Mitama Matsuri, first held in 1947, takes place annually at Yasukuni Shrine, and features around 30,000 lanterns. The purpose of this festival is to pray for the fallen soldiers of the past and for a more peaceful world. [...]
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Hello Kitty may not actually be the most famous Japanese cat after all! It all started in 1697 according to the legend. At that time, before the Gotokuji Temple was what it is now, a poor and lonely priest was living alone with his cat. One day, during a […]
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Oomiya Jinja is a nice little Shinto shrine located on the west side of Oshima Island. While not a lot of information is available on this shrine, it is said that it used to be located on the northern part of the island [...]
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Located in Kamogawa City in Chiba prefecture, Oyama is an hour and a half drive from the center of Tokyo. Oyama is the closest terraced rice field to Tokyo, and also the only one of its kind in Japan! [...]
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Just a few minutes walk from Kyujinnomaru Tei, a traditional Japanese ryokan turned into an open museum (See previous video), Odoriko no Sato is another free and open to all museum. It’s dedicated to Oshima Islands famous Odoriko or “Dancing girls”. The profession was popularly depicted in the past […]
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Kyujinnomaru Tei used to be the estate of the head of the Oshima island fisherman’s union during the Meiji period, today it’s an open and free to the public house turned into a small museum giving the chance for anyone to get a look at […]
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Here is another stunning park near Tokyo. Hitachi Seaside Parkland in Ibaraki Prefecture. Once a year it offers visitors an incredibly gorgeous view with its nemophila Harmony festival. Thanks to its unique configuration of small hills, Hitachi Seaside Park is covered with millions of nemophila, giving visitors an incredible view. […]
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Erected where the Japanese Saint Nichiren supposedly died in 1282, Ikegami Honmon-ji has since been the administrative headquarters, as well as the training and living quarters, of the Nichiren Shu followers. It’s also a famous cherry blossom spot around the amazing temple and pagoda. [...]
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Located near the Imperial Palace and the Yasukuni Shrine, Chidorigafuchi is a national Japanese cemetery and memorial for approximately 350,000 unidentified war dead of the Second World War. Despite its gloomy background, Chidorigafuchi is, once a year during hanami, the cherry blossom season, one of Tokyo’s hottest places to […]
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Tokyo counts many gorgeous cherry blossom/sakura spots that are worth your time and attention if you do not mind the bustling crowds. But, away from the masses and mostly kept secret by many photographers and sakura specialists, there is a 2km long sakura wonderland that will blow your […]
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The Naka-Meguro river and its many Sakura no longer require an introduction. In the past we’ve covered this area both by day and night. This year again we could not resist taking another video and sharing it with you an amazing pink night view of river and its Sakura! [...]
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If you are looking for something different to visit in Tokyo, I would highly recommend Yanaka, with unfortunately, the exception of Yanaka Ginza. Yanaka is one of the places in Tokyo that has been frozen in time and that could, at least for us foreigners, be a bit weird. [...]
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