More glimpses of unfamiliar Japan

I paid another visit to Ichibata Yakushi, the mountaintop temple to the buddha of healing Yakushi Nyorai, located between Lake Shinji and th...

Some shots from inside the Riverwalk complex in Kokura. For details see yesterdays post . I recently learned that the Jerde Partnership that...

Riverwalk, designed by the Jerde Partnership. is located in Kokura, Kitakyushu. Opened in 2003, the complex houses shops, cinemas, auditoriu...

Today is a National Holiday in Japan in celebration of the Emperor's birthday. Actually his correct title is "Tenno" which tra...

Tsuwano Must be in the Christmas spirit to be posting all these churches :) The Catholic Church in Tsuwano was built in 1931. It's...

The Kappa, Japanese water imp, does on occasion behave kindly to humans, but mostly it is a malevolent creature, so it is not surprising tha...

If you are a sake brewer or are rich you can donate a barrel of sake to a shrine . For most people, however, a bottle of sake is normal. The...

The Memorial Chapel of Mary is located in Otome Pass in Tsuwano. It was built in 1951 on the site of the torture and martyrdom of 25 Christ...

The St. Xavier memorial Church is located in Yamaguchi City. It was built in 1998 to replace an earlier church that "mysteriously"...

A huge stack of sakedaru (sake barrels) at Matsuo Shrine near Kyoto. Matsuo is the home of the patron kami of sake brewers. Sake when offere...