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 » 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 » 91 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 » 25 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 » 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 » 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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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 ... »
Read more » 7 comments » 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 ... »
Read more » Comment » 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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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 ... »
Read more » 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 » 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 » 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 » 23 Mar: Waiting for sakura...
I learned from Japan Probe that sakura started to blossom in Tokyo. So, last evening, I went to the Bucharest Botanical Garden to see how the sakura buds look like in the tree I photographed so ... »
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Japan photography, travel in Japan, Japanese culture, Japanese history, customs and traditions, J-music, Japanese cuisine, Japan facts and trivia
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