This photo is from Kiyomizu-dera, which is near the Gion and Miyagawa-cho districts in Kyoto. It started out as a Buddhist temple back in 798, and in 1633, newer buildings were constructed. Beyond that, very little of the architecture of the temple has changed over the centuries. Of course, stair rails and ropes blocking off access have been added to certain areas, but most of it remains the same as it was when it was built in the 1600s.
Of course, not all Japan looks like the stereotypical shrines and temples us Westerners see on postcards. This building, for example, is a great example of the modern architecture that sprouted up all around Japan after WWII. The building in this photograph is the Hep Five, a shopping mall in Umeda, Osaka. The mall has about 100 stores, most of which are clothing stores for women, a movie theater, an arcade, and a variety of restaurants, ranging from Japanese to Italian. Inside of the building are lifesize replicas of whales that hang from the ceiling, and as shown in the photo, there is a large ferris wheel on the top of the mall, which can be accessed on the top floor.
