COURTESY BRIAN SATO A kanji character is prominent in a slab of stone in Kobe, Japan.

Memories of fall in Kyoto

In recalling his many visits to Japan during the past 15 years, Brian Sato remembers with fondness the three fall months he spent living in Kyoto. Sato shares some of the photographs he took during those days in this week's "Portfolio," the second of two parts featuring the beauty of Japan's Kansai region.

"I lived in an old inn that was converted into apartments. The room was small -- and I mean REAL small. It was only four-and-a-half mats by six mats," he says with a laugh. One mat, a traditional Japanese way of measuring a room, is roughly 6 feet by 3 feet.

"There was only cold water and a community bathroom, and only a public bath. A neighbor loaned me a bicycle, which was great. The (landscape) is fairly flat, so it's easy to travel by bike."

Each day, Sato hopped on his wheels and went out shooting, a fabulous vacation for a person who loves both Japan and photography.

"I had a really great time," he says.

COURTESY BRIAN SATO A tended bonsai plant sits on a tree stump outside the Engyoji Temple in Himenji, Japan.

COURTESY BRIAN SATO Trees stand tall in a bamboo grove.

COURTESY BRIAN SATO A tree trunk provides shade in a corner of the Engyoji Temple.

COURTESY BRIAN SATO Autumn leaves are visible through slices of lattice.

COURTESY BRIAN SATO Dozens of jizo, provide protection for women, children and travelers at Engyoji Temple.