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Tokyo
Area377,835 km²
(9x the Netherlands)
UTC +9
LanguageJapanese
Highest pointFuji - 3,776 m
The national flag of Japan consists of a white area with a red circle (the sun) in the center. It was used during conflicts as early as the 12th century between samurai of the Minamoto clan and the Taira clan. The flag was used as the national flag from the beginning of the Meiji reign in 1868. It would take until August 13 1999 before the flag officially became the national flag.
The yen is the main currency after the US dollar and euro. The currency was introduced in 1871 during the Meiji period and replaced the hansatsu which was the currency that the feudal empires used.
The cherry blossom (Sakura) can only be admired for a week. Hanami is experiencing the cherry blossom. Sometimes people fight to get the best place under a cherry tree for a picnic. Sakura Zenzen (cherry blossom front) travels from south to north through Japan and takes place from March to May starting at Okinawa and ending at Hokkaido. When the blossom opens (Kaika) it takes a week before full bloom (mankai) can be admired. This also only lasts a week. Acurate predictions can be followed on various websites just a few weeks in advance. Last minute travelers therefore most likely are able tro admire the blossom. One of the websites with an accurate forecast is kyuhoshi. Due to the heat in March we only had a chance to admire full bloom in Takayama.
Himeji-jo (Himeji Castle) in Himeji is one of the most beautiful castles in Japan. It consists
of 83 buildings. In 1333 Akamatsu Norimura built a fortress on the Himeyama hill. The castle was
often rebuilt over the centuries and new buildings were added. The last to add buildings to the castle was
Honda Tadamasa in 1617. The castle endured earthquakes and World War II. It was the first building
in Japan to be added to the world heritage list of Unesco. Himeji was heavily bombed during World War II.
A napalm bomb fell through the roof on the top floor but luckily it didn't explode. This is the most
beautiful place in Japan to photograph the cherry blossom (in combination with the castle).
Shin-Sekai (New World) was built in 1912 with the theme New York for the southern half and Paris
for the northern half. In the center is the Tsutenkaku (tower that reaches to the sky). The of 103
meters high tower was rebuilt in 1956. From the tower you have an unobstructed view of the
city. There is a statue of Billiken in the tower. Billiken is an American good luck statue that was
introduced in the early 1900s by a Kansas artist.
Dotonbori's history dates back to 1612 when Yasui Doton got the idea to stimulate trade by digging a
channel. His cousins completed the canal in 1615 after Yasui died during the siege of Osaka Castle.
The new ruler of the castle, Tadaki Matsudaira, gave the channel its current name despite the fact
that Yasui Doton fought on the side of the losers. Dotonbori was established in 1621 by the Tokugawa
shogunate and was intended as entertainment district. The last five theaters were destroyed during a
bombardment in 1945. The Ebisu bashi (bridge) in Dotonbori has the best view of the illuminated
commercials. The most striking is the Glico advertisement. The first one was suspended in 1935
and the current one is version six. It is an athlete on a blue track. The facade of the
Kani Doraku restaurant on the same street is adorned by a huge mechanical crab of
6.5 meters. It has been there since 1960.
Koyasan is a templex complex in the mountains south of Osaka. It is headquarters of the Koyasan Shingon
Buddhists and it was founded in 819 by the monk Kukai. It is located in an 800 meter high valley between
the eight summits of the mountain> It was chosen because the terrain would resemble a lotus. The original
monastery is now the town of Koya with 120 temples. In 2004 it became a world heritage site. Okuno-in:
The mausoleum of Kukai is surrounded by the largest cemetery in Japan with over 200,000 headstones at
either side of the 2 km long path to the mausoleum. For centuries, thye ashes of many people were
buried here to be close to Kukai to get redemption in their death. In front of the mausoleum lies
the Torodo hall with more than 10,000 lanterns which burn forever. There are 50,000 statues in the basement
which have been donated in honor of the 1150th celebration of Kukai's accession to eternal meditation in
1984. Behind the Torodo hall lies the mausoleum (Gobyo).
Kyoto was the imperial capital of Japan for over 1,000 years. Heian-kyo (city of peace and
peace) was founded in 794 and remained the capital until 1869. Its current name was given to the city
in the 11th century. In 1467 the Onin war broke out all over Japan. A war between warlords
about the succession of a dead Shogun and the rule of Japan. The city was largely destroyed during the
war that lasted ten years. The city was rebuilt by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in the late 16th century. During
World War II, the United States considered Kyoto as a target for the nuclear bomb because of its status
as an intellectual center. This eventually became Nagasaki. There were virtually no bombings, so many
pre-war buildings like the machiya houses have been preserved. Kyoto has over 2,000 temples, both Buddhist
and Shinto. The area on the east side against the hills has some beautiful temple complexes such as the
Kiyomizu-dera, Nanzen-ji and Ginkaku-ji. Kiyomizu-dera is officially called Otowa-san. It was founded in
778 by Sakanoue no Tamuramaro. The current buildings date from 1633, built by Tokugawa Iemitsu.
Not a single nail has been used. Kiyomizu means clear water. The main temple has a porch
which is supported by large pillars and from here you have a nice view over the city. During the
Edo period it was a tradition to jump from the 13 meter high porch. If you survived this
your wish came true. 234 jumps were registered and 85 percent survived the jump. Close to the temple are
the Sannenzaka (three year old slope) Ninenzaka (two year old
slope) with shops. These streets are a protected cityscape. Further north you can find the
philosophers walk. Tetsugaku-no-michi (path of philosophy) got its name by the influential Japanese
philosopher Nishida Kitaro (1870-1945). The walk takes about 30 minutes and
runs along a narrow channel.
The Fushimi Inari Taisha is the main shrine of the god Inari. Inari is the god of rice but
traders and manufacturers have traditionally honored Inari as a patron of business. Every
Torii at the shrine has been donated by a businessman. The sanctuary is at the foot of a
hill of 233 meters with hiking trails to much smaller shrines. The first sanctuary was built on a hill
in southwest Kyoto in 711 but moved to the current location at the request of the monk Kukai in 816.
The main shrine was built in 1499. The main gate 'romon' and the main sanctuary 'go-honden' are located
at the foot of the hill. Halfway up the hill the inner shrine (okumiya) is located which can be reached
by a path with thousands of torii on either side (Senbon torii). The custom of donating a torii came
about around 1600 to make a wish come true or as a thank you for making a wish come true. There are
about 10,000 torii (gates). In the Inari shrines you'll often find images of foxes (kitsune) with a key
in their mouth. Foxes are seen as messengers with the key to the rice warehouse in their mouth. If you
want a photo here of the torii without people, it is best to choose position near a bend.
Nara was the capital of Japan in the 8th century. The city is infested with tame deer. It is also the
location of the largest wooden structure in the world, the 49 meter high Todai-ji temple. In the temple
you'll find the 16 meter high Daibutsu Buddha which was manufactured between 743 and 752. The Buddha almost
bankrupted the Japanese economy. The temple was rebuilt twice because of fire (1709 is current).
There are also two impressive 8.5 meter high wooden Nio dancers from the late 12th century. Nara
was the capital of Japan from 710 to 794, founded by Empress Genmei.
Takayama City is the site of one of the three largest Shinto festivals in Japan on April 14-15.
Sanno Matsuri is a spring festival of the Hie-Jinja shrine built in 1141. The festival starts after a spiritual
ceremony in the sanctuary. Hundreds of people in traditional costume participate in a
parade of old antique floats (Yatai) with moving puppets. Four floats permanently remain in a museum
because of their value. The floats that participate in the festival can be admired from half past nine in
the morning on the first festival day. The floats are kept inside when it rains. In that case you can admire
them in their stores. April 15 is the most important day and the festival ends at the Shinto shrine.
The town of Matsumoto originated in the Japanese Alps in the 8th century. The black and white Matsumoto-jo
castle is the highlight of the city and is considered one of the three most beautiful castles in Japan
together with Himeji-jo and Kumamoto-jo. It is also known as crow castle because of it
black exterior. The castle was built in 1504 by Shimadachi Sadanaga of the Ogasawara clan
and he called it Fukashi. In 1550 it came under the management of the Takeda clan. The Tokugawa
started with a substantial extension of the castle in 1590. The castle was ruled by 23 warlords of 6 different
families until the abolishment of the feudal system, 280 years later.
Tokyo is the seat of the emperor and the government. Actually it was the seat of government since
1603 when Tokugawa became Ieyasu Shogun. It officially became the capital in 1868 when Emperor Meiji of
Kyoto moved to Edo 'estuary'. The name Edo was changed to Tokyo. To means east and kyo
means capital. Although Tokyo is referred to as a city, it is an urban prefecture. There are 23
neighborhoods that each run as their own city. Edo was a fishing village. It was fotified by the Edo clan
in the late 12th century. In 1457 Ota Dokan built the castle and Tokugawa Ieyasu settled his headquarters
here in 1590. When he was appointed Shogun he ruled all of Japan from Edo in 1603.
The city grew steadily and reached over 1 million inhabitants in the 18th century.
Emperor Meiji's followers deposed of the last Tokugawa shogun in 1867. In 1869, the 17-year-old emperor Meiji
moved to Edo and the castle became his residence. The city of Tokyo was officially appointed on May 1, 1889.
Most sights in the city are located near the 29 stations of the Yamanote line.
The Yamanote line is a 34 km loop, covering 29 stations in one hour. The Yamanote
line was a full loop in 1925. There are 30 stations by 2020. The first train runs at 4.30 am and
the last one at 1.20 am. Every 2.5 minutes during rush hour and every 4 minutes in between. They are very
punctual. The most convenient on the Yamanote train and subways across Japan is the Suica pass.
You can charge the pass at all stations.
Some sights in Tokyo:
Tokyo Central Station opened in 1914. It was designed by the architect Tatsuno Kingo in
memory of Japan's victory in the Russo-Japanese War. Some say that the
design was based on Amsterdam Central Station. The facade on the side of Marunouchi,
opposite the Imperial Palace, dates from the original opening of 1914. In 1921, the
Japanese Prime Minister Hara Takashi was murdered at the station. Most of the station was
destroyed during the bombing of Tokyo in 1945, and rebuilt after the war.
The statue of the akita dog Hachiko is in front of the entrance of the Shibuya station.
This dog came to the station every day to greet his boss when he came home from work.
When his boss, a professor, died in 1925, Hachiko
kept coming to the station every day until his own death ten years later. Shibuya crossing
has a name being the busiest intersection in the world. Experience it yourself during rush hour. There
are a number of viewpoints such as at Starbucks. Shibuya Center gai is a
pedestrian shopping street with lots of advertising.
Takeshita dori, a shopping street with special fashion, is close to the Harajuku station.
It is a very busy street.
Senso-ji is Tokyo's oldest temple. According to legend, two fishermen found
a golden statue of Kannon (Buddhist goddess of grace) in 628. A temple was
built around the statue. The entrance of the temple is through the Kaminari-mon (thunder gate)
with a huge chochin (lantern) weighing 670 kg. At the back of this gate hang a pair of waraji (sandals)
of 2500 kg. These sandals symbolize the power of Buddha. The temple has been built
in honor of the two brothers. The current building dates from 1649 and is a good example of the
early Edo architecture. At the main shrine there is a 53 meter high pagoda
which has been reconstructed in 1973.
Ameya yokocho is a market just south of the Ueno station next to the Yamanote railway.
There is an atmosphere of a distant past. Just after the Second World War,
a black market with American goods emerged.
The Nezu shrine (Nezu-jinja) in Tokyo dates from 1705. This shinto shrine was built, using
the Toshogu shrine in Nikko as example. It is famous for its Azalea festival
(Tsutsuji Matsuri) which is held from early April to early May. It is described
as Tokyo's most beautiful sanctuary and most spectacular spring image. There are a lot of small Torii.
The Akihabara district has many maid cafes (Meido kissa / Meido kafe). The first permanent
maid cafe opened March 2001. They treat guests as boss. The best known and most popular is
@homecafe and here you usually stand in line for a place.
Omoide Yokocho (memory alley) is a narrow alley next to the station
of Shinjuku in which about 60 restaurants and bars are located in a small area.
There is smoke from the grilling of yakitory (chicken skewers). Just after World War II, the area started out
as a black market. A part disappeared due to the construction of the station in the late 1960s and
another part due to a fire in 1999. Speciality here is Yakitory. Continue to Yasukuni
dori, the main street with lots of neon signs. Kabukicho is the red light and entertainment area of ??Tokyo and
above a cinema in the street next to it you can see the huge head of Godzilla. The name of this
district comes from the plan for the construction of a kabuki theater in 1950. The theater was never built
but the name stuck. Originally this area was called Tsunohazu and this was a
swamp. It became a residential area in the 1920s. It was completely destroyed in
1945. Today there are more than 3000 cafes, night clubs, love hotels and brothels.
Nikko was founded in the 8th century by the Buddhist monk Shodo Shonin. The Toshogu shrine was built
for Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616), founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate.
The sanctuary was expanded by thousands of artists and craftsmen under the rule of his grandson,
Tokugawa Iemitsu. The result is a
beautiful and exuberant temple with many detailed carvings. Numerous images of
animals, plants and flowers were cut in wood. A stone staircase leads to the mausoleum
with the urn of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Nikko can be reached in two hours by the Tobu railway line which
departs from Asakusa station in Tokyo.