Japan Photo Guide

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting and enjoy the photos from Japan!

Since I was across the street at Chidorigafuchi, I decided I might as well stop by the controversial Yasukuni Shrine. Why is it controversial? In a nutshell, this is a shrine dedicated to all those who died protecting Japan during times of war and according to the Official Yasukini Shrine Homepage:

Currently, more than 2,466,000 divinities are enshrined here at Yasukuni Shrine. These are souls of men who made ultimate sacrifice for their nation since 1853 during national crises such as the Boshin War, the Seinan War, the Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese wars, World War I, the Manchurian Incident, the China Incident and the Greater East Asian War (World War II). These people, regardless of their rank or social standing, are considered to be completely equal and worshiped as venerable divinities of Yasukuni.

So again, why all this controversy? See more photos and read the rest of this entry »

The Itchiku Kubota Kimono Museum is within walking distance of Kawaguchiko of Fuji Five Lakes (fujigoko) and is really a can’t miss place if you are in the area. Itchiku Kubota devoted almost his entire life to developing his own style of making beautiful kimonos and his hard work and devotion can be seen in his works of art. Besides the beautiful kimonos, some of which have designs that carry over between 4 or 5 different kimonos, the museum itself and landscape on the museum grounds are really a site to see.

See more photos and read the rest of this entry »