Kobe Earthquake Memorial Museum

(Kobe Earthquake Memorial Museum)
On January 17, 1995 at 5:46 am, the city of Kobe was hit by the Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake, resulting in the death of more than 5000 people and the destruction of tens of thousands of homes.

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Nankinmachi (Kobe Chinatown)

(Nankinmachi / Kobe Chinatown)
Nankinmachi is a compact chinatown in central Kobe and a center of the Chinese community in the Kansai Region. The area was developed by Chinese merchants who settled near Kobe Port after the port was opened to foreign trade in 1868. As the chinatown developed, it became known as Nankinmachi after Nanjing, the former Chinese capital.

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Kitano-cho / Kobe

(Kobe, Kitano^-cho)
Kitano-cho (北野町, Kitanochō) is a city district at the foot of the Rokko mountain range where many foreign merchants and diplomats settled after the Port of Kobe was opened to foreign trade in the second half of the 19th century. More than a dozen of the former mansions, known as Ijinkan, remain in the area and are open to the public as museums.

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Sorakuen Garden

Sorakuen, Mail Gate)
Sorakuen is a traditional Japanese landscape garden in the center of Kobe. The garden used to be part of the residence of Kodera Kenkichi, a former mayor of Kobe, but was opened to the public in 1941.

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Kobe (神戸)

(Kobe City View from Seto-Naikai Sea)
My hometown, Kobe is the capital of Hyogo Prefecture and one of Japan's ten largest cities. Located between the sea and the Rokko mountain range, Kobe is also considered one of Japan's most attractive cities.

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Gion Matsuri / Kyoto

Gion Matsuri, the festival of Yasaka Shrine, is the most famous festival in Japan. It takes place over the entire month of July. There are many different events, but two are particularly renowned: the Yamaboko Junko, a procession of floats on July 17th; and Yoiyama, the festive evenings preceding the procession.

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Tofukuji Temple / Kyoto / Kyoto & Kansai

(Tsutenkyo Bridge)
Tofukuji is a large Zen temple in southeastern Kyoto that is particularly famous for its spectacular autumn colors. The temple was founded in 1236 at the behest of the powerful Fujiwara clan. Its name is a combination of the names of two great temples in Nara that were also associated with the Fujiwara,
Todaiji Temple and Kofukuji Temple. Tofukuji has historically been one of the principal Zen temples in Kyoto, and is a head temple of one of the schools of the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism.

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Kyoto Tour Vol. 2

Refer to Kyoto Tour as Vol. 2.
As the same as to Vol. 1, refer to Central Kyoto Again.

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Kyoto Tour Vol. 1

Refer to Kyoto Tour.
As you well know, Kyoto was Japan's capital and the emperor's residence from 794 until 1868. It is now the country's seventh largest city with a population of 1.4 million people and a modern face.

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Nishiki Market / Kyoto & Kansai

Nishiki Market is a narrow, shopping street, lined by more than one hundred shops. Various kinds of fresh and processed foods including many Kyoto specialties, such as pickles, Japanese sweets, dried food, sushi, and fresh seafood and vegetables are sold.

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Ryoanji Temple(龍安寺)

"Ryoanji (龍安寺)" is located in northwest Kyoto, belonging to the Myoshin-ji school of the Rinzai branch of Zen Buddhism, and the temple is one of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Regarding "Ryoanji", we are able to check it by WIKIPEDIA.
When I checked "Ryoanji" in WEB SITE, I found the Home Page of it...

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Uji "The Tale of Genji" City(源氏物語の街宇治市)

Found interesting Videos in YouTube Video List.
The Videos introduces Uji City(宇治市) as "The Tale of Genji(源氏物語)"City.
IF you have time, please enjoy the Videos listed below.

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Nijo Castle(二条城)

"Nijo Castle" (二条城) is also one of the UNESCO World Heritage located in Kyoto.
I have been living near "Nijo Castle", aroud 5 minutes walk (700-800 meters) to the east from the Castle.

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Kobe City in Japan

Kobe is my and my family members' living place and faces "Seto-Naikai(瀬戸内海; Setouchi Sea)". And Mt. Rokko is located behind Kobe City.

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富田屋(Tonnda-ya)

"Tonnda-ya" is one of "Kyo-Machiya" and also one of the "Important Caultural Properties" in Kyoto. At "Tonnda-ya", we are able to study by observation about "People's Life Style in Edo Era and/or Meiji Era".

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Reformed Kyo-Machiya

The Kyo-Machiya forcused this time has been built up 200 years ago and has been reformed for reuse. The style of architecture is named "Omoteya-Zukuri".
Regarding "Omoteya-Zukuri", please refer to the drawing below.

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KYO-MACHIYA (京町屋)

Kyo-machiya, Kyoto town house, is traditional townhouses of the city's merchants usually with two floors. With its characteristic appearance consist of Koshi (lattice) and mushikomado (literally insect cage window) of the upper floor, Kyo-machiyas had constructed harmonious beauty in Kyoto. We can see them in Gion area and can image how Kyoto was used to be.

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Kyoto Imperial Palace / Kyoto & Kansai

Kyoto Imperial Palace (Kyoto Gosho) used to be the residence of Japan's Imperial Family until 1868, when the emperor and capital were moved from Kyoto to Tokyo. It is located in the spacious Kyoto Imperial Park.
The palace burnt down and was moved around the city several times over the centuries. The present reconstruction dates from 1855. The palace complex is enclosed by a long wall and consists of several gates, halls and gardens. The enthronement ceremonies of Emperors Taisho and Showa were still held in the palace's main hall, but the present Emperor's ceremony took place at the Tokyo Imperial Palace.

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Nara to set hill on fire for good harvest

Nara to set hill on fire for good harvest
Japan Times - Jan 14, 2011

Even though Nara's 1,300th birthday party is over, the action continues. The annual yamayaki (grass- burning) festival is scheduled for Jan. 22 and will take place on Mount Wakakusa in central Nara. It should be quite a spectacle. The ritualistic burning of the 342-meter-tall hill dates back to the Edo Period (1603-1867), when people reportedly started torching the grass due to the widely-held belief that ghosts would haunt them if they didn't. (Japan Times)

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Ryoanji Temple / Kyoto / Kyoto & Kansai

Ryoanji Temple is the site of Japan's most famous rock garden, which attracts hundreds of visitors every day.
Originally an aristocrat's villa during the Heian Period, the site was converted into a Zen temple in 1450 and belongs to the Myoshinji school of the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism, whose head temple stands just a kilometer to the south.

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