The Water Temple or “Shingonshu Honpukuji” created by Tadao Ando is a Buddhist temple on Awaji Island. The temple is a true testament to Tadao Ando’s philosophy of incorporating his buildings into the surroundings instead of disturbing the environment. The first image depicts the roof of the Temple, a pool underneath a large tree almost as if it were a natural. I simply feel peaceful when I look at this picture. In the middle of the pool is a concrete staircase that cuts the pool in half and leads into the temple’s inner sanctum. I love how the staircase blends in with the water so much that it can hardly be seen in the first picture and thus does not interrupt the tranquility of the pool. When descending into the temple, the path begins to circle around the inner sanctuary. As one gets closer to the center the space begins to radiate with orange and yellow. Eventually the inner sanctum and Buddha statue are revealed at the center of the temple in a sunset glow which is shown in the last image.