Posted in culture, life, intercultural on Apr 11th, 2007 1 Comment »
A visitor from outer space, studying the different peoples of the earth, could easily get the impression that Japan is a devout Christian nation.
After all, our space traveler would observe that churches are so popular here that you even see them on the roofs of other buildings. Here an old English country church has been […]
Posted in books, culture, movies, intercultural on Apr 8th, 2007 No Comments »
Japanese Schoolgirl Inferno: Tokyo Teen Fashion Subculture Handbook looks so much like a beautiful piece of candy that it is difficult to resist the temptation to pick a copy up when coming across it in a bookstore. And “eye candy” it certainly is, with great illustrations by Kazumi Nonaka and graphic design by Izumi […]
Posted in culture, religion and philosophy, intercultural on Mar 19th, 2007 1 Comment »
At the rear of a building at the crossroads between Nakayamatedori and Kitanodori, in central Kobe, a metal fence is opened every night to reveal a peculiar stone statue. The figure is lighted up which makes it even more eerie. A plaque at the back tell that this is a good luck deity called “biriken.”
[Billiken […]
Posted in internet, food, culture, art and photography, travel and places, museums, news on Mar 15th, 2007 No Comments »
From March 20 to June 17 the Tokyo National Museum will host The Mind of Leonardo, an exhibition with as its centerpiece The Annunciation by Leonardo da Vinci. This exhibition is part of the Italian festival in Japan this spring called Primavera Italiana 2007. Not everyone in Italy was happy that this priceless work was […]
Posted in internet, culture, movies, travel and places, museums, news on Mar 14th, 2007 No Comments »
Despite the expected boost it will give the economy, not everybody in Nagasaki is happy with the government decision to register 20 Christian sites with the Unesco World Heritage List. As Asahi.com reports, the priests are afraid noisy tourists will disturb the peace of the believers by snapping their picture, leave graffitti on the walls […]
Posted in food, culture on Mar 8th, 2007 No Comments »
What strikes me about Kobe, is the endless number of bars and restaurants. Here is one in the Yamamotodori district close to the famous Ijinkan area. At first sight an ordinary concrete building next to a 24-hour parking lot…
But when you like closer, a text on the window strikes your eye.
The owner must be […]
Posted in culture, history, kyoto on Mar 6th, 2007 3 Comments »
Do you know the difference between the Three Sen Houses of Tea, the inheritors of the tradition of wabi-cha from Sen Rikyu?
When in 1591 Sen Rikyu was killed by Hideyoshi, his heirs dispersed to seek refuge in the provinces. Hideyoshi was however persuaded by his generals to restore the house of Sen Rikyu and […]
Posted in books, culture, architecture, anime, museums, kyoto on Feb 23rd, 2007 No Comments »
The Kyoto International Manga Museum rides the high tide of interest in Japanese popular culture, and is housed in a beautiful old school building, but curious visitors will not find much to see inside. Unless you want to observe how blissfully quiet kids can become when they sit reading manga books…
The walls of the long […]
Posted in culture, religion and philosophy, temples, kyoto on Jan 14th, 2007 No Comments »
Torii gates are symbols of Shinto shrines and mark their sacred space from the mundane world. The basic structure consists of two pillars with a top rail and a little below that a second horizontal rail piercing both columns, providing stability to the structure.
The greatest orgy of torii gates can be seen on the mountain […]
Posted in culture, calendar, travel and places, temples, kyoto on Jan 10th, 2007 No Comments »
Toka (Tenth Day) Ebisu is a festival with prayers for happiness and success in business that is held at Ebisu Shrines around Japan, especially in the Kansai, between 8 or 9 and 11 January. The most important shrines are Imamiya Ebisu in Osaka, Nishinomiya Ebisu in Nishinomiya near Kobe and the Ebisu Shrine near […]
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