Travel of Japanese people has a deep connection with Mt. Fuji. The first travel agents in Japan therefore are related to Mt. Fuji, too. There are many ways of travels – visiting friends and relatives, sightseeings, hiking, etc. Pilgrimage is also a kind of travels. In old days in Japan ...
Month: August 2018
Video of the Day – Portable Shrine of Fire Festival at Mt. FujiVideo of the Day – Portable Shrine of Fire Festival at Mt. Fuji
I wrote the posting about the Fire Festival of Mt. Fuji. Here is the footage of the march of the portable shrine. March of Portable Shrine at Fire Festival of Mt. Fuji from Walking Biking Japan on Vimeo. ...
Fire Festival of Mt. Fuji – Exploring the “Oddest Festival”Fire Festival of Mt. Fuji – Exploring the “Oddest Festival”
There are many summer festivals in Japan but the Fire Festival held in Fuji Yoshida City at the foot of Mt. Fuji must be one of the most unique festivals of all. Every year on 26 August, torchlights extend from the shrine town towards the middle of Mt. Fuji. Japanese ...
Being Soaked in the Mythical World of Suwa Taisha ShrineBeing Soaked in the Mythical World of Suwa Taisha Shrine
There are many shrines all over Japan but which is the oldest shrine? Many English-written websites talk about Izumo Taisha Shrine in Shimane but it seems there are other ten shrines which seem to be older than Izumo Taisha. I visited one of those oldest shrine, Suwa Taisha Shrine in Suwa City, ...
How to get bikes in TokyoHow to get bikes in Tokyo
When I go around Tokyo on weekends, I usually go biking (except during the hot and humid season). So many courses introduced in this website are accessible by bikes. Mine is a folding bike so I can get on a train with this bicycle and go cycling somewhere far ...
Exploring Tokyo Bay AreaExploring Tokyo Bay Area
It’s been so hot! It will be a good idea to go to Tokyo Bay area and feel the sea breeze under this hot and humid weather. There are many spots in and around Tokyo Bay Area so it is rather difficult for me to choose where to recommend. Among ...
Toyo Bunko Library – One-Million Oriental Books and Ukiyo-e PaintingsToyo Bunko Library – One-Million Oriental Books and Ukiyo-e Paintings
If you visit Rikugien Garden or Koishikawa Botanical Gardens, walk a little bit more and you will find a unique museum of Toyo Bunko Library. It was built in 1924 by Mitsubishi clan as a library for the oriental studies. Today, they have about one million books of Asian countries and ...
Finding Your Favourite in Artisans’ Town KuramaeFinding Your Favourite in Artisans’ Town Kuramae
Kuramae has quite a few artisans’ workshops. Sometimes the town is called as Brooklyn in Tokyo. If you visit those workshops, you may find something special is waiting for you. Those crafts are what you cannot find in the ordinary chain stores or branches of large-scale retail shops. ...
Window-Shopping in the Wholesalers’ Town of KuramaeWindow-Shopping in the Wholesalers’ Town of Kuramae
Kuramae is a town of wholesalers. As I wrote in the previous posting, there are shops old and new. Kuramae in Japanese means “in front of the rice warehouses”. It was called so because there used to be rice warehouses where Edo Government during 17th – 19th Century kept rice ...
Finding Craft Shops in KuramaeFinding Craft Shops in Kuramae
Kuramae is not far from Asakusa and a kind of “emerging artisanal area” as lots of craft shops lined up along the street. Some of them are century-old shops and some are new comers including trendy cafes. There is a good mixture of old and new. ...