I found this Pagoda when I took an obscure path from Nara Park. It was late spring 2005, and at the very end of the Cherry Blossom season - as you can see by what looks like snow on the ground - all pedals from the trees.

I'd spent most of the trip in Kyoto but scheduled my last few days in Nara. This was the last day, and it was very late in the day. You can see the sun setting on the ground behind the Pagoda on the right. It disappeared during the 5-minute exposure, so I wasn't sure what I'd be left with.

I was going to shoot for 4 minutes but decided on five during the exposure since the light diminished so quickly. It was also during the exposure that I realized this was my last night and that I'd be flying out in the morning - the realization made for an extremely emotional 5 minutes!