A typical bamboo grove can release up to 35% more oxygen into the atmosphere compared to similar-sized regular trees. A bamboo plant can mature and can be replanted in just seven years as opposed to about 30 years to 50 years for regular trees. It is fast-growing, yielding up to 20 times more timber compared to trees in the same area. In Japan it is often said that it's safe to escape into a bamboo forest when a big earthquake occurs. Bamboo roots are strongly nested together underground, so they protect yourself from e… Read more

Shikoku (四国, literally "four countries") is Japan's fourth largest island, southwest of Japan's main island Honshu. True to its name, Shikoku is divided into four prefectures : Tokushima, where Japan's largest "Awa-odori" dance festival is performed in Summer, Kagawa famous for Udon noodle (including "Bukkake" Udon ! ), Ehime for Citrus (mikan) Unshiu plus Dogo Onsen and lastly Kochi where you eat Katsuo Bonito ! http://blo… Read more

A young and Beautiful Onsen Inn's Mistress welcomed a media photographer from another country for the first time. Like many other Japanese she was not good at foreign languages, but understood that Mr. White Seed was his name. Sounded like a strange name but anyway she thought that he's from a famous BBC which is similar to Japanese NHK TV. http://blog-imgs-99.fc2.com/s/… Read more

Suzuki Harunobu (Japanese: 鈴木 春信, 1725–1770) was a Japanese designer of woodblock print artist in the Ukiyo-e style. He was an innovator, the first to produce full-color prints (nishiki-e) in 1765, rendering obsolete the former modes of two- and three-color prints. Harunobu used many special techniques, and depicted a wide variety of subjects, from classical poems to contemporary beauties. Like many artists of his day, Harunobu also produced a number of shunga, or erotic images. During his lifetime and shortly afterwards, many artists imitated his style. A few, such as Harushige, even boasted… Read more

This is Common Cuckoo, Pai-chan's favorite bird, a beautiful singer in the forrest. When spring comes to the mountains many birds start performing own concerts. Pai-chan likes to hear Cuckoo's solo in the woods. There is another Cuckoo called "Oriental (Himalayan) Cuckoo" on the other stage (picture below). Common Cuckoo and Oriental Cuckoo look similar but sing very differently. Then what about Eagles and Hawks? To tell you honestly it's not easy for me to d… Read more

A cute girl Miina-chan was trapped by her boss after work .... http://blog-im… Read more

The transience of the blossoms, the exquisite beauty and volatility, has often been associated with mortality and graceful and readily acceptance of destiny and karma; for this reason, cherry blossoms are richly symbolic, and have been utilized often in Japanese art not to mention in Ukiyo-e woodblock printings . ("Toto hassho Ueno bansho" by Shunso painted between 1854-1868 春艸による東都八勝 上野晩鐘) During Edo-period (1603-1868) many Ukiyo-e artists produced woodblock prints called "Nishiki-e" (錦絵), which i… Read more

March 26 - On the final day of action of Grand Sumo Tournament at Osaka, the heavily taped Kisenosato, making his debut as the first Japanese-born yokozuna in 19 years, survived his first bout against Terunofuji to even their records at 13-2 and f o r c e a championship playoff. The two wrestlers returned to the ring for a dramatic climax, where the 30-year-old Kisenosato rallied from a disadvantage and swung down the 25-year-old Mongolian, deploying a *****age right arm-lock throw to earn the come-from-… Read more

Girls like going out. But, you girls must be prepared ... If it's a middle-aged man .... Spring makes everyone horny .... Proceed to Onsen ... http://blog-imgs-99.fc2.com/s… Read more

It's widely said that after opening of Sakura full bloom is expected to arrive in one week to 10 days. However this year is not so. Because of cool weather since the first opening in Tokyo on 21st, the weather has not been favorable for flowers. As of 28th, or one week after 21st, Tokyo's Sakura is yet even 20 % open or so. After Yokohama and Fukuoka on 25th, Hiroshima opened on 27th and today on 28th Kumagaya, Nagoya, Gifu reported open. BTW, full bloom in Tokyo is expected on April… Read more

Sakura (Somei-yoshino) Cherry Blossoms opened in Tokyo first on March 21, then Yokohama and Fukuoka followed on 25th. And it snowed in Kanto region yesterday morning .... actually it's not unusual .... after Sakura bloomed The Sakura cherry blossom season is here, it's a truly magical experience, where national parks and iconic castles are transformed by seas of pink, white and red flowers. Every year in springtime Japanese locals and to… Read more

Hōshi Onsen "Chōju-kan" Situated on what was once the main route up from Edo (Tokyo) into Echigo (Niigata) it was a real travellers’ inn, offering a chance to soak away the dust and grime of a long journey. The Mikuni Kaido (road) is still dotted with venerable ryokan that have been operating for generations. http://blog-imgs-99.fc2.com/s/k/b/s… Read more

Are YOU interested ? or not interested ? Because Pai-chan is not confident .... If majority of friends are not interested I won't upload this softcore ...… Read more

Japan's largest crossdressers/transgender's monthly fun event is going on in Shinjuku on last Saturday of each month. It's a safe heaven for all to express without the boundaries of gender. In Japan, cross-dressing is culturally more accepted than many other countries. YouTube ---> https://youtu.be/dI_DRlrCGqI Crossdressing cannot be summed in just one wo… Read more

Widely celebrated in Japanese literature, poetry, and art, sakura carry layered meanings. For example, because they bloom briefly, the blossoms are often seen as a metaphor for the ephemeral beauty of living. At the same time, the joyful tradition of hanami (flower viewing) is an old and ongoing tradition. The practice was first associated with plum blossoms before becoming almost exclusively linked with cherry blossoms by the Heian Period (794–1185). With wider exposure to Japanese art and culture in the nineteenth century, audiences in the U.S. and around the world embraced sakura as a parti… Read more

In Japan coal mines were found at the extreme ends of the country, in Hokkaidō and Kyūshū, which had, respectively, 45 and 40 percent of the country's coal deposits. In Hokkaido, the coal seams were wider and can be worked mechanically, and the quality of the coal was good. However these mines were located well inland, making transportation difficult. Therefore in Yūbari, Hokkaido a large conglomerate called "Mitsubishi" established their own railway company : Oh-Yūbari Railway in 1911 between the Coal Min… Read more

Known in its heyday as the capital of coal, Yūbari has lost 90% of its population in 50 years. With deer roaming freely, are there lessons for rustbelt cities around the world ? / by Richard Hendy / the guardian /15 August 2014 10.32 BST (Yūbari has the oldest population in Japan and it’s just getting older) Few cities in the developed world can have been put as comprehensively through the wringer as Yūbari , on Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido and known in its heyday as the capital of coal. From a peak… Read more

Nestled deep in the northwest corner of Gunma Prefecture among the 2,000-meter peaks and valleys of the Mikuni Mountains and surrounding National Park, Kusatsu Onsen is a picturesque township that offers a culture as old as Japan itself and a history similar to few other tourist destinations. (Sainokawara Rotenburo - public bath) Japan’s first, eighth and tenth shoguns visited Kusatsu Onsen and occasionally had Kusatsu water shipped to Edo Castle for bathing. Today monuments still stand testament to these… Read more