Japan – Mari's Travels with her Camera

Hachikō – Tokyo’s Iconic Dog

By: maristravels May 23, 2021May 23, 2021

Japan, TOKYO SIGHTSEEING, UncategorizedAkita dogs, Animal loyalty, Japan's famous dog, Sightseeing in Tokyo, Tokyo's Hachiko the dog who waited18 Comments

I’d like to set the scene as Maria in Sound of Music suggests “Let’s start at the very beginning” but maybe it’s better if I tell you first that this is Hachikō, the most famous dog in Japan, and that people come from all over Japan to visit his statue in central Tokyo. We tourists…

Among my (Japanese) Souveneirs

By: maristravels April 16, 2018July 23, 2020

Japan, UncategorizedArt, eating in Japan, Food, History, Japanese art, Ryokans, travel14 Comments

Having decided that sentimentality has to give way to practicality when one has downsized and lacks room, I am making strenuous efforts to clear away the bits and bobs that one brings back from one’s travels. I’m not talking the sort of souvenir that one puts on the sideboard or has pride of place in…

The Bamboo Forest of Kyoto

By: maristravels November 18, 2017

Japan, Uncategorizedbamboo forest, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, japanese bamboo, Kyoto, magical atmosphere, nature12 Comments

If you’ve seen Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon you will have gained some idea of what this place is about: I found it totally magical.

TOKYO’S FAMOUS FISH MARKET

By: maristravels November 19, 2016July 24, 2020

Japan, UncategorizedJapan and food, Tokyo's fish market, Tsukdji wholesle Fish Market in Tokyo3 Comments

An article in The Guardian (UK) a few days ago alerted me to the fact that the world’s biggest fish market is about to close. This is the Tsukiji wholesale Market in Tokyo where Japan’s obsession with seafood is transformed into an operation worth almost 2 billion Yen a day (about £15.5 million). But Tokyo’s…

The Japanese Doll Studio

By: maristravels November 8, 2016July 24, 2020

Japan, Uncategorizedantique kimonos and yakutas, Arts and crafts in Kyoto, collectable Japanese dolls, hand-made Japanese dolls, traditional Kyoto, walking in Kyoto3 Comments

Lured into the shop, Doll Studio Tomo, by the window display, we found a veritable heaven full of dolls, about 90 in total, each with individual costumes, differently patterned, each doll with a slightly different face, expression and posture. These dolls have the faces and forms of young children, each one the product of carefully selected materials and technical skills, but their facial expressions, attire, and their postures project the image of an ideal child.

MIYAJIMA – Beautiful Island in Japan

By: maristravels August 19, 2016December 15, 2016

Japan, UncategorizedFamous Floating Red Gate in Japan, Japanese food, Shrines & Temples in Japan, Torii, Wildlife in towns1 Comment

Miyajima is considered to be one of the three most scenic spots in Japan and I’m not going to argue with that. I was bowled over by it, Besides, it is a World Cultural Heritage site and continues to attract more visitors year by year. The island is regarded as a holy shrine of Shinto by the Japanese.

Part of the city of Hatsukaichi, Miyajima is located off the coast in the Seto Inland Sea and is easily reached by tram, train, and boat from Hiroshima for those wishing to experience a complete contrast to that city. The journey takes approximately 1 hour

HIROSHIMA – August 1945 and TODAY

By: maristravels August 2, 2016September 15, 2020

Japan, Uncategorized, Wars, Battlefields, Prose & Poetry of WarAtom bombs, Death in Hiroshima, Enola Gay, Hiroshima, Japan and the bomb, Nagasaki, Nuclear Bombs, Nuclear Disarmament, Peace Park in Hiroshima, World War II & Japan8 Comments

It was Sunday,August 6, 1945, and a hot midsummer sun shone from the blue sky over Hiroshima, Japan. It had been a night of constant alerts with sirens warning of planes overhead but in the morning the all-clear sounded. The streets were full of people, workers returning from night shifts, day workers on their way to take their place, military workers, factory watchmen, women shopping, secondary school children making fire breaks, all, we can suppose, weary after a sleepless night.

JAPAN: Walking in the Japanese Alps

By: maristravels July 15, 2016March 8, 2021

Japan, Japan Alps, Kamikochi, Uncategorizedblack bears, hiking, Mountains, snow in Japan, snow-melt rivers, trekking, Walking in Japan, Walking in the Japanese Alps8 Comments

The area of Kamikochi is simply stunning with an amazing variety of bird life whose sweet song hangs in the air from morning till night. Wild macaques (they do not interfere with visitors because people are careful not to feed them) play on the paths in family groups and among the trees along the river. As we stroll along, the babies peek from their mother’s arms with big black eyes.

TOKYO MAPS

By: maristravels June 25, 2016June 1, 2017

Japan, Tokyo, UncategorizedTokyo's Metro system, Tokyo's railway stations, Tokyo's streetsLeave a Comment

…..how easy it is to negotiate the subway/metro, and the train stations in Tokyo, so here are the maps to help you do so. Also posted is a map of Tokyo’s streets.

TOKYO SIGHTSEEING

By: maristravels June 20, 2016June 1, 2017

Japan, TOKYO SIGHTSEEING, UncategorizedDistricts in Tokyo, Electronics Town, Famous Crossing in Tokyo, Ginza, Senso-jo Shrine, Sony Building, Sumo Wrestling, Tokyo Bay1 Comment

The lack of permanent buildings and monuments is because the houses burnt down regularly as they were traditionally made of wood, and because frequent earthquakes made the use of stone too dangerous.