Many Chinese cities feature a pond around which there are walkways and parkland where people can relax and connect with nature in spite of being in the city. Such publicly accessible ponds are not common in Japanese cities, where instead the historic strolling gardens usually had carefully sculpted water features. Senzoku-ike, just 9 minutes on … Continue reading Senzoku-ike: a suburban escape
Who doesn't love a performing clock, with various figurines that dance or move at appointed times throughout the day? In Tokyo there are a number of such clocks, including the Marionette Clock at Ebisu Garden Place and the Mullion Musical Clock outside the Hankyu Men's Store in Yurakucho. But perhaps the busiest and most intricate … Continue reading Nittele Big Clock: a Ghibli-inspired clock like no other
These days we hear a lot about recycling to reduce waste and ease pressure on the environment. Nishi-Rokugo Park, also known as Tire Park, is a great example of turning waste items into something both useful and fun. In this suburban playground/park, more than 3,000 tires are repurposed into whimsical shapes and playground equipment to … Continue reading Never get tired of recycling at Nishi-Rokugo Park
On January 22, 1954, a 25 meter long wooden fishing boat named Dai-go Fukuryu-maru (in English "F/V Lucky Dragon #5") set sail from Yaizu, a fishing port in Shizuoka, Japan, with a crew of 23. The boat was scheduled to be at sea for approximately two months, making a clockwise sweep around an area of … Continue reading The not-so-Lucky Dragon – “fallout” from nuclear testing
Japan has several centuries of history in the use of decorative glassware, with a particular flowering of the craft in the 18th and 19th century. Among the glass arts practiced in Japan that tourists can also try their hands at are glass blowing, cut glass (known as "Edo Kiriko"), and sand blasting. The Tokyo Glass … Continue reading Glass art in Ota-ku
For some in Japan, the spectre of leprosy seems to spark fear, even in the 21st century, more than eight decades after a cure for the disease was developed. The National Hansen’s Disease Museum in Tokyo’s Higashi Murayama City was founded to promote public understanding and de-stigmatize the disease. The museum's location is adjacent to … Continue reading The Legacy of Leprosy in Japan
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
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
April 30, 2019 literally marks the end of an era. The 30 year imperial reign of Akihito, the Heisei emperor, will come to an end as his majesty abdicates to a well-deserved retirement. The next day, his son, Crown Prince Naruhito, will ascend to the Chrysanthemum Throne and a new imperial reign, Reiwa, begins. The … Continue reading Imperial fever, imperial fervor
Shibuya, with its iconic "scramble" intersection, shopping, and entertainment, has become a symbol of modern Tokyo. It's insanely busy and very crowded, especially with teenagers and young adults. The below photos were taken at a relatively quiet time of day. Yet Shibuya is also home to a fair bit of traditional culture, particularly in the … Continue reading Finding quiet and culture in Shibuya
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
Jigsaw Japan 