Japan 5 08

Every western eye must surely see Japan differently. This is true of any unaccustomed place I am sure but my experience of Japan was ( naturally colored intensely by a heart stealing one year old ) as if seen through many lenses. I cant really say "Japan is...."
I can say that traditional Japanese architecture is, while challenging on the knees requiring dining and sleeping very close to the floor, tranquil and evocative of soft spoken word.
Shoe come off immediately and, as in the case of the ryokans where we stayed, slippers are provided for journeying from the front door ( seen above ) to your tatami mat covered room. Once in the room, a room that always opened onto a small serene garden, those slippers were left at the door and you walked about in sock or bare feet. This latter exercise was a difficult one for me necessitating a gentle reminder: um, mama, slippers.