I love the newly born year in Japan. Hatsumode is the tradition of visiting a shrine or temple to pray during the first three days of the year, and one which Japanese folks overwhelmingly observe, irrespective of their daily spiritual inclinations. There’s a strong element of family and community to […] Read more
Well – mostly. Hard to believe it’s my second New Year’s in Tokyo already. I actually have a TV this time, so I decided to start out with the classic Japanese New Year’s Eve tradition – the Kouhaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Song Competition) on NTV. It would be […] Read more
Boy, does that suck the life out of you. The “choose your own adventure book for fetishes” is back for it’s Winter incarnation. Maybe it was because I went on the first day this time (for 83 and 84 I never did) but the crowds were even more insane last […] Read more
Chalk one up for patience. Zenkouji is not a tremendously well-known temple on the tourist circuit, but to the Japanese it’s among the two or three most important religious sites in the country. This is still a true pilgrimage temple to this very day – to visit it’s magnificent main […] Read more
This was one of those days where you’re glad the camera has a good battery. Jidokudani (known to most of the world as “The Snow Monkey Park”) is one of those places I’ve wanted to visit since long before I ever made it to Japan. Is it a tourist trap? […] Read more
The weather outside is frightful. Nagano (home of the 1998 Winter Olympics) is only about 85 minutes from Tokyo by the fastest Shinkanesen. I’d always wanted to go there, but after Red Data Girl so spectacularly showed off Togakushi (P.A. Works should really just do travel advertisements as their main […] Read more
It’s Shueshia’s world – they just let us use it. I didn’t go to Jump Festa last year – I was still pretty new to Japan, and Chiba seemed a lot farther away than it really is (about an hour with one transfer to Makuhari Messe, ¥480). In truth I’m […] Read more
The sheer number of hidden gems in Tokyo never ceases to amaze me. When people dismiss Tokyo as a soulless and grey modern megalopolis, they reveal their own ignorance more than anything else. It’s here more than anywhere else that the duality of Japan is most inescapable – the juxtaposition […] Read more
Nope, not sick of koyo yet… Today brings us to Kitanomaru Kouen, adjacent to Kudanshita Station and part of the old Imperial Palace grounds. The weather was crisp but crystal clear, perfect for coaxing the leaves to full splendor, so I thought it was a good time to check out […] Read more
It’s at the point now where I notice every anniversary in Japan. I went to a couple of Tori no Ichi festivals last November, soon after I arrived in Japan, and did a post on it then. But I decided to check out the big one this year, in Asakusa’s […] Read more