Japan Navigator

Otaru developed in the 19th century as a port town for Sapporo and a logistics center for the Ishikari coal mines. It was also a fishing port for herring and in the early 20th c. it developed into a thriving commercial and industrial town. Those days of past economic glory are still reflected in the [...]

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What is the largest river in Japan? If you don’t know the answer to that question, it does not necessarily mean that your geography of the Land of the Rising Sun is weak. Japan is full of rivers, but in contrast to Mt Fuji among mountains, none is of world-shattering format.
The largest river in Japan [...]

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Established in 1971 to celebrate the centenary of the opening of Hokkaido, the Historical Museum of Hokkaido is an imposing, square pile of red brick sitting in natural surroundings close to the Nopporo Forest Park. Not surprisingly, Hokkaido’s modern history is more dense than its ancient one. The elaborate permanent exhibition (which is unchanging) is [...]

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Summer in Japan is hot and sticky – after two years of cool (and wet) Dutch summers, I have to face that reality again – and I am not even living in Kyoto at the moment. But nowadays all big city summers in Japan are terrible because of the heat-sink phenomenon, Kyoto is nothing exceptional [...]

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The magnificent vermilion front gate, tower gate and impressively black-lacquered inner shrine (ICP) of the Katori Jingu Shrine were donated around 1700 by the fifth Tokugawa shogun, Tsunayoshi. Ancient cedars grow in the precincts, and the approach to the shrine is lined with cherry trees.
Many centuries ago, Katori stood at the coast of a large [...]

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In a former post, I have reviewed Stray Dogs and Lone Wolves, Patrick Galloway’s riveting take on the samurai film. Now we have his Asia Shock, Horror and Dark Cinema from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Thailand. Just like the earlier volume, this is both a book that is very well researched and at the [...]

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Japanese horror films are all too famous for the female ghosts who swing their long, black hair in front of their faces. The classic example is Ringu, where the videotaped ghost – hair first – even comes creeping out of the TV for her last killing spree, but the tradition is as old as Asia [...]

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What is better than combining a visit to a cool highland destination with a great museum? Here are some suggestions for fusing art and nature this summer.

[Niki Museum in Nasu - Photo © Ad Blankestijn]
1. Utsukushi-ga-hara Open-Air Museum
This sister facility of the Hakone Open-Air Museum (also not a bad choice for a summer destination, [...]

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Japan Navigator is a new website and at the same time a double continuation – of my former site, {Inter} Cultural Japan as well as of the materials about Japanese temples and haiku I was offering on my webpage at Xs4all under the general title The Japan Pages. I know you loose readers [...]

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