Japan Travel Mate » Sakura

Pictures of Japan – 10 photos

JTM — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 08:15:23 +0000

This is a photo post full of pictures of Japan. These 10 pictures of Japan tell a story of the country, as it is seen by the typical tourist of Japan on their visit to Japan.

Samurai picture from Tokyo, Japan

Katana (sword) wielding samurai are one of the most famous icons of Japan. With such a rich and long history, samurai have been depicted in art, television, anime (cartoons), manga (comics) and movies including a few Hollywood blockbusters.

State of the samurai warrior Kusunoki Masashige in the East Garden outside Tokyo's Imperial Palace.

I took this photo during a holiday to Tokyo. The photo has been published in the Japan Times Online.

Geisha & Maiko

Unique to Japan with their white faces, extravagant hair and expensive kimono, the tradition of Geisha and Maiko survives to this day. Most famously they are shown in paintings from Japan dating back hundreds of years.

The face of traditional Japan is still alive today.

Photo credit: Michael Chandler via Flickr.

Temples and shrines in Japan

Temples and shrines go hand in hand in Japan. Rarely will you find a temple which does not have a shrine, conversely there are many small shrines littered around the country.

Todaiji Temple in Nara, Kansai, Japan (near Osaka).

This picture was taken during a trip to Nara, just near Osaka. Todaiji temple is famous for roaming deer and the world’s largest bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana. Temples are always an impressive scene and there are many different types.

Castles

Part of Japan’s history comprises eras of fierce battle between rulers of various areas. As a result, almost every region, town or city of Japan has a local castle. Some are poised atop mountains, others surrounded by moats and large walls. A visit to any castle is a must during a visit to Japan.

Okayama castle, painted in black, it is known as the Crow Castle.

This picture was taken in Okayama, Japan. Unique with black paint, Okayama castle is usually lit at night and can be seen from various places around the city.

The Big City

Japan has the 10th largest population of any country in the world, with about 128 million people. Tokyo alone has more people in one city than Australia does in its whole country.

Tokyo, truly a city that never sleeps.

This picture of Shibuya, Tokyo is from Dan Chui via Flickr. An amazing HDR photo, Shibuya’s famous and massive pedestrian crossing can be seen in the right bottom corner.

Mt Fuji

Perpetually capped with snow, on a fine day Mt Fuji can be seen from Tokyo Tower. Shown in perhaps the most famous piece of art to come out of Japan The Great Wave off Kanagawa, Mt Fuji is reveared by the Japanese people.

Typically in Japanese, mountains are named ‘Mountain Name’ yama, for example Sanage yama (in Aichi, near where I live). However Mt Fuji is called Fuji san in Japanese, san is appended to peoples names, which shows the close relationship people have with Mt Fuji.

Mt Fuji at night.

This brilliant photo of Mt Fuji at night is provided with thanks to (c) Tomo Yun

Cherry Blossoms (Sakura)

Arguably the most famous flower or plant of Japan, and known all over the world is the cherry blossom (sakura in Japanese). Blooming for only a few weeks everywhere, just about every Japanese person will annually attend a cherry blossom festival or spend a day picnicking and viewing cherry blossoms (ohanami in Japanese).

A glimpse of the cherry blossom flower in spring.

This picture of cherry blossoms in Japan was taken during my visit to Okayama castle. Take a look at the articles in the Cherry Blossoms category for more pictures and info.

Bullet Trains (Shinkansen)

There are two photos for this one, for a few reasons: I think shinkansen are awesome; Japan is the pioneer and leader in high-speed trains, the latest bullet train (the E5 Hayabusa) travels at over 300km/h; the E6 (which is red so must be slightly faster!) has already been built and will be in operation in a few years; approval from the Japanese government has been given to JR (Japan Railway) to build a Maglev train between Tokyo and Osaka, it will travel at over 500km/h in an almost straight line!

A wallpaper of the E5 Hayabusa shinkasen from JR East.

An advertising poster for the new bullet train.

Both images are from JR East.

Go to Why go to Japan? Reason #2: Technology to see HD video of the new bullet train.

Japanese People

And last, but of course not least, is the Japanese people themselves. There are many stereotypes of Japanese people; the cosplay style, crazily dressed teen-to-twenty-something in Harajuku; the salary man squashed and asleep on the train; the old man and woman with hunched backs pulling their shopping trolley; ninjas… When you visit Japan you quickly realise that the Japanese hold onto a virtue, and that is general courtesy towards everyone.

Waiting for a train to pass in Tokyo.

This photos was taken by Lee Chapman at Tokyo Times. Personally I am a big fan of the way he captures Japanese people in his pictures.

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Why go to Japan?

JTM — Sun, 15 May 2011 01:57:33 +0000

Where to visit and what to do in Japan, the new top reasons list

If you are looking for reasons to travel to Japan, then look no further then this highly refined article from a foreigner who has holidayed in Japan and now lives in Japan. When I first started this blog, the very first post was about reasons to visit Japan. Since then, I have discovered more of its hidden culture and surprises. A revision to the original list was needed, so here is the new Why go to Japan post.

The thing I have come to find most interesting about Japan, is how the country can be so ultra-modern technologically, while juxtaposed with tradition and culture. This is the thing Japan does best of all and tops this revised list of reasons in this Why go to Japan post.

Why go to Japan? Reason #1: Japanese culture

As a tourist, it’s all about Japanese culture. From the castles, temples and shrines, the authentic restaurants and festivals, experiencing Japanese culture is the number 1 reason for coming to Japan.

Sanjuusangendou temple in Kyoto, a view from the temple gardens.

A visit to Kyoto is a must. If you don’t go to Kyoto, and for example, only visit Osaka then do check out Osaka Castle, or whatever the major castle of the area or city is.
Temples and shrines are everywhere and are never far off the main tourist track.
If you travel to Japan in their spring (around April) then you must see the cherry blossoms, or go to a cherry blossom festival. If you do not travel to Japan in spring, then find out what festivals are on and go see them, you will experience great local Japanese food and culture.

This is the famous (and huge!) Osaka Castle, surrounded by moat walls and cherry blossoms. Most cities and towns have a castle.

Why go to Japan? Reason #2: Technology

Along with a rich tradition, Japan is the birthplace of many technologies, from the Toyota Prius (check out the interactive 3D experience of the new Toyota Prius Alpha, just press the CLICK HERE button when you are on the site) to the famous electronic “washlet toilet“, to perhaps the even more famous bullet train (Shinkansen, the newest E5 Hayabusa started service in March 2011, the E6 Hayabusa bullet train is about 1-2 years away).

Japan also has, on average, the fastest internet speed in the world. I guess this is because it is geographically a small country, and the penetration of fiber optic is very high.

For the traveller, everyday you will experience this technology. It could be a ride on the bullet train, it could be the fancy touch screen pad or “dumb waiter” used to order your sushi (which arrives at your table on a mini-bullet train), the automatic bath (which fills itself and keeps warm) or any other number of hidden technologies that just make travelling so convenient!

Why go to Japan? Reason #3: Food and drink

Japan’s unique cuisine is world famous, especially sushi. Some of my favourite Japanese’s foods (which are extremely difficult to find outside the country) are Okonomiyaki (often referred to as Japanese pizza), Hiyashi Chuka (a cold noodle dish that is great summer) and Miso Ramen (Japan’s version of the famous chinese noodle).

To accompany your meal, try a Chu-Hai (fruit flavoured carbonated drink) or Umeshu (fruit liquer) or one of the good nama (draft) beers such as Asahi Super Dry or Yebisu Premium Gold.

This is one of the reasons that has been identified since living in Japan. I’m pretty sure that the concept of all you can drink would be illegal in Australia. Best experienced at either an Izakaya (traditional Japanese drinking establishment, which serves food and drink) or at a Yakiniku (which means grilled beef in Japanese). Here you can have all you can eat, called tabehodai (Kanji = 食べ放題, hiragana = たべほうだい, romaji = tabehōdai) and all you can drink, called nomihodai (Kanji = 飲み放題, hiragana = のみほうだい, romaji = nomihōdai).

You might get about 3-5 small pieces of meat per serving, so make sure you keep the orders coming...

After getting a table, order some nice beef. It will be served raw at your table, and it’s over to you to do the grilling. It isn’t just limited to beef though, there is some amazing chicken, pork, seafood and vegetables.

Yakiniku - a table full of beers and food, with beef grilling in process.

In no time at all you will have a table full of delicious food and drink. Make sure you keep the orders coming, as the servings are small.

The revised list of Why go to Japan wouldn’t be complete…

…without adding that Japan needs tourism now more than ever. In my opinion, some of the mainstream media has been overly sensationalist when reporting on the nuclear disaster. However the radiation risks are limited to a 20-30km radius around Fukushima in the north of Japan. A long way south of that is Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and many of the best places to visit.

So come visit Japan, and decide for yourself the best things about this wonderful country!

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Cherry Blossom Festival and Iyeyasu Samurai Parade in Okazaki

JTM — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 10:14:44 +0000

The cherry blossoms (sakura in Japanese) bloom in spring in Japan, and every prefecture has their own festival (omatsuri in Japanese) to celebrate this special time. It is so special because the cherry blossoms are in bloom for only a few weeks, requiring a special climate in order to show their full colours.

This article is of our day trip to Okazaki in Aichi prefecture. It is close to Toyota city and Nagoya, about 3 hours drive from Tokyo. Okazaki has the Iyeyasu Samurai parade every year, famous for the historical?samurai?battle reenactments.

Cherry blossom lined street with lanterns in Okazaki, the start of the walk to Okazaki castle.

Getting off the train at Naka-Okazaki station, we followed the lantern and cherry blossom lined streets toward Okazaki-jo (Okazaki castle).

Cherry blossom (sakura) tree closeup, at the river near Okazaki castle.

Approaching Okazaki castle was the main area to view the cherry blossoms.

Ohanami (Cherry blossom viewing) by the river at the Iyeyasu festival.

Cherry blossom viewing is known as “ohanami” in Japanese. It is very popular, groups of people get out their blue mats, mini-BBQs and beer cans, to sit under the cherry blossom trees and enjoy the spring day.

Lanterns line a red bridge leading to Okazaki castle and more cherry blossom trees

A moat surrounds Okazaki castle, and crossing a red bridge you leave the main area with many people and many food stalls, to the outer castle area with more people and more food stalls.

Iyeyasu's Well outside Okazaki castle

The festival celebrates the cherry blossoms, but also the famous samurai Iyeyasu Tokugawa. He was a famous samurai, known to be a brilliant?tactician who fought and won many great battles for the emperor.

Ninja and Samurai clash in a memorial battle at Okazaki's Iyeyasu Festival

A reenactment of a battle is in full swing, showing a ninja clan attempting to storm the castle. Iyeyasu and his samurai warriors repel the attack.

Samurai lined up and prepared to fire.

Before the Ninja vs. Samurai battle above, a parade of samurai departed the main “battlefield” for a parade around Okazaki. They return for yet another, and very amazing reenactment.

Fireworks signal the end of the Iyeyasu battle, seen from under the Cherry Blossom trees

The samurai lined up and fired replica guns (video coming soon). The battle ended with fireworks… in the daytime!

The crowd viewed the battle and parade from under the Sakura (cherry blossom) trees

We viewed the battle from under the cherry blossom trees, enjoying some snacks and Yebisu beer.

This post shows just one of many times I have enjoyed the cherry blossom season, look at the cherry blossom category page for more posts.

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Japanese cherry blossom – photos and info

JTM — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 21:21:05 +0000

Japan, famous for the cherry blossom (sakura 桜 in Japanese)

In Japanese, cherry blossom is ‘sakura’ (most commonly used kanji is 桜 which means ‘spring flower’). In Japan, sakura are not only nice to look at, they are renowned around the world and steeped in tradition within Japan. There many annual festivals. We went to a festival in April in Okayama and saw Japan’s beautiful cherry blossoms from Fukuoka to Tokyo.

Below are my photos of Japan’s cherry blossom, from all over the country.

Photo of Japanese cherry blossom (sakura) at a Kyoto temple. Me in front of the sakura and Sanjūsangendō (三十三間堂 in Japanese, which means 33 bay hall, as 33 is a sacred number in Buddhism) in Kyoto.

Cherry blossom trees surround a Japanese Edo period water garden.

More Japanese cherry blossom trees (sakura) in the temple gardens.

High resolution photo of the Japanese cherry blossom. View the close-up of the cherry blossom tree by clicking the image above to view a higher resolution photo.

To see the Japanese cherry blossom, the best time to travel to Japan is their spring in late March and throughout April. There are many festivals throughout the entire country, especially at the many temples, like the one below at Kyoto.

Japanese cherry blossom motif on the ticket for Kiyomizu temple in the mountains of Kyoto.

Looking through the cherry blossoms at a shrine in Kiyomizu?temple, Kyoto, Japan.

Looking at Okayama Castle (a 400 year old castle named 烏城 'u-jo' in Japanese) through the cherry blossoms.

Sakura, the Japanese cherry blossom.

Related post: A panorama of a Japanese cherry blossom festival at Okayama.

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Why travel to Japan? Top 10 reasons to go and visit

JTM — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 07:53:32 +0000

10 reasons to visit Japan…

I am from Australia and recently travelled to Japan for a holiday. In terms of traditions, we borrow from elsewhere, in terms of historical architecture there is nothing older than 250 years. Travelling to Japan was a chance to visit a country that is most steeped in tradition and culture of their own country – deeply proud and very generous people. It is a challenge and a massive reward holidaying here. So much so that I am now planning on returning to live.

There are so many reasons to visit Japan. Here are my top ten reasons why you should travel to Japan.

1. City, night lights and shopping.

Major shopping hub at Shibuya in Tokyo, near Shibuya 109.

The first of my top 10 reasons to visit Japan is really hard to justify on camera. But the shopping here is something very different, Shibuya 109 is a mutli-storey shopping centre just for teenage girs. And Akihabara in Tokyo is know solely for its electronics and games.

2. Festivals.

Sakura (Japanese Cherry Blossom) during the spring festival in Osaka.

Although in this list of 10 reasons to visit Japan I include only one example of a festival, Japan has many and they are very unique. From the snow and ice festivals in Sapporo in the north and more ancient/traditional festivals with priests and shrines, Japan loves the celebrations!

For more information see Wikipedia’s article on Japanese festivals.

UPDATE: New post ‘Japanese cherry blossom – photos and info‘.

3. Robots, gadgets and all things tech.

Sony AIBO, robot dogs at Roboworld in Fukuoka

Western style Japanese toilet with myriad of controls. Known in Japan as the Washlet (ウォシュレット Woshuretto)."

If you visit Japan, you will encounter one of these toilets. They really should be all over the world! Very hygienic, although it took a few times to get used to the water jets…

4. Castles, temples and shrines.

Okayama-jo, black and gold castle called 'Crow Castle' or 'U-jo'.

5. Efficient transport and the shinkansen (bullet train).

JR Central's Hikari Shinkansen.

Riding on Japan’s bullet train was actually at the top of my mates 10 reasons to visit Japan. Riding along at 300km/h or more, it feels more like air travel than rail travel.

At the opposite end of the speed scale, bicycles have right of way on the roads in Japan.

6. Japanese food and drink (especially Yebisu beer).

Yebisu beer and takoyaki (octopus in battered balls).

7. Manga and anime.

Just a small part of a multi-level book store in Okayama

8. Astro boy.

Statue of Astro Boy (named Atom in Japanese) outside Kyoto train station.

9. Architecture.

ACROS Fukuoka - the green side.

10. Origami, ancient traditions and art.

A tiny origami crane sitting on the bar of a nightclub in Fukuoka

This post marks the beginning of a series of posts, about my trip to Japan. I went to Japan for a holiday for about 1 month. Almost daily I would go to an internet cafe to find something to do – being in a non-English speaking country meant things to do were hard to find on the internet. My site ‘Japan Travel Mate’ aims to provide information on what to do and how to do it when you are in Japan.

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