Seoul, Korea: Guard Parade

 

 Just inside the gate of Gwanghwamun I saw this parade of guards in the traditional uniforms of the past.

 The choice of bold colors and the banner made to look like it is on fire would definitely stand out on the mountain side. What a way to announce your presences.

 You  can see which colors were favored by the courts.

 At first I thought this was a mural of two horses, but now that I see it again I'm thinking they're dragons.

 Doesn't it look more like a dragon? It has the spiny back and the bushy beard and tail. Then there's the flame like wings coming out of its flank. Or is a mix of different creatures?

Seoul, Korea: Gwanghwamun Gate

 When you walk out of the station you can see this statue and the mountains.

 Looking towards the subway entrance you can see the city.

 If I remember correctly this is the statue of the man who created Hangul.

 The Gwanghwamun Gate. Does the mountain look like a wave to anyone else?

 It's interesting how different the view is depending on which direction you are looking in. This way you only see the city, but if you turn around you see a big gate and the mountains.

 The guards were standing so still in the wind and cold that I started to wonder if they were wax figures.

 Then this guy started fidgeting and I realized there are real people standing in the cold! I hope they had down jackets under there, because it was freezing! The colors of the flags and the clothing were a great contrast against the white of the gate.

Inside this passage way is a great mural of 2 horses. Make sure to look up when you pass through here.

Itsukushima Gate Up Close: Miyajima, Japan

 This bridge was very high! It was blocked off so you can't try to walk over it, but even if it was open you would need to hang on to the rails to climb up it.

 Too cute! A little boy taking a photo of his parents with their camera.　He was asking his parents to move to get a good picture.

かわいい！この男の子は両親のカメラをつかって写真をとってます。

Japanese pine tree.

松の木

Walking on the sand you can see lots of tiny crab walking around and going into holes they dug. There were also a lot of tiny shells with snails(?) inside.