Kyoto: people and place. Part 2

Kyoto: quiet temples, sublime gardens, colourful shrines and geisha scurrying to secret liaisons.
There are said to be over 1000 Buddhist temples in Kyoto. You’ll find true masterpieces of religious architecture, such as the retina-burning splendour of Kinkaku-ji (the famed Golden Pavilion) and the cavernous expanse of Higashi Hongan-ji). Within the temple precincts are some of the world’s most sublime gardens, from the Zen masterpiece at Ryōan-ji) to the riotous paradise of moss and blossoms at Saihō-ji). And then there are the Shintō shrines, monuments to Japan’s indigenous faith. The mother of all shrines, Fushimi-Inari-Taisha), has mesmerising arcades of vermillion torii (shrine gates) spread across a mountainside.
While the rest of Japan has adopted modernity with abandon, the old ways are hanging on in Kyoto. Take a morning stroll through the textile district of Nishijin) and watch the old Kyoto ladies emerge from their machiya (traditional townhouses) to ladle water onto their stoops. Visit an old shōtengai (shopping street) and admire the ancient speciality shops: tofu sellers, fishmongers, pickle vendors and tea merchants. Then join the locals at a local sentō (public bath) to soak away the cares of the day.

Kyoto: people and place. Part 1

Kyoto: quiet temples, sublime gardens, colourful shrines and geisha scurrying to secret liaisons.

There are said to be over 1000 Buddhist temples in Kyoto. You’ll find true masterpieces of religious architecture, such as the retina-burning splendour of Kinkaku-ji (the famed Golden Pavilion) and the cavernous expanse of Higashi Hongan-ji). Within the temple precincts are some of the world’s most sublime gardens, from the Zen masterpiece at Ryōan-ji) to the riotous paradise of moss and blossoms at Saihō-ji). And then there are the Shintō shrines, monuments to Japan’s indigenous faith. The mother of all shrines, Fushimi-Inari-Taisha), has mesmerising arcades of vermillion torii (shrine gates) spread across a mountainside.

While the rest of Japan has adopted modernity with abandon, the old ways are hanging on in Kyoto. Take a morning stroll through the textile district of Nishijin) and watch the old Kyoto ladies emerge from their machiya (traditional townhouses) to ladle water onto their stoops. Visit an old shōtengai (shopping street) and admire the ancient speciality shops: tofu sellers, fishmongers, pickle vendors and tea merchants. Then join the locals at a local sentō (public bath) to soak away the cares of the day.

Kyoto: Kinkakuji, il tempio d’oro. Golden Pavilion

Temple of the Golden Pavilion”, officially named Rokuon-ji, is a Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan. The garden complex is an excellent example of Muromachi period garden design. The Muromachi period is considered to be a classical age of Japanese garden design. The correlation between buildings and its settings were greatly emphasized during this period.[4] It was a way to integrate the structure within the landscape in an artistic way. The garden designs were characterized by a reduction in scale, a more central purpose, and a distinct setting. A minimalistic approach was brought to the garden design, by recreating larger landscapes in a smaller scale around a structure.
It is designated as a National Special Historic Site and a National Special Landscape, and it is one of 17 locations comprising the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto World Heritage Site. It is also one of the most popular buildings in Japan, attracting a large number of visitors annually. The Golden Pavilion is set in a magnificent Japanese strolling garden. The location implements the idea of borrowed scenery that integrates the outside and the inside, creating an extension of the views surrounding the pavilion and connecting it with the outside world. The pavilion extends over a pond, called Kyōko-chi that reflects the building

The people of Japan. Part 2

This set is about japanese people. Old and young, men and women, boys and girls, modern or traditional, old fashioned or fancy…

I hope it reflects a little bit the great variety of the japanese society nowadays

The people of Japan. Part 1

This set is about japanese people. Old and young, men and women, boys and girls, modern or traditional, old fashioned or fancy…

I hope it reflects a little bit the great variety of the japanese society nowadays

Hiroshima

Hiroshima (広島市 Hiroshima-shi?) ( listen (help·info)) is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It is best known as the first city in history to be targeted by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945, near the end of World War II.[1] Its name 広島 means “Wide Island”.
Hiroshima gained city status on April 1, 1889. On April 1, 1980, Hiroshima became a designated city. Kazumi Matsui has been the city’s mayor since April 2011.
Hiroshima was rebuilt after the war, with the help from the national government through the Hiroshima Peace Memorial City Construction Law passed in 1949. It provided financial assistance for reconstruction, along with land donated that was previously owned by the national government and used for military purposes.

Miyajima – Itsukushima Shrine

Tsukushima (厳島?) is an island in the western part of the Inland Sea of Japan, located in the northwest of Hiroshima Bay. It is popularly known as Miyajima (宮島?), the Shrine Island. The island is one of Hayashi Razan’s (林羅山?) Three Views of Japan (日本三景 Nihon Sankei?). Itsukushima is part of the city of Hatsukaichi in Hiroshima Prefecture. The island was the town of Miyajima before the 2005 merger with Hatsukaichi.
Itsukushima is famous for the Itsukushima Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. According to records, the shrine was established in the time of Empress Suiko. The warrior-courtier Taira no Kiyomori gave the shrine its present form. In 1555, Mōri Motonari defeated Sue Harukata at the Battle of Miyajima. Toyotomi Hideyoshi built a large building, the Senjō-kaku, on a hill above the shrine.
The island of Itsukushima, including the waters around it (part of Seto Inland Sea), are within Setonaikai National Park. This sea is affected by strong tides. At low tide, the bottom of the sea is exposed past the island’s torii. At high tide, the sea covers all the previously exposed mud and fills areas underneath the shrine.
Itsukushima is mountainous and sparsely settled. It has an elementary school and a middle school. There are no traffic signals. It is rural and mountainous, only 30.39 square kilometres (11.73 sq mi), and has a population of about 2000. There are no cities, only small towns with simple houses and privately owned shops. The islanders work hard to preserve the forests and respect nature.

The Japanese Cemetery

Cemeteries all over the world are different. Here is the Japanese Cemetery

Tokyo: The Gundam statue

The Gundam statue is an 18 meter tall statue located in Diver City Tokyo, Odaiba, Tokyo, Japan. It is a 1:1 model of the Gundam mobile suit from the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam.

Tokyo Game Center – Video Arcades

An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers (such as claw cranes), or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables. In some countries, some types of arcades are also legally permitted to provide gambling machines such as slot machines or pachinko machines. Games are usually housed in cabinets.
Amusement arcades developed out of penny arcades from the nineteenth century which had machines called bagatelles, a game with elements of billiards and modern pinball. Later, penny arcade machines grew closer to modern pinball. Penny arcades were once common at amusement parks and fairs but by the 1950s, such coin-operated amusements were generally replaced in midways by more modern games of chance and skill (redemption games such as shooting galleries and skee ball). Video games were introduced in amusement arcades in the late 1970s and were most popular during the golden age of arcade video games, the early 1980s. Arcades became popular with young adults and particularly adolescents, which led parents to be concerned that video game playing might cause children to skip school. Many video arcades began closing in the late 1990s, as the technology of home video game consoles began to rival that of arcade games. However, video arcades remain popular in Japan, where they are called game centers