9 Gardens & Parks Daishi Koen's Shinshu-en Sandra Isaka Just behind the famous Kawasaki Daishi Temple, hidden within Daishi Koen, is a lovely Chinese garden called Shinshu-en.
Historical Smiling Raccoon Dogs Akio Negishi Have you ever seen smiling raccoon dogs? They are very popular and familiar in Japanese culture from the ancient time, and you can..
11 Temples & Shrines Tochigi's Ohira-san Jinja Shrine Larry Knipfing This shrine was established in the early Heian Period. You can drive to the shrine, or better yet, enjoy a leisurely hike up from..
21 Culture Public Art and Design in Shizuoka Peter Sidell The streets of Shizuoka in central Japan are enlivened with plenty of public art and design, including statues, sculpture and street..
Historical Tale of Echizen Jofukuji Temple 1 Takako Sakamoto Tale of Echizen Jofukuji Temple 1: The curious fate of the perished Taira Clan and its family temple that still stands in Echizen,..
Culture Nakamura Hachiman Shrine Sleiman Azizi Nakamura Hachiman Shrine is a local shrine featuring one of Nerima City's oldest standing structures. Unpretentious, the shrine's..
Culture Introducing Tokyo's Parks & Gardens Peter Sidell Tokyo has dozens of green spaces, from expansive tree-filled parks to intimate traditional landscape gardens.
Culture Regional Crafts - Chubu Sleiman Azizi Japan's Chubu region is home to nine prefectures and scores of traditional crafts. These include Tokoname ware from Aichi prefecture,..