Tag Archive for ‘Japan’
Japan: Nagasaki’s Atomic Bomb Museum
It is the one-year anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Japan today. We all know that it was not only the quake and the tsunami that followed that caused such devastating destruction, but also the damage to the atomic reactors in Fukushima. Before March 11, 2011, I dare say that no one knew about Fukushima. [...]
Japan: The artistry of straw
The country and culture that has given us Ikebana – that ever-so-sophisticated art of arranging flowers – has also created an artful way of keeping trees and bushes from falling apart under the weight of snow. When you consider, that every one of these trees is wrapped and strapped by hand twice a year – [...]
Japan: Endless views of Mt. Fuji
Fuji-san (as the Japanese reverently refer to their iconic highest mountain) is like a little child – it demands attention: I am here, I want you to look at me, pay attention to me, to my moods, to my cloud hat, to the sun’s rays as they caress my cake-frosting top, to the wind as [...]
Japan: Adachi Museum of Art near Matsue
The Adachi Museum is one of those pearls you find in the Japanese countryside. Easily reachable from Matsue, it is certainly worth a visit if you are interested in Japanese gardens and art, in that order. Founded in 1980 by Adachi Zenko, a self-made merchant millionaire, garden and art lover as well as philosopher, Adachi [...]
Japan: Totorri sand dunes
When you think of Japan, sand dunes and beaches are not the first thing that come to mind. And yet, they do exist! Tottori, a small city on the West Coast, can boast to being the home to Japan’s largest sand dunes, stretching an impressive 10 km along the coast, at times up to 2 [...]
Japan: Sapporo to Nagano on the Twilight Express sleeper
Riding overnight trains must also be a special experience for Japanese. As I sit in the very comfortable and spacious salon car, with its linden-green upholstered sofas and oversize panoramic windows, the merchandise cart comes along. The attendant hands out a menue-like card showing all the items available, branded especially for the Twilight Express. A [...]
Japan: How to get to the Snow Monkeys
The journey to see the monkeys is half the fun, but involves some planning. Think of it as a day excursion and be sure to allow time. A snowy day is ideal because the chances of seeing many monkeys in the water are good – afer all, they want to get warm! On a nice [...]
Japan: A visit to see the Snow Monkeys!
When the baby monkey gazed up at me from the safe folds of her mother’s warm embrace, well, who wouldn’t melt? Ever since seeing a report on TV about the red-faced Macaque monkeys enjoying the natural volcanic hot springs near Nagano, I had wanted to visit them. And now I was here, communing mutely with [...]
Japan: Asahikawa’s Ice Festival
Asahikawa in central Hokkaido will not win the “prettiest town” prize by a long shot, neither in summer nor in winter. Its main claim to fame is being a rail hub for the northern Japanese island, about 80 minutes by train from Sapporo. It also boasts an “Ice Festival” with snow figures and ice sculptures, [...]
Japan: Otaru’s lights and lanterns
Once a flourishing port specializing in the herring trade, Otaru, on Hokkaido’s west coast and about an hour’s train ride from Sapporo, has found out that the tourist trade is far more profitable these days. Since Otaru has a picturesque canal lined with old warehouses, why not make an “Illuminated Night Path” with lanterns on [...]
Entries(RSS)