Muza-chan's Feed Releases for August 2010

Choosing the wrong exit from the Hamamatsucho Station, I discovered this beautiful Inari Shrine, built on a terrace right next to the World Trade Center building. The torii, the fence and the lanterns, everything looked amazing in the sunset light…...

Here are the Japan articles that drew my attention this week. Of course, we have the usual dose of Japanese odd innovations: an amazing micro-house, an intelligent toilet… But this week we have also some unusual news, like a look into a death chamber...

I like to sit on the Yurikamome front seat and take pictures - I thought this is a tourist attraction, but I discovered that many Japanese do the same… I took this photo through the Yurikamome train’s windshield… On the right is the impressive entr...

I visited Mount Takao at the end of July, when the Japanese Lily is in full bloom. Along the mountain path, a lot of Lilies were at their peak and their perfume still lingers in my mind… Click on photo for higher resolution: Japanese Lily (Lilium...

There are many buildings at the Toshougu Shrine in Nikko, and each has its own role. The building from this photo is the Shinyosha (Shed of Portable Shrine), the place where the mikoshi are stored. There are three mikoshi inside the Shinyosha, for T...

I love the Japanese traditional sweets, so when I arrived in Kawagoe, the first visit was to the Kashiya Yokocho street, also called Penny Candy Lane. Here you can find sweets produced after original recipes coming from the the old Edo days, each sh...

Daruma Dolls are spherical dolls, usually red colored, representing Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism. They are amulets for good luck, prosperity and especially for power to accomplish goals. A Daruma Doll is always sold without drawing the ey...

Japanese mascots, Heian drawings, Harajuku fashion, a smiling robot and one weird Japanese restaurant. But, as usual, there are also videos and photos from beautiful Japanese festivals… Enjoy this weeks J-Links! Pipo-kun, the Japanese Police ma...

Behind the main building (Honden) of the Futarasan Shrine from Nikko, you can find a spring whose water is collected into a small pond. This is the Futara Spiritual Spring and it is believed that the water has healing properties on eye diseases, but...

This is what I would call a typical Japanese image, a Japanese railway crossing near Kanegafuchi Station, in Sumida-ku. The sun was scorching, and looking at this picture, I still feel the heat from that day… Click on photo for higher resolution:...

Japan is the land of mascots. From the big companies and authorities to the restaurants and small shops, the mascots are everywhere. Some excellent designed, some poor, but most of them good, they can be seen so often, in so many situations, that you...

In the year 1227, on this day of August 18, Genghis Khan, the founder of the Mongol Empire, died at 65 years old. His grandson, Kublai Khan, tried two times to invade Japan, in 1274 and in 1281. According to some legends, Rajin, the kami of thunder...

Although the Tsukiji Fish Market is a major attraction for foreign visitors, I haven’t visited it until now. I guess tuna auctions don’t appeal to me too much. But I visited Tsukiji several times, and I have beautiful memories there (like the Bon Odo...

Although it was opened in April, the Gundam Café from Akihabara is still crowded at any time of the day, and there are always people waiting outside in a queue. I wanted to visit it, but I never had the patience to wait in line, especially during the...

I like Japanese Gashapon machines and I play whenever I feel lucky. Sure, most of the time you can buy the items in the Akihabara, Nakano or Ikebukuro stores, but a randomly gained item gives a certain feeling, seems more… precious, isn’t it? And wh...

Sunshine Street from Ikebukuro is one of my favorite shopping venues. Especially at sunset, when the billboards start lighting up. It is fairly crowded, but it seems to me less tiring than other commercial areas. Click on photo for higher resolution...

Traveling to Japan is for me best way to spend the time. The only downside is that… it keeps me away from the Internet. So I was unable to read the many good articles that have been written during the last weeks, but I’m trying to catch up now…...

In order to reach the Taiyuin Mausoleum from Nikko, you have to pass through three gates. The first one, called Niomon Gate, is “guarded” by two Nio guardians, the two Deva Kings. One of them is represented with the mouth open, vocalizing “A” - the p...

You know that I like admiring Tokyo from the Tokyo Tower’s observatories. And the best part is that after leaving the tower, the magic continues, because Tokyo Tower itself becomes the attraction. Since yesterday I received several requests for a nig...

I was lucky to catch a few days with clear air, which are quite rare in Tokyo, so went again to take some bird’s-eye views. The land that can be seen far away, across the Tokyo Bay, is the Boso Peninsula (Chiba Prefecture). Click on photo for higher...

I always enjoyed the view from the Akihabara JR station, where the Yamanote and Keihin-Tōhoku platforms offer a good view over the area. Click on photo for higher resolution: Yodobashi Akihabara, Tokyo Info:Nikon D90 Lens: VR 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6G...

The main gate of Yasukuni Shrine, known as Otorii, was erected in 1921. In 1943 it was demolished to be used as raw material for the war, and was replaced by a small torii made of Japanesse cypress. The currently existing gate has been built with don...

On the elevated walkway in front of the Ueno Station, there are several displays featuring various micro-expositions, like Japanese fans, miniatures of Samurai helmets (kabuto) or glass sculptures… Usually, people just pass by these displays, but th...

65 years ago, at 8:15, the first atomic bomb was dropped in Hiroshima. Several days later, Tatsuo Yamamoto went to Hiroshima searching for a relative, but he found only a flame from the bombing, burning in the ruins. The flame still burns at the Tosh...