The west side of Lake Biwa near Takashima; grain elevator in the distance

The low angle of the morning light on this 7 a.m. train from JR Takefu to JR Kyoto shows the passing landscape to good advantage for today's Bunka no Hi holiday (Culture Day). Immediately outside the train window the station platform of a small station passes in a blur as the train speeds south and east to the ancient capital once called Miyako, but now more widely known by the name of Kyoto.