While travellers often complain loudly about the inconvenient location of Narita Airport, Buddhist faithful who make a pilgrimage to nearby Naritasan Shinshoji, are rarely heard to do the same. The expansive and historical temple complex is one of the oldest and largest in this part of Japan. It is, of course, primarily a religious destination, … Continue reading Naritasan Shinshoji: an ancient center of worship
Tokyo's Setagaya Ward is best known as Tokyo's bedroom, the most populous ward of the metropolis, principally a residential area. It also has a number of sights to enjoy and even history to experience. Here's an uncrowded suburban walk of around four kilometers, mostly through greenery, culminating in some of those sights and history. There's … Continue reading Castles, Cats and Sumo in Setagaya
A day walk in a pretty urban area is always fun. A walk with a mission, like collecting the stamps of seven lucky gods, is even more fun. I've written on several lucky gods walks to do at New Year's but here's one that can be done any time of year, takes about 3 hours, … Continue reading Chasing an unusual seven lucky gods in Zoshigaya
Gunma Prefecture, some 100 kilometers north of Tokyo, has centuries of history as a silk producing area in Japan. One particular sign that you're in an area where silkworms were once raised are the rooftops of old farm houses, that have one or more raised sections along the ridgepole of the roof, a structure that … Continue reading Takayama-sha: developing the art and science of sericulture
Although it is often said that Japanese people are change averse, if one looks closely, signs of change, both past and present, are everywhere. Sometimes the changes are extreme and other times the changes are incremental. This 5-6 km. walk through hills above Gotanda and Meguro stations into the Meguro River valley explores various changes … Continue reading Gotanda and Meguro: a walk exploring changing times
In this time when safety restrictions are slowly being relaxed and summer weather is upon us, many people want to get out a bit, while minimizing any health risks of doing so. How about a nice urban walk with plenty of history and greenery and not too many crowded places? This easy walk of about … Continue reading Walking history on the outskirts of old Edo
In these days of working from home and social distancing, when everyone is being discouraged from visiting crowded, poorly ventilated venues, it seems Tokyo's parks are getting even more of a work-out than usual. That's saying a lot, given the overall popularity of parks in Tokyo. Personally, I think a lot about where I can … Continue reading Todoroki Gorge: Tokyo’s deep, green respite
Not long ago a Japanese friend was telling me about a book he was reading that detailed how Japan historically observed seasons in two week increments. Japan's love of the seasons is undeniable and when I reflected on what my friend was explaining to me, in some ways, I could see it. In particular, it … Continue reading The last celebrations of the new year’s season
This article takes readers on a seven lucky gods pilgrimage through an old, but not well known, corner of Tokyo. Seven lucky gods pilgrimages are mostly done at the New Year, but this one has delights in all seasons. Learn more in this article. (Archived article originally published by Japan Today.)
Autumn was a bit late to reach Japan this year, but is now in full "bloom"--awash with beautiful autumnal hues as the leaves of deciduous trees change and eventually fall. There are plenty of places to go in search of those stunning autumn leaves, especially gardens, parks and major avenues. If you're interested in getting … Continue reading Leaves and literati: a little Autumn stroll
This article introduces the traditional cloth dyers of northern Shinjuku-ku in Tokyo, clustered near the Kanda River since the beginning of the 20th century. Every Autumn, several dyers open their studios to public visits in a Konya Meguri (Dyer's Tour). Learn more in this article. (Archived article originally published by Japan Today.)
Japan has many great traditional performing arts, some with over a thousand years of history. Perhaps the best known of these is kabuki, a form of theatre developed "only" about 400 years ago. The plays involved relate-able stories, elaborate costumes and clever staging, making kabuki immediately popular across all social classes (must to the displeasure … Continue reading Kabuki: Japan’s historic theatre art
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