During my trip to Japan this April, I visited one of the most well-known shrines of Tokyo, the Sensoji temple. Even though this temple was destroyed during World war II, and was rebuilt right after the war, the original temple was built around 645 AD, making it Tokyo's oldest temple. There is a 250-meter long street leading up to the temple, with shops on either sides. The photograph above was taken from the Asakusa culture and tourism centre's roftop, and the street, or the Nakamise dori, can be clearly seen here, terminating right at the temple.  This is somewhe ..read more

During my trip to Japan earlier in April this year, I had the chance to visit a couple of zen gardens. Zen gardens are supposed to be places where one can meditate about the true meaning of life. These gardens usually have rocks, trees, water bodies and graveled pathways as landscape elements. Entering a zen garden is like getting transported to a different place through a portal, because once you are inside, you do not feel like you are in a city. It feels more like being in a quite, serene place, where you can sit around peacefully for hours. Capturing the essence of a place through ph ..read more

Clicking pictures from an aeroplane is not exactly an ideal setting for photography. First of all there is the constant vibration which needs to be contended with. The narrow window opening leaves you with no other choice than to lean and almost glue the camera's lens into the window (in case you want to capture the scene without the window edges). And I hate it sometimes when there are dust particles on the exterior. All that of course matters only if you get a window seat, and a row from where your view is not hindered too much by the wings. On my way to Tokyo from Bangalore last April tho ..read more

I do not know exactly what title should I have for this post. I have already posted photographs from a beautiful morning in Mananthavady, of the mighty Banasura sagar dam, and of a mesmerizing sunset at Kozhikode from this trip. But I did not want to leave out photographs closer to the places we had stayed in. These are not 'touristy' places, but as beautiful, if not more, than many other better known places.  For the first couple of days of my trip, I put up in my friend's place in Mananthavady. His house is located in the countryside and surrounded by fields ..read more

If you haven't read the previous posts in the series, click on the links below Travel diaries : Japan (Part I) Travel diaries : Japan (Part II) Travel diaries : Japan (Part III) Travel diaries : Japan (Part IV) -------- Distance between Tokyo and Kyoto by road : Around 450 kilometers Time required to travel that distance by road : Approximately 7-8 hours Time required to travel the same distance by bullet trains (Shinkansen) : 2 hours and 20 minutes In addition to this, they are comfortable to travel in, you get all sorts of food from food carts attending to every passenger, and they have ..read more

My friend's engagement at Mananthavady was an enjoyable affair. It was a reunion of sorts, with many of our friends coming down to attend the ceremony from different parts of the country. But it was over all too soon, and we had to make our way back to Bangalore to slide back into our 9-6 jobs. Before we did that though, we thought of taking a detour through Kozhikode and stay there for a night.  It was the 14th of March, 2017. We left from Mananthavady in the morning at around 9, and by the time we reached Kozhikode, it was past noon. As the place is known for some great food, we fille ..read more

Located in Wayanad, Kerala, Banasura sagar dam is the largest earth dam in India. It is spread across a huge area and seemed almost like a river to me. The speedboat ride was really thrilling and it should definitely not be missed if you visit. Anyway, here are a few photographs that I took that day. Took this from the speedboat, somewhere in the middle of the dam View of the dam from the bank One of the speedboats taking people around the lake I hope you like the pictures. I will be back with more postcards from Kerala this Wednesday. Do visit and chec ..read more

In the last 'Travel tips' post, I gave you 10 reasons why you must go to Japan. I know most of you would be more than ready to plan a trip there. But the most important thing which one has to worry about before planning such a trip, is the finance part. I haven't been on too many foreign trips to be honest, but I had been to Japan in April 2017, and I can give you a fair estimate on what the budget needs to be for such a trip. What I will do is give you a breakdown of how much each activity will cost you (approximately). For ease, I will divide the expenses into two categories; thing ..read more

Back in March 2017, I went on a short trip to Kerala on account my friend's engagement ceremony. I had been on treks to Kerela before, but this was my first opportunity to see the plain grounds of God's own country. I took the bus from Bangalore on Friday night and reached Mananthavady at around 4 A.M. the next morning. I was putting up at my friend's house only, and the entire place resonated of peace. There were trees, hills and mist all around and I could not just sit at home anymore. So I decided to talk a walk around the countryside. These are some of the shots I took ..read more

A ..read more