Tokyo's Koto ward is, like most of the city east of Ginza, far from glam and not renowned for its overall beauty. However, it is home to the Fukagawa district which is rich in historical significance and offers some aesthetically unforgettable experiences.
One spot of particular beauty in Koto ward's Fukagawa district is the Kiyosumi Teien Gardens. These relatively small gardens date from Japan's feudal era, and were once owned by the founder of the Mitsubishi corporation. They offer a feeling of languid spaciousness beyond their mere square meterage, with their large calm pond teeming with carp, tortoises and waterfowl, their immaculately maintained lawns, the elegant tea house built out over the pond, and the stone monuments that dot it, for the visitor to stop and ponder.
See a YouTube video of Kiyosumi Teien Gardens above. And read more about Kiyosumi Teien Gardens the surrounding Fukagawa district.
© JapanVisitor.com
Yahoo Japan Auction Service
Japanese Friends
Tokyo Apartments Search
Japan Job Search
Rough Guide To Japan
Tags
Japan
Tokyo
Kiyosumi
garden
Fukagawa
Ozawa To Run In DPJ Race
小沢一郎
The decision of Ichiro Ozawa to run in the upcoming DPJ leadership contest against Naoto Kan may split the ruling party, many political observers believe.
After receiving the backing of former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, Ozawa decided to enter the race against the incumbent Prime Minister, no doubt spurred by Kan's refusal to offer him a place in government.
A lingering money scandal seems likely to damage the 68-year-old's changes of taking the top job and an Ozawa win may not be popular with the majority of the Japanese electorate, though Ozawa's strong hand on the tiller could be welcomed by the business community, struggling with falling stock prices and the surge in the value of the yen.
Ozawa was in the news earlier this week for labeling Americans as "simple-minded" and "monocellular" in a speech to fellow lawmakers.
© JapanVisitor.com
Yahoo Japan Auction Service
Japanese Friends
Tokyo Apartments Search
Japan Job Search
Rough Guide To Japan
Tags
Ichiro Ozawa
Naoto Kan
DPJ
Japanese politics
The decision of Ichiro Ozawa to run in the upcoming DPJ leadership contest against Naoto Kan may split the ruling party, many political observers believe.
After receiving the backing of former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, Ozawa decided to enter the race against the incumbent Prime Minister, no doubt spurred by Kan's refusal to offer him a place in government.
A lingering money scandal seems likely to damage the 68-year-old's changes of taking the top job and an Ozawa win may not be popular with the majority of the Japanese electorate, though Ozawa's strong hand on the tiller could be welcomed by the business community, struggling with falling stock prices and the surge in the value of the yen.
Ozawa was in the news earlier this week for labeling Americans as "simple-minded" and "monocellular" in a speech to fellow lawmakers.
© JapanVisitor.com
Yahoo Japan Auction Service
Japanese Friends
Tokyo Apartments Search
Japan Job Search
Rough Guide To Japan
Tags
Ichiro Ozawa
Naoto Kan
DPJ
Japanese politics
Jerry's Pies Kyoto
ジェリーのパイ屋さんA five-minute walk from JR Saga Arashiyama Station there is a bit of Britain smack in the heart of west Kyoto.
A one-man pie factory run by Gerry O'Donnell is on a side street not far from Marutamachi Dori a short distance from the tourist area of Arashiyama. Piemaster Gerry himself is originally from rural northern England.
Prior to arriving in Japan, he spent 23 years in Canada. He has now been in Kyoto 14 years; much of that time has been spent teaching English.
One night, though, he made a few pies for a friend - who said they were indeed lovely and that he should sell them.
Gerry didn't know quite what to make of this, but at the behest of the friend they took a few samples to a local cafe. The reaction was the same. And thus a business idea was born.
While still working days at the English language school grind, Gerry cooked at night.
His client base expanded to pubs, department stores, and cafes. His side business was becoming more and more of a real business.
When he was told of an impending - but undesired - transfer to another branch of the language school, he took the plunge and became a full-time piemaster.
With funding from his brother and a Japanese source, he set up the factory where he still works six days a week.
He began with a basic menu of pub pies, which included beef and beer, curry meat, meat & onion, chicken mushroom, vegetable and cheese.
In recent years, though, Gerry has moved on to dessert pies as well. If the above list does not have your mouth watering, read on:
blueberry & custardstrawberry & custard
peach & custard & vanilla
Other new pies include quiche lorraine, beef and portwine, and tandoori chicken.
Online/fax ordering and delivery are possible.
Address
Crystal Court Saga,1F 6-7 Setogawa-cho
Saga,Tenryuji, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto
Open: 9AM-6PM (Closed on Sun.)
TEL/FAX: 075-862-3321
Jerry's Pies
Access
A five-minute walk from JR Saga Arashiyama Station.
© JapanVisitor.com
Photos: ©Trevor Mogg
Yahoo Japan Auction Service
Japanese Friends
Tokyo Apartments Search
Japan Job Search
Rough Guide To Japan
Tags
Japan
Tokyo
Kyoto
Jerry's Pies
Japanese
Japan This Week 29 August 2010
今週の日本
Japan and the Ancient Art of Shrugging
New York Times
日本可能干预汇率导致日元走软
Caijing
Satoshi Kon obituary
Guardian
Toyota recalls 1.33 million Corollas, Matrixes
Washington Post
Japan opens up its secret death chamber to the world
The Independent
Soñar el amor edénico de Mishima
El Pais
Foreigners can vote for DPJ leader
Japan Times
China ascendant - what now for Japan?
BBC
Nara la paisible se souvient dans le tapage qu'elle fut la capitale du Japon
Le Monde
Alex Ramirez sets Japan baseball record for RBIs
Yahoo Sports
Japan Shifting Views on Managers
New York Times
Digital age threatens Japanese translation service in District
Washington Post
Last week's Japan news
Japan Statistics
As of August 24, the city of Osaka has experienced 16 "extremely hot days" (35 degrees or warmer). Nagoya has recorded 14.
Source: Yomiuri Shinbun
© JapanVisitor
Book a hotel in Japan with Bookings
Japanese Fiction
Happi Coats
Tags
Japan News Japan Statistics politics
Japan and the Ancient Art of ShruggingNew York Times
日本可能干预汇率导致日元走软
Caijing
Satoshi Kon obituary
Guardian
Toyota recalls 1.33 million Corollas, Matrixes
Washington Post
Japan opens up its secret death chamber to the world
The Independent
Soñar el amor edénico de Mishima
El Pais
Foreigners can vote for DPJ leader
Japan Times
China ascendant - what now for Japan?
BBC
Nara la paisible se souvient dans le tapage qu'elle fut la capitale du Japon
Le Monde
Alex Ramirez sets Japan baseball record for RBIs
Yahoo Sports
Japan Shifting Views on Managers
New York Times
Digital age threatens Japanese translation service in District
Washington Post
Last week's Japan news
Japan Statistics
As of August 24, the city of Osaka has experienced 16 "extremely hot days" (35 degrees or warmer). Nagoya has recorded 14.
Source: Yomiuri Shinbun
© JapanVisitor
Book a hotel in Japan with Bookings
Japanese Fiction
Happi Coats
Tags
Japan News Japan Statistics politics
Beckii Cruel
ベッキー・クルーエル
Beckii Cruel, aka Rebecca Flint, was the subject of an interesting BBC 3 documentary this month. The Isle of Man-born schoolgirl became a hit in Japan after posting videos of herself on YouTube dancing to J-pop songs in her bedroom. Long a fan of Japanese manga and anime, Beckii's doe-eyed looks fit perfectly the stereotype of a shojo manga character.
Spotted by a talent scout, Beckii was taken over to Tokyo for her 15 minutes of fame as a moe idol.
The documentary probes the Lolicon (Lolita complex) aspect of young girls dancing for the "entertainment" of a mainly older male audience, the pressures of making it big in Japan and the support Beckii has received from her policeman father, Derek, who clearly has one eye firmly on her earning potential.
Now with a Twitter page and a website, Beckii is hoping to go mainstream and we wish her well.
© JapanVisitor.com
Yahoo Japan Auction Service
Japanese Friends
Tokyo Apartments Search
Japan Job Search
Rough Guide To Japan
Tags
Beckii Cruel
Idol
Lolicon
anime
Japanese manga
Beckii Cruel, aka Rebecca Flint, was the subject of an interesting BBC 3 documentary this month. The Isle of Man-born schoolgirl became a hit in Japan after posting videos of herself on YouTube dancing to J-pop songs in her bedroom. Long a fan of Japanese manga and anime, Beckii's doe-eyed looks fit perfectly the stereotype of a shojo manga character.
Spotted by a talent scout, Beckii was taken over to Tokyo for her 15 minutes of fame as a moe idol.
The documentary probes the Lolicon (Lolita complex) aspect of young girls dancing for the "entertainment" of a mainly older male audience, the pressures of making it big in Japan and the support Beckii has received from her policeman father, Derek, who clearly has one eye firmly on her earning potential.
Now with a Twitter page and a website, Beckii is hoping to go mainstream and we wish her well.
© JapanVisitor.com
Yahoo Japan Auction Service
Japanese Friends
Tokyo Apartments Search
Japan Job Search
Rough Guide To Japan
Tags
Beckii Cruel
Idol
Lolicon
anime
Japanese manga
Don't do the bag staff
こちらのレジはお客様に袋詰めにしていただきます
Shopping in Tokyo offers everything from the glamor of Ginza to the bling of Shibuya shopping. Yet don't forget the rather bleaker sections of town where the flashest thing around is old Mr. Tanaka's panama or Mrs. Kato's new tricycle. East Tokyo's Asakusa area is one such quarter, and, living not far from there, I was in the Takeya supermarket there this weekend.
English in Tokyo: everything from the linguistics department of Tokyo University, to ... Takeya supermarket. Even the worst "Japlish" generally manages to make, at worst, tenuous sense. But for the first time in a long time, this poster hanging above a check-out aisle in Takeya supermarket had me at a complete loss.
"I will not do the bag staff."
It sounded like a the pledge of a Boy Scout group prone to committing acts of sexual violence. Raise right hand. "I will not do the bag staff (however worked up they may get me)." Daring myself to lay eyes on the bag staff, I repeated it a couple of times for good measure, "I will not do the bag staff," "I will not do the bag staff!"
Baffled, breathing heavily, and blood racing, I raised my eyes to the Japanese text:
こちらのレジはお客様に袋詰めにしていただきます。(Kochira no reji wa o-kyaku-sama ni fukurozume ni shite itadakimasu), or, "Customers for this check out should fill their own bags."
In other words, the cashiers at such check outs just do the till, and the customer looks after putting his or her own purchases in the plastic bag provided.
I looked around guiltily, mopping my brow, hoping no one had noticed.
I figured out, firstly, the word "staff" is probably a mistaken transliteration of the word "stuff" (there being no short "a" sound in Japanese), "stuff" in turn being a strange vocabulary alternative for the meaning "pack."
We now have "I will not do the bag pack(ing)," or, "I won't pack your bags," i.e. an instance of reported speech put in the mouth of the cashier him/herself.
All impure connotations now swept from my mind, I exited with my bag (which, incidentally, the cashier DID kindly pack for me) only to be accosted by a poster on the wall outside featuring what at first glance struck me as a pink fleshy cartoon rendition of a curvacious, voluptuous Henry Moore objet d'art. Again, completely wrong - and tellingly filthy minded of me.
It was the bulbous, nail-varnished fist of a angry yet bambi-eyed Japanese policewoman yelling at me "痴漢は犯罪です！”(Chikan wa hanzai desu!), or "Sexual harassment is a crime!" Subtitle: あなたの一生台無しに！ (Anata no isshou o dainashi ni!) "It will ruin your life forever!"
OK, I get it! I get it! I was just here to shop - for godsake.
© JapanVisitor.com
Yahoo Japan Auction Service
Japanese Friends
Tokyo Apartments Search
Japan Job Search
Rough Guide To Japan
Tags
Japan
Tokyo
Takeya
supermarket
Japlish
Shopping in Tokyo offers everything from the glamor of Ginza to the bling of Shibuya shopping. Yet don't forget the rather bleaker sections of town where the flashest thing around is old Mr. Tanaka's panama or Mrs. Kato's new tricycle. East Tokyo's Asakusa area is one such quarter, and, living not far from there, I was in the Takeya supermarket there this weekend.
English in Tokyo: everything from the linguistics department of Tokyo University, to ... Takeya supermarket. Even the worst "Japlish" generally manages to make, at worst, tenuous sense. But for the first time in a long time, this poster hanging above a check-out aisle in Takeya supermarket had me at a complete loss.
"I will not do the bag staff."
It sounded like a the pledge of a Boy Scout group prone to committing acts of sexual violence. Raise right hand. "I will not do the bag staff (however worked up they may get me)." Daring myself to lay eyes on the bag staff, I repeated it a couple of times for good measure, "I will not do the bag staff," "I will not do the bag staff!"
Baffled, breathing heavily, and blood racing, I raised my eyes to the Japanese text:
こちらのレジはお客様に袋詰めにしていただきます。(Kochira no reji wa o-kyaku-sama ni fukurozume ni shite itadakimasu), or, "Customers for this check out should fill their own bags."
In other words, the cashiers at such check outs just do the till, and the customer looks after putting his or her own purchases in the plastic bag provided.
I looked around guiltily, mopping my brow, hoping no one had noticed.
I figured out, firstly, the word "staff" is probably a mistaken transliteration of the word "stuff" (there being no short "a" sound in Japanese), "stuff" in turn being a strange vocabulary alternative for the meaning "pack."
We now have "I will not do the bag pack(ing)," or, "I won't pack your bags," i.e. an instance of reported speech put in the mouth of the cashier him/herself.
All impure connotations now swept from my mind, I exited with my bag (which, incidentally, the cashier DID kindly pack for me) only to be accosted by a poster on the wall outside featuring what at first glance struck me as a pink fleshy cartoon rendition of a curvacious, voluptuous Henry Moore objet d'art. Again, completely wrong - and tellingly filthy minded of me.
It was the bulbous, nail-varnished fist of a angry yet bambi-eyed Japanese policewoman yelling at me "痴漢は犯罪です！”(Chikan wa hanzai desu!), or "Sexual harassment is a crime!" Subtitle: あなたの一生台無しに！ (Anata no isshou o dainashi ni!) "It will ruin your life forever!"
OK, I get it! I get it! I was just here to shop - for godsake.
© JapanVisitor.com
Yahoo Japan Auction Service
Japanese Friends
Tokyo Apartments Search
Japan Job Search
Rough Guide To Japan
Tags
Japan
Tokyo
Takeya
supermarket
Japlish
JapanVisitor On YouTube
ビデオ
Visit JapanVisitor's channel on YouTube for our latest videos on Japan.
JapanFilms has videos on Japanese festivals, Japanese trains, Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto and an off-the-wall section. See our Japan video library for a list of video titles.
© JapanVisitor.com
Yahoo Japan Auction Service
Japanese Friends
Tokyo Apartments Search
Japan Job Search
Rough Guide To Japan
Tags
Japan Films
YouTube
Japanese Movies
Visit JapanVisitor's channel on YouTube for our latest videos on Japan.
JapanFilms has videos on Japanese festivals, Japanese trains, Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto and an off-the-wall section. See our Japan video library for a list of video titles.
© JapanVisitor.com
Yahoo Japan Auction Service
Japanese Friends
Tokyo Apartments Search
Japan Job Search
Rough Guide To Japan
Tags
Japan Films
YouTube
Japanese Movies
This Deserves A Double
Over a week later and they still can't get their shit together.
Oh and yeah, thanks to Death Machine for giving me the material to express my frustration. Get yours here.
Canal City Fukuoka Jon Jerde
Canal City in Fukuoka takes the "city-within-a-city" theme that has been prevalent recently in Japan and combines it with a shopping complex to create what its creators call a "city theatre" in downtown Fukuoka.
Canal City is home to over 250 shops ranging from cosmetics to sporting goods and houses a movie theater and duty-free shops as well. There are also a number of restaurants featuring a wide variety of cuisines.
One of the main aesthetic features of the complex is the 180-meter long canal that runs through the middles of the site. There are also fountain shows which take place every 30 minutes. Shows at the top of the hour feature music while the others have no music.
Canal City is separated into five areas, Sea Court, Earth Walk, Sun Plaza Stage, and Moon Walk, each with its own specific design and colorization.
The complex is also dressed up with decorations from the various seasons, such as special Christmas designs in the winter and Halloween decor in autumn among others.
In addition to the multitude of ways to amuse oneself, live performances are held on the Sun Plaza Stage almost daily.
Canal City rests between Tenjin and Hakata stations and is easily accessed on foot or by public transport from both stations. Canal Town is also in the vicinity of other Fukuoka attractions such as the Kushida Shrine and Hakata Machiya Folk Museum.
© Jason Coskrey & JapanVisitor.com
Yahoo Japan Auction Service
Japanese Friends
Tokyo Apartments Search
Japan Job Search
Rough Guide To Japan
Tags
Canal Town
Fukuoka
Kyushu
Japanese Shopping
Canal City is home to over 250 shops ranging from cosmetics to sporting goods and houses a movie theater and duty-free shops as well. There are also a number of restaurants featuring a wide variety of cuisines.
One of the main aesthetic features of the complex is the 180-meter long canal that runs through the middles of the site. There are also fountain shows which take place every 30 minutes. Shows at the top of the hour feature music while the others have no music.
Canal City is separated into five areas, Sea Court, Earth Walk, Sun Plaza Stage, and Moon Walk, each with its own specific design and colorization.
The complex is also dressed up with decorations from the various seasons, such as special Christmas designs in the winter and Halloween decor in autumn among others.
In addition to the multitude of ways to amuse oneself, live performances are held on the Sun Plaza Stage almost daily.
Canal City rests between Tenjin and Hakata stations and is easily accessed on foot or by public transport from both stations. Canal Town is also in the vicinity of other Fukuoka attractions such as the Kushida Shrine and Hakata Machiya Folk Museum.
© Jason Coskrey & JapanVisitor.com
Yahoo Japan Auction Service
Japanese Friends
Tokyo Apartments Search
Japan Job Search
Rough Guide To Japan
Tags
Canal Town
Fukuoka
Kyushu
Japanese Shopping
Fukuoka Dome
福岡ドーム
Sitting in a picturesque setting beside a river is Fukuoka Yahoo! Japan Dome, Japan's first multi-purpose stadium with a retractable roof.
Most commonly referred to as Fukuoka Dome, it's original name, or Yahoo Dome, the facility was opened on April 2, 1993.
The stadium has thousands of movable seats which allows it to host a variety of sporting events, such as American football games and has even hosted motor cross races.
Like the Tokyo Dome, a number of musicians, including the late Michael Jackson, have held concerts at Fukuoka Dome.
Mostly, the stadium is used as the home of the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks baseball team and also hosted the first game of the 2010 NPB All-Star series. Games are played with the roof closed, though it is opened on occasion following Hawks' wins.
As a baseball stadium, Fukuoka Dome has a capacity of 36,253. The facility is surrounded by Hawks Town, which is a resort style area in Fukuoka that also features a hotel, mall and restaurants.
Hawks Town, also offers a Dome Tour, which is a tour that takes attendees onto the field, locker rooms and dugouts.
© Jason Coskrey & JapanVisitor.com
Yahoo Japan Auction Service
Japanese Friends
Tokyo Apartments Search
Japan Job Search
Rough Guide To Japan
Tags
Japan Baseball
Fukuoka
Fukuoka Dome
Japanese Baseball
Sitting in a picturesque setting beside a river is Fukuoka Yahoo! Japan Dome, Japan's first multi-purpose stadium with a retractable roof.
Most commonly referred to as Fukuoka Dome, it's original name, or Yahoo Dome, the facility was opened on April 2, 1993.
The stadium has thousands of movable seats which allows it to host a variety of sporting events, such as American football games and has even hosted motor cross races.
Like the Tokyo Dome, a number of musicians, including the late Michael Jackson, have held concerts at Fukuoka Dome.
Mostly, the stadium is used as the home of the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks baseball team and also hosted the first game of the 2010 NPB All-Star series. Games are played with the roof closed, though it is opened on occasion following Hawks' wins.
As a baseball stadium, Fukuoka Dome has a capacity of 36,253. The facility is surrounded by Hawks Town, which is a resort style area in Fukuoka that also features a hotel, mall and restaurants.
Hawks Town, also offers a Dome Tour, which is a tour that takes attendees onto the field, locker rooms and dugouts.
© Jason Coskrey & JapanVisitor.com
Yahoo Japan Auction Service
Japanese Friends
Tokyo Apartments Search
Japan Job Search
Rough Guide To Japan
Tags
Japan Baseball
Fukuoka
Fukuoka Dome
Japanese Baseball
Final Fantasy Potions
ファイナルファンタジー
Drinks are a popular tie-in, with Japanese companies selling real-life counterparts to in-game items.
Many convience stores stock "potions" drinks made famous in the Final Fantasy series.
In the game the drink is used to heal wounds, etc. It won't heal any real-world ailments, but is a treat for fans of the series.
Following along the same lines Square Enix and Suntory recently released a drink tied into the mega-popular Dragon Quest Series, made to look like the game's famous slimes.
The Slimes come in two flavors and are modeled after spells in the series.
Dragon Quest is a wildly popular role-playing series that has had installments released - usually to rabid fanfare in Japan - across a variety of platforms including the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Playstation, Playstation 2 and the more recent Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS among others.
© Jason Coskrey & JapanVisitor.com
Yahoo Japan Auction Service
Japanese Friends
Tokyo Apartments Search
Japan Job Search
Rough Guide To Japan
Tags
Final Fantasy
Playstation 2
Playstation
Wii
Japanese Drinks
Drinks are a popular tie-in, with Japanese companies selling real-life counterparts to in-game items.
Many convience stores stock "potions" drinks made famous in the Final Fantasy series.
In the game the drink is used to heal wounds, etc. It won't heal any real-world ailments, but is a treat for fans of the series.
Following along the same lines Square Enix and Suntory recently released a drink tied into the mega-popular Dragon Quest Series, made to look like the game's famous slimes.
The Slimes come in two flavors and are modeled after spells in the series.
Dragon Quest is a wildly popular role-playing series that has had installments released - usually to rabid fanfare in Japan - across a variety of platforms including the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Playstation, Playstation 2 and the more recent Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS among others.
© Jason Coskrey & JapanVisitor.com
Yahoo Japan Auction Service
Japanese Friends
Tokyo Apartments Search
Japan Job Search
Rough Guide To Japan
Tags
Final Fantasy
Playstation 2
Playstation
Wii
Japanese Drinks
My Latest Art Quilt
It's 24 x 32 and is from the second Rose Hughes book. I learned one very important lesson from this quilt; I'll never use velveteen again. That's what the plain green is. It stretches very easily. There is a lot more detail to this piece but it doesn't show very well in the photo.
Japan This Week 22 August 2010
今週の日本
Japan’s Cabinet Shuns Shrine on Anniversary of War’s End
New York Times
“辩论会”对日本外交官的影响
Caijing
China's rich tourists bring a shopping revolution to Japan
Guardian
The unmaking of the atomic bomb
Washington Post
Demasiados centenarios para no ser un fraude
El Pais
Nobel laureates invite Obama to Hiroshima
Japan Times
Move over Japan - make way for China
BBC
Deuxième puissance économique mondiale, le Japon devance toujours la Chine
Le Monde
Miyazato has 1-stroke lead in Safeway Classic
Yahoo Sports
Japan and the Ancient Art of Shrugging
New York Times
Last week's Japan news
Japan Statistics
The market for foreign language education shrank by 5.8% to 502 billion yen (586 million USD) in 2009.
One result was that Geos, one of the largest language schools in Japan, filed for bankruptcy.
Source: Yomiuri Shinbun
4.3 billion yen (50 million USD) is still left in some 19 million postal savings accounts opened in former Japanese colonies, such as South Korea and Taiwan.
© JapanVisitor
Book a hotel in Japan with Bookings
Japanese Fiction
Happi Coats
Tags
Japan News Japan Statistics politics
Japan’s Cabinet Shuns Shrine on Anniversary of War’s EndNew York Times
“辩论会”对日本外交官的影响
Caijing
China's rich tourists bring a shopping revolution to Japan
Guardian
The unmaking of the atomic bomb
Washington Post
Demasiados centenarios para no ser un fraude
El Pais
Nobel laureates invite Obama to Hiroshima
Japan Times
Move over Japan - make way for China
BBC
Deuxième puissance économique mondiale, le Japon devance toujours la Chine
Le Monde
Miyazato has 1-stroke lead in Safeway Classic
Yahoo Sports
Japan and the Ancient Art of Shrugging
New York Times
Last week's Japan news
Japan Statistics
The market for foreign language education shrank by 5.8% to 502 billion yen (586 million USD) in 2009.
One result was that Geos, one of the largest language schools in Japan, filed for bankruptcy.
Source: Yomiuri Shinbun
4.3 billion yen (50 million USD) is still left in some 19 million postal savings accounts opened in former Japanese colonies, such as South Korea and Taiwan.
© JapanVisitor
Book a hotel in Japan with Bookings
Japanese Fiction
Happi Coats
Tags
Japan News Japan Statistics politics
Tocho By Night
東京都庁舎
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building or Tocho in Shinjuku is a prominent Tokyo skyscraper and landmark.
The two top-floor observation decks are free and are a popular place to look out over the sprawling metropolis below. They are open from 9.30am.
The building is also impressive at night with its orange colored lights illuminating the twin towers and the middle section of the building.
© JapanVisitor.com
Yahoo Japan Auction Service
Japanese Friends
Tokyo Apartments Search
Japan Job Search
Rough Guide To Japan
Tags
Shinjuku
Tokyo
Tocho
Japanese Buildings
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building or Tocho in Shinjuku is a prominent Tokyo skyscraper and landmark.
The two top-floor observation decks are free and are a popular place to look out over the sprawling metropolis below. They are open from 9.30am.
The building is also impressive at night with its orange colored lights illuminating the twin towers and the middle section of the building.
© JapanVisitor.com
Yahoo Japan Auction Service
Japanese Friends
Tokyo Apartments Search
Japan Job Search
Rough Guide To Japan
Tags
Shinjuku
Tokyo
Tocho
Japanese Buildings
JapanVisitor on Twitter
Follow JapanVisitor on twitter and keep up with all our Japan-related tweets.
© JapanVisitor.com
Yahoo Japan Auction Service
Japanese Friends
Tokyo Apartments Search
Japan Job Search
Rough Guide To Japan
Tags
Japan
Twitter
© JapanVisitor.com
Yahoo Japan Auction Service
Japanese Friends
Tokyo Apartments Search
Japan Job Search
Rough Guide To Japan
Tags
Japan
Japan Visitor On Facebook
フェイスブック
Visit Japan Visitor on Facebook to get the latest updates on Japan through the popular social media Facebook.
Keep in contact with JapanVisitor through Facebook by liking what you see or writing on our wall.
© JapanVisitor.com
Yahoo Japan Auction Service
Japanese Friends
Tokyo Apartments Search
Japan Job Search
Rough Guide To Japan
Tags
Japan Facebook
Tokyo Facebook
Kyoto Facebook
Nagoya Facebook
Japanese Facebook
Visit Japan Visitor on Facebook to get the latest updates on Japan through the popular social media Facebook.
Keep in contact with JapanVisitor through Facebook by liking what you see or writing on our wall.
© JapanVisitor.com
Yahoo Japan Auction Service
Japanese Friends
Tokyo Apartments Search
Japan Job Search
Rough Guide To Japan
Tags
Japan Facebook
Tokyo Facebook
Kyoto Facebook
Nagoya Facebook
Japanese Facebook
Mobile Phone Charging Machines
携帯電話
If your mobile phone happens to run out of power, don't despair. Japan's convenience stores and hotel lobbies will usually have a machine that can charge your phone whether you have the charging cord or not.
Look up the model of your phone on the machine plug it in to the right slot and in about 20 minutes you'll have enough juice to make that important call.
© JapanVisitor.com
Yahoo Japan Auction Service
Japanese Friends
Tokyo Apartments Search
Japan Job Search
Rough Guide To Japan
Tags
Japan Phones
Japanese phones
If your mobile phone happens to run out of power, don't despair. Japan's convenience stores and hotel lobbies will usually have a machine that can charge your phone whether you have the charging cord or not.
Look up the model of your phone on the machine plug it in to the right slot and in about 20 minutes you'll have enough juice to make that important call.
© JapanVisitor.com
Yahoo Japan Auction Service
Japanese Friends
Tokyo Apartments Search
Japan Job Search
Rough Guide To Japan
Tags
Japan Phones
Japanese phones
Beyond the pet cemetery
ペットの仏壇
Where does Fido go when he dies? A pet cemetery? Well, just in case there is a doggy heaven, get him an altar too! This product was spotted in a Tokyo department store, and in a country that is pet-crazy, has to be one of the more way-out pet accessories on the market.
This pet altar was on sale in the Buddhist accoutrement section of the department store, along with the sutra books, candles, incense, prayer beads, and small altars for humans.
Buddhism is one of the two main religions in Japan, native Shinto being the other one.
Most Japanese do not consider themselves to be exclusively one or the other, but generally identify themselves as Buddhists who practice Shinto rites at the times and occasions when Shinto rites are traditionally called for, such as births and weddings.
In many ways, Shinto is less a religion than a historically accrued body of rites to appease and beseech gods of the traditional Japanese pantheon. Although, even here things become confused and the provenance of the respective Buddhist and Shinto gods can be uncertain, or at least not considered discrete. (Read more about the Buddhist/Shinto distinction/confusion here.)
But the Buddhist idea of the soul has it inhabiting every living thing, and transmigrating once the body it inhabited has gone. In this sense, having an altar for your pet makes perfect sense, if your lavishing of care on, and entreating heaven on behalf of, its soul will ensure it as least as good a life, hopefully better, in its next incarnation.
And for only 1,000 yen plus goods and services tax of 50 yen - what's that in the context of eternity?
© JapanVisitor.com
Yahoo Japan Auction Service
Book a Japanese Hotel with Bookings
Japanese Friends
Japan Job Search
Tokyo Vice
Tags
Japan Tokyo Kyoto Nagoya Japanese
Where does Fido go when he dies? A pet cemetery? Well, just in case there is a doggy heaven, get him an altar too! This product was spotted in a Tokyo department store, and in a country that is pet-crazy, has to be one of the more way-out pet accessories on the market.
This pet altar was on sale in the Buddhist accoutrement section of the department store, along with the sutra books, candles, incense, prayer beads, and small altars for humans.
Buddhism is one of the two main religions in Japan, native Shinto being the other one.
Most Japanese do not consider themselves to be exclusively one or the other, but generally identify themselves as Buddhists who practice Shinto rites at the times and occasions when Shinto rites are traditionally called for, such as births and weddings.
In many ways, Shinto is less a religion than a historically accrued body of rites to appease and beseech gods of the traditional Japanese pantheon. Although, even here things become confused and the provenance of the respective Buddhist and Shinto gods can be uncertain, or at least not considered discrete. (Read more about the Buddhist/Shinto distinction/confusion here.)
But the Buddhist idea of the soul has it inhabiting every living thing, and transmigrating once the body it inhabited has gone. In this sense, having an altar for your pet makes perfect sense, if your lavishing of care on, and entreating heaven on behalf of, its soul will ensure it as least as good a life, hopefully better, in its next incarnation.
And for only 1,000 yen plus goods and services tax of 50 yen - what's that in the context of eternity?
© JapanVisitor.com
Yahoo Japan Auction Service
Book a Japanese Hotel with Bookings
Japanese Friends
Japan Job Search
Tokyo Vice
Tags
Japan Tokyo Kyoto Nagoya Japanese
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)