Views of Japan
Joryu-ji, Tokyo
Posted on 25 June, 2021
Called Honkozan in the Nichiren sect, it is said that the kaizan was in the second year of Genwa (1616). This is a temple built when the locals were lost in their hearts; it is said …[Read more]
Cape Zanpa / Okinawa
Posted on 14 June, 2021
Cape Zanpa is one of the most beautiful locations to witness the sun setting into the East China Sea. While Okinawa is known for its beautiful capes, Cape Zama is one of the only capes on Okinawa Island…[Read more]
Kumano Kodo / Wakayama
Posted on 07 June, 2021
World Heritage “Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range”
All roads lead to the sacred site of “Kumano Hongu”
From ancient times to the Middle Ages, the faith instilled by the Kumano Sanzan of …[Read more]
Osugi of Kosugi / Yamagata
Posted on 03 June, 2021
In the north of Yamagata Prefecture, in a small village called Sakegawa, a proud cedar is held dear and considered a sacred tree by the local population. However, recently it has been gaining attention because of…[Read more]
Shuri Castle / Okinawa
Posted on 26 May, 2021
Shuri Castle was a Ryukyuan gusuku castle in Shuri, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Between 1429 and 1879, it was the palace of the Ryukyu Kingdom, before becoming largely neglected. In 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa, it was …[Read more]
Towada Shrine / Aomori
Posted on 18 May, 2021
Towada shrine is a Shinto shrine believed to have been built in the 9th century in honor of Yamato Takeru and is regarded as the home of the water spirit. It It is nestled in a phenomenal…[Read more]
Yamabuki-densetsu / Tokyo
Posted on 11 May, 2021
Here is a very famous waka (31-syllable Japanese poetry) written by Prince Kaneakira (Kaneakira Shinno, 兼明親王) found in Goshui-Wakashu 後拾遺和歌集 anthology of waka poems completed in 1086…..[Read more]
Ōya-ji / Tochigi
Posted on 2 May, 2021
Ōya-ji (大谷寺) is a Buddhist temple of the Tendai sect in the city of Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, in northern Kantō region of Japan. The temple is famous for its bas-relief carvings on a cliff face. The honzon….[Read more]
Kurotani Washi / Kyoto
Posted on 22 April, 2021
Kurotani Washi has a history dating back 800 years and is said to have its origins as a way for the defeated soldiers of the Heike Clan hiding from their pursuers in…[Read more]
Zojo-ji / Tokyo
Posted on 08 April, 2021
Plum blossoms at Zojo-ji (Zojo temple)
San’en-zan Zōjō-ji (三縁山増上寺) is a Jōdo-shū Buddhist temple in Tokyo, Japan. It is the main temple of the Jōdo-shū (“Pure Land”) Chinzei sect of Buddhism in the Kantō region. Zōjō-ji is notable for its relationship with the Tokugawa clan, the rulers of Japan…[Read more]