Did you know that there are multiple buddhas? The historical Buddha we often think of was named Siddhartha Gautama. They call him Shyaka Nyorai in Japanese.
Notable photographer Ken Rockwell, known for being delightfully opinionated, among other things, says that getting up close is the best way to use a lens with a wider angle. I think I agree with him, although actually he's talking about lenses that have much wider angles of view than this one, which is my widest at the moment. If I get the 8mm Fujifilm is coming out with next year, I'll have to put it to the test. I think the results would be fun.
I usually pay no attention to the history of a site when I'm photographing, I suppose because it's distracting. I just thought, "This monument looks really cool." I had no idea it was dedicated to a Korean mariner. Apparently, Jang Bogo helped Ennin, a prominent Japanese Buddhist monk, travel between Japan and China in the 9th century. How about that!
