Japan Navigator

Loft by Kurosawa Kiyoshi has been so vehemently mowed down by various critics, that it takes some courage to write a positive review. Contrary to most others, I found Loft a good Kurosawa movie, not a masterwork, but certainly of solid average level.
It all depends on the expectation with which you sit down for this [...]

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Although Kobe attracts the more than respectable number of 25 million visitors a year, it ranks not very high on the wishlist of visitors from Europe or America. The reasons are simple: we come here for (traditional) Japanese culture and competition in the Kansai with heavyweights as Kyoto and Nara is just too severe. Moreover, [...]

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Japanland contains the year-long Japan-experiences of Karin Muller, an American writer and documentary filmmaker who before starting on this adventure already had walked the Inca Road and hitchhiked through Vietnam. Thanks to the humor and vivid style, reading Japanland is a breeze – it is a most enjoyable book.
As a travel memoir this is of [...]

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Talking about horrific hair extensions… I happened to come across this article by Na-Young Choi in Asian Folklore Studies (Nanzan University) called “Symbolism of Hairstyles in Korea and Japan.” Mr Choi writes:
First, hairstyles were thought to fend off evil influences; second, they were a means to express an ideal of beauty; third, they were an [...]

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Japan used to have 28 National Parks (Kokuritsu Koen) and 55 Quasi-National parks (Kokutei Koen): scenic land declared public property by the government with a view to preservation and development for recreation and culture. The first three national parks were established in 1934: the Inland Sea, Unzen and Kirishima National parks. Many others were added [...]

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Winter is my favorite Kyoto season. The trees may be as gray as the skies, but that does not hurt rock gardens. And there are also many bright, sunny days (New year is usually a beautiful day), or days that light snow makes the temples all the more picturesque. A great advantage is also, that [...]

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