Tōkyō street art in Shinjuku, the middle images are from an outside lift at Shinjuku station that has basically become a poster board for slaps.
There are two types of Yabusame: the one of the Kamakura Era is called Koshiki and the one of the Edo Era is called Kisha Hasamimonoshiki. The Shogun encouraged Yabusame as a necessary accomplishment of a samurai and at present, the head of the Ogasawara family holds these archery competitions in Kamakura, Nikko and Asakusa. Originally yabusame was designed as a way to please and entertain the myriad of gods that watch over Japan, thus encouraging their blessings for the prosperity of the land, the people, and the harvest. Pictured is an archer toward the end of the event dressed in ceremonial armor with bow unknocked and wrapped, a member of a parade ending with an awards ceremony.
Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon who is associated with compassion. Dominating the entrance to the temple is the Kaminarimon or "Thunder Gate," this imposing Buddhist structure features a massive paper lantern dramatically painted in vivid red-and-black tones to suggest thunderclouds and lightning. Beyond the Kaminarimon is Nakamise-dori with its shops, followed by the Hōzōmon or "Treasure House Gate" which provides the entrance to the inner complex. Within the precincts stands this stately five-story pagoda and the main hall.
Massive cauldron of incense at the foot of the main hall of the Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple in the Asakusa district of Tōkyō. Visitors waft the incense smoke, known as the "breath of the gods," over their heads endowing themselves with curative powers. Kōdō, the way of fragrance, is the Japanese art of appreciating incense and is counted as one of the three classical arts of refinement including chadō (way of tea) & kadō (way of flowers). 
The Asahi Beer building located in Asakusa and conceived by interior designer turned architect Philippe Starck, is one of Tōkyō's most notable modern landmarks. It has earned itself several unflattering nicknames among those who disdain its flashy self-important style (one such name is "the golden turd" or kin no unchi) but it will please those who recognize its sleek modern flair. Perhaps most notable for the Asahi Flame, an enormous golden structure at the top, said to represent both the 'burning heart of Asahi beer' and a frothy head. The 360-ton golden flame was made by shipbuilders using submarine-construction techniques and is completely empty. The building itself is covered with highly polished black granite with small portholes for windows which are almost invisible from a distance. The walls of the building curve gently outward towards the top, creating in effect a giant pedestal or 'beer mug' for the gold flame on top.
The magazine section of your local bookstore might have quite a few magazines, if it is a megastore perhaps even lots of them, however, the average bookstore in Japan has them beat. Every - very specific - subject of any kind has a magazine, and probably has three different ones. Many magazines attach freebies, but the king of these is the mook. Mook or e-mook is a word for magazine + book and are identified by their thick paper stock, catalogue like content layout and some included item usually wrapped inside. Some e-mook's are specific to particular brands, most of them release a new edition every season and many are highly collectable. Pictured is the MonoMax e-mook which includes a sharp little Fred Perry branded leather pouch.
Godzilla is a monster awakened by nuclear explosions, penned by its creators with the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki fresh in the Japanese conscious, and can be understood as a metaphor for nuclear weapons in general. As the film series expanded, the stories took on less serious undertones portraying Godzilla in the role of a hero, while more recent movies (The Millennium series) returned to depicting the character as a destructive monster. Godzilla is one of the most recognizable symbols of Japanese popular culture worldwide and it even has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. This Godzilla, standing only a few feet tall, terrorizes the feet of pedestrians passing a Motomachi camera store.
Photograph of Saga-Arashiyama Station train platform, Kyōto. The station is a short walk from Nakanoshima Park and Togetsukyo Bridge. Togetsukyo, or moon crossing, Bridge was named by the emperor Kameyama for the way the moon appears to pass over the bridge.
Kinkyo-chi or Brocade Mirror Pond at the gardens of Ginkaku-ji. Within the pond there are two small islands called Crane and Turtle Islands, both symbols of longevity. There are also large stones within the pond, the large stone in the center of the pond is known as 'Ecstatic Contemplation' while another forms a stone bridge called the 'Bridge of the pillar of the Immortal.' The pond is completed by a small waterfall called Sengetsu-sei or moon watching fountain and the tiny trickle of water from this fall spreads gentle ripples across the whole pond.
Random door with graffiti in the maze like bowels of the Sannomiya Hankyū Station in Kōbe. The rail system in Japan is a somewhat messy weave of different privately run & owned train companies. Certain train lines have tracks & stations that provide nearly overlapping service while other destinations can only be served by certain companies. Major stations such as Sannomiya have multiple companies, Hanshin Electric Railway, Hankyu Railway, Kōbe Municipal Subway and Kōbe New Transit, (nearly) under one roof. All train companies also have a co-owned department store, so depending on what line you are ridding you will know what stores to expect at major stations.
The Philosopher's Path begins in the north around The Ginkakuji Temple (Temple of the Silver Pavilion) and ends in the neighborhood of Nanzenji to the south at the Kumano Nyakuoji Shrine and Eikan-do Hall. The path gets its name from philosophy professor Nishida Kitaro who was said to practice meditation while walking this route on his daily commute to Kyōto University.
When Kyōto was designated as Japan's capital in the 700s, one of the downsides of the location was its topography and weather. During the summer months, ocean humidity traveled from the south backs up into the Kyōto valley, which is surrounded by mountains on the west, north, and east, trapping the stifling air. To mitigate the high temperature and humidity during the summer season, a system of canals called 'yari-mizu' or "fashioned streams" were constructed to bring water closer to dwelling in order to provide irrigation and natural cooling.
Disney Studios has a markably different presence in Japan then in its native home. Firstly, the merchandise offering it targeted to the Japanese audience - meaning that bento boxes, chop sticks, gashapon, stationary, and every conceivable item at the dollar store has the visage of a Disney licensed character. However, the characters are not who you might think, Mickey is absent - instead replaced by Stitch who is very popular and Drossel von Flügell (who von wha' you say?) Well, Disney stepped out of the US and partnered with Toei Animation (one of Japan's anime powerhouses) to make their first Japanese anime. Titled "Fireball," the show is targeted at Japanese tastes and humor and currently has run 13 episodes on Japanese TV. It is animated entirely in 3D with no cel-shading of any sort, as would be typical for the medium. Pictured is the Figma figure for Duchess Drossel von Flügell.
The Crane Wife a Japanese folktale: Osamu was a sail maker and "as he pulled the warp and weft of his sail together, he would often think to himself, How beautiful the cranes are. Of all the birds, they are the most like sails. It is as if the wind is held in their wings." One blustery night, a large crane crashes violently into Osamu's door. The lonely sail maker nurses it back to health and watches the graceful bird soar away. This crane later returns to Osamu's door in the disguise of a beautiful young woman named Yukiko. Osamu & Yukiko fall in love, and marry, but there comes a time when there is no longer food for them to eat. Yukiko tells her husband that she can make a magic sail for him to sell in the village, but that he must promise never to look at her while she is making it. Promises are eventually broken and in the end Osamu never sees Yukiko again: "He wove simple sails for the rest of his years, there at his window, gazing at the marsh and the white cranes. And each autumn, in the season of storms, he waited for a knock on his door."
Gentēban (限定版) is the Japanese word for limited edition, pictured is the limited edition beer can from Asahi celebrating spring and the blooming sakura trees. Recently a Japanese acquaintance told me that if a product - any product - is offered as a limited edition item, then Japanese are sure to go to great lengths to acquire it. For instance, when a long queue blocks the tiny isles of the store you are trying to quickly traverse to catch your train, then a limited edition item is sure to blame. Many items also have very seasonal offerings, such as this beer can, so if you desire foods, items, or products that could be seemingly seasonally related, or more important limited edition, then you better join the queue now or you risk becoming the fellow that missed out!
In what food critics across the globe are calling both bold and brazen, Pizza Hut Japan has announced that after 2,600 years of combined pizza history they have crafted the perfect pie. Developed by Japan's leading culinary scientists trained in (道のピザ) literally 'the way of pizza.' As one renowned scientist stated: "we refer to ourselves as 'pizza artisans' because, as our latest creation clearly proves, we have moved beyond the realm of just crafting tastes in a test kitchen and have made the grand leap into pizza perfection." As the scanned image from the press release shows, perfection does come at a cost, about $36.72 USD but includes among other indigents: corn, mayonnaise, ham, mini hotdogs, and a special sweet ketsup to "up the tastiness."
The Shukugawa Park and its sakura seems to be one of the main attractions in this part of Nishinomiya. The JR Kōbe station is named after it and everywhere you look are images and symbols of sakura. The sakura here were planted under the guidance of Sasabe Shintaro, one of Japan’s foremost sakura-experts and biologists, who also happened to live in Nishinomiya. The park was started prior to WWII but planting was halted during the war. Luckily the park was finished shortly after the war ended and has grown into one of the top 100 sakura viewing places in Japan, as selected by the Japan Cherry Blossom Association (NPO).
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