Showing 1-16 of 16 results
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A Japan Photo per Day - Kannon from Ofuna, Travel Tip
Blog: Muza-chan's Gate to Japan - 7 June 2011
I wrote before about the great Kannon statue from Ōfuna.
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A Japan Photo per Day - The Ginkgo from Kamakura
Blog: Muza-chan's Gate to Japan - 9 March 2011
The Ginkgo trees were brought to Japan by the Buddhist monks coming from China, so they were initially planted nearby temples. Ginkgo is one of the oldest and most resilient plants (it is considered a “living fossil") and is also one of the longest living trees, there are specimens considered older than 2000 years! Six Ginkgo trees from Hiroshima are famous because they survived to the atomic bomb, still living today.
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A Japan Photo per Day - Kamakura Buddha
Blog: Muza-chan's Gate to Japan - 21 February 2011
In 1616, Richard Cocks, the head of the British East India Company trading post, said about the Kamakura Buddha that “it must be larger than the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World”. That way, the Kamakura Great Buddha (Daibutsu) was one of the first monuments from Japan to become known throughout the world.
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A Japan Photo per Day - Hata-age Benzaiten Shrine
Blog: Muza-chan's Gate to Japan - 1 February 2011
Inside the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu complex from Kamakura, on an island on the Minamoto lake, you can find a beautiful sub-shrine dedicated to Benzaiten, Hata-age Benzaiten Shrine. Benzaiten is the Japanese name for the Hindu goddess Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, arts, beauty and music. The shrine, rebuilt in 1956, once hosted a famous wooden statue of Benzaiten, made in 1266. The statue, famous because it is coated with white pigment to look realistically like a woman’s skin, is currently located at the Kamakura Museum.
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A Japan Photo per Day - Sanmon Gate
Blog: Muza-chan's Gate to Japan - 13 January 2011
The most important gate of a Japanese Zen Buddhist temple is the Sanmon Gate - Sangedatsumon, the “gate of the three liberations". When you visit a Zen temple, you can find the Sanmon Gate located between the outer gate - Sōmon and the main hall - Butsuden. At important temples, these are usually imposing, 2-storied structures, like the one photographed here, the Sanmon Gate from the Engakuji Temple, the number two of Kamakura’s five great Zen temples:
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A Japan Photo per Day - Three Chibi Jizo
Blog: Muza-chan's Gate to Japan - 2 November 2010
Jizo or Ojizo-sama is one of most beloved deities in Japan. Often, Jizo is represented as a monk with a shaved head and a simple robe, but since he is the guardian of children, sometimes Jizo is represented chibi 「ちび」 (meaning a short person or small child), like in this photo from the Japanese Garden of the Hasedera Temple, Kamakura.
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30 Must Have Souvenirs from Japan... and some Travel Tips
Blog: Muza-chan's Gate to Japan - 24 October 2010
Did ever happened to you to be in a foreign country, to wish to bring home some souvenir and to be unable to decide what to buy? In Japan, this may be an interesting topic, since there are so many options… From my experience, I compiled a list of Japanese souvenirs which will really highlight some typical aspects of Japan… I hope it will be helpful! 1. Maneki neko
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A Japan Photo per Day - Rickshaw in Sumida Park
Blog: Muza-chan's Gate to Japan - 6 October 2010
Rickshaws appeared in Japan at the beginning of the Meiji era, around 1868, and they quickly became popular, replacing the palanquins. It may seem strange today, but using human powered rickshaws was, at the time, cheaper than using horses. It is known that in 1872 there were already about 40000 rickshaws in Tokyo. Today, rickshaws can be seen in traditional areas, mainly for tourist entertainment:
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A Japan Photo per Day - Hasedera Amida-do Hall
Blog: Muza-chan's Gate to Japan - 6 September 2010
The main attraction of the Hasedera Temple from Kamakura is the statue of Kannon, “Bodhisattva of Compassion", the biggest wooden statue of Kannon in Japan (9.18 meters tall).
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A Japan Photo per Day - Hasedera Amida-do Hall
Blog: Muza-chan's Gate to Japan - 6 September 2010
The main attraction of the Hasedera Temple from Kamakura is the statue of Kannon, “Bodhisattva of Compassion", the biggest wooden statue of Kannon in Japan (9.18 meters tall).
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Did you know... Senjafuda
Blog: Muza-chan's Gate to Japan - 17 June 2010
At many shrines and temples from Japan, I noticed small pieces of paper randomly glued on walls, pillars or even ceilings: Daigyo-ji Temple, Kamakura Some are new, but most of them are old, discolored by the sun, some are ragged and some were even completely detached and all that’s left is a stain of glue…
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Odd Japanese Customs - Baku
Blog: Muza-chan's Gate to Japan - 25 May 2010
We all have bad dreams from time to time… Some treatments are available to avoid the nightmares, but in Japan we can get some exceptional help: baku, a creature who feeds on… nightmares! No, I’m not talking about the tapir (whose name in Japanese is also baku). Baku the nightmare eaters are fantastical beings, originating from the Chinese mythology, which became popular in Japan during the Muromachi period (1336–1573).
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The Sad Story of the Hidden Ginkgo from Tsurugaoka Hachimangu
Blog: Muza-chan's Gate to Japan - 11 March 2010
In order to reach the main building of the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, you have to climb 61 steps.
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A Photo Visit to Hongaku-ji Temple
Blog: Muza-chan's Gate to Japan - 9 March 2010
At less than half a kilometer south-east of Kamakura Station, you can visit one of the most beautiful temples from Kamakura, the Hongaku-ji Temple. The Temple belongs to the Nichiren Sect and was built in the year 1436 by the priest Nisshutsu (1381-1459).
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A Photo Visit to Yakumo Shrine
Blog: Muza-chan's Gate to Japan - 24 February 2010
At less than a kilometer from the Kamakura Station you can find the Yakumo Shrine, established in 1082 by Yoshimitsu Minamoto, the grand-grand-grandfather of the Kamakura Shogunate founder, Yoritomo Minamoto (1147-1199). This is one of the oldest shrines in Kamakura, older than the famous Tsurugaoka Hachimangu.
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Day Trips From Tokyo
Blog: Nihon Sun - 6 August 2009
I’m off to Kamakura in Kanagawa prefecture today – it’s just one of a few great day trips that can be made using Tokyo as a base. Many of these places can be explored in a day but if you have time you may want to consider staying the night at a hotel or ryokan [...]
Showing 1-16 of 16 results
