01 Mar: Sayonara Shinkansen 500 - The Retirement of a Champion
Not long ago, I wrote about the reduced lifespan of Japanese trains, approx. 15 years (7 Reasons Why Japanese Trains Are Different). Perhaps the best illustration of this principle was the ... »
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On December 31 at midnight, the New Year is welcomed in Japan with 108 bell chimes, during the Joya no Kane ( 除夜の鐘 ) ritual taking place at the Buddhist Temples. ... »
Read more » 33 comments » 28 Dec: 2010, the Year of the Tiger
Today, at the Tsutenkaku Tower in Osaka, took place the 54th ceremony of the zodiac sign replacement. The animals representing the old year (the Year of the Ox) and the new year (the Year of the ... »
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Kagami mochi (鏡餅) is a special New Year Japanese decoration, usually displayed in the kamidana, for the toshigami, the god of the new year, to bring good luck and prosperity in the ... »
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On the New Year, there is a custom in Japan to display, on the house entry door or on the porch, a special knitted rope made from rice straws called shimenawa, on which are hung special strips of ... »
Read more » 28 comments » 25 Dec: Japanese New Year Postcards
In Japan, starting from mid-December, everybody starts sending nengajo ( 年賀状 ), New Year postcards for friends, relatives and colleagues. According to the tradition, nengajo ... »
Read more » 15 comments » 24 Dec: Japanese Christmas Cake
The customs and traditions regarding the Christmas were brought in Japan by the Christian missionaries. Usually, in Christian countries, the Christmas menu is important and varies widely from ... »
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Anyone who experienced the Japanese trains has a story to tell... There are hundreds of stories about the punctuality, the speed or the cleanness of the Japanese trains. Nevertheless, what makes ... »
Read more » 90 comments » 10 Dec: New E5 Shinkansen at Start
An article from today's Mainichi draw my attention: JR East started testing today the new generation of Shinkansen trains - E5, and the new train appeared yesterday in Tokyo Station, running ... »
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The Great Buddha from Kamakura (Daibutsu) was cast in 1252, with money raised from donations by the priest Joko and was sculpted by Ono-Goroemon and Tanji-Hisatomo. ] [/lightbox] Click on photo ... »
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The Great Buddha from Kamakura (Daibutsu) represents the Amida Buddha (in Japanese Amida Nyorai), the Buddha of the Infinite Light, the main Deity of the Buddhist Sect Jodo (Pure ... »
Read more » 55 comments » 04 Dec: The Bell of the Chosho-ji Temple
In Asakusa, close to the Sumida river shores, you can find a small Nichiren Buddhist Temple, Chosho-ji. It is a very old temple, the founding date is not precisely known, but it is approx. around ... »
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A third of the steel used for building the Tokyo Tower was obtained by melting 90 American tanks damaged in the Korean War. From this... M46 Patton tank in the Korean War, image via ... »
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On the left side of the entry to the Toshougu Shrine from Ueno, you can find a huge stone lantern, one of the biggest in Japan (next to the one from the Nanzen-ji Temple in Kyoto and the one from ... »
Read more » 12 comments » 18 Nov: Happy Birthday, Mickey Mouse
His films may have influenced the development of today's anime. He's by far the best known cartoon character and his name (written ミッキー) is equally popular even in ... »
Read more » 14 comments » 03 Nov: Japanese instruments - Sanshin
The first time I heard a sanshin, I was in the park behind the Tokyo Metropolitan Building, where a boy and a girl were practicing together. I loved the sound, and I understood why it is ... »
Read more » 10 comments » 24 Oct: Haiku and photography 2
Sometimes, a photo reminds me of a haiku... like this Raindropped Blue Hydrangea, by Mark Highton Ridley: hydrangea a bush is the little garden of a detached room Basho Click on photo for ... »
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Today in Abu Dhabi, the 24 member states of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Heritage - UNESCO, decided the 76 elements inscribed on the Representative List of ... »
Read more » 7 comments » 21 Sep: Haiku and photography
A beautiful photography by Mark Highton Ridley reminded me of this Basho haiku: summer grasses all that remains of warriors dreams This post is also my entry to this months freebie prize ... »
Read more » 3 comments » 12 Sep: Did you know... The Hakone Checkpoint - girls and guns
The Hakone Checkpoint (Hakone Sekisho) was build in 1619, to prevent the rebellion of feudal lords against the shogun Hidetada Tokugawa. For 250 years, the travelers were strictly ... »
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During the Edo period, the exact time was marked with bells. One of those bells, named "Bells of Time" (toki no kane), owned by the Kan'ei-ji Temple, can be found today in the Ueno Park. This ... »
Read more » 12 comments » 03 Sep: Happy Birthday, Doraemon!
Doraemon, the extremely cute cat robot, was created on September 3rd 2112, at the Matsushiba Robot Factory. His birth date (12/9/3) is related to a representative number for Doraemon: 1293. ... »
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Suiten-gu Shrine from Nihombashi is devoted to Suijin (or Suiten), a kami of water, the patron of fertility, motherhood and easy childbirth. The Shrine is also devoted to another deity of water, ... »
Read more » 4 comments » 17 Jul: Hokora
Hokora are small shrines, dedicated to the local kami. They can be built as auxiliary facilities, next to regular shrines, like the one in this photo, near the Futarasan Shrine, in ... »
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During the construction of the Diet Building, over 377,926 slabs of stone material (granite and marble) were used, weighting 28,406 tons. If those slabs were piled-up, the pile would have reached a ... »
Read more » 3 comments » 07 Jul: Did you know... Morning glory
Morning glory (asagao) was brought to Japan in the 9th century, from China, where it was cultivated as a medicinal plant, for the laxative properties of its seeds. During the Edo period, ... »
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When I took a ride with the water bus Himiko on the Sumida river, from Asakusa to Odaiba, I was surprised to see on the deck a few characters from the anime series Galaxy Express 999. I ... »
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The Shinto shrine situated at the highest altitude in Tokyo (150 meters), is located on the second floor of the Main Observatory of Tokyo Tower. This shrine helps with success in love, ... »
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I just read in the Mainichi newspaper that Odakyu Electric Railway's express train Romancecar ( ロマンスカー ) type 60000 MSE has won the Japan Railfan Club's ... »
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At Toshougu Shrine in Nikko, there are two elephants sculpted on one of the sacred warehouse (Kamijinko). One elephant is white and the other is black. The sculptor Tanyu Kano, had never seen ... »
Read more » 4 comments » 28 May: Did you know... Koma-inu
On the front of the shinto shrines, on each side of the entry, there are always a pair of koma-inu. The koma-inu with the open mouth has the role of frightening evil spirits and the one with the ... »
Read more » 1 comment » 25 May: Did you know... Shachi
On the peak of the roof of donjons, castles and other Japanese fortifications, there are some talismans named shachi, constructed in the form of a killer whale. These talismans were considered to ... »
Read more » Comment » 24 May: Sakura photos
I just updated my Photo Gallery, with a new set of sakura photos, all taken last month in the Bucharest Botanical Garden. Am adăugat în galeria foto o ... »
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With operations starting in 1919, the Hakone Tozan Line was the first mountain railroad in Japan. Constructed in zig zag, with a maximum slope of 8% (meaning that the train climbs 1 meter ... »
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In the Imperial Palace East Gardens (Kokyo Higashi Gyoen), on the place where today there is a simple alley in a camphor wood, 308 years ago there was a corridor named Matsu no Oroka, part of the ... »
Read more » 4 comments » 13 May: "INFINITY" CITIZEN x WOW
A magnificent video with images from Tokyo, a commercial for a Citizen Eco-Drive series watch, created for BASELWORLD 2009, the world's biggest event for the watch and jewelry industry, which is ... »
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At the Toshougu Shrine in Ueno, on the Karamon Gate, an arched gate built in Chinese style, there are two dragons carved by Hidari Jingoro, a renowned sculptor from the Edo period. One dragon is ... »
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On the occasion of the Japan-Danube Friendship Year 2009, Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko will visit Romania, later this month. foto: www.wikipedia.org The Japan-Danube Friendship Year ... »
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During the Edo period, towards the main cities, there were five major roads, all having Nihonbashi as starting point: Tokaido, Nakasendo, Nikko-Kaido, Oshu-Kaidosi and Koshu-Kaido. Inns were placed ... »
Read more » 1 comment » 27 Apr: Baby sakura
Several days ago, during a stroll in the Botanical Garden, on the alley with the two sakura trees, I discovered four sakura saplings, one of which already blossomed. Ten years from now, we'll ... »
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Ten days ago, on the Palm Sunday (which is a flower festival in Romania), an Ikebana expo took place at Bucharest Botanical Garden. Cu zece zile în urmă, în Grădina ... »
Read more » 1 comment » 18 Apr: Haiku... Dragonfly
The empty air made buzz Thin wings of a dragonfly. Sekitei ... »
Read more » Comment » 16 Apr: Did you know... Shiodome
Shiodome is built on what was originally marshland, on the coast of Tokyo Bay. The marsh was drained in 1603, by the orders of the Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. Photo taken from Tokyo Tower. More ... »
Read more » Comment » 14 Apr: D5000 - a new Nikon is born
I just learned from Akihabara News that a new DSLR is born, the Nikon D5000. I currently use a D90, but since my Photo Gallery was shot solely with Nikon's DSLR equipment (D80, D90, D300), I ... »
Read more » Comment » 09 Apr: Did you know... Kabuki-za
The first Kabuki-za in Ginza was opened in 1889 and was burned to the ground in a fire in 1921. Rebuilding begun the following year, but before completion, the theater was again damaged, by the ... »
Read more » Comment » 08 Apr: Customs and traditions of Japan - Hana Matsuri (8th April)
On 8th April, Japan celebrates Buddha's Birthday, Hana Matsuri (花祭り - The Flower Festival). According to Buddhist tradition, Prince Siddhartha Gautama (Sakyamuni Buddha), the ... »
Read more » 4 comments » 08 Apr: Sakura buds
The weather was warm in Bucharest and the sakura buds almost opened... So, I made another update on my Photo Gallery, with a set of 15 photos with sakura buds. A fost cald în ... »
Read more » Comment » 05 Apr: Still waiting for sakura
Today, I went again to the Botanical Garden to see the sakura buds. They're bigger now, it looks like the next week it will blossom. Azi am mers din nou la Grădina Botanică din ... »
Read more » Comment » 29 Mar: Did you knew... Karadou Torii
The Karadou Torii from Toshougu Shrine, Nikko, was the first bronze torii in Japan (click on image for more photos). Ştiaţi că... Karadou Torii Karadou torii de la ... »
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There are 50 large copper lanterns at the Toshougu Shrine in Ueno, offered by daimyo (feudal lords) during the rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The name of the daimyo that donated it is writen on ... »
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11 Mar: 25 Sakura Songs, 22: Rythem - Sakura Uta 
25 Sakura Songs: Rythem - Sakura ... »
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11 Mar: The Sad Story of the Hidden Ginkgo from Tsurugaoka Hachimangu 
In order to reach the main building of the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, you ... »
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11 Mar: A Japan Photo per Day - Street Scene in Kabukicho 
Kabukicho, Tokyo Nikon D80 Lens: VR 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6G Focal Length: ... »
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10 Mar: A Japan Photo per Day - Torii Pathway 
Hato Mori Hachiman Shrine, Sendagaya, Tokyo Nikon D80 Lens: VR 18-55mm ... »
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09 Mar: A Photo Visit to Hongaku-ji Temple 
At less than half a kilometer south-east of Kamakura Station, you can visit ... »
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09 Mar: A Japan Photo per Day - Cute Chibi Gundam 
Bandai Headquarters, Asakusa, Tokyo Nikon D300 Lens: 18-70mm ... »
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The Sad Story of the Hidden Ginkgo from Tsurugaoka Hachimangu
The Sad Story of the Hidden Ginkgo from Tsurugaoka Hachimangu
The Sad Story of the Hidden Ginkgo from Tsurugaoka Hachimangu
The Sad Story of the Hidden Ginkgo from Tsurugaoka Hachimangu
The Sad Story of the Hidden Ginkgo from Tsurugaoka Hachimangu
The Sad Story of the Hidden Ginkgo from Tsurugaoka Hachimangu
The Sad Story of the Hidden Ginkgo from Tsurugaoka Hachimangu