Posted in Food, Kyoto, Temples, Travel on May 16th, 2008 No Comments »
In Kyoto there exist certain “nodes,” a sort of starting points that bring you to all kinds of interesting destinations while also being worthwhile in their own right. Demachiyanagi is, perhaps unexpectedly, one of those nodes.
[The wedge between the Kamo (left) and Takano (right) rivers, with Kamogawa Park and behind that the Tadasu forest of […]
Posted in History, Museums, Nature, Religion, Temples, Travel on Apr 14th, 2008 2 Comments »
In the Tama Hills in the western part of Saitama Prefecture stands an old temple famous for the valuable Buddhist scriptures it possesses. Now only a remnant of a much larger complex, the temple also boasts an Eleven-Headed Kannon. When I visit, the doors of the altar cabinet happen to be wide open and the […]
Posted in History, Kobe, Museums, Nature, Temples, Travel on Mar 28th, 2008 2 Comments »
Although I had been living for a year in Kobe, I had not yet made my way to that part of the city where the hot springs of Arima are located. There was no need to play the tourist, I thought, but last weekend curiosity drove me if not to the baths themselves, at least […]
Posted in History, Osaka, Temples, Travel on Mar 19th, 2008 No Comments »
Toyotomi Hideyoshi built Osaka castle in 1585, five years before he completed the reunification of Japan. The donjon was five stories high on the outside and eight on the inside, making it a fitting symbol of the generalissimo’s rule.
[Osaka Castle - Photo © Ad Blankestijn]
After his death in 1598 Hideyoshi had himself deified and […]
Posted in Gardens, Osaka, Travel on Mar 18th, 2008 No Comments »
This year I have been writing about various plum blossom viewing possibilities in Tokyo, but until yesterday I did not yet have a chance to see the plum blossoms of Osaka.
[Plum Garden of Osaka Castle]
Yesterday in balmy weather I grasped my lunch-break chance to see the plum blossoms in the park of Osaka Castle. […]
Posted in Book, Film, Japan, Society, Travel, Web on Mar 10th, 2008 No Comments »
Janne in Osaka shines light on a matter to my heart: how to shelve your books…
Japan Probe has a round-up of videos that recently appeared on the web about the town of Obama (also see my post about this town chock-full with ancient temples and Buddhist statues - a great destination for a weekend trip).
Japan […]
Posted in Festivals, Gardens, Museums, Nature, Tokyo, Travel on Mar 1st, 2008 2 Comments »
I have given you directions to the plum groves of Ogose, deep in Saitama and a long haul from Tokyo. But there is another great (or even greater) plum viewing area much closer to the metropolis: the Yoshino Baigo Park in Ome, which is part of Tokyo itself.
[Yoshino Baigo, Ome. Photo © Ad Blankestijn]
Ome […]
Posted in Festivals, Museums, Nature, Travel on Feb 24th, 2008 No Comments »
In the past (let us say, the Heian-period) the Japanese preferred the plum blossom, strong as it is in the cold weather and possessing a fine fragrance, to the weaker cherry blossom that rains down at the slightest gust of wind. Later, Saigyo with his madness for pink sadness changed it all…
[Ogose Plum grove, […]
Posted in Culture, Temples, Travel on Feb 18th, 2008 No Comments »
What is interesting about Obama?
No, I am not talking politics - I am referring to the small town on the coast of the Japan Sea north of Kyoto that was catapulted into the limelight (also by its own PR) thanks to the fact that it shares its name with an American senator running for president.
So […]
Posted in Kyoto, Religion, Temples, Travel on Feb 17th, 2008 No Comments »
When writing about Sei Shonagon and her poem stone in Sennyuji, I discovered I still had an unpublished article about a visit to that temple. It is one of the pieces that still has to go in the “108 Temple Pilgrimage,” but I will first post it here.
Located at the foot of Mt. […]
Posted in Culture, Japan, Nature, Travel on Feb 15th, 2008 2 Comments »
Are you fond of smells? I remember how in Proust certain smells evoke long-forgotten memories, and indeed, the smell of freshly mown grass or hay reminds me of the long and lazy summers of youth.
Although I did not live in Japan as a child, I find that certain Japanese fragrances evoke atavistic memories which […]
Posted in Kobe, Religion, Sake, Temples, Travel on Jan 14th, 2008 No Comments »
There are several legends about the origins of the popular Nishinomiya Ebisu Shrine in Nishinomiya. One tale goes back to ancient myth and starts with a sad story. The creator gods from Japanese mythology, Izanagi and his sister/spouse Izanami have received a jewelled spear from the other deities to begin their grand work of […]
Posted in Architecture, Business, Economy, Food, News, Society, Tokyo, Travel on Jan 7th, 2008 No Comments »
The British newspaper The Independent has undertaken a survey into the relative status of national (and regional) capitals. Tokyo scores fourth overall, behind London (surprise, the home ground of the newspaper), New York and Paris. It is therefore the capital of Asia!
But contenders are giving chase at high speed: Peking, Shanghai, Singapore and Hong Kong […]
Posted in Kobe, Technology, Travel on Jan 6th, 2008 1 Comment »
The Rokko Liner connects Rokko Island with Sumiyoshi Station in Kobe. It is a so-called “automated guideway transit system” meaning the trains are computer controlled and do not need a driver. It runs on an elevated track that winds its way from Sumiyoshi (a JR station) to the island.
Rokko Island is the second major artificial […]
Posted in History, Japan, Sake, Travel on Jan 6th, 2008 2 Comments »
Only a day trip away from the Kansai area you can find many interesting destinations, some famous, others completely unknown. One such hidden town is Katsuyama, a former castle town deep in the Chugoku mountains of northern Okayama prefecture, close to the border with Tottori. Despite its far away location, Katsuyama is surprisingly easy to […]
Posted in Travel, Writing on Dec 28th, 2007 No Comments »
The other day, passing Mt Fuji, I saw traces of the first snow near the summit of the mighty mountain. Interestingly, the Fuji was covered in clouds and only the top, in an incredibly high position in the sky where you would never expect a mountain to be, was visible.
It reminded me of one of […]
Posted in Food, Travel on Dec 28th, 2007 No Comments »
There is more to Tsukiji, Tokyo’s huge fish market, than only tuna. It is a shocking early morning adventure to explore the dark, narrow alleys between the stands, and inspect all the uncanny creatures there that will haunt your dreams for days to come.
At an unholy early hour, the market already moves at an incredible, […]
Posted in Kyoto, Travel on Dec 27th, 2007 1 Comment »
What do you do when you are sitting alone in the Shinkansen (the Kodama, so empty) and feeling bored?
You take out your cellphone and start taking pictures.
A nice, gloomy winter day.
This is Kyoto’s Yamashina flashing past.
Stategically placed fences prevent travellers from seeing the dark secrets harbored in the local dwellings.
I am still looking for a […]
Posted in Food, Travel on Dec 26th, 2007 No Comments »
Talking about fish, a few weeks ago I had the chance to visit Tokyo’s Tsukiji market again. It was a cold grey morning and there were few tourists, but the market was bustling as usual. I was early enough to catch some of the action at the tuna auction. Is tuna running out? You would […]
Posted in Temples, Travel on Dec 9th, 2007 1 Comment »
Last week autumn colors were at their best, especially on a perfect hazy fall day when I visited in Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto.
[Busy street leading to Kiyomizu temple, Kyoto. Photo © Ad Blankestijn]
It was a Monday and there were less people then ten days before, when the crowds jammed the view. At that time I […]
Posted in Kyoto, Religion, Temples, Travel on Nov 25th, 2007 No Comments »
Elsewhere I have written about the ema museum of the Yasui Konpira Shrine in Kyoto, this time I want to take a look at its komainu - but first some history.
There used to be a temple here (Rengeko-in) with as protection a shrine in its grounds that was a branch of the famous Konpira Shrine […]
Posted in Kyoto, Travel on Nov 24th, 2007 No Comments »
These papier-mache cats are looking into the display window of a shop where manaki-neko sit, the cats that beckon good fortune and prosperity. I saw it on Sannenzaka near Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto.
The shop is called Hyotanya, “Gourd Shop,” and is in the first place known for its hyotan, gourd flasks, used in pre-vending machine […]
Posted in Art, Gardens, Kyoto, Temples, Travel on Nov 24th, 2007 No Comments »
Our walk through the Nishi Otani Cemetery was undertaken to avoid the holiday crowds on Gojozaka and Kiyomizuzaka, but it was in fact Kiyomizudera we were headed for. For many years, I had wanted to see the exquisite garden of its priest’s residence, Jojuin – only open for a few weeks in spring and autumn.
[Crowds […]
Posted in Art, Kyoto, Religion, Travel on Nov 24th, 2007 No Comments »
Along the path leading through the Nishi Otani Cemetery stand several small temples, one of them called Myokendo. Myoken Bosatsu was regarded as the personification of the Pole Star and worship was believed to bring prosperity, good fortune and protection from danger. He originated as an Indian Buddhist deity and in China picked up Daoist […]
Posted in Culture, Religion, Temples, Travel on Nov 24th, 2007 No Comments »
Yesterday, a national holiday with autumn at its best, Kyoto was overrun by hordes of tourists, as was to be expected, but we found a quiet road from the Gojo crossing to the Higashiyama range and the grounds of Kiyomizu - the Road of the Dead, as the path cut through the immense graveyard belonging […]
