The Ueno Zoo  is Japan’s oldest zoo, opening on March 20, 1882. It is a five-minute walk from the Park Exit of Ueno Station, with convenient access from Tokyo’s public-transportation network. The Ueno Zoo Monorail, the first monorail in the country, connects the eastern and western parts of the grounds. In the part 1 is the East side of the zoo.. When the part 2 is the West side of the zoo.

The zoo is in Ueno Park, a large urban park that is home to museums, a small amusement park, and other attractions. The zoo is closed Tuesdays (Monday if Friday is a holiday). It s definitely a place to go to have fun with friends, or with kids!

The Ueno Zoo  is a 14.3-hectare (35-acre) zoo, managed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and located in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan. It is Japan’s oldest zoo, opening on March 20, 1882. It is a five-minute walk from the Park Exit of Ueno Station, with convenient access from Tokyo’s public-transportation network. The Ueno Zoo Monorail, the first monorail in the country, connects the eastern and western parts of the grounds. In the part 1 we will stay in the East side of the zoo.. When the part 2 is the West side of the zoo.

The zoo is in Ueno Park, a large urban park that is home to museums, a small amusement park, and other attractions. The zoo is closed Tuesdays (Monday if Friday is a holiday). It s definitely a place to go to have fun with friends, or with kids!

This video is part of the October 2011 J-Festa

Kappa (河童, “river-child”), alternately called Kawatarō (川太郎?, “river-boy”) or Kawako (川子, “river-child”), are legendary creatures, a type of water sprite found in Japanese folklore. In Shintō they are considered to be one of many suijin. A hair-covered variation of a Kappa is called a Hyōsube (ひょうすべ).

Kappa are similar to Scandinavian Näkki, Germanic Neck and Scottish Kelpie in that all have been used to scare children of dangers lurking in waters.

Find more about the Kappa on wikipedia

Itsukushima (厳島) is an island in the western part of the Inland Sea of Japan, located in the northwest of Hiroshima Bay. It is popularly known as Miyajima (宮島), the Shrine Island. The island is one of Hayashi Razan’s (林羅山) Three Views of Japan (日本三景 Nihon Sankei). Itsukushima is part of the city of Hatsukaichi in Hiroshima Prefecture. The island was the town of Miyajima prior to the 2005 merger with Hatsukaichi.

Itsukushima is famous for the Itsukushima Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. According to records, the shrine was established in the time of Empress Suiko. The warrior-courtier Taira no Kiyomori gave the shrine its present form. In 1555, Mōri Motonari defeated Sue Harukata at the Battle of Miyajima. Toyotomi Hideyoshi built a large building, the Senjō-kaku, on a hill above the shrine.

The island of Itsukushima, including the waters around it (part of Seto Inland Sea), and are within Setonaikai National Park. This sea is affected by strong tides. At low tide, the bottom of the sea is exposed past the island’s Torii. At high tide, the sea covers all the previously-exposed mud and fills areas underneath the Shrine.

Itsukushima is mountainous and sparsely settled. It does have an elementary school and a middle school. There are no traffic signals.

Frequent ferry services, operated by JR West (JR Miyajima ferry) and by Miyajima Matsudai Tourist Ship, carry traffic between the island and the mainland. The trip takes about ten minutes. There is an hourly express passenger ferry to Hiroshima harbour.

Miyajima’s maple trees are renowned throughout Japan, and blanket the island in crimson in the autumn. Momiji manju, pastries filled with azuki jam or custard, are popular souvenirs, and carry maple-leaf emblems. Many other varieties such as chocolate and cheese are also available. Because the island is seen as sacred, trees may not be cut for lumber. Deer and monkeys roam freely. Deer are thought of as sacred in the native Shinto religion because they are considered messengers of the gods.

A style of wooden spoon used to serve cooked rice, without impairing the taste, is said to have been invented by a monk who lived on the island. This style of spoon is a popular souvenir and there are some outsized examples around the shopping district.

The peak of Mount Misen, at 535 m, is the highest point on the island. Miyajima Ropeway carries visitors to within a 30-minute hike to the top. There are several sites related to the historical Buddhist priest and founder of Shingon Buddhism, Kōbō Daishi (弘法大師^?) (774–835), near the top. The island also contains the Miyajima Natural Botanical Garden (宮島自然植物実験所 Miyajima Shizen Shokubutsu Jikkensho^?) on its north coast.

There are many shrines and temples on the island. It is rural and mountainous, only 12 sq. miles, and has a population of about 2000. There are no cities, only small towns with simple houses and privately-owned shops. The islanders work hard to preserve the forests and respect nature. People often take the ten-minute ferry ride from mainland Japan to pray at Miyajima’s shrines and to marvel at the beauty of its forests.

text source: wikipedia

This video entered the Show me Japan weekly event on Budgettrouble.com! check out the other entries here

J∙Festa is a blogging festival showcasing the best of Japan. Here you will find a regular round-up of inspiring articles, thought-provoking stories and arousing images prompted by the announcement of a Japan-related theme. Best of all, everyone is invited to participate!

Participating in a blog carnival is a good way to get your blog noticed by others. Submitting articles also helps to improve your link popularity by building backlinks as well as sending direct traffic to your site.

This is my entry for the July 2011 Blog Carnival!

Iwatayama Monkey Park (Japanese: 嵐山モンキーパーク, Arashiyama Monkī Pāku) is a commercial park located in Arashiyama in Kyoto, Japan. The park is on Mt Arashiyama, on the same side of the Oi River as the train station. It is inhabited by a troop of over 170 Japanese macaque monkeys. The animals are wild but can be fed food purchased at the site.
more on wikipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iwatayama_Monkey_Park

Oi River

Iwatayama Monkey Park - chiiizu!

Iwatayama Monkey Park - view

Iwatayama Monkey Park - view

Iwatayama Monkey Park

Iwatayama Monkey Park

Iwatayama Monkey Park

bridge over Oi River

This post in my entry for the Show me Japan Vol1 Issue 25 ! on Budgettrouble,com! check out others entries here

Took in ealry december in shibuya, Hachiko find a little friend

Walk in a piece of wild nature in Center-kita ( kanagawa-ken, 30min from shibuya)

When I was walking in this forest I could feel how ancestor were seeing the area.. or maybe I was projected in a old war movie.. like an americain soldier lost in the Japanese jungle ^^

Show me Japan Vol 1 issue 3:

As we approach the week­end, that means issue 3 of “Show Me Japan”, the new photo event by budgettrouble.com where peo­ple from all over Japan sub­mit pics show­ing off what­ever cor­ner of the coun­try they are in. This post  is my entry for this week (dec 3-5  2010) — go check out some of the other ones.

A little monkey making the show in the street of Odawara.. I don t know if it s me, but this monkey looks like the monkey in Aladin from disney, no?

In Japan pet are like children, and the store selling pets clothes are numerous!
That’s why, when you see a dog on the street, you have 75% chance to see it wearing nice little clothes ^^

In 1924, Hachikō was brought to Tokyo by his owner, Hidesaburō Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo. During his owner’s life Hachikō saw him out from the front door and greeted him at the end of the day at the nearby Shibuya Station. The pair continued their daily routine until May 1925, when Professor Ueno did not return on the usual train one evening. The professor had suffered a stroke at the university that day. He died and never returned to the train station where his friend was waiting.

Hachikō was given away after his master’s death, but he routinely escaped, showing up again and again at his old home. Eventually, Hachikō apparently realized that Professor Ueno no longer lived at the house. So he went to look for his master at the train station where he had accompanied him so many times before. Each day, Hachikō waited for Professor Ueno to return. And each day he did not see his friend among the commuters at the station.

The permanent fixture at the train station that was Hachikō attracted the attention of other commuters. Many of the people who frequented the Shibuya train station had seen Hachikō and Professor Ueno together each day. They brought Hachikō treats and food to nourish him during his wait.

This continued for 10 years, with Hachikō appearing only in the evening time, precisely when the train was due at the station.

Hachikō died on March 8, 1935. He died at the same spot where his owner found him. His stuffed and mounted remains are kept at the National Science Museum of Japan in Ueno, Tokyo.

In April 1934, a bronze statue in his likeness was erected at Shibuya Station, and Hachikō himself was present at its unveiling. The statue was recycled for the war effort during World War II. In 1948 The Society for Recreating the Hachikō Statue commissioned Takeshi Ando, son of the original artist who had since died, to make a second statue. The new statue, which was erected in August 1948, still stands and is an extremely popular meeting spot. The station entrance near this statue is named “Hachikō-guchi”, meaning “The Hachikō Exit”, and is one of Shibuya Station’s five exits.

EVENT: Each year on March 8, Hachikō’s devotion is honored with a solemn ceremony of remembrance at Tokyo’s Shibuya railroad station. Hundreds of dog lovers often turn out to honor his memory and loyalty

Hachiko story by wikipedia.