The shrine was established by Emperor Kammu when the capital was transferred to Heian-kyō from Nagaoka-kyo in 794. In earlier centuries, the shrine also enjoyed a special relationship with both the Genji and the Heike. A very important Shinto shrine known and popular for its gardens, many trees and cherry blossoms festival.… Read more

New all-in-one bus terminal opened at Tokyo’s Shinjuku Station - The Japan Times / April 04, 2016 A new transportation hub consolidating all 19 bus stations around JR Shinjuku Station in Tokyo opened Monday April 04, 2016 to streamline services and reduce congestion in the area. The Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal, called "Basuta Shinjuku" in Japanese, is the busiest transport hub in the country, with up to 1,625 long-distance arrivals and departures per day involving roughly 40… Read more

京都 嵯峨嵐山 渡月橋 Spring is also nice at Arashiyama (Kyoto) ....… Read more

The " Kanamara Matsuri " The Kanamara Matsuri (かなまら祭り, "Festival of the Steel Phallus") is held each spring at the Kanayama Shrine (金山神社 Kanayama-jinja) in Kawasaki, Japan. The main festivities will fall on the first Sunday in April or it was April 03 this year. (April 03, 2016) The phallus, as the central th… Read more

Ryotei (Japanese style restaurant) and weeping cherry blossoms in Kyoto Kyoto was rainy today ...… Read more

Hokusai(北斎) has also executed erotic depictions. Such paintings were called shunga(春画). Shunga is a term for erotic depictions. Most shunga are a type of ukiyo-e(浮世絵), usually executed in woodblock print format. Translated literally, the Japanese word shunga means "picture of spring". Shunga was enjoyed by both men and women of all classes. Superstitions and customs surrounding shunga suggest as much; in the same way that it was considered a lucky charm against death for a samurai to carry shunga, it was considered a pro… Read more

Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji(富嶽三十六景 : Fugaku Sanjūrokkei) (The Fuji reflects in Lake Kawaguchi seen from the Misaka pass in the Kai province) Hokusai had a long career, but he produced most of his important work after age 60. His most popular work is the ukiyo-e series "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji" which was created between 1826 and 1833. (Sunset… Read more

30 beautiful Sakura cherry trees at Seiun-ji, Gansho-zan, Chichibu-city, Saitama-ken The 6************ weeping cherry tree (Edo-higan-zakura) is 15m tall and will be lit up during this time. ＊＊＊ Sakura(Somei-Yoshino) Cherry Blossoms (Full Bloom shown in bold letter and date) ＊＊＊　 March 19 Opened - Fukuoka(March 29), Nagoya(March31) March 20 Opened - Gifu(March31) March 21 Opened - Tokyo(March31) March 22 Opened - Nagasaki(March30), Kumamoto(April02), Wakayama(… Read more

The name is Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾 北斎 1760-1849), a Japanese artist, ukiyo-e painter and printmaker of the Edo period. He was influenced by such painters as Sesshu, and other styles of Chinese painting. Born in Edo (now Tokyo), Hokusai is best known as author of the woodblock print series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (富嶽三十六景 Fugaku Sanjūroku-kei, c. 1831) which includes the internationally recognized print, The Great Wave off Kanagawa, created during the 1820s. (The Great Wave off Kanagawa) Hokusai… Read more

Steam Locomotives "Sakura" is one of 4 cars regularly running on Ōigawa Railway (大井川鐵道), Shizuoka-ken. Ōigawa Railway Co. is the only railway company who offers regular steam locomotive passenger train services throughout a year in Japan. Established 99 years ago as a private railway between Shin-Kanaya and Senzu. SL-Thomas will be in service during summer season from June 11 until October 10, 2016.… Read more

Some famous Sakura viewing spots around Tokyo (mostly eastern Japan up to Nagano, Niigata, Kanazawa ) -- Yokohama -- ( Full Bloom on April 02 best viewing until around April 07 ) Sankeien Garden : 10-25 min bus ride from JR Negishi or Sakuragicho Stations admission 500 yen, 9:00 to 17:00 (entry until 16:30) Sankeien is a Japanese landscape garden with a central pond, various historical buildings moved there from across the country, and several hundred cherry trees. Mitsuike Park[… Read more

Sakura Cherry in Full Bloom Now 1,900 Cherry Trees on the island… Read more

Over 200 cultivars of Sakura can be found in Japan .... The most popular variety is "Somei-Yoshino" and its average blooming period in Tokyo is early April. Cultivated during the Edo Period (1603-1868) in Tokyo, the Somei Yoshino is by far the most numerous cherry tree in Japan. (Full Blooming Sakura , Edo-era, woodblock print) Somei-yoshino come with almost white, tinged with the palest pink, especiall… Read more

Sakura Cherry Blossoms April 02, 2016 Kyoto Gion Shirakawa 京都祇園白川… Read more

This is a view of Mount Fuji from Oshino Hakkai (忍野八海), a touristy set of eight ponds in a small village called Oshino. The village is located between Lake Kawaguchiko and Lake Yamanakako in the Fuji Five Lake region, on the site of a former sixth lake that dried out several hundred years ago. The eight ponds are fed by snow melt from the slopes of Mount Fuji that filters down the mountain through porous layers of lava for over 80 years, resulting in very clear spring water. http://blog-i… Read more

＊＊＊　Sakura(Somei-Yoshino) Cherry Blossoms　(Full Bloom shown in bold letter and date) ＊＊＊　 March 19 Opened - Fukuoka(March 29), Nagoya(March31) March 20 Opened - Gifu(March31) March 21 Opened - Tokyo(March31) March 22 Opened - Nagasaki(March30), Kumamoto, Wakayama(March31) March 23 Opened - Saga(March31), Oita, Matsuyama, Hiroshima, Matsue(March30), Tottori(March31), Kyoto, Osaka(April01), Nara, Kofu, Yokohama, Maebashi(April01), Kumagaya(April01) March 24 Opened - Miyazaki, Kochi March 25 Opened - Oita March… Read more

Roppongi (六本木, lit. "six trees") is a district in Tokyo that is well known as the city's most popular nightlife district among foreigners, offering a large number of foreigner friendly bars, restaurants and night clubs. Roppongi and the surrounding districts of Azabu, Hiroo and Akasaka are home to many embassies and a large expat community. Two of Tokyo's largest recent redevelopment projects, Roppongi Hills and Tokyo Midtown changed the district's face over the past decade and expanded Roppongi's appeal to a wider ran… Read more

A snow blower clears a path along the Hakkoda-Towada Gold Line road linking the Sukayu district (where Japan's heaviest snow Sukayu-0nsen is located) and the Yachi district in Towada-city of Aomori Prefecture on March 14, 2016. Work to reopen the stretch of National Route 103, which closed in November last year, began on Feb. 29 from the Aomori side and March 1 from the Towada side this winter. The walls of snow are a… Read more

The West Izu Skyline(10.8km), a free expressway offers magnificient view of Mt. Fuji throughout a year. It is in a peninsula called "Izu-hanto", a large mountainous peninsula with deeply indented coasts to the west of Tokyo(about 100km). "Izu" is a popular resort region for tourists from the Kantō region, Tokyo and surrounding area, and is primarily known for onsen hot spring resorts in Atami, Shuzenji, and Itō. (However as a r… Read more