Webmaster visited Oyama-afuri-jinja Shrine in Kanagawa Pref. last week. Access: Tokyo (local train 0:14) Shinjuku (local train 0:54) Isehara (bus 0:25) Oyama-cable (walk 0:15) Oyama-cable (cable car 0:06) Afuri-jinja (walk 0:05) @ From the bus stop, it needs to walk for 15 minutes to the station of cable car. There are souvenir shops and restaurants along… Read more →
Webmaster visited Choan-ji Temple in Hakone last week. Access: Tokyo (shinkansen 0:37) Odawara (bus 0:50) Sengoku (walk 0:05) @ You can encounter the stone statues of Rakan, there. Rakan are the honorific title of Buddhist disciples who have attained the high status of spirit. Choan-ji temple started to make and set the statues in… Read more →
Webmaster took Hakone-komagatake Ropeway this week. It was a very clear day providing a nice view. Access: Tokyo (shinkansen 0:37) Odawara (bus 1:20) Hakone’en (walk 0:05) @ The bus trip started from Odawara Station. As it was a weekday in winter, not so many people visit to Hakone. In fact I was the only passenger from the… Read more →
Webmaster have a half-day-visit to Kamakura last week. It was a fine day and good to have a walk. Access: Tokyo (local train 0:46) kamakura @ Wintersweet or Japanese allspice (Chimonanthus praecox) flowers in the garden of Hasedera Temple. The yellow flowers match blue winter sky! This is the great Buddha of Kotoku-in Temple known as… Read more →
Webmaster visited Joetsu Aquarium a few weeks ago. This aquarium was renovated and reopened last June. http://www.umigatari.jp/file/guidebook_en2018.pdf Access: Tokyo (shinkansen 2:05) Joetsu-myoko (local train 0:14) Naoetsu (walk 0:15) @ This is the main aquarium in which sea lives of the Sea of Japan are kept. Visitors can observe the sea lives from various directions. A… Read more →
Katsudon is a bowl of rice topped with a pork cutlet, one of popular Japanese foods. Normally, the cutlet is wrapped with a beaten egg with soya-based sauce. (Common katsudon (Source: Wikipedia)) Once, Country-Japan introduced sauce-katsudon and demi-katsudon. Now, the other type of katsudon is introduced you, which is tare-katsudon of Niigata Prefecture. Access: Tokyo (shinkansen 2:15) Niigata @… Read more →
Webmaster visited Fuji Limestone Cave (Fuji-do) last week. A tradition says this cave was found about 1,200 years ago by villagers, and some 400 years ago a Buddhist priest explored the cave and started to use it as the place for religious austerities. Since then, this cave became to be known widely. Access: Tokyo (shinkansen 0:37) Kumagaya (local train… Read more →
Gyoza dumpling (jiaozi) is originally a dish of Northern China. (Sources: Wikipedia) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiaozi After the World War II, Japanese repatriates from China brought its recipe, and Chinese jiaozi was evolved to Japanese gyoza. Utsunomiya of Tochigi Prefecture is known as the town of gyoza because of the high consumption of gyoza by citizens. They say there are… Read more →
Webmaster visited Jigen-in Temple in Takasaki City of Gunma Prefecture this week. Jigen-in Temple is also known as Takasaki Kan’non (or Byakue Kan’non) because of its huge statue of Kan’non deity. Access: Tokyo (shinkansen 0:55) Takasaki (bus 0:20) Byakuekan’non-mae (walk 0:02) @ When you get off the bus, you can already see the statue over the trees. … Read more →
Webmaster visited NIFREL last week. https://www.nifrel.jp/en/ Access: Osaka (local train 0:20) Senri-chuo (monorail 0:06) Banpaku-kinen-koen (walk 0:02) @ Admission:￥1,900 for adult NIFREL is an “aquazoo”. It is not very large but the way of exhibition is very unique. … Read more →