Unlike the Sakura, TAF came off right on schedule this year. After all the controversy surrounding Bill 156, I wasn’t sure I’d attend Tokyo Anime Fair again – or even if it would continue to be held. Well, Ishihara is gone as Governor (though now afflicting national politics, and his […] Read more
Global warming skeptics might want to skip this one. We’re still well into March, but not only have the Sakura started to bud, they’re expected to reach full peak in the Tokyo area this weekend – full two weeks earlier than average and the earliest on record. A string warm […] Read more
The nekokissa really is one of Japan’s most intriguing and charming innovations. This Saturday I visited a couple of Tokyo institutions in Ikebukuro – Jiro Ramen and Nekorobi. Jiro Ramen is hard to explain until you’ve tried it – many locals are fond of saying, “It’s not ramen, it’s Jiro.” […] Read more
It’s Spring – sort of. Attached are some pics of my outings this weekend. First off is the Ume Matsuri at Yushima Tenjin, in Yushima (a neighborhood famous as the one-time center for Tokyo’s transvestite geisha). This shrine is dedicated to Sugawara Michizane, the same legendary Heian scholar enshrined at […] Read more
It’s New Years again already? As matsuri go, Ta’Asobi (“Rice field play”) has a pretty good history – about 1,000 years. Japan, like other Asian nations, is celebrating the lunar new year at the moment, and that also represents the beginning of planting season (if you recall, Setsubun is actually […] Read more
What a fascinating country this is. A little belatedly, here are some pics and videos from a trip to the Ryoguku Kokugikan, the national sumo stadium in East Tokyo. Sumo isn’t an element of Japanese culture than I know all that well, honestly, but it’s a very deeply ingrained part […] Read more
Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi! Here are some pics and videos from this year’s Setsubun at Kanda Myojin, the same shrine at which I rang in the new year. That’s “New Year’s” according to the modern calendar – according to the old calendar though, the lunar new year is […] Read more
That cute little surprise snow has turned into an actual snowstorm. We’ve got around 15cm so far where I live, and they closed Kagurazaka-dori to traffic this afternoon. I haven’t checked, but I think it’s pretty rare for Tokyo to get this much snow – I consider myself very lucky […] Read more
At long last, snow in Tokyo. Never trust the weather forecast. “Rain all day” it said – and here we are, with gorgeous snow swirling everywhere and even starting to stick. I grew up with snow and missed it when I lived in California (as you know if you read […] Read more
Omi-Jingu is seeing a different sort of pilgrimage than it’s used to these days. Having made the journey to Enoshima last month and seeing that York Shin isn’t likely to be an option anytime soon, there was never really any question that I’d be visiting Omi-Jingu while in Kyoto. And […] Read more