31 Aug: Did you know... The Oldest Structure in Sumida, Tokyo
One of my sightseeing trips brought me to Sumida, outside the touristic areas, at the Sumidasan Kisshoin Tamon Temple. The gate of this temple, built in 1718, holds the record of being the ... »
Read more » 26 comments » 
There are many buildings at the Toshougu Shrine in Nikko, and each has its own role. The building from this photo is the Shinyosha (Shed of Portable Shrine), the place where the mikoshi are stored. ... »
Read more » 25 comments » 
Daruma Dolls are spherical dolls, usually red colored, representing Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism. They are amulets for good luck, prosperity and especially for power to accomplish ... »
Read more » 24 comments » 
Behind the main building (Honden) of the Futarasan Shrine from Nikko, you can find a spring whose water is collected into a small pond.This is the Futara Spiritual Spring and it is believed that ... »
Read more » 23 comments » 18 Aug: A Japan Photo per Day - The Steepest Funicular from Japan
With an elevation of 608‰ (over 31 degrees), the Mount Takao funicular (Takao Tozan Railway) is the steepest funicular line in Japan. Although the trip is short (just 1km), the whole experience is ... »
Read more » 27 comments » 
Although the Tsukiji Fish Market is a major attraction for foreign visitors, I haven't visited it until now. I guess tuna auctions don't appeal to me too much. But I visited Tsukiji several times, ... »
Read more » 24 comments » 
In order to reach the Taiyuin Mausoleum from Nikko, you have to pass through three gates. The first one, called Niomon Gate, is "guarded" by two Nio guardians, the two Deva Kings. One of them is ... »
Read more » 17 comments » 08 Aug: A Japan Photo per Day - The Otorii from Yasukuni Shrine
The main gate of Yasukuni Shrine, known as Otorii, was erected in 1921. In 1943 it was demolished to be used as raw material for the war, and was replaced by a small torii made of Japanesse ... »
Read more » 34 comments » 
This is how a sake store looked during the Edo period, with long eaves and wide entrance. The first floor has the counter and the office, while the second floor was an employee's room. The building ... »
Read more » 47 comments » 
The official name of the Rainbow Bridge is Shuto Expressway No. 11 Daiba Route - Port of Tokyo Connector Bridge - that's no fun. :p The name Rainbow Bridge was decided by the public, and while the ... »
Read more » 27 comments » 
For a long time I wanted to make a trip to Mount Takao - Takaosan 「高尾山」 and yesterday I managed to do it. Takaosan is considered a sacred mountain, and it was a ... »
Read more » 32 comments » 
You know I like the Great Buddha statues (Daibutsu). There are many Daibutsu statues scattered all across Japan, but since most of them are are of smaller sizes, they aren't tourist spots and often ... »
Read more » 30 comments » 
About 11 months ago, I was writing about the construction of the Tokyo Sky Tree tower. Yesterday, I went again to visit the construction site, to see how the work progressed.Well, 2 years after ... »
Read more » 62 comments » 19 Jul: A Japan Photo per Day - The tallest building in Japan... in 1964
Can you believe this? Some 40 years ago, with its 72 meters, the New Otani Hotel was the tallest building in Japan (Tokyo Tower being considered a structure, not a building). The building opened in ... »
Read more » 32 comments » 22 Jun: Did you know... Dogu figurines
I wrote some time ago about the ancient Jomon ceramic vases, with their surface decorations made with a twisted rope. However, the Dogū figurines, from the same period are a lot more ... »
Read more » 22 comments » 17 Jun: Did you know... Senjafuda
At many shrines and temples from Japan, I noticed small pieces of paper randomly glued on walls, pillars or even ceilings:Daigyo-ji Temple, KamakuraSome are new, but most of them are old, ... »
Read more » 26 comments » 
If you remember, one year ago the Japan Railfan Club awarded the Blue Ribbon Award for the best train of the year 2009 to the Odakyu's Romancecar type 60000 MSE.This year is the East Japan ... »
Read more » 24 comments » 10 Jun: Did you know... Binbogami
There are myriads of kami (gods) in the Shinto religion. To honor the kami, the Japanese people build shrines and organize festivals (matsuri). Many Japanese have in their homes small kamidana ... »
Read more » 36 comments » 04 Jun: Did you know... Hotaru
Around the half of June, the firefly (hotaru) season begins in Japan.Even from the ancient times, the Japanese enjoyed the light shows created by fireflies during warm summer nights, close to ... »
Read more » 31 comments » 01 Jun: Samurai Sword - 30 Tsuba Photos
Ever since I was a kid, I always liked the Samurai swords, I was fascinated by the perfection of the blade... However, besides the blade there are a lot more elements that make the Japanese ... »
Read more » 50 comments » 25 May: Odd Japanese Customs - Baku
We all have bad dreams from time to time... Some treatments are available to avoid the nightmares, but in Japan we can get some exceptional help: baku, a creature who feeds on... nightmares!No, ... »
Read more » 56 comments » 
Few Japanese music stars are known outside Japan or Asia, but Japan is the second largest music market in the world, so the best-selling music artists from Japan managed to sell an impressive ... »
Read more » 30 comments » 
The bird with three legs (also called tripedal) is a mythical creature encountered in many traditional legends from Asia and North Africa. In Korea it is known as Samjokgo and is a symbol of power, ... »
Read more » 30 comments » 
Many cultures have ancient rituals for invoking or for stopping the rain, and Japan is no exception. However, Japan is one of the few countries where these rituals are still part of the daily ... »
Read more » 47 comments » 29 Apr: Sayonara Kabuki-za
The first Kabuki-za, the main theater in Tokyo for kabuki drama, was built in Ginza in 1889 and lasted until 1921 when, being a wooden construction, was destroyed in a fire. Kabuki-za in 1907, ... »
Read more » 29 comments » 12 Apr: Odd Japanese Customs - Kotobuki Bako, the Umbilical Cord Box
I wrote before about the Suiten-gu Shrine, located in Nihombashi, near the Suitengumae Station, dedicated to the God of safe childbirth and blessing of pregnancy.Right from the entrance, ... »
Read more » 25 comments » 
From the beginning of the 13th century until the Meiji Restoration, an interesting order of Zen Buddhist pilgrim monks roamed in Japan: komusō 「虚無僧」, the ... »
Read more » 34 comments » 01 Apr: 5 Old Japanese Lullaby Songs
Every culture has its own cradle songs (lullabies), simple yet beautiful songs, sung by parents since ancient times.Some lullaby songs were featured in movies or were interpreted by famous ... »
Read more » 43 comments » 31 Mar: Did you know... The Connection between Sakura and Mount Fuji
One of the best places to admire Mount Fuji is located in the Five Lakes region (Fujigoko) near the Kawaguchi Lake... and not incidentally, many sakura trees were planted around the lake.Images ... »
Read more » 40 comments » 17 Mar: 3 Old Japanese Sakura Stories
In Japan, sakura will start blooming soon... but the snow that fell here a few days ago reminded me of several great Japanese stories about sakura miraculously blooming in winter. 1. ... »
Read more » 38 comments » 15 Mar: 12 Sakura Manhole Covers
The main role of the relief drawings from the manhole covers is to prevent wheel slipping and potential accidents, especially when the metallic surface is wet.However, only in Japan, the ... »
Read more » 103 comments » 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 ... »
Read more » 31 comments » 
Even since my first visit to Japan, my attention was attracted by the manhole covers (manhoru in Japanese), many of them unusual decorated: cute characters, plants, castles, buildings...I ... »
Read more » 60 comments » 
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 » 
One of the nicest Japanese traditions related to the New Year is the one about the Seven Gods of Luck (or Lucky Gods). As Santa Claus is coming on his sleigh on Christmas Eve and brings gifts, ... »
Read more » 13 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 ... »
Read more » 35 comments » 
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 ... »
Read more » 19 comments » 
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 ... »
Read more » 19 comments » 21 Dec: The Christmas tree in Japan
Since the number of Christians in Japan is relatively low (under 1%), the Christmas day is not a national holiday and the Christmas in Japan is mainly a commercial event. The big companies ... »
Read more » 35 comments » 
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 » 123 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 ... »
Read more » 26 comments » 
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. Click on photo ... »
Read more » 25 comments » 
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 » 56 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 ... »
Read more » 10 comments » 
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 ... »
Read more » 22 comments » 
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 » 11 comments » 
There are many stories about the origins of Maneki Neko, the well known Japanese statue. Here's, in my opinion, the most beautiful of them all: At the begining of the Edo period, on the place ... »
Read more » 31 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 roomBasho Click on photo for ... »
Read more » 14 comments » 
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 dreamsThis 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 ... »
Read more » 6 comments » 
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. ... »
Read more » 12 comments » 
Suiten-gu Shrine from Nihombashi is devoted to Suijin (or Suiten), a kami of water, and to God of safe childbirth and blessing of pregnancy. The Shrine is also devoted to another deity of water, ... »
Read more » 4 comments » 22 Jul: Earthquake resistant architecture in Japan: Ishidorii
The Ishidorii Torii from the Nikko Toshougu Shrine was ingeniously designed to be earthquake resistant.The construction is very heavy, because it was built from granite, but at the same ... »
Read more » 7 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 ... »
Read more » 4 comments »
Over 24000 people follow muza-chan.net
Join them by subscribing toRSS
3000+
subscribers
Twitter
18500+
followers
FriendFeed
1100+
subscribers
Google Buzz
200+
followers
Google FriendConnect
1300+
members
or by
e-mail
Featured on 
02 Sep: A Japan Photo per Day - Rainy Day at Gokokusan Tenno-ji 
Gokokusan Tenno-ji Temple was established some 600 years ago (sometimes between ... »
Read more » 21 comments » 01 Sep: A Japan Photo per Day - Asakusa Shrine Haiden 
Asakusa Shrine is built in the gongen-zukuri style, a complex of three ... »
Read more » 21 comments » 31 Aug: Did you know... The Oldest Structure in Sumida, Tokyo One of my sightseeing trips brought me to Sumida, outside the touristic ... »
Read more » 26 comments » 31 Aug: A Japan Photo per Day - Yamada Denki LABI Akihabara 
One of the most popular stores in Akihabara, opened 13 years ago, is the Yamada ... »
Read more » 21 comments » 30 Aug: A Japan Photo per Day - Inari Shrine at World Trade Center 
Choosing the wrong exit from the Hamamatsucho Station, I discovered this ... »
Read more » 23 comments »
Japan photography, travel in Japan, Japanese culture, Japanese history, customs and traditions, J-music, Japanese cuisine, Japan facts and trivia
These works are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License. If you quote from this site, please link.
Powered by 
From Genghis Khan to Kamikaze
A Japan Photo per Day - Rainy Day at Gokokusan Tenno-ji
A Japan Photo per Day - Rainy Day at Gokokusan Tenno-ji
A Japan Photo per Day - Rainy Day at Gokokusan Tenno-ji
A Japan Photo per Day - Rainy Day at Gokokusan Tenno-ji
A Japan Photo per Day - Rainy Day at Gokokusan Tenno-ji
A Japan Photo per Day - Rainy Day at Gokokusan Tenno-ji
A Japan Photo per Day - Rainy Day at Gokokusan Tenno-ji
A Japan Photo per Day - Rainy Day at Gokokusan Tenno-ji
A Japan Photo per Day - Rainy Day at Gokokusan Tenno-ji
Did you know... The Oldest Structure in Sumida, Tokyo
A Japan Photo per Day - Rainy Day at Gokokusan Tenno-ji
A Japan Photo per Day - Rainy Day at Gokokusan Tenno-ji
A Japan Photo per Day - Rainy Day at Gokokusan Tenno-ji
A Japan Photo per Day - Rainy Day at Gokokusan Tenno-ji