- Quiet summer night at Senso-ji Temple
- The daily Japan photo is returning - Okaya...
- The 1000th Japan Photo of the day - Taikob...
The Senso-ji Temple from Asakusa was the first temple I visited in Japan and I enjoyed it so much that it remained my favorite place. Since then, during every visit to Tokyo, I visit Senso-ji, at least once. So, I saw it during festivals, like ... »
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Dear friends, Today, after a hiatus of more than two weeks, I'm restarting the daily Japan photo series and I'm returning to my normal life. What happened? Two weeks ago, on Monday, I woke up feeling weak and dehydrated, with nausea and breathing ... »
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Today, I would like to mark the anniversary of the 1000th photo from the "A Japan Photo per Day" series! On this occasion, I wanted to show you something special and yesterday, when I was visiting the Sumiyoshi Taisha from Osaka, I found this ... »
Read more » 86 comments 21 May 2013: The first modern bronze statue in Japan
The first bronze statue in Japan was erected in 1880 inside the Kenroku-en Garden in Kanazawa, to honor the samurai fallen during the Satsuma Rebellion against the Imperial government. The statue ... »
13 comments 20 May 2013: Japanese castle walls, Nozurazumi
The builders of the Japanese castles paid special attention to the walls and over time, several construction methods have been developed. The most frequently used such method can be seen at the Osaka ... »
45 comments 19 May 2013: Osaka Bay, spectacular bird's-eye view
I love photos takes from high places and my favorites are two kind of views: those with skyscrapers in the foreground and those taken towards the sea. I don't know why, for me the image of a city ... »
25 comments 18 May 2013: Shinto Shrines, Suzu
As you know very well, I love taking photos, but I rarely record videos. I feel that the best way to express myself is through photos...
But I was always passionate about music and sounds... and ... »
27 comments 17 May 2013: Tokyo Tower night view... still a city symbol
Long before its inauguration in May 2012, the Tokyo Sky Tree replaced the 54 years old Tokyo Tower as the virtual symbol of Tokyo. But by night, although it was equipped with spectacular ... »
42 comments 16 May 2013: Japanese Castle types, Hirajiro
During the Edo period, the Japanese castles were classified by the type of land on which they were built and this classification was preserved until today, so we are talking about mountain castles ... »
63 comments 15 May 2013: An American street in Tokyo
At the end of the Edo period, Ginza was just like any other Japanese street: with narrow streets and wooden buildings (take a look at the photos from the Ginza Official history page).The first ... »
38 comments 14 May 2013: Famous Japanese tea houses, Uchihashi-tei
Because the tea houses are usually built inside larger gardens, the famous Japanese gardens are also featuring famous tea houses: in today's photo I would like to share with you this wonderful ... »
38 comments 13 May 2013: Tokyo Architecture, the Giant Robot illusion
One of the most original buildings from Tokyo is the Aoyama Technical College, designed in 1990 by the architect Makoto Sei Watanabe. Seen from the front street, the building looks like a giant robot ... »
46 comments 12 May 2013: Japanese spirituality, the boat of stones from Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto
The well known complex which includes the golden pavilion and the surrounding garden from Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto was designed to symbolically represent the paradise of Amida Buddha, so each element has ... »
40 comments 11 May 2013: Traditional Japanese scenery, the Cherry tree and the Orange tree
The set of dolls for Hina Matsuri, even in its most simple version (with only two dolls, Emperor and Empress), features two trees (or their respective symbols): the orange tree, always placed on the ... »
32 comments 10 May 2013: Tokyo Station's glamorous dome, interior view
The old Marunouchi side of the Tokyo Station was originally built in 1914, designed in the European Renaissance style by a famous Japanese architect, Kingo Tatsuno. Bombed in May 1945, the building ... »
58 comments 09 May 2013: Japanese Ghost story, the impossible-to-count Bake Jizo
Rows of dozens of stone statues representing Jizo Bodhisattva can be found frequently in Japan, but during my travels across Japan I found a few of them really special. One example is the row of ... »
71 comments 08 May 2013: Kyoto Tofuku-ji Sand garden and O-karikomi
From the Tofuku-ji Zen temple from Kyoto, where I had the pleasure to admire and photograph several remarkable modern gardens, I already presented the checkered pattern Zen garden and the Zen image ... »
41 comments 07 May 2013: Gifu Castle clock and a little Japanese clock history
The first mechanical clock in Japan (in 1551) was a gift from Francisco Xavier to daimyo Yoshitaka Ohuchi from Suo (today in the Yamaguchi Prefecture).Since the traditional Japanese time system ... »
34 comments 06 May 2013: Akihabara wide angle night photo
I like new buildings, especially the skyscrapers with daring architecture, but I also like older neighborhoods, remained as they were during their most successful times. And I'm not referring only to ... »
55 comments 05 May 2013: Boys Day, Tango no Sekku Samurai Armor
Similar to the Girls Day - Hina Matsuri, Japan also celebrates the Boys Day - Tango no Sekku, on April 5th. On this occasion, the families with boys are rising koinobori and are setting up inside the ... »
37 comments 04 May 2013: Japanese gardens, Moss
Besides rocks and sand, some of the famous Japanese rock gardens (karesansui) are also using areas covered by moss, to symbolize forests or green fields. But in some temples you can also find a ... »
34 comments 03 May 2013: Beautiful lanterns at Yashamon, Nikko
Originally, the lanterns were brought to Japan by Buddhism, during the 6th century and they have a double role: to provide light and to be symbolic offerings to Buddha, because the light symbolizes ... »
28 comments 02 May 2013: Old Japanese Stories, Akabeko
When you arrive in Aizu-Wakamatsu, right at the JR Station's exit you're greeted by a large red statue, representing a cute red... cow. Meet akabeko 「赤べこ」, the ... »
60 comments 01 May 2013: An old Japanese post box and a Meiji era street
Some cities in Japan managed to preserve a historical street or even a whole neighborhood featuring the old, traditional Japanese architecture. One of them is Gifu, which although was carpet bombed ... »
51 comments 30 Apr 2013: Old Japanese customs, Nonomiya-jinja and the Imperial Princesses
If you visit Kyoto and go to the spectacular Arashiyama bamboo forest (which I highly recommend), you will find a small and beautiful shrine, unique in its kind: in the old times (until the 14th ... »
31 comments 29 Apr 2013: Japanese architecture, Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center
One of the newest and most interesting buildings from Tokyo is the new Tourist Information Center from Asakusa, located right across the Kaminarimon Gate.Created by the architect Kengo Kuma, the ... »
46 comments 28 Apr 2013: Bonbori, Japanese traditional lighting equipment
One of the most typical and traditional models of Japanese paper lanterns is the bonbori: the paper is applied on a hexagonal wooden frame, with the top left open.Unlike the better known ... »
30 comments 27 Apr 2013: Japanese spiritual architecture, rare 13-story stone pagoda
The wooden pagodas from the Buddhist temples are always on my list when I visit Japan. I just love their distinct and beautiful architecture and I have now a sizable collection of pagoda ... »
43 comments 26 Apr 2013: Cherry blossoms and colorful umbrellas at Yasaka Shrine, Kyoto
On each of my visits to Japan, I have avoided the rainy season because for me it is tiring to walk in the rain... although some benefits exist, especially regarding the photography, because photos ... »
40 comments 25 Apr 2013: Pure Zen in Kyoto, the most famous tsukubai, Ryoan-ji
Next to the Japanese tea-houses, you will usually find a small water basin made of stone, with water flowing through a bamboo pipe (kakei). This is called tsukubai and it is used by visitors for the ... »
57 comments 24 Apr 2013: Maruoka Castle's unique stone roof tiles
Besides being the oldest castle tower (tenshu) from Japan, for the visitor interested in the history of Japanese castles, the Maruoka-jō from Fukui also offers some unique traits. When you climb ... »
45 comments 23 Apr 2013: Photography Expo Travel Tip, Dawn of Japanese Photography
One of my biggest passions are the historical photos and of course, those from Japan are taking the top spot... I like a lot the portraits, especially the samurai portraits.This year, immediately ... »
36 comments 22 Apr 2013: Senso-ji at dusk
There are very few things I do not like in Japan... one of them is that places like museums, gardens or temples are closing very early, at 4:30 or 5PM. As you probably have noticed, I like taking ... »
23 comments 21 Apr 2013: History and Anime, remembering the Shinsengumi at Mibu-dera, Kyoto
Ema are wooden votive plaques used at Shinto shrines and at some temples: the wishes are written directly on the ema, which is then hung on a special rack, to be "read" by the gods. I love to collect ... »
35 comments 20 Apr 2013: Kyoto Nishi Hongan-ji's giant hall
After a restoration that took more than 10 years, the main buildings of the Nishi Hongan-ji are opened to the public again. Here is the largest of them, Goei-do, photographed with a ultra-wide angle ... »
29 comments 19 Apr 2013: Yamanote Anniversary Green Train
This year, the most famous train line from Tokyo, the JR Yamanote line, celebrates 50 years since the introduction of the series that gave to this line its famous green color, the 103 series. To ... »
31 comments 18 Apr 2013: Cherry blossoms and white paper lanterns at Mount Kurama, Kyoto
I know how to recognize a sakura cherry tree by its bark and, until now, during many summer visits I tried to imagine how a place would look like during the sakura blossom period.That's what ... »
91 comments 17 Apr 2013: Shibuya street scene, crowds and billboards
There are a few areas in Tokyo where I just like to take photos... In some cases, even if my photos span over the last 7 years, the area looks pretty much the same, so the only elements from which ... »
46 comments 16 Apr 2013: Japanese garden masterpieces, Heian-jingu Higashi Shin'en
The 4 Japanese gardens of the Heian-jingu from Kyoto were designed so that they would be attractive in any season, but in spring, during the cherry blossom period, they are literally ... »
54 comments 15 Apr 2013: Tokyo Daibutsu
During my many visits to Japan, besides the tourist areas, well-known throughout the world or only in Japan, I also try to visit less known places and, if I find them worthy, I try to share them with ... »
36 comments 14 Apr 2013: Japanese mascots - Tsuruga castle
Right at the entrance of Tsuruga-jo, the castle from Aizu-Wakamatsu, it is prominently displayed its mascot: called Oshirobo-kun, the mascot is the creation of Hiroshi Sasagawa, a mangaka born here ... »
27 comments 13 Apr 2013: Sumiya, the last remaining ageya from Kyoto
During the Edo period, in Shimabara, the courtesans district (yūkaku) from Kyoto, the main attraction were the ageya, luxury restaurants specialized in sophisticated parties, with geisha and ... »
37 comments 12 Apr 2013: Japanese architecture, Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku
Ever since it was opened, last year on April 18, the Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku became a new landmark of the area. Designed by a well known Japanese architect, Hiroshi Nakamura, the building ... »
31 comments 11 Apr 2013: Perfect view of Mount Fuji from Shinkansen
By far, the most impressive view you can get while traveling with the Shinkansen on the Tōkaidō line is a view of Mount Fuji. However, the weather is rarely good enough, so even if I ... »
86 comments 10 Apr 2013: Simply beautiful Japanese scenes, cherry blossoms in Kyoto
During the cherry blossom period, Japan is more beautiful than ever... because the simple beauty of sakura adds up to all the other views... So today I would like to share with you a simply beautiful ... »
50 comments 09 Apr 2013: Japanese superlatives, the Tallest Pagoda in Japan
Even if Kyoto is today a modern city, it doesn't have tall buildings, the tallest structure here is the 131 meters Kyoto Tower, while the tallest building is the 100 meters Nidec Corporation Head ... »
42 comments 08 Apr 2013: Buddha’s Birthday, Hana Matsuri
Since today Japan celebrates Buddha’s Birthday, Hana Matsuri (花祭り - the Flower Festival), I would like to share with you a less known statue, a Great Buddha (Daibutsu) I just ... »
32 comments 07 Apr 2013: Cherry blossoms at Maruoka Castle
From the 12 original surviving Japanese castles, after Hikone, Matsumoto and Inuyama, today I visited my 4th, the Maruoka Castle. Built in 1576, Maruoka is the oldest Japanese castle tower ... »
57 comments 06 Apr 2013: How the first Imperial Palace from Kyoto looked like
The Heian Shrine from Kyoto was built in 1895, on the occasion of the 1100th anniversary of the establishment of Heian-kyo - the former name of Kyoto - by the Emperor Kammu. The complex was intended ... »
31 comments 05 Apr 2013: Sakura and Zen at Ryoan-ji
The Zen garden of the Ryoan-ji Temple is one of the most famous Japanese Zen gardens and an interesting fact is that from any view point, only 14 of the 15 stones can be seen. It is known that it was ... »
42 comments 04 Apr 2013: Japanese gardens, the Lying down Dragon Bridge
The Japanese gardens featuring ponds are always including at least one bridge and some of them are extremely beautiful (search "Japanese+garden+bridge"). But besides the common "bridge" concept, some ... »
51 comments 03 Apr 2013: Popular cherry blossoms venues, Shirakawa-dori
The most cultivated trees in Japan are the various versions of sakura, according to some statistics there are over 200 species. During the cherry-blossom period the sakura seem to be everywhere, in ... »
45 comments 02 Apr 2013: The most famous sakura in Kyoto, Gion Shidare Sakura
Located in the Maruyama Park, Gion, the most famous sakura tree from Kyoto has a very beautiful story:The first tree planted here, a Hitoe Shiro Higan Shidare Sakura (single petal, white, weeping ... »
43 comments 01 Apr 2013: Japan Rail Pass travel tips
If you visit Japan and wish to travel to multiple locations, the best start would be to buy a Japan Rail Pass, the rail-pass made especially for the foreign visitors. The JR Pass offers unlimited ... »
48 comments 31 Mar 2013: Popular Japanese food, Sushi
Obviously, when talking about Japanese food, the most popular and the best known dish is sushi. There are many, many versions of sushi, some of them represented in my photo - which, by the way, ... »
35 comments 30 Mar 2013: Japanese spiritual architecture, Narita wheel repository and bell tower
The Japanese Buddhist temple includes a number of buildings, some of them common, others varying from one sect to another. The typical temple includes the main hall, the bell tower, the pagoda and ... »
34 comments 29 Mar 2013: Each time in Akihabara or Remember Radio Kaikan
Knowing that in a few days I will travel to Japan again, a friend asked me if there's a pattern in my traveling and if there are places I always visit... On each trip, I try to include about 80% ... »
56 comments 28 Mar 2013: Inside the traditional Japanese house, Doma
Visiting the inside of a traditional Japanese farmhouse, you will find two distinct zones: one with a wooden floor, raised from the ground to accommodate the irori fireplace, and one covered only by ... »
30 comments 27 Mar 2013: Masterpieces of Japanese traditional architecture, Nijiriguchi
Chashitsu, the Japanese traditional tea-houses, are made with two entrances: one is a regular door, while the other is an incredibly small panel, about 65 centimeters tall and 60 centimeters ... »
62 comments 26 Mar 2013: Ameyoko by night and a travel tip
Like Akihabara, during the post-WWII period the area between the Ueno Station and the Okachimachi Station was known for its black market. Known as Ameyoko, the name of the place comes from Ameya ... »
43 comments 25 Mar 2013: The Echo Pond from Kyoto
The famous Fushimi Inari Taisha from Kyoto is located at the base of a mountain covered by smaller shrines connected with thousands of torii gates.Towards the top of the mountain, there's a ... »
46 comments 24 Mar 2013: Futaminoura Station
Some train stations in Japan have a very special architecture, inspired from the Japanese tradition (like the Kanazawa Station gate) or from a nearby famous construction.Among them, an ... »
33 comments 22 Mar 2013: Japanese Architecture, Nittele Tower
From all the modern areas from Tokyo, my favorite remains the complex of skyscrapers from Shiodome. Seen from a distance, Shiodome seems crowded, with many skyscrapers built on a relatively small ... »
29 comments 21 Mar 2013: Omamori, Japanese good luck charms
One of the most popular Japanese customs, common to both Shinto and Buddhist traditions, is the use of good luck charms, omamori. Sold at both Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, omamori are so ... »
57 comments 20 Mar 2013: Nagoya Castle's golden shachi
The roof of the Japanese castle is often decorated with large ornaments - shachi - shaped like a fantasy animal called shachihoko (which is often incorrectly translated as "dolphin"), with the head ... »
31 comments 19 Mar 2013: Japanese garden bridges, Yatsuhashi
Among the many types of bridges used in the Japanese gardens, my favorite is yatsuhashi, for aspect, for how it looks inside the garden and for the pleasure it gives when you cross it. Yatsuhashi ... »
50 comments 18 Mar 2013: Shinto Shrine, Gohei
Besides the torii gates, one of the most recognizable shapes of the Shinto religion is the zigzag shaped paper streamer called shide. Most often, they can be seen tied to a braided rice straw rope ... »
37 comments 17 Mar 2013: Hundreds of Kamon stamps
Unlike the European heraldry blazons, made with multiple colors, the Japanese kamon (crest) is monochromatic. This makes them suitable for stamps and a huge amount of kamon stamps were made over ... »
30 comments 16 Mar 2013: Japanese architecture, the Water Spaceship bird's-eye view
I wrote before about the Water Spaceship, the spectacular roof of the Oasis 21 building from Nagoya. It is actually a huge, lens-shaped jar filled with water, opened in the center and with a ... »
45 comments 15 Mar 2013: Ginza by night, jewelry stores
After he invented the technology for pearl culturing in 1893, Mikimoto Kōkichi opened its first store in Ginza, Tokyo, in 1899. In time, other important pearl and jewelry producers started ... »
36 comments 14 Mar 2013: Unusual statue, Hotei Daibutsu from Konan City
If you travel by train on the Meitetsu line from Nagoya to Inuyama (the place of one of the most beautiful Japanese castles), while passing through the Konan City, if you look to the left, you may ... »
58 comments 13 Mar 2013: Ikebukuro street night view
I'm always fascinated by cityscapes seen from above, because depending on the height, you can get very different impressions: from very tall buildings, like the view from the observatory of the Tokyo ... »
24 comments 12 Mar 2013: Japanese traditional house, Fusuma
If you visit a Japanese traditional house, you will probably notice two kinds of wooden rectangular panels, dividing the rooms or used as sliding-doors: the panels made with wooden frames covered by ... »
43 comments 11 Mar 2013: Japanese Traditional Architecture, Chidorihafu and Karahafu
Preparing to visit Japan, several friends passionate by architecture asked me about about places to see the traditional Japanese architecture. The discussion lead to this photo which I would like to ... »
29 comments 10 Mar 2013: Japanese Cotton Candy
While visiting Japan, if you participate at Japanese festivals, you will notice that the most popular temporary stalls (yatai) are, besides the ones selling food, those with kingyo-sukui games, ... »
34 comments 09 Mar 2013: Nakaza Cuidaore Building
The buildings on the Dotonbori street from Namba, Osaka are renowned for their extravagant billboards (for example see the Kani Doraku Crab or the Kinryu Ramen). But not only the billboards are ... »
25 comments 08 Mar 2013: Japanese shopping arcades
While traveling through Japan, I tend to visit a lot of shopping arcades: for me these are places where I always manage to spend a few hours of fun. I'm not doing anything special, I just try to ... »
37 comments 07 Mar 2013: Japanese Traditional Food, Teishoku
If you want to sample the Japanese traditional cuisine, a good start could be a teishoku meal set. Besides the main dish, it includes a bowl of rice, a miso soup and other side dishes like tsukemono ... »
54 comments 06 Mar 2013: A special day in Kyoto, the streets of Higashiyama
A few days ago, I was asked to recommend a place to visit in Kyoto on a very short trip (only a day), during the sakura season. It was really hard to decide, but in the end I recommended Higashiyama, ... »
43 comments 05 Mar 2013: Shinto Shrine, Temizuya
Before entering inside a Shinto Shrine, the visitors are performing a cleansing ritual called temizu (from te "hand" and mizu "water" - water to purify the hands), an important part of the Japanese ... »
21 comments 04 Mar 2013: Japanese Traditional Architecture, Samurai District Walls
The walls surrounding the houses from the Nagamachi district of Kanazawa were rebuilt to look exactly as they were in the old times, before the Meiji Ishin (Meiji Restoration), when the neighborhood ... »
40 comments 03 Mar 2013: Hina Matsuri Traditional Dolls
One of the most beautiful celebrations in Japan takes place today: Hina Matsuri - the Doll Festival, a day when the families with girls are displaying a very special set of dolls, hina-ningyō, ... »
44 comments 02 Mar 2013: Japanese aesthetics, Enyo-tei House
Not all the Japanese gardens were built for promenade: some were designed to be admired from a dedicated building or pavilion. This is the case for the small garden next to the Enyo-tei House, ... »
40 comments 01 Mar 2013: Japanese Architecture, Grand Front Osaka
If you enjoy modern architecture, Osaka is becoming a must-see destination. Besides the brand new tallest building in Japan - Abeno Harukas or the beautiful Umeda Sky Building, many other ... »
38 comments 28 Feb 2013: Traditional Japanese clothing, Miko red hakama
While visiting the Shinto shrines, you can't help but notice the girls dressed in white shirts and bright red hakama. They are miko - shrine maidens - and their uniform is one of the few cases when ... »
57 comments 27 Feb 2013: The streams of the Japanese gardens
The Kaiyu-shiki-teien Japanese gardens, designed for promenade, are always featuring water: one or more lakes, maybe a waterfall and sometimes even streams of water like the one in this photo, the ... »
25 comments 26 Feb 2013: Kudan Hill Lighthouse
After the Meiji Restoration, a large number of Western-style buildings (schools, banks and hotels) started to appear in Japan. Among them, some are valuable architectural monuments, like this ... »
37 comments 25 Feb 2013: A-Bombed willow tree
The over 50 trees that survived to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, are known as the hibaku jumoku and are located in an area between a hundred meters and over 2 kilometers from the atomic ... »
39 comments 24 Feb 2013: Beautiful neighborhoods in Tokyo: Takadanobaba
Among all the large Japanese cities, my favorite is by far Tokyo. Because of all its special places, modern and traditional, and because after all these years traveling far and wide in Tokyo, I found ... »
35 comments 23 Feb 2013: Fire-bucket monument
While visiting the traditional areas of Japan, right in front of some shops or restaurants, you may notice small stacks of wooden buckets, carefully placed on large barrels. They originate from the ... »
31 comments 22 Feb 2013: The asymmetric twin JR Central Towers
The headquarters of the Central Japan Railway Company from Nagoya is an impressive structure from any point of view, but I discovered a place that really highlights its spectacular architecture: the ... »
32 comments 21 Feb 2013: The Moss-Covered God
The coin offerings box in front of the Buddhist temples (saisenbako) is almost omnipresent in Japan. But there are some unusual cases, when the offerings are of a different kind...At Hozen-ji, a ... »
47 comments
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"A friend calculated that since I started working on this website, I lived in Japan approx. 8% of my life. Is this much or little? If you ask my family and friends, it’s a lot. I agree that it’s a lot more than a normal traveler spends in a foreign country… but if you ask me, this is just the beginning.
I want to share with you my travels through Japan and my readings about this wonderful culture, to see Japan through my eyes, from the temples and shrines to the cities and people of Japan, from places filled with history and spirituality, to the the modern Japan with skyscrapers and pop culture."
Muza-chan's Gate to Japan includes:
» Travel notes on visiting Japan, travel reviews, sightseeing, tourist attractions, historical and cultural facts, travel photos, travel tips
» A series of daily Japan photos, covering Japan places (Tokyo, Yokohama, Kamakura, Nikko...), traditional and modern Japanese culture, lifestyle, architecture, people, interesting facts
» Japan's most famous customs and traditions with photos, videos, stories, background and historical information plus some travel tips
» Daily selections of Japanese music (J-Pop, J-Rock, traditional music, enka and more...)
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