The lantern was introduced to Japan at the same time as Buddhism, in the 6th century. The ishi-doro or stone lantern is the most common t....
11 Mar 12:35 pm  from  Alexandregervais   [Profile] [Recent] 

Lately I have had far more studying and working to do, and so blogging has taken a back seat. But with the incessant stream of drama queener....
11 Mar 8:31 am  from  Katie's Japan Files   [Profile] [Recent] 

Historically Kyoto was the largest city in Japan, later surpassed by Osaka and Tokyo towards the end of the 16th century. In the prewar y....
10 Mar 9:04 am  from  Alexandregervais   [Profile] [Recent] 

Nanzen-ji was founded in the middle Heian period. Nanzen-ji is not itself considered one of the “five great Zen temples of Kyoto”; ho....
9 Mar 11:54 am  from  Alexandregervais   [Profile] [Recent] 

Arashiyama is a pleasant, touristy district at the outskirts of Kyoto. Its landmark is the wooden (now partially concrete) Togetsukyo Bri....
8 Mar 9:03 am  from  Alexandregervais   [Profile] [Recent] 

The Kyōto Imperial Palace is the latest of the imperial palaces built at or near its site in the north-eastern part of the old capital o....
7 Mar 10:19 am  from  Alexandregervais   [Profile] [Recent] 

The Kyoto Imperial Palace (京都御所 Kyōto Gosho) is an imperial palace of Japan, though the Emperor of Japan is not in residence. Th....
6 Mar 11:54 am  from  Alexandregervais   [Profile] [Recent] 

The Palace Grounds include a number of buildings, along with the Imperial Residence, or dairi (内裏). The neighboring building to the n....
5 Mar 9:56 am  from  Alexandregervais   [Profile] [Recent] 

Japanese cuisine is based on combining staple foods (shushoku, 主食), typically rice or noodles, with a soup and okazu (おかず) — ....
4 Mar 9:03 am  from  Alexandregervais   [Profile] [Recent] 

The Nio Mon Gate of Jojakkoji with its thatched roof contains a Niozo statue sculpted by Unkei while the Taho To Tower (an important cult....
3 Mar 8:34 am  from     [Profile] [Recent] 

In 1601, Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, ordered all the feudal lords in Western Japan to contribute to the const....
2 Mar 10:47 am  from  Alexandregervais   [Profile] [Recent] 

The center of the Shishinden is surrounded by a hisashi (庇), a long, thin hallway which surrounded the main wing of an aristocrat’s h....
1 Mar 10:37 am  from  Alexandregervais   [Profile] [Recent] 

The shrine became the object of Imperial patronage during the early Heian period. In 965, Emperor Murakami ordered that Imperial messenge....
28 Feb 11:14 am  from  Alexandregervais   [Profile] [Recent] 

The castle area has several gardens and groves of cherry and ume trees. The Ninomaru garden was designed by the famous landscape architec....
27 Feb 2:28 pm  from  Alexandregervais   [Profile] [Recent] 

The palace is situated in the Kyōto Gyoen (京都御苑 kyōto gyoen), a rectangular enclosure 1.3 km north to south and 0.7 km east to ....
26 Feb 10:35 am  from  Alexandregervais   [Profile] [Recent] 

Nijō Castle (二条城 Nijō-jō) is a flatland castle located in Kyoto, Japan. The castle consists of two concentric rings of fortifica....
25 Feb 9:31 am  from  Alexandregervais   [Profile] [Recent] 

The entire stretch of the line was opened at once on April 1, 1927 by Odakyū Electric Railway. In 1942, Odakyū was forcibly merged by t....
24 Feb 1:02 pm  from  Alexandregervais   [Profile] [Recent] 

An izakaya (居酒屋) is a type of Japanese drinking establishment which also serves food to accompany the drinks. The food is usually m....
23 Feb 9:47 am  from  Alexandregervais   [Profile] [Recent] 

Shimokitazawa (下北沢 Shimokitazawa) is a neighborhood in Setagaya, Tokyo. It consists of the neighborhood immediately surrounding Shi....
22 Feb 12:22 pm  from  Alexandregervais   [Profile] [Recent] 

The original temple was built in 1234 by Hōnen’s disciple, Genchi (1183-1238) in memory of his master and was named Chion-in. While th....
21 Feb 9:43 am  from  Alexandregervais   [Profile] [Recent] 

Japan has the highest number of vending machines per capita, with about one machine for every twenty-three people. Japan’s high popula....
20 Feb 2:11 pm  from  Alexandregervais   [Profile] [Recent] 

Mon (紋), also monshō (紋章), mondokoro (紋所), and kamon (家紋), are Japanese heraldic symbols. Mon may refer to any symbol, whi....
19 Feb 9:28 am  from  Alexandregervais   [Profile] [Recent] 

Washi or Wagami (和紙) is a type of paper made in Japan. Washi is commonly made using fibers from the bark of the gampi tree, the mitsu....
18 Feb 9:43 am  from  Alexandregervais   [Profile] [Recent] 

Japanese calligraphy (書道 shodō) is a form of calligraphy, or artistic writing, of the Japanese language. For a long time, the most e....
17 Feb 8:48 am  from  Alexandregervais   [Profile] [Recent] 

The chōchin had a frame of split bamboo wound in a spiral. Paper or silk protected the flame from wind. The spiral structure permitted i....
16 Feb 10:55 am  from  Alexandregervais   [Profile] [Recent] 

Television broadcasting in Japan started in 1939, making the country one of the first in the world with an experimental television servic....
15 Feb 8:29 am  from  Alexandregervais   [Profile] [Recent] 

A Nichiren sect temple established in 1604 as a place of retirement for the priest Nisshin of Honkokuji Temple. Later converted to a temp....
14 Feb 9:46 am  from  Alexandregervais   [Profile] [Recent] 

Sōzu is a type of water fountain used in Japanese gardens. Usually made of bamboo, it consists of a hollow pivoting arm attached to upri....
13 Feb 12:46 pm  from  Alexandregervais   [Profile] [Recent] 

In the modern era, the principal distinctions between men’s kimono are in the fabric. The typical men’s kimono is a subdued, dark col....
12 Feb 10:17 am  from  Alexandregervais   [Profile] [Recent] 

Hōnen (法然 1133-1212) is the religious reformer and founder of the first independent branch of Japanese Pure Land Buddhism called Jō....
11 Feb 10:42 am  from  Alexandregervais   [Profile] [Recent]