This weekend I took advantage of some of my own advice and went to Rikugi-en Park and took in the Edo Ningyo. Edo Ningyo is a traditional Japanese marionette puppet show and the puppeteer was amazing! The emotions and lifelike movements he elicited from his stringed muses only enhanced the stories that […]

[Read more →]

The plaza just outside the Kaihin Makuhari train station in Chiba is always a hive of activity, especially on the weekends, and this Sunday afternoon was no exception. I usually try to avoid the areas on the weekends because of all the crowds that gather to go one of the many events held at […]

[Read more →]

….when you have Kleenex sticking out of your nose!  But that’s just how Hideo Higashikokubaru, a one-time comedian using the stage name Sonomanma Higashi, and currently the Governor of Miyazaki prefecture in southern Japan, is portrayed on this tissue box cover.

I found this product while browsing through my local mall and just couldn’t stop […]

[Read more →]

The other day I went into Asakusa for the day and caught these two cool cats lounging around….they were guarding the front gate of the Asakusa shrine (Saja - sama) which is ironic as off to one side of the temple there was a smaller shrine with hundreds of small white ceramic cats on […]

[Read more →]

The past Friday I went to the ceremonial sumo match at the Yaskuni shrine in Tokyo. Based on what I’ve read its the only time this year that you will be able to see a sumo tournament for free in Tokyo and I couldn’t miss an opportunity like that! So, I braved […]

[Read more →]

As most of you know I have started posting most of my touristy activities over at The Tokyo Traveler. For those of you that haven’t had a chance to check it out yet, here are some of the highlights of what I’ve been up to lately:
Hanami viewing at Chidorigafuchi near the Imperial Palace. […]

[Read more →]

  
Where I live in Chiba there are two very contrasting places where you can view the Sakura Blossoms.
Below is a very industrial looking park where all of the trees are aligned in perfect rows.  While the trees are still pretty the atmosphere is rather sterile.  I call this one Sakura and Cement.

About a mile or […]

[Read more →]

Japan is supposed to be the land of the rising sun but the other day this was the view of the sun setting from our apartment in Chiba. We are looking towards Tokyo and I believe that the body of water in the photo is the Tokyo Bay. We have had this […]

[Read more →]

Today I took the trip into Tokyo for the first time since my arrival in Japan and I had my first Maiko or Geisha sighting!
It took me almost an hour and three different trains to get to Asaksua where this and the other photos were taken.  I was a little bit nervous about […]

[Read more →]

I have always wanted to visit the Tsukiji Fish Market in Japan and it was one of the things that I never got around to doing the last time I was in Japan. Now it appears that it may be too late for me to get to see the tuna auction in action. […]

[Read more →]