Nature & Culture of Japan

To make your trip to Japan more interesting

Month: October 2021

Flashy Kinkakuji Temple, sober Ginkakuji Temple(派手な金閣寺、地味な銀閣寺)

The entire surface of Kinkakuji Temple in Kyoto is covered with gold  which is “Kin” in Japanese. On the other hand, there is also Ginkakuji. “Gin” is silver in Japanese. People would think that the whole surface was covered with…

Autumn at Nikko Botanical Garden, University of Tokyo(東京大学日光植物園の秋)

I wrote about the beauty of autumn in Nikko, Tochigi prefecture earlier. There is a botanical garden of the University of Tokyo in Nikko, which is also a cozy place and is recommended. Autumn is probably the most beautiful.

Kanmurijima, Kyoto Prefecture is an uninhabited island(京都府冠島は無人島である)

Kanmurijima is located off the coast of Maizuru City, Kyoto Prefecture, one of the big cities on the Sea of ​​Japan side. No one lives. I have been to this island by chartering a ship in July 2017. The purpose…

Original castle tower(現存天守閣)

The shape of the castle varies from country to country. I think that Japanese castles are unique. These were built between the 16th and 19th centuries.There are 12 towers of the castles which the original ones before the Meiji Restoration…

Tasty conger and beautiful sunset in Nushima Island, Hyogo Prefecture (兵庫県沼島の鱧と夕日)

The Japanese archipelago consists of four mainlands, Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, and many islands. Awaji Island in Hyogo Prefecture, which boasts the 7th largest size, has an island that can be said to belong to it. That is Nushima…

The inventor Edison and Kyoto Bamboo(発明王エジソンと京都の竹)

It seems that many people misunderstand that the person who invented the light bulb is Thomas A. Edison. Apart from the inventor, Edison is the person who commercialized the light bulb. It is known that the filament was successfully made…

New Zen Buddhism = Manpukuji Temple of Obaku Buddhism (Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture)新しい禅宗=黄檗宗の萬福寺(京都府宇治市)

Of the Buddhist denominations that emphasize zazen in Japan, the Rinzai sect and the Soto sect have existed since the 13th century, while the Obaku sect is a new Buddhist sect that was opened in the 17th century with Chinese…

A free open-air hot spring in Beppu

I wrote about an hot spring which men and women bath together. But this time it’s a hot spring that women never enter. This is in a mountain from the Beppu hot spring town. Anyway, warm water is just soaking…