Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Life

Photo essay: Japan, new and old (Includes first-hand account)

At the end of August I traveled to Japan for nine days, taking in Tokyo, Kyoto, Joetsu, Sado Island and Nara.

Though Japan has recently been in the news for scuffles among lawmakers and controversial security bills, the country stands out thanks to its mix of beautiful old buildings and dense urban centres like Shinjuku and Roppongi, two areas of Tokyo.

Kyoto, a bit less than three hours by bullet train from Tokyo, is a big tourist attraction — after all, it features 2,000 religious sites. I paid a visit to Higashi Honganji temple. which was under some construction.

Higashi Honganji temple in Kyoto  Japan

Higashi Honganji temple in Kyoto, Japan

Though some interesting ornaments remained.

An ornate fountain near Higashi Honganji temple

An ornate fountain near Higashi Honganji temple

From Kyoto’s main train station, you can take buses to various temples and shrines. But as a tourist, there are a number of things you could do that will annoy residents, so be careful.

About two hours by ferry from Joetsu is Sado Island. Known for its historical ruins and outdoor activities, it’s also the home of Chad Robert Jenkins. The former GI deserted to North Korea in 1965 and was detained there until 2004. During the weekend I visited, the yearly Earth Celebration festival was on, organized by the local taiko drumming group. At the lively harbour market, numerous musical groups put on energetic performances.

A group of musicians perform at the Earth Celebration Festival on Sado Island

A group of musicians perform at the Earth Celebration Festival on Sado Island

Kiseki Shrine was the main hub for the big-ticket musical performance by Kodo, which marks the end of the festival.

Part of the Kiseki Shrine at Sado Island

Part of the Kiseki Shrine at Sado Island

Tokyo, meanwhile, offers a little bit of everything, depending on what you want to do. In the Yanaka area, you can see numerous religious sites just tucked away from the busy main streets.

A temple in Yanaka  Tokyo

A temple in Yanaka, Tokyo


A shrine in Yanaka  Tokyo

A shrine in Yanaka, Tokyo

Ueno, Tokyo is known mainly for Ueno Park, a massive green space that hosts, among other buildings, the Ueno Zoo, the Tokyo National Museum and the Museum of Western Art.

In the main square, you will sometimes see street performers.

A street performer who calls himself Soul impressed the crowd with his balloon-animal skills and yo-...

A street performer who calls himself Soul impressed the crowd with his balloon-animal skills and yo-yo tricks

On the west side of the park is a large shrine.

A shrine in Ueno Park

A shrine in Ueno Park

To the east is the Tokyo National Museum, home to numerous collections of Japanese artifacts from swords to battle armour to paintings and scrolls.

A tiger dragon at the Tokyo National Museum

A tiger dragon at the Tokyo National Museum


Battle armour on display at the Tokyo National Museum

Battle armour on display at the Tokyo National Museum


The garden is sadly not accessible to visitors  but is visible from the Tokyo National Museum

The garden is sadly not accessible to visitors, but is visible from the Tokyo National Museum

Just to the south of Ueno Park is a number of narrow streets bursting with shops.

The streets of Ueno

The streets of Ueno

To see Japan’s real urban centres visitors can check out Shinjuku or Roppongi. The latter is home to huge entertainment complex, Roppongi Hills.

The creepy  Maman  sculpture is permanently on display outside of the Mori Art Museum in Roppongi  T...

The creepy ‘Maman’ sculpture is permanently on display outside of the Mori Art Museum in Roppongi, Tokyo

Written By

You may also like:

World

Calling for urgent action is the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

World

Immigration is a symptom of a much deeper worldwide problem.

Business

Saudi Aramco President & CEO Amin Nasser speaks during the CERAWeek oil summit in Houston, Texas - Copyright AFP Mark FelixPointing to the still...

Business

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal infers that some workers might be falling out of the job market altogether.