Fujisawa, about an hour by train from central Tokyo, has a long history as a traveller's way station, including during the 250 years that the Tokaido was the major coastal road for travellers between Kyoto and Edo (now Tokyo). Even before the Tokugawa shogunate, Fujisawa was popular with travelers bound for Enoshima and Oyama, popular … Continue reading Historical Fujisawa – the often overlooked Tokaido Post Town
Every two years, in odd-numbered years, Tokyo sees one of the three largest festivals in Japan, the Kanda Matsuri of Kanda Myojin Shrine. This year, the biggest, most spectacular part of the festival is this week-end: May 11 and 12. Saturday, May 11 is the main procession, when Kanda Myojin's o-mikoshi, portable shrines, are paraded … Continue reading Kanda Matsuri: a major spectacle not to be missed
Every year between April 29 and May 5 Japan celebrates "Golden Week", four public holidays over a period of seven days. This year, 2019, thanks to the abdication of Emperor Emeritus Akihito and the ascension to the throne of Emperor Naruhito, the government declared additional holidays, giving people in Japan a 10-day "Platinum Week": April … Continue reading Commemorating Japan’s Post-war Constitution
This article describes day tripping from Tokyo to Oiso, a seaside resort with a famous, historical hill as its hinterland. This hill is easily hike-able, and the article introduces a great lunch spot at the top. (Archived article originally published by Japan Today.)
Tokyo has a close relationship to water. From its earliest days as a city, its many rivers large and small have been well utilized and often diverted to form various canals and other waterways as well. Early Western visitors even went so far as to refer to Tokyo as the Venice of the East. While … Continue reading A Chance to Explore Some Tokyo Waterways
Jomyo-in sits between Ueno's National Museum and Yanaka Cemetery, yet it feels off the beaten track and perhaps even somewhat forgotten. A 17th century Tendai sect Buddhist temple that began its life as accommodation for monks associated with nearby Kanei-ji temple, Jomyo-in's principle claim to fame these days is the thousands of stone jizo statues … Continue reading Jizo by the thousands at Jomyo-in
I previously introduced jizo, a bodhisattva especially popular in Japan as the guardian and protector of children and travelers. Small statues of jizo can be found all over Japan. In many locations, the donors who place the statues do so as a good deed, a way to earn merit, the reward for which is manifested … Continue reading Six Jizo to watch over Edo
Nori, those paperlike sheets of dried seaweed, are popular in Japan as a tasty snack, as well as featuring in sushi and other famous Japanese dishes. But the stuff doesn't grow on trees! Or does it? Rows of dark rectangles in the water--telltale signs of seaweed farming are portrayed in Hiroshige woodblock prints of the … Continue reading Nori making: insights into a staple of Japanese cuisine
Tomioka Hachiman Shrine sits in the historic Fukagawa district of Tokyo, a neighborhood that developed and flourished during the Tokugawa shogunate (1602-1868) when Tokyo was known as Edo. Indeed, the history of the shrine, founded in 1627, is inextricably tied to that of Edo. Edo began its life as a fishing village wedged between rivers … Continue reading Tomioka Hachiman Shrine: conflicts, cartography, and other “stuff”
Ikegami, less than 20 minutes from Gotanda on the Tokyu Ikegami trainline, is a major Buddhist center, but also a bit of a hidden treasure. Not many foreign tourists manage to get here, but they should. As an interesting "local" neighborhood and a major collection of temples, it even beats Asakusa and its Sensoji temple … Continue reading Archaeology and other surprises in Ikegami
If you are strolling in the Ginza/Yurakucho area of Tokyo or even riding a JR train heading south from Tokyo station, chances are that you will notice the striking shape of the Glass Building of the Tokyo International Forum. Some seven stories tall, most of it a "sundrenched atrium", its super-structure resembles the ribs of … Continue reading Tokyo International Forum: a different kind of community center
New Year's Day 2019 in Tokyo dawned clear and relatively warm (high of 11C/52F), perfect weather for getting out for a little excursion in search of some luck for the new year. My favorite such activity is a seven lucky gods pilgrimage. It is said that the seven lucky gods sail into harbor on new … Continue reading The Tamagawa Seven Lucky Gods: a bit of local luck
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