Japan - 9

Hi, On this cruise we visited Busan, South Korea. Although Asian, like Japan and China, it has a very different feel.

Our shore excursion took us to a temple and then a dance recital.

Here is an interesting play on words for a restaurant name.

Our first stop was the Beomeosa Temple.  There were many interesting statues on the walk up to the main temple area (above and two below).

Here one of the statues sits above a column with religious writings on it.   There were many of these.

This is one of the three gates one must pass through to reach the main temple area.

One of the temple gates was guarded by six fierce warriors, three on each side of the entry way through the gate.  One of the statues is shown above.

The architecture of the gates and the surrounding areas made for some interesting design photos (above and 3 below).

Prayers were continuously underway (above and below).

Our second stop was the Busan National Gugak Center.  The center is devoted to the preservation of traditional Korean culture, in particular music and dance.  This is a pair of typical stringed instruments.

Please enjoy the photos (above and nine below) of the performers in traditional costumes.

I'll close with a typical street scene in a commercial area as seen from our bus.  Thanks for looking.