More glimpses of unfamiliar Japan

This wooden komainu was in the museum at Usa Jingu. It is a type of komainu that is no longer as common as the stone ones found at the entra...

Known locally as Toki Shrine, the Wakamiya Hachimangu is located near Gojo a little south of Gion in the Higashiyama district of Kyoto. This...

This is the draincover for Mochigase Town, now part of Tottori City. It shows the Nagashibina Doll Museum which houses a collection of over ...

The Niomon at Saijo Inari is most unusual. It is built of stone in the style of an Indian Palace. The nio are quite remarkable, though takin...

Ebisu Shrine in Gion is just across the road from Kennin-Ji, the oldest Zen temple in Kyoto. Both were built in 1202 and the Ebisu shrine wa...

The Gion district of Kyoto is one of the most familiar places to visitors to Japan, and whiles I try to concentrate on posts that are more u...

The 11 storey NEC building in the Momochi district of Fukuoka is not a particularly outstanding piece of architecture, but its use of some s...

Like shrines and temples everywhere, on Kunisaki Peninsular there are plenty of the guardian Komainu. This one with a flat head is supportin...

Haruta Shrine is located on the east side of Asuka, right next to Okadera Temple. The two were a temple-shrine complex until the seperation ...

Went to a charity kagura event today and saw a dance I had never seen before, Momiji-gari. The dance opens with three maidens dressed in gor...