Santa Claus was at Enoshima tonight for photo ops. Some of those waiting for a pic were dressed more festively than others...
Little Yagura
I posted a picture of Kamakura's biggest yagura a few weeks ago. Big ones are few and far between, but little ones like this are quite common. We came across this one while hiking the Gion-Yama hiking trail, though the best trail for yagura is the Ten-en trail. Most yagura are empty, but a few … Continue reading Little Yagura
View from Tosho-gu
The sanbutsudo at Tosho-gu is under renovation, which is really too bad because it's an amazing building. The upside is that you can climb up a few floors to have a look at what goes on during temple/shrine renovation, and from way up there, you get a pretty good view of the surrounding hills and … Continue reading View from Tosho-gu
Ohaka Mairi
We headed up to Tokyo today to see my mother-in-law since we'll be busy over the usual family-gathering days of Oshogatsu (the Japanese new year). We also did ohaka mairi (visiting someone's final resting place) for Hisashi's father and other ancestors. Ohaka mairi is taken pretty seriously in Japan, though customs depend on the area … Continue reading Ohaka Mairi
Octopus Boat
A closer look at the tiny octopi of an earlier photo. These unfortunate eight-leggers are destined for takoyaki, balls of batter and, well, chopped up octopus.
Nikko Elephants
There are a few elephant heads, as well as whole elephants, carved into the structures at Nikko's Tosho-gu. Apparently (and understandably), the builders/carvers had only stories on which to base their work, having never seen an elephant. For some reason, they seem to have been under the impression that elephants were pretty sinister creatures. I … Continue reading Nikko Elephants
Takoyaki
Takoyaki is a favourite festival food in Japan. It's made of balls of batter mixed with chopped up octopus, and, in this case, teeny tiny octopi. Takoyaki made with wee octopi doesn't really float my boat, though normal takoyaki is pretty good—as long as the octopus pieces are suction cup-free.
Last of the Koyo
The fall leaves in Nikko fell ages ago, having passed their best before we visited in mid-November. But we didn't miss all the colour. We got to see some bright reds, yellows and oranges while wandering Tosho-gu. Kamakura, on the other hand, is just now passing its peak.
No Evil
A few weeks back, the family and I went on a short trip to Nikko, a World Heritage site a few hours north of Tokyo. The big shrine-temple complex there, Tosho-gu, is home to the three monkeys of see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil fame.
Yokohama Foreigners’ Cemetery
When Japan opened its doors to the West in the second half of the 19th century, it kept pretty close tabs on foreign settlements. The Yamate area of Yokohama was one of the sanctioned areas, and it still has quite a few Western-style houses, as well as a beautiful Anglican Church, and a large cemetery. … Continue reading Yokohama Foreigners’ Cemetery
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