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What's happening in Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, Shimane Japan



Iida City Kawamoto Kihachiro Puppet Museum (Jan 7)
飯田市川本喜八郎人形美術館

The Iida City Kawamoto Kihachiro Puppet Museum in Iida, southern Nagano Prefecture is the town's must-see attraction and a world class museum. During the Edo period, this old castle town was known for its two performing puppetry troupes - the Kuroda and Imada groups - as well as its delicious apples.



In 1979 the Iida Puppet Carnival (now the Iida Puppet Festa) was established to preserve Iida's puppet heritage and quickly became Japan's biggest puppet event. Puppet animator Kawamoto Kihachiro visited the festival in 1990 and his animated films received an enthusiastic welcome. In response, Kawamoto donated 200 of his puppets which make up the core of the exhibits on display in the modern facility.



Many of the puppets are taken from Kawamoto's two NHK television dramas: Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Tale of the Heike.

One of Kawamoto's short films is shown in the media center at regular intervals during the day.

Iida City Kawamoto Kihachiro Pupp...


Meoto-iwa Futami Ise Shima (Jan 6)
二見、夫婦岩

Very much on the tour bus trail from Ise Jingu are the twin rocks of Meoto-iwa, off the coast of Ise Shima in Futami, Mie Prefecture.



The two rocks in the sea are held as being male and female (one is much larger than the other) and are joined in Shinto matrimony by heavy holy ropes made of rice straw (shimenawa). The rocks can also be considered as representations of Izanagi and Izanami, the two gods who created Japan, according to the mythology.



The ropes are replaced with new ones in an annual festival on January 5th and at other times during the year if necessary. The twin crags are a popular place to watch the sunrise, with summer being the best time of year to do so.

On shore, the Okitama Shrine is dedicated to a Japanese goddess of food, Miketsu. The shrine is surrounded by stone and metal statues of frogs, some worn smooth where people have rubbed them for luck.



The area around Meoto-iwa has been developed into a long arcade - Futami Sea Paradise - with souveni...


Jozan Inari Shrine Matsue (Jan 4)
城山稲荷神社, 松江, 島根県

If you are visiting Matsue in Shimane Prefecture, almost certainly a visit to Matsue Castle will be first on the list of sights to see.

Probably after that you will head for the Shiomi-Nawate, the street along the castle moat with a cluster of other tourist sites such as the Lafcadio Hearn Memorial Museum and Lafcadio Hearn's Old Residence.



The best way is to walk 10 mins through the Jozan Park. At any time of the year it's a pleasant walk, but in April when the cherry blossoms are blooming it's astounding as there are several hundred cherry trees in the park.



After leaving the castle keep and descending the hill on the north side, the path joins a small road. Passing the large torii (gate) on your left that leads up to the Gokoku Shrine, you soon see a group of vermillion torii on your right.



Pass through the torii and you see the steps leading up to Jozan Inari Shrine. Don't be put off by the long flight of stairs, as the climb will reward you with...


Japan This Week: 4 January 2009 (Jan 4)
今週の日本

Beacon of Japan’s Future, Sparkling With Nostalgia

New York Times

Kyoto Celebrates a 1,000-Year Love Affair

New York Times

Japan sees biggest population fall

Guardian

Hibiya Park tent village for laid-off workers draws 300

Japan Times

Book Review: Kitano Takeshi

Midnight Eye

Woman details immigration scam

The Daily Yomiuri

Tourists 'harass' Japan's geisha

BBC

'I can't come in today I have delayed jetlag': Japan turns to skiving

Times on Line

Osaka beat Kashiwa 1-0 to win Emperor's Cup

Yahoo! Sports


Last week's Japan news

Japan Statistics

Traffic fatalities declined in 2008 to one third their record tally, which happened way back in 1970. This year 5,155 Japanese died on the roads; that is a 10% decline on the previous year, and marks eight years in a row of declines.

In 1970, a whopping 16,765 people died in traffic accidents.

Source: Asahi Shinbun

THE TOP 10 CARBON DIOXIDE EMITTERS, 2004

Country: Total = 1,000 tons of carbon; Tons per capita (Rank per capita)

1. USA: ...


Matsue Local History Museum - Kyodokan (Jan 2)
松江郷土館（興雲閣),島根県

The Matsue Kyodokan (local history museum) is located in the grounds of Matsue Castle.



The museum features displays of local history including old black & white photos of Matsue, local crafts and documents etc. The collection is hardly earth-shattering, but worth the entance price (which was free when I last visited).



The building itself is far more interesting, and is a wonderful example of Meiji Period architecture that incorporated Japanese design elements combined with western architecture.



It was built in 1903 for the princely sum of 13,489 yen by architect Risaburo Izumi, who also designed a bathouse in Yunotsu that now houses the Shinyu Gallery.



Local people referred to it as the "Russian Palace".



It was built for Emperor Meiji, who in the early years of his reign conducted six grand tours of Japan. Many towns built places for him to stay on the off-chance that he would visit. He never did come to Matsue.

Matsue Local History Museum
1-59 Tono-ma...


59th Kohaku (Jan 2)
紅白歌合戦



The Kohaku Utagassen - popularly known as Kohaku - is a New Year's Eve NHK TV program that has been an institution in Japan since its radio beginnings in 1951. A red (ko) and white (haku) team, each made up of invited famous entertainment personalities battles for top overall honors, judged by a panel also made up of celebrities from all walks of life.

I got together with a friend for an institution of our own: a nabe (pot luck) dinner, followed by a midnight visit to the Toyokawa Inari Shrine in Tokyo's Akasaka district.

We finished the meal with a large bottle of sake, which my friend warmed up for us, making it extra drinkable. Kohaku seems to get more and more spectacular every year. The most over the top act was, unsurprisingly, the cross-dressing Kenichi Mikawa: a staple character on Kohaku every year. See photo above!

By the time we left for the shrine, I was rolling, and only made it out with great difficulty. I gradually sobered up slightly during the visit to t...


Matsue Shimane City of Water (Jan 4)
松江島根県



Situated on the shore of Lake Shinji, Japan's 8th largest lake, and with the large Matsue Castle moat (horikawa) connecting to the Ohashi, Kensaki, Kyohashi, Yonago, and Kitada Rivers, Matsue, the Prefectural capital of Shimane, is known as the "City of Water."



While comparisons to Venice are a little far-fetched, the waterways of the city are very pleasant and contribute to the ambiance of the city.



One of the best ways to view Matsue is by boat, and there are 3 points around the town where one can board the Horikawa Boat Tour; in front of the main entrance to Matsue Castle, at Ohashi Bridge south-east of the castle, and Horikawa Fureai Square, north-west of the castle. The round trip takes 40 minutes, though one can get off at any point and reboard later.



The trip circles the castle and passes other tourist sites such as the Lafcadio Hearn Memorial Museum and Lafcadio Hearn's Old Residence. The long, narrow boats are covered against inclement weather, and in the cold m...


Happy New Year 2009 From Japan Visitor (Dec 31)
あけましておめでとうございます

Happy 2009 to all our visitors. It's the Year of the Cow in 2009 and our nengajo (New Year's Card) shows the kanji character for the year of the cow (丑) .



Join our Japan newsletter to keep up to date to all that is new on Japan Visitor for 2009.

E-mail us if you would like to receive the glossy New Year's card above (until January 20).
desk [at] japanvisitor [dot] com
Subject "new year card"
Just include your name and snail mail address, and we will promptly post it to you.

We wish you all a peaceful and healthy 2009.

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Shimantogawa Kochi Prefecture (Dec 31)
Image of the week - 四万十川

Early morning on the Shimanto River, Kochi Prefecture, Shikoku. The bridge is a Chinkabashi (lit. sinking bridge) as it disappears under the water during floods.



Click on the image to expand it

Image © Jake Davies & Japan Visitor

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Okayama International Villas To Close (Dec 30)
岡山国際交流ヴィラ

The Okayama International Villas are to close on 31st December 2008 after 20 years in operation.

Established in 1988 as a non-profit organization to provide international guests with a place to rest and relax in the beauty of rural Japan, the 5 properties will close for financial reasons at the end of the year.


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Kanmon Pedestrian Tunnel (Dec 29)
関門橋と関門トンネル(歩道)

Walking from Kyushu to Honshu.

At the closest point, the islands of Kyushu and Honshu are a mere 700 meters apart. The narrow channel called Kanmon Straits is a very busy waterway with about 600 ships a day passing through it.



In 1973 the two islands became connected by the Kanmonkyo Bridge which carries traffic across its central span of 712 meters, and not far away is the Kanmon Railway Tunnel, the first undersea tunnel in Japan, but underneath the Kanmonkyo Bridge is the Kanmon Pedestrian Tunnel.



Connecting Mojiko on the Kyushu side with Shimonoseki on the Honshu side, the tunnel is a little over 700 meters long, and can be walked in 10-15 minutes.



It's a very popular walk, with many people simply walking from one side and back again, collecting the stamp at either end, but many people make a round trip by connecting with the ferry that runs from Shimonoseki to Mojiko.

The tunnel entrance in Mojiko is about a 15 minute walk from the main tourist a...


Japan This Week: 28 December 2008 (Dec 28)
今週の日本

Toyota Expects Its First Loss in 70 Years

New York Times

Governments pour more resources into battle against global recession

Guardian

Japanese neo-nationalists seek to silence Yasukuni film

Japan Focus

Ruling bloc plans 2011 sales tax hike

Japan Times

Tokyo seeks cordial ties with Seoul

Korea Herald

3 Tokyo U. profs harassed colleagues, students

The Daily Yomiuri

Japan emperor in rare appearance

BBC

Movie Review - God's Puzzle

Midnight Eye

Obituary: Yukika Soma

Times on Line

Daisuke Naito retains WBC flyweight title

Yahoo! Sports


Last week's Japan news

Japan Statistics

There were 3.21 million people working as temporary staff in Japan in
2007, triple the 1.07 million temps in 1999.

Source: Labor Ministry

There have been 5,000 traffic fatalities this year up to December 23.
Aichi has the most with 262 road deaths, followed by Saitama 224,
Hokkaido 222 and Tokyo and Chiba with 210 each. Tottori had the fewest
deaths at 29, followed by Nagasaki 39, Shimane and Tokushima 40 each
and Okinawa 41.

Sourc...


Japanese Language: Abbreviations Not Used (Dec 30)
流行のKYなどの頭文字

Tokyo correspondent Leo Lewis wrote in a recent Times of London piece that the abbreviations noted below are becoming widely used by Japanese people under 25.

He moreover went on to quote an expert that this is evidence that Japanese are becoming more direct and perhaps a tad less aware of the feelings of others--and, worst of all, sowing confusion among their their elders.

"The surging use of acronyms, sociologists and language experts say, has created a significant shift in young people's attitudes to elders, and in junior workers' attitudes to bosses. Even among acronym addicts of a similar age, the emerging lexicon allows them to trade abuse freely in a way that traditional Japanese makes rather tricky," writes Lewis.

Having never heard of or heard any of them, we were suspicious. For the record, though, here they are:

AB (甘いものが別腹、amai mono wa betsubara) -- Someone who eats a bit too much, especially sweets
GM (牛丼のほうがまし、g...


Most Popular Names, 2008 (Dec 30)
０８年生まれ人気の名前

The most popular Japanese names of children born in 2008 were announced.

Hina jumped from number 4 in 2007 to number 1; Hiroto came in first for the second year in a row for boys.

Girls

1. Hina/Haruna （陽菜）
2. Yui　（結衣）
3. Aoi　（葵）
4. Sakura（さくら）
5. Yuna　（優菜）
6. Miyu/Miu（美優）
7. Miyu（心優）
8. Yuina（結菜）
8. Mio（美桜）
8. Riko（莉子）

Boys

1. Hiroto（大翔）
2. Yuto（悠翔）
3. Hinata（陽向）
4. Shota（翔太）
5. Sota（颯太）
5. Yuto（悠人）
7. Sho（翔）
7. Yuta（悠太）
9. Ren（連）
10. Riku（陸）
10. Shun（駿）

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Japan Tokyo Kyoto Popular Names 2008

Merry Christmas From Japan (Dec 24)
メリークリスマス

Season's greetings to all our visitors and friends from JapanVisitor.com

Thank you for all your comments, support and suggestions throughout the year.




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Photograph of the Gonokawa River, Shimane Prefecture with snow © Jake Davies & JapanVisitor.com



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Japan's Shinkansen (Dec 24)
新幹線

Japan's shinkansen is a true icon of the country: fast, stylish and safe.



In service since 1964, the shinkansen rail network now stretches between the northern and southern tips of the main Japanese island of Honshu and to Fukuoka on Kyushu.

Shinkansen at a glance

2,459km of track
Carries around 370,000 people daily
Reaches speeds of 300km per hour

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Ruriko-ji Temple in Yamaguchi City (Dec 23)
瑠璃光寺

This pagoda at Ruriko-ji temple in Yamaguchi City is one of the three most important 5-storied pagodas in Japan, the other two being at Horyu-ji in Nara, and Daigo-ji in Kyoto.



It was built in 1442, which makes it the tenth oldest in Japan.

The pagoda is 31.2 meters tall, with roofs of cypress bark. It is a designated National Trasure.



It was built by the 26th generation daimyo Morimi Ouchi for his brother, the 25th generation daimyo Yoshihiro Ouchi.

The pagoda is particularly worth seeing during cherry blossom season, and also at night as it is illuminated.



Yamaguchi City is known as the Kyoto of the West as the town was home to many nobles and artists from Kyoto during the late Muromachi Period while Kyoto was suffering from wars.

Entrance to the park around the pagoda and the temple is free, but nearby is a small museum with models of pagodas and photographs of other pagodas around Japan. Open 9-5, 7 days a week. Entrance 300yen.

Ruriko-ji is located north of central Yamagu...


Kotoe at the Artcomplex Center of Tokyo (Dec 21)
琴恵




The Art Complex Center of Tokyo is a fairytale-looking gallery just to the east of Shinjuku Gyoen Park, just off Gaien Higashi Dori Avenue. I went there to see the Nagoya artist Kotoe’s “Setting Moon” (Ochidzuki) exhibition.

Kotoe is an artist who works with paper, forming intricate patterns and creating unique effects using nothing but a knife and a single-color pen.

Kotoe’s works take the form of single sheets of paper, or multiple sheets, each finely cut, and arrayed with other sheets to form a whole. The largest work on display was a single sheet (not, actually, of paper, but of black plastic) that portrayed a moonlit landscape stretching across a whole wall.




Kotoe’s exhibition in Tokyo is now over, but she plans more in the future. Keep an eye out for further exhibitions by Kotoe on JapanVisitor’s What’s on in Tokyo page.



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Japan This Week: 21 December 2008 (Dec 23)
今週の日本

Japan Admits POW Labor at Aso Mine

New York Times

Living With In-Laws Linked to Heart Risks in Japanese Women

New York Times

Rapist guilty of mutilating British hostess Lucie Blackman

Guardian

Trio avoid prison in sumo killing

Japan Times

Japan predicts zero growth in fiscal 2009

Washington Post

Trouble at Toyota--Spreading Shockwaves

The Daily Yomiuri

Japan ends five-year Iraq mission

BBC

Jun Ichikawa - An Appreciation

Midnight Eye

Why the Club World Cup is one big mess

Times on Line

Teacher fired over 1997 groping case

Asahi

Man Utd overpower Gamba in 5-3 classic

Yahoo! Sports


Last week's Japan news

Japan Statistics

Average mathematics scores of fourth- and eighth-grade students, by country: 2007

Fourth Grade (Average Score: 500)

1) Hong Kong: 607
2) Singapore: 599
3) Taiwan: 576
4) Japan: 568
11) USA: 529

Eighth Grade (Average Score: 500)

1) Taiwan: 598
2) South Korea: 597
3) Singapore: 573
4) Hong Kong: 572
5) Japan: 570
9) USA: 508

Source: International Center for Educational Statistics


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Newspaper Special Edition (Dec 30)
号外

During an emergency or when there is breaking news that just can't wait until the next edition, Japanese newspapers print out and distribute for free a several page, special edition.

These are called "gogai" in Japanese.

When this happens, you will see teams of young people wearing hats or vests identifying themselves as being part of the Asahi Shinbun, for example, and yelling "Gogai! Gogai!" as they give out the papers to commuters and passersby.

A typical example would be damage from a large earthquake, when a new prime minister is elected, just after the Akihabara rampage, and even when Barack Obama won the recent election in the United States.

Much to our surprise, though, was the "gogai" we received near Kyobashi Staion in Osaka - a special issue full of half-dressed women.

The "theme" of the Sun Sports "gogai" was women - and how to meet them.

Or, rather, how to pay to meet them.

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Hekinan Public Art Sculptures (Dec 18)
碧南市

The last time I traveled to Hekinan in Aichi Prefecture was to pay a visit to the Kiyozawa Manshi Memorial Museum - a small facility dedicated to the 19th century Buddhist ascetic Kiyozawa Manshi (1863-1901).



Being a Monday, the nearby Hekinan City Tatsukichi Fujii Museum of Contemporary Art was closed, so I returned recently to visit the modern museum and follow the trail of around 20 public art sculptures scattered throughout Hekinan.

The map provided by the museum is not the easiest to follow, which adds to the satisfaction (or frustration) of actually tracking down the sculptures.



Three of the 20-odd pieces are by foreign artists with works by Karen Stalker, Elizabeth McDowell and Charles Worthen. Among the Japanese sculptors are such names as Sumikawa Kiichi, Horiuchi Masakazu, Kunishima Seichi, Oda Jyo, Suzuki Minoru and Sato Churyo.

The public art sculptures are mainly located in the areas around Hekinan Station and Hekinan-chuo Station.



The Hekinan City Tatsukichi Fujii ...

Meriken Park Kobe (Dec 31)
Image of the week - メリケン パーク

Meriken Park, with Kobe Tower and the Kobe Maritime Museum.

Meriken Park, supposedly so-called, as it was the local pronunciation of "American" in the Meiji Period, when Kobe was opened as a treaty port to western trade, is Kobe city's most distinctive stretch of waterfront. Meriken Park also has a memorial to victims of the 1991 Great Hanshin Earthquake and is the location of the Hotel Okura Kobe and the Kobe Meriken Park Oriental Hotel.

Meriken Park is a short walk from Motomachi Station.



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Image © Jake Davies & Japan Visitor

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Kanji character for 2008 - "change" (Dec 17)
２００８年漢字一文字「変」



At the end of every year, the Japan Kanji [i.e. Chinese character] Proficiency Certification Society solicits from the public the kanji that best sums up the past year.

A ceremony takes place at Kyoto’s Kiyomizu-dera Temple where the selected kanji is publicly put to parchment by a calligrapher.

The kanji selected this year was the character for “change,” pronounced “hen”. The reasons given for this year’s choice are the economic changes that happened this year with the plummet in the value of stocks and the soaring of the value of the yen, the change in the public’s consciousness regarding contaminants in food (presumably the Chinese milk powder scandal – not such a convincing reason when Japan has had no shortage of similar domestic incidents), and the political reforms that have happened in Japan, as well as in the United States with the election of Barack Obama.

Change was also posited as a theme in relation to the changing for...


Japanese Chrysanthemum (Dec 17)
菊

The chrysanthemum holds a very special place in Japanese society.

The flower is thought to have been introduced into Japan in the 8th century AD. Later the Emperor adopted the flower for his official seal, and his throne itself is known as the Chrysanthemum Throne.

The chrysanthemum crest (菊花紋章, kiku kamonsho) is often used as a design element, the Imperial Seal of Japan merely being the most famous. For example, chrysanthemum crests are often found in Japanese shrines, and also grace the Self Defense Force's Mikasa battleship.

The Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum is Japan's greatest honor, given out by the Emperor, and similar to France's Legion of Honor. Past recipients include Prince Charles and President Ronald Reagan.

Unlike France, where the full, bushy flower can be used as an allusion to part of the female anatomy, in Japan the chrysanthemum has been used in poetry to allude to a (different but not so distant) part of the male anatomy and is a metaphor for homosexua...


Jiuta The Romantic Art of Voice from Edo (Dec 16)
地歌

Jiuta Concert: Thursday 8 January, 2009

Jiuta - (jee-oo-tah) literally "earth songs" - are traditional Japanese songs sung to the accompaniment of the shamisen. Jiuta were first heard in the early 17th century at private households and the entertainment districts around Kyoto and Osaka. Handed down by blind male musicians, this music rapidly flourished among the rising urban and literate classes during the Edo period. The fine timbre and subtle lyricism of jiuta have been cultivated since then, creating an intimate relationship between the performers and the audience. One is able to imagine how this music was appreciated amongst the people of the time from ukiyoe woodblock prints.



Fujii Akiko, one of the foremost performers of jiuta, is the daughter of the renowned Ningen-Kokuh, or "Living National Treasure," the late Fujii Kunie. Her family has passed on this historically influential and artistic music which has survived over 400 years, and their highly artistic singing style c...