Katori Shrine was founded in 643 B.C., and located in Chiba near Narita. It is a Shinto shrine, and the head shrine of approximately 400 other Katori shrines across Japan, mainly located in the Kanto region. Dedicated to the Futsumushi no Mikoto god (the protector or military/army men), the Katori Shrine has been an important […]
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Located just outside the Ikegami Honmon-Ji temple, Ikegami Baien is a gorgeous little plum tree garden that also features a few small traditional houses built for the unique purpose of the ancient art of the Tea Ceremony. Small yet elegant, Ikegami Baien is a little oasis of peace that is worth checking when visiting Ikegami […]
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Located in Kamogawa City in Chiba prefecture, and barely one and a half hours away from the center of Tokyo by car, Hitratsuka is the closest terraced rice field to Tokyo, and also the only one of its kind in Japan! Unlike other rice fields, the Hiratsuka Tanada (terraced rice field) grows rice with only […]
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Erected where the Japanese Saint Nichiren supposedly died in 1282, Ikegami Honmon-ji has been since then the administrative headquarters, as well as the training and living quarters, of the Nichiren Shu followers. Located on top of a hill within Tokyo’s Ota ward, Ikegami Honmon-ji features many temples and other cultural attractions that are worth checking […]
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Despite being one of Japan’s most famous martial arts, Aikido in its actual current form is a rather new sport that was founded in the 1930s at the Aikikai Hombu Dojo by Ueshiba Morihei (1883 – 1969). It wasn’t until after the second world war however, that Aikido really boomed and started to spread across […]
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Located outside of Tokyo and just barely 30 minutes away from Tokyo central train station, Kawagoe has been made famous over the centuries for its Kurazukuri buildings (warehouses) from the Edo Period and its many suppliers of commodities to the people of Tokyo. Thanks to its many businesses and its strategical purpose, past Shoguns installed […]
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Head temple of the Tendai Sect in the Kanto region, Kitain Temple was originally part of a three-temple complex built in 830 and slowly became the Tendai Sect’s main temple around the 17th Century. This took place under the influence of Tenkai, a Japanese Buddhist monk, also known as Nankōbō Tenkai (南光坊 天海), who developed […]
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Famous for its huge torii on lake Ashi, the Hakone shrine is a very small temple hidden in a dense forest standing at the foot of Mount Hakone. What make this shrine stand out from many others, despite being small, is its disproportionately large front and gorgeous path leading to it surrounded by tall trees […]
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Owakudani is an area around a crater created during Mt Hakone’s last eruption some 3,000 years ago. Today Owakudani is still an active volcanic zone where sulfurous fumes, hot rivers and hot springs are heavily present. Despite being a very famous tourist attraction where were you can enjoy, in some safe zones, a gorgeous view […]
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Known by many as ‘little Paris’ due to its significant French presence, Kagurazaka is in fact a very old dining district closed to Iidabashi Station. There you will find many fantastic little restaurants, French or not, as well as some upscale restaurants and ryotei hidden in the many, small backstreets. Besides its many restaurants and […]
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Located on the north part of Tsukishima 月島 or the “moon island” , Tsukudajima was an island of its own and separated from Tsukishima over 100 years ago. But due to the construction in Tokyo bay, the local authorities decided to redraw Tokyo’s coastline by joining several island together. Tsukudajima is perhaps better known now […]
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Like Hokokuji, Engaku-ji is not your average temple, and it is actually ranked as the second most important Zen Buddhist temple in Japan. Founded in 1282 by a Chinese Zen monk at the request of Hojo Tokimune (then ruler of Japan), Engaku-ji is in fact more like a closed village temple than an actual temple. […]
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