New Year's Eve @ Meiji Shrine: Dec. 31, 2012

Today is New Year’s Eve. I walked around the city and found people were preparing for New Year’s events.

Meiji Shrine attracts more than millions of visitors every year. Huge wooden box was places in front of the main building. New year's tablets were put in the entrance gate of the main building.

Green trees were put around the shrine gates.

People enjoy special foods (Osechi ryori) in the New Year days. Stores were crowded with shoppers, some of them seek Osechi.

Campaign Sunday @Shibuya, Shinjuku : Dec. 9, 2012

Japan will have a general election (lower house election) on Dec. 16th. Official campaign started on Dec. 4th and today is the middle of the term.

I found campaigners at any major railway terminals in Tokyo. I visited Shibuya as well as Shinjuku.

Japan’s politics is in confusion and the expectation for coming election is low.

It was enthusiastic 3 years ago (in 2009) as first full-scale power shift was expected in the last election. (And power shift from Liberal Democratic Party to Democratic Party of Japan happened). But the politics by DPJ had been disappointing, which lead to deepened disillusion for politics.

There are 12 parties (with seats in the Diet) which had candidate for the election. The difference in policies is vague. Most parties appeal “east to say” but “hard to do” policies.

Some candidates appealed from the campaign cars while others speak standing on the ground.

It was not only political parties but also NGOs had campaign in and around the stations. An anti-nuclear group was appealing their messages at Shinjuku Station.

Maple @ Gotokuji Temple: Dec. 2, 2012

The season is turning from late autumn to winter. Today’s temperature was between 4-8 degrees in Tokyo.

The autumn color was in its peak at Gotokuji Temple, western Tokyo. There were many maple trees in the temple. Some were red while some were yellow.

They also have evergreen trees. The combination of red, yellow and green was impressive.

Visitors were enjoying the colors.

Koshu Kaido Walk (4) Fuchu-Hino: Nov. 24, 2012

I walked Koshu Kaido from Fuchu to Hino, the 5th shukuba station from Nihonbashi. It was a nice autumn day.

I visited a historical tomb in Kumano Shrine along Koshu Kaido in Fuchu. It was built in the 7th century and is about 30 meter square in the first layer and hemisphere part on it.

I moved into Kunitachi City and visited Yaho Tenmangu Shrine along the street. Chickens were walking on the fallen leaves.

I walked through Tachikawa City and crossed Tamagawa River. There was no bridge in the Edo era and people crossed the river by boats. The monument of crossing point showed the history.

I moved into Hino City. Honjin or the main guest house still remains. It was the only main guest house of Edo era’s shukuba reserved in Tokyo.

The garden from a room was impressive. A tourist in the Edo ear might have seen same scene.

Chofu, Fuchu and Hino were home towns of Shinsengumi, a famous soldier group which fought for Tokugawa government against ant-Tokugawa group (which eventually achieved the Meiji Revolution) at the end of Tokugawa period (1850-60s). They lost the battle and main members were killed in the battlefield or executed later. Various historical monuments of Shinsengumi remain in the area.

Autumn red and yellow @ Koishikawa Botanical Gardens: Nov. 18, 2012

Tokyo had the first cold blast this year today. The season is turning to the end of autumn.

I visited Koisikawa Botanical Gardens to enjoy autumn yellow and red.


Most maple trees still kept green leaves, but (the leaves of) some trees were turning to red. Families were enjoying picnic under the trees.

Ginko trees had already turned to yellow.

Grounds were covered with fallen leaves. Sunbeams were streaming through the trees into the grounds.

Carps swam slowly in a pond in Japanese garden. The sly was bright blue. The trees behind the pond were green, yellow and red. I enjoyed the colors.

Nakasendo Walk (5) Konosu-Kumagaya: Nov. 10, 2012

I have already walked about 50 km of total 533 km – from Edo’s Nihonbashi to Kyoto’s Sanjo Ohashi -- of Nakasendo. Today, I walked from Konosu, the 7th shukuba station to Kumagaya, the 8th. It was more than 16 km.

I walked through residential areas in Konosu. The sky was blue. The leaves of the trees were changing from green to yellow or red. It is autumn.

There appeared agricultural fields along the road.


Railway (Takasaki Line) runs along Nakasendo. Arakawa river runs along Nakasendo in the west.

Nakasendo met the bank of Arakawa River in Konosu-Kumagaya border area. Nakasendo goes along the river bank in some parts and merges with the bank in other parts.

I walked several kilometers on the bank. I saw autumn glasses spread in the left side and towns in the right. Joggers and cyalists were enjoying the nature.



   

The bank was many times washed out by floods and people had repeatedly affected by the disasters. Monuments of disasters remain in the area. The bank was reinforced many times and new construction is still underway.

Nakasendo Walk(4) Ageo-Konosu: Nov. 4, 2012

It was a nice autumn day. I took the 4th part of my Nakasendo Walk from Ageo, the 5th shukuba station from Nihonbashi to Konosu, the 7th.

The sky was bright blue when I started today’s walk from Ageo. The air was fresh and the temperature was comfortable.


Nakasendo (Local route 164 is built on old road) goes northwest through business and residential and area. JR Takasaki line runs along Nakasendo. Few monuments remain in Ageo.

I arrived in Okegawa, the 6th station. Honjin building (main inn) remains here. It is the only honjin preserved in Saitama prefecture. It is open for a limited time and I unfortunately could not go in.


An old inn (hatago) also remains.　It is still used as a hotel.

It is a peaceful local city. But Okegawa became nationwide famous in 1998 for a horrible murder. A young lady was killed by a stalker and his group after her request to protect herself from the stalkers had been neglected by the police. A law was enacted after the tragedy.


Such horrible incidents could happen in every peaceful city and town in Japan

I passed Okegawa and moved into Kitamoto city. I found agricultural lands, including grape fields, along the road. I also found persimmon and other autumn fruits planted in the houses along the road.

I also found restaurants, convenience stores, karaoke shops, pachinko parlors and cellphone shops so often. It is same in almost everywhere in the country.


Konosu is famous for its dolls. Doll production industry developed in the Edo era. Several doll shops remain along Nakasendo.


It is about 48 km from Nihonbashi.

Hong Kong island (off off Tokyo): Oct. 28, 2012

It was exciting to walk around the streets in Hong Kong island.

The scene of skyscrapers on hillside was only found here. The combination of modern brand shops and traditional messy stalls was impressive. I was convinced that it was a place where western and eastern culture met.

I climbed narrow streets from the Central area near seashore through hillside to the middle of the mountain. A moving sidewalk was built along the streets. It moved downward in the early morning and changed the direction at around 10 am. The sideway is called the “hillside escalator”.

Brand shops gather in the Central.

Small food shops and daily goods shops scattered around the escalator. NOHO (north of Hollywood Road) and SOHO (south of the road) are famous for gourmet and shopping. He attracted tourists.

Books on Chinese politics　occupied main places in bookshops. They included books on leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping and on Bo Xilai scandal. Communist party’s general assembly will begin on Nov. 8.

The island is overcrowded. Many construction works were under way in other islands and continental side.

Shenzhen (off off Tokyo): Oct. 27, 2012

I visitedzhen Zhen from Hong Kong.

It took about 50 minutes by train from Kowloon Tong station to Lo Wo, the border station in Hong Kong side. I took off the train, passed the passport control (Hong Kong side), and cross the bridge of Hong Kong-China border (which is inside a building) on foot.

Finishing my passport check and I arrived in China. Many huge modern building were in front of me.


Shen Zhen was a small village until the 1970s. It became a special economic zone in Deng Xiaoping’s economic reform policy.

Now the city has more than 15 million people and rapidly developing. The buildings are modern. Roads are wide. I saw constructions everywhere.

I visited China Folk Culture Villages. The horse battle show played by Mongolian people was thrilling.

I also visited Dongguan city, which locates between Shenzhen and Guangzhou to enjoy a dinner. A bowl of abalone was nice.