her mother even took the subway with me for a few stops in order to show me how to get to the station for my connecting JR train. What also impressed me very much was how they seemed to enjoy their jobs, from train conductors, waiters, food vendors to rickshaw operators (photo # Kyoto_43). That reflects their positive attitude about life.

I was overwhelmed when I saw the cherry blossoms, for the peak season had already been over before my arrival. Another nice surprise was during the two days in Kyoto I came across 3 weddings which added some flavour to this album. The second wedding (Kyoto 54 - 58) was a real bonus. The professional photographer was trying to block the bystanders from taking pictures, which was understandable, but when I heard the guests from the groom's side speaking French, spontaneously I chatted a little bit with them. They told me they were from Switzerland, and I said how I enjoyed my trip to their country a few months ago. Obviously the photographer did not understand the language and thought that I was their friend, so she allowed me to take pictures on the side.

I did not mean to trick her with my far-from-perfect French, but it always pays to learn another language.

(All copyrights reserved)