München Karlsplatz (Stachus) station top level

Posted Under: 360° Panorama, Altstadt-Lehel, Bavaria, Europe, Germany, Munich

360° VR panorama of the top level of München Karlsplatz (Stachus) station, in Munich, Germany. The station’s top level contains an underground shopping precinct. The ceiling is notable – rather than a plain ceiling, it is covered in thin white cylinders of various diameters.

Lower levels of the station allow access to lines S1, S2, and S4-S8 of the S-Bahn, and lines U4 and U5 of the U-Bahn.

Chion-in Temple – Upper Graveyard

360° VR panorama of the northern end of the top graveyard at Chion-in (知恩院) temple, in Kyoto, Japan. The temple is built on Higashi-yama (East mountain).

In this image you can see the Nuregami shrine (濡髪大明神; Nuregami Daimyojin), and the large grave of Lady Sen (千姫; Senhime).

Chion-in is the headquarters of the Jōdo-shū (Pure Land Sect) of Japanese Buddhism, which was founded by Hōnen. Genchi, Hōnen’s disciple, founded the temple in 1234 in memory of his master. Many of the temple buildings were burnt down in 1633, and were subsequently rebuilt with help from the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu.

Chion-in Temple – Area outside Seishi-do

360° VR panorama of the area in front of Seishi Hall at Chion-in (知恩院) temple, in Kyoto, Japan. The temple is built on Higashi-yama (East mountain).

Chion-in is the headquarters of the Jōdo-shū (Pure Land Sect) of Japanese Buddhism, which was founded by Hōnen. Genchi, Hōnen’s disciple, founded the temple in 1234 in memory of his master. Many of the temple buildings were burnt down in 1633, and were subsequently rebuilt with help from the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu.

Seishi Hall (勢至堂; Seishidō) is the oldest building in Chion-in, rebuilt in 1530. It is named after the bodhisattva Seishi. Seishi is said to be the original form of Hōnen, so the hall is also known by the name Honjidō (本地堂), which means Hall of the Original Form.

Chion-in Temple – Bridge over pond near Nokotsu-do

360° VR panorama of a bridge over a lily pond at Chion-in (知恩院) temple, in Kyoto, Japan. The bridge leads to a columbarium (納骨堂; Nōkotsu-dō).

Chion-in is the headquarters of the Jōdo-shū (Pure Land Sect) of Japanese Buddhism, which was founded by Hōnen. Genchi, Hōnen’s disciple, founded the temple in 1234 in memory of his master. Many of the temple buildings were burnt down in 1633, and were subsequently rebuilt with help from the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu.

Chion-in Temple – Area outside the Main Hall

360° VR panorama of Chion-in (知恩院) temple, in Kyoto, Japan. Chion-in is the headquarters of the Jōdo-shū (Pure Land Sect) of Japanese Buddhism, which was founded by Hōnen. Genchi, Hōnen’s disciple, founded the temple in 1234 in memory of his master. Many of the temple buildings were burnt down in 1633, and were subsequently rebuilt with help from the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu.

In this panorama you can see the main hall Mieido (御影堂), which was rebuilt in 1639 and is a National Treasure of Japan. The hall holds the sacred image (miei) of Hōnen. To the south-east is the Hobutsuden (寶佛殿), and to the south-west is the Taihei pavilion tea shop (お茶処泰平亭). Nearby is a large censer used for burning incense.

Farndon Fields NW corner after heavy rain

360° VR panorama of a large puddle at the end of a ditch in the north-west corner of Farndon Fields, Market Harborough, England. The River Welland runs alongside part of the field, and can sometimes cause flooding of the area.

Farndon Fields is currently under development, and the developers have built a number of flood defences, which seem to have coped well with the April rain so far. The ditch area at the north of the field shown here is probably not complete yet (since it doesn’t go anywhere).

To the north of the field is an embankment that used to carry the Rugby and Stamford Railway line. Currently it is used as pasture for a few farm animals, in this image a couple of bullocks can be seen.

Higashi Hongan-ji Temple, Kyoto

Posted Under: 360° Panorama, Asia, Japan, Kansai region, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture

360° VR panorama of the Higashi Hongan-ji (東本願寺) temple complex in the Shimogyo-ku ward of Kyoto, Japan. The temple was founded in 1602 as part of a plan by the Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu to split the Shin Buddhist sect in two and reduce its influence. Higashi Honganji became the head temple of the Otani-ha branch, while the nearby Nishi Honganji temple became the headquarters of the Hongan-ji branch.

None of the original temple buildings of Higashi Hongan-ji survive, in 1864 a large fire destroyed all buildings and the treasures they contained. The majority of the temple structures today date from between 1879 to 1911. The main hall, Goei-do is the largest wooden structure in Kyoto, and the second largest in Japan.

Heian Jingu Shrine, Kyoto

360° VR panorama inside Heian Shrine (平安神宮; Heian-jingū) in the Sakyo-ku ward of Kyoto, Japan. Heian Shrine was originally built in 1895, as a partial replica of the Heian Palace to celebrate the 1100th anniversary of the founding of Heian-kyō.

The shrine is registered as an important cultural property of Japan. In 1976 some of the shrine buildings were burnt down, but these have since been rebuilt.

Inverness Castle

Posted Under: 360° Panorama, Europe, Inverness, Inverness-shire, Scotland, UK

360° VR panorama of Inverness Castle in Inverness, Scotland.

From Wikipedia:

Inverness Castle (Scottish Gaelic: Caisteal Inbhir Nis) sits on a cliff overlooking the River Ness, in Inverness, Scotland. The red sand stone structure evident today was built in 1836 by architect William Burn. It is built on the site of an 11th century defensive structure.

Today, it houses Inverness Sheriff Court. There has been a castle at this site for many centuries. The castle itself is not open to the public but the grounds are.

A statue of Flora MacDonald is placed outside the front of the castle. Flora is remembered for helping Bonnie Prince Charlie escape capture after he lost the Battle of Culloden.