Another day, another monastery.

Well, no, these places are more distinct than that implied. But some parts of Hasadera are restricted, in terms of photography. So I spent time on items outside of the main Kannon-do.

There something about Hasadera that seems slightly “Disneyfied” — and perhaps there is nothing wrong with that. The temple complex seems proud to display its “Certificate of Excellence 2019” designation, awarded by tourist-travel aggregator TripAdvisor, on its literature and website.

Inevitably we all become a bit predictable, I suppose. Especially here at Hasadera with my camera I seem to catch the same weather-worn statues, the same slightly-ruinous or at least abandoned buildings, all amongst dark, weedy greenery under the same overcast skies. It’s like a very generic version of the Upside Down.

I find myself simply wanting to deconstruct these “old temple theme park” images. If they were still printed on photograph paper, I would tear them up and collage the pieces ironically.