slide show
Exploring Kansai IV – Himeji-jo
Himeji is home to Japan’s most famous castle, Himeji-jo, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Himeji-jo is also known as the “White Heron Castle” because its white washed walls rise and stand out, making it easily seen for kilometers.
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Exploring Kansai III – Nara
Tell any Japanese citizen that you just went to Nara, and they will respond, “Oh, I Love Nara.” Today’s tale is another travel log that takes you through Nara Koen. Come along as we feed the deer; crawl through lucky holes in the world’s largest wooden structure: Todaji’s Daibutsu den; see a statue of Ashora that dates from the 734 A.D.; and steal a moment of tranquility in Isui-en garden.
I have a new gallery program I am trying out at the end of this post. I would love to get some feed back on this new program and if, you my loyal and regular reader, prefer it over the slide show program I have been using; you can put your thoughts in a comment. And please do yourself a favor and visit the link to see an amazing 360 degree view of Isui-en garden…you will not be disappointed! Continue reading
Exploring Kansai II – Fushimi-Inari
Ten minutes and two trains south of Kyoto is the small town of Inari. Inari is named for an androgynous Shinto god of rice and fertility. Inari also happens to be the name of the yama – mountain – that rises up just beyond the station. Inariyama is home to the Fushimi-Inari Taishi, a series of five shrines scattered on this sacred mountain. Fushimi-Inari Taishi is the head shrine for… Continue reading
Exploring Kansai I – Kyoto
For those of you who skipped History of Japan 101 here are some highlights: Kyoto, which sets on the West coast of the main island of Honshu, was once the capital of Japan. The shogun Tokogawa moved the capital to Edo around 1600. Edo was renamed Tokyo around 1868 when the Imperial family regained control and set up shop in Tokyo. Tokyo was basically leveled during WWII while Kyoto was
Nikko is Nippon
Nikko, in case you don’t know, has roughly three claims to fame: a Buddhist, a shogun, and three monkeys. OK, here you go, the quick and dirty history lesson: At some point in the mid-eighth century some dude named Shodo Shonin established a Buddhist training center just up the mountain from the town of Nikko.
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Chamerberlain plays witness to a fictionalized account of Tokugawa’s rise to power and his ultimate uniting of Japan, thus ushering in the Tokogawa Shogunate and the Edo period, which would last for roughly 200 years.
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One of the panels is the pictorial representation of the Buddhist maxim of “Hear no evil, Speak no evil, See no evil.” This is believed to be the earliest pictorial representation of this maxim using monkeys. Continue reading