There was a scorching September sun when I arrived, but volunteer guide Tsukakoshi Takayuki whisked me into his air-conditioned truck and away we sped. Raised in Tokyo, his Sado-born mother had taken him to the island for summer holidays. After … Read the rest
This is an extract from a forthcoming book about travel by train the length of Japan. (For Part One click here.) In 1863, after Japan agreed to open up to the West, Emperor Komei in a formal procession to … Read the rest
The seaside town of Otaru is just half an hour from Sapporo. It’s said to be exotic – exotic for Japan that is, which … Read the rest
Today being Easter Sunday inevitably leads to thoughts of death and rebirth, and Japan’s cherry blossom season is an annual reminder of nature’s power to renew itself. Of all Kyoto’s many shrines, none is so prominent at this time of … Read the rest
Book review of Myth and Deity in Japan (2009) by Kamata Toji (tr Gaynor Sekimori)
For followers of Green Shinto, this is very nearly the perfect book!
First of all, it is written by a leading scholar and practitioner (emeritus … Read the rest
The Shinto Shrine of Shusse Inari in America, based in Los Angeles, is offering English speakers a rare opportunity … Read the rest
July 7 is the date of the Tanabata celebration, and in the days leading up to it decorated bamboo branches can be seen around Japan. Jut over 100 years ago when Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904) wrote … Read the rest
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