Tag: Living in 2012
Asakusa is most famous for the iconic Senso-ji 「Senso Temple, 浅草寺」 with a huge lantern hanging from the main entrance gate, its long path lined with stalls and its five storied pagoda. From Asakusa Station, ...
The Japanese honourific kun 「くん」 is often added to younger male names by a more senior or older person. When working in a Japanese junior high school, I always heard teachers adding this to the ...
Shinjuku is the central business district of Tokyo. Standing tall among the high rises buildings is a place that every budget-minded traveler should know about. At the top of the two towers of this building ...
This sacred Shinto music and dance hall is used to offer prayers in the form of kagura 「sacred music and dance, 神楽」 to Inari 「God of rice, 稲荷」 at Fushimi Inari Taisha, a World Heritage ...
For almost 700 years, from the 1100s to 1868, samurai were the ruling political class in Japan. The nobility ruled the courts, and the samurai warriors based their culture on these nobles. The everyday samurai ...
I almost returned the first tap beer I ever bought from a bar in Japan. About ¼ of the glass was filled with a heady frothy top. But I quickly discovered that this is how ...
High school in Japan feels quite militaristic. Discipline is rigorous. Chores are timed to the minute. There are very little, if any, free breaks. Students can be at school for 12 hours a day. Working ...
Visitors to Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto will notice that the 1000s of torii lining the paths aren’t all the same. Torii is Japanese for a traditional gate, typically found at shrines and some temples. Not only ...
Near my 1LDK apartment in Toyota city is a local independent bottle shop. The owner has a great selection of Japanese beers from all over the country, including Okinawa and Kyoto. While there’s no doubt ...
The tower gate is a unique architectural feature of religious sites in Japan. It is one of a few buildings that are common to both shrines and temples. The rōmon is a two storied gate ...
After living in Toyota City for a year, I saw a lot of Toyota’s latest technology (like the Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, see the link for photos of the car and its solar powered charging ...
Japan’s number 1 beer is Asahi Super Dry, and for a good reason… it’s a refreshing and crisp lager that was responsible for spawning Japan’s love of beer. When you think Japanese beer, you think ...
On a cold winter’s day on the 13th day of the Lunar New Year, a very unique and unusual festival takes place at Inazawa City near Nagoya. Thousands of men wearing only loincloths, proceed towards ...
Shinto shrines in Japan share many common features, whether they are large complexes or small local shrines. Just like the haiden (worship hall), the temizuya (water purification pavilion) is not only found at all Shinto ...
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