Show Me Japan: 1.17.1995

The 24th floor of Kobe City Hall is a great place to get a bird's eye view of the entire city center, especially in the evening. Kobe City Hall is located on Flower Road, just south of JR Sannomiya Station and the observation floor is free to visit. Next to Kobe City Hall is Higashi Yuenchi Park, which features a permanent earthquake memorial monument dedicated to those who lost their lives in the Hanshin-Awaji earthquake. This photograph was taken on January 17, 2011, which marked the 16th anniversary of the quake, and the date is actually made of thousands of candles.

Photograph is my entry for this weeks Show-Me-Japan (Vol.1 Issue 10).

Show Me Japan: Akashi-jō

Because Himeji castle is currently under restoration, and is consequently not very picturesque, I visited Akashi castle (jō) as an alternate. I am glad that I did, this is a quite and relatively empty area in the evening, with a atmosphere rich in history. However, if you visit in the winter as I did, bundle up as it is quite cold.

This castle was constructed by Ogasawara Tadazane in one year, which was a relatively short amount of time for such a project. The speedy progress of construction was aided by a law issued in 1615 that limited one castle per clan. Meaning that Akashi castle is partially constructed from materials, and in some cases whole sections, of previous castles in the area. Akashi castle was built on order from the Tokugawa shogunate, for its strategic value in watching over the western lords.

Pictured is the Tatsumi Turret (巽櫓) with the constellation of Orion "the hunter" poised above it. In Japanese the phrase Yowatashi Boshi, or passing the night stars, is applied to prominent star groups which appear in the East at sunset and set with the dawning sun. Orion is certainly one of the most noticeable Yowatashi Boshi; most especially the three belt stars or Mitsu Boshi.

Photograph is my entry for this weeks Show-Me-Japan (Vol.1 Issue 9).

Show Me Japan: Minatogawa

A row of vermilion-colored torii on the grounds of Minatogawa jinja, act as an entrance point - which also marks the sacred area of the shrine from the outer world - to this small but enchanting shrine. Alight only by the lanterns hanging from the celling giving the interior a luminous vermilion hue.

Photograph is my entry for this weeks Show-Me-Japan (Vol.1 Issue 8).

Show Me Japan: Nankinmachi 南京町

Buddhist monk slowly traversing the few blocks of Nankinmachi (Kobe's Chinatown), offering prayers to each storefront as he passes.

Photograph is my entry for this weeks Show-Me-Japan (Vol.1 Issue 7).

Show Me Japan: Kaminarimon 雷門

A mix of modern and traditional architecture, in the foreground is the Kaminarimon at Sensō-ji and in the background is the Tokyo Sky Tree; a mammoth new tower being built overlooking the Asakusa district. The legend surrounding the Sensō-ji involves two brothers who, in the year 628, fished a statue of Kannon out of the Sumida River. Kannon is the goddess (bodhisattva) of mercy and compassion. The brothers attempted to return the statue back into the river, however, it always returned to them. Consequently, Sensō-ji was built in honor of Kannon and completed in 645, making it Tokyo's oldest temple.

Photograph is my entry for this weeks Show-Me-Japan (Vol.1 Issue 6).

Show Me Japan: Gundam

The Gundam statue that watched over Tokyo's Odaiba waterfront area last year has recently touched-down in the city of Shizuoka, 125 miles west of Tokyo. The 18-meter-tall statue faces the tracks near JR Higashi Shizuoka Station and can be seen from the train against the backdrop of Mount Fuji (sadly Fuji-San is blocked by buildings when you actually get up-close to the Gundam). This time Gundam is armed with a gigantic “beam saber” (in 1:1 scale). The statue was put on display to commemorate the 30th anniversary of TV broadcasts of the "Mobile Suit Gundam" and is a replica of the RX-78-2 from that series.

Shizuoka is home to many plastic model kit manufacturers including GUNPLA (Gundam Plastic Model) and is a pilgrimage site for enthusiasts. A small museum is located inside the fair site to showcase the history of the city's 50-year-old plastic model kit industry. The event runs through March 27, 2011, with the statue on display throughout the period. Entry is free, however travel to this out of the way (and frankly sleepy & industrial) town is quite expensive. You can opt for the Seishun Juhachi Kippu if you have the time (more then 3.5 hrs from metro Tokyo) and you are on the cheap.

Plenty of Gundam swag to be purchased and even a small Gundam cafe for "themed" eats. Twice daily a 30min display showcases the lights, smoke, and movement this statue is capable of, pictures to come in the following days. . .

Photograph is my entry for this weeks Show-me-Japan (Vol.1 Issue 5).

Show Me Japan: Luminarie

December in Kobe means it's time for the Luminarie (神戸ルミナリエ), which is a festival of lights held every year since 1995. Originally the festival was enacted to commemorate the Hanshin - Awaji earthquake. The lights and the grand wooden structures that house them were donated by the Italian government after the quake.

The Lights are kept up for about two weeks and turned on for a few hours each evening. Each light is individually hand-painted and the scene is quite colorful (in photographs it is also stunning in B&W, however I will post color images in the coming days). Major streets in the vicinity are closed to traffic to allow pedestrians to stroll down the streets unimpeded, and enjoy the lights.

Luminarie will take place from December 2 through December 13. The starting time is at 18:00 during the week and 17:00 on the weekends. It ends at 21:30.

If you plan to visit, I suggest that you don't go at the beginning of the evening, as there will be many people waiting in long lines that wrap around the area. It is best to wait as late as possible, when fewer people will be there - unless you like long lines and shoulder to shoulder peoples.

At the end of the route, there are yatai food stalls where you can get lots of festival-type dishes, treats, games, and drinks. Toward the back of the final gathering area a tent is erected where people who experienced the earthquake share their stories and insights - well worth a visit if the mood strikes you!

Photograph is my entry for this weeks Show-me-Japan (Vol.1 Issue 4).

Show Me Japan: Psychedelic

This is a pagoda located within the Kobe Municipal Arboretum. It is fairly non-discript from the outside, located up a small hill in the center of the park. The treasure is when you actually walk into the pagoda and lookup at the intricately decorated celling. During this visit also noticed a few signs that mentioned a wasps nest, the signs also insured it was from "awhile ago." On closer inspection you can see the nest even in this photograph, it is the round object off-center at the top. Wow am I glad that nest was not active, in person is was quite imposing. Photograph was taken by getting all my settings the way I wanted them, and then setting the self-timer on the camera, and then setting it on the center of the floor and walking away.

Photograph is my entry for this weeks Show-me-Japan (Vol.1 Issue 3). Click on the previous link to see the other entries.

Show Me Japan: Autumn

A statue of a monk on pilgrimage at the Sumadera temple surrounded by autumn foliage.

Last weekend the blog Budget Trouble: Travel and Trouble in Japan, hosted a photo meme called Show Me Japan (Vol.1 Issue 2), and now it is a weekly event. I really enjoyed seeing all the images from around Japan last weekend and was introduced to some wonderful folks; so I am participating again, and here we are.

Show Me Japan Photo Meme

Security officer overlooking Akashi Kaikyō Bridge.

Anna Ikeda, author of the blog Budget Trouble: Travel and Trouble in Japan, has started a photo meme called Show Me Japan (Vol.1 Issue 1) and has been kind enough to invite me along. So here is my entry, be sure to check out all the other interesting posts and photographs from around Japan.