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Embracing every experience. Read more🇦🇺Kensington
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  • BronzeJapanTraveler

    Hakone Sulpture Park

    January 9, 2017 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 7 °C

    Some more amazing sculptures featuring one of my favorites Arnoldo Pomedoro who is responsible for the large brass sphere with the interior exposed.
    We also saw a similar one in Italy at the Vatican which he donated. He was heavily influenced by Picasso.Read more

  • BronzeJapanTraveler

    Hakone Sculpture Park

    January 9, 2017 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 7 °C

    The museum houses over 1,000 sculptures and features art by Henry Moore, Constantin Brâncuși, Barbara Hepworth, Rokuzan Ogiwara, and Kōtarō Takamura. The sculptural works in Hakone Open-Air Museum has about 120 on permanent display across the huge sculpture park.Read more

  • BronzeJapanTraveler

    Hakone Sculpture Park

    January 9, 2017 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 7 °C

    The museum houses over 1,000 sculptures and features art by Henry Moore, Constantin Brâncuși, Barbara Hepworth, Rokuzan Ogiwara, and Kōtarō Takamura. The sculptural works in Hakone Open-Air Museum has about 120 on permanent display across the huge sculpture park.Read more

  • BronzeJapanTraveler

    Hakone Sculpture Park

    January 9, 2017 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 7 °C

    Travelling to Hakone Sculpture Park to compare it to Johnny’s Pl Leo estate Park.

    Hakone Open-Air Museum is Japan's first open-air museum, opened in 1969 in Hakone in Ashigarashimo District, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It has collections of artworks made by Picasso, Henry Moore, Taro Okamoto, Yasuo Mizui, Churyo Sato, and many others, featuring over a thousand sculptures and works of art. The museum is affiliated with the Fujisankei Communications Group media conglomerate.

    Hakone Open-Air Museum
    The museum houses over 1,000 sculptures and features art by Henry Moore, Constantin Brâncuși, Barbara Hepworth, Rokuzan Ogiwara, and Kōtarō Takamura. The sculptural works in Hakone Open-Air Museum has about 120 on permanent display across the huge sculpture park.    Read more

  • BronzeJapanTraveler

    Small eatery in Tokyo area

    January 8, 2017 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C

    We had some amazing Japanese fried chicken here and I was particularly impressed with the art work mural on the wall.
    We then caught a train to travel to the world renown sculpture park in Hakone.

  • BronzeJapanTraveler

    Tokyo

    January 8, 2017 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C

    Some more traveling around Tokyo and we ran into some Japanese girls in traditional dress. As I recall it was a special day in Japan that celebrates such things.

  • BronzeJapanTraveler

    Great Buddha of Kamakura

    January 7, 2017 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    Kōtoku-in is a Buddhist temple of the Jōdo-shū sect, in the city of Kamakura in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Its mountain name is Taiizan and its common temple name is Shōjōsen-ji.

    The temple is renowned for The Great Buddha of Kamakura, a monumental outdoor bronze statue of Amitābha, which is one of the most famous icons of Japan. It is also a designated National Treasure, and one of the twenty-two historic sites included in Kamakura's proposal for inclusion in UNESCO's World Heritage Sites.Read more

  • BronzeJapanTraveler

    Enoshima (cont’d)

    January 7, 2017 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

    Ready for the trip back to the mainland after a fascinating day.
    Part of the morning was spent walking around the rocky beach on a timber walkway and inspecting all of the small temples.
    We were fortunate to have a beautiful day to visit.Read more

  • BronzeJapanTraveler

    Enoshima (cont’d)

    January 7, 2017 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 7 °C

    We walked around the island and ate a rice snack that comprised of a prawn placed on a hot plate and then a ladle of rice flour mixture and then the two are compressed together and heated until the rice flour dries to a thin crepe like consistency. Delicious 😋
    We also visited some of the temples on the island as well and our tour guide was Mumi (pronounced Mummy) and she was great company.    Read more

  • BronzeJapanTraveler

    Enoshima Island

    January 7, 2017 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 7 °C

    This quaint little island was a great place to visit. Firstly, it was a good walk across the bridge and we became aware of the hawks that would sometimes swoop down and pluck the for out of the hands of visitors whilst they were crossing the bridge. We travelled by train to the seaside town and then walked across to the island.

    Enoshima (江の島) is a small offshore island, about 4 km in circumference, at the mouth of the Katase River which flows into the Sagami Bay of Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Administratively, Enoshima is part of the mainland city of Fujisawa, and is linked to the Katase section of that city by a 600-metre-long (2,000 ft) bridge. Home to some of the closest sandy beaches to Tokyo and Yokohama, the island and adjacent coastline are the hub of a local resort area.    Read more

  • BronzeJapanTraveler

    Shibuya At Night

    January 6, 2017 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 3 °C

    The name "Shibuya" is also used to refer to the shopping district which surrounds Shibuya Station. This area is known as one of the fashion centers of Japan, particularly for young people, and as a major nightlife area.Read more

  • BronzeJapanTraveler

    Shibuya Ward

    January 6, 2017 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 7 °C

    Shibuya is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan.
    A major commercial and business centre, it houses the two busiest railway stations in the world, Shinjuku Station and Shibuya Station as well as one of the most famous intersections.

    During the late 1990s, Shibuya also became known as the center of the IT industry in Japan. It was often called "Bit Valley" in English, a pun on both "Bitter Valley", the literal translation of "Shibuya", as well as bit, the computer term for binary digits.    Read more

  • BronzeJapanTraveler

    Shunkaen Bonsai

    January 6, 2017 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C

    Shunkaen houses over 1,000 trees. One of the most famous of these is estimated to be 1,000 years old, and is located in front of the house.
    Though most of the trees are displayed in the courtyard, certain trees are displayed in traditional tokonoma alcoves inside the house. The building also houses a sizeable collection of books and antique Chinese pots and tables are also displayed.
    We also observed rock gardens for the first time which are similar in principle to Bonsai.
    The master took quite a warming to Jenny ;)    Read more

  • BronzeJapanTraveler

    Shunkaen Bonsai Museum

    January 6, 2017 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 7 °C

    As part of the trip Jen gifted me an experience with a Bonsai master to understand the intricacies of the art.

    Bonsai is a Japanese art form which utilizes cultivation techniques to produce, in containers, small trees that mimic the shape and scale of full size trees. Similar practices exist in other cultures, including the Chinese tradition of penzai or penjing from which the art originated, and the miniature living landscapes of Vietnamese Hòn Non Bộ. The Japanese tradition dates back over a thousand years.

    We visited a famous a bonsai garden in Tokyo called Shunkaen Bonsai Museum is a bonsai garden in Tokyo, Japan. It was founded in 2002 by bonsai master Kunio Kobayashi.    Read more

  • BronzeJapanTraveler

    Tokyo Station by Night

    January 5, 2017 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 6 °C

    This was the cool view of some of the Tokyo skyline at nightfall. Tomorrow is going to be amazing with as Jen has treated me to a Bonsai Class which I am excited to attend.
    From my memory we had a lovely meal overlooking the buildings and skyscrapers whiz NnaoanRead more

  • BronzeJapanTraveler

    Gundam Base - Diver City Shop Precinct

    January 5, 2017 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C

    We visited a shopping precinct and discovered the Gundam robot as well as some modern art pieces that are located around the shopping precinct.

    Welcome to one of Tokyo’s strangest tourist attractions, a 20-meter robot standing in a park, overlooking the harbor of the world’s manga metropolis.

    The lifesize, plastic replica of a robot or “Mobile Suit”, from Gundam, (a hugely popular Japanese animation series), officially opened on July 11 2009 for the celebration of Gundam’s 30th anniversary, and was closed on August 31st, however such a sight could not remain hidden away for long. After attracting 4.5 million visitors in its first month on display, it popped up again the following year in Shizuoka, where Bandai manufactures its popular Gundam models.

    It was returned to Tokyo in 2011, displayed in fragments that visitors could pay a small fee to check out or take pictures with, to raise money following the tsunami that had devastated Japan. It is now back in all its glory, outside of a new theme park and museum of all things Gundam, called Gundam Base in the Diver City shopping center.

    The robot - which shoots smoke and lasers, can move its arms and head and plays disco music - will be a number one draw on the sightseeing hitlist of visiting otaku, as anime-loving geeks are called here. The Gundam robot is large enough to be visible on the drive from Narita airport to downtown, as cars cross the Tokyo Bay-spanning Rainbow Bridge.

    The Gundam series itself remains a spectacular commentary on modern warfare, originating from a country that has seen the horrors of dramatic shifts in war technology first hand. The show’s criticisms of warfare seem even more true to life as the Gundam Robot takes its place along the real Tokyo skyline.    Read more

  • BronzeJapanTraveler

    Futo Park & Rainbow Bridge

    January 5, 2017 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

    I had a curious interaction with a robot before we travelled around the bay on a ferry.
    We went underneath Rainbow Bay bridge which was built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, with construction starting in 1987 and completed in 1993. The bridge is 798 metres (2,618 ft) long with a main span of 580 metres (1,903 ft).
    Officially called the "Shuto Expressway No. 11 Daiba Route - Port of Tokyo Connector Bridge," the name "'Rainbow Bridge" was decided by the public.

    The towers supporting the bridge are white in color, designed to harmonize with the skyline of central Tokyo seen from Odaiba. There are lamps placed on the wires supporting the bridge, which are illuminated into three different colors, red, white and green every night using solar energy obtained during the day.

    The bridge can be accessed by foot from Tamachi Station (JR East) or Shibaura-futō Station (Yurikamome) on the mainland side.    Read more

  • BronzeJapanTraveler

    Senso-Ji Temple (cont’d)

    January 5, 2017 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

    The temple is dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon (Avalokiteśvara). According to legend, a statue of the Kannon was found in the Sumida River in 628 B.C. by two fishermen, the brothers Hinokuma Hamanari and Hinokuma Takenari. The chief of their village, Hajino Nakamoto, recognized the sanctity of the statue and enshrined it by remodeling his own house into a small temple in Asakusa so that the villagers could worship Kannon.

    The first temple was founded in 645 AD, which makes it the oldest temple in Tokyo. In the early years of the Tokugawa shogunate, Tokugawa Ieyasu designated Sensō-ji as tutelary temple of the Tokugawa clan.

    The Nishinomiya Inari shrine is located within the precincts of Sensō-ji and a torii identifies the entry into the hallowed ground of the shrine. A bronze plaque on the gateway structure lists those who contributed to the construction of the torii, which was erected in 1727 (Kyōhō 12, 11th month).

    During World War II, the temple was bombed and destroyed during the 10 March air raid on Tokyo. It was rebuilt later and is a symbol of rebirth and peace to the Japanese people. In the courtyard there is a tree that was hit by a bomb in the air raids, and it had regrown in the husk of the old tree and is a similar symbol to the temple itself.    Read more

  • BronzeJapanTraveler

    Senso-ji Temple

    January 5, 2017 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

    Sensō-ji (金龍山浅草寺, Kinryū-zan Sensō-ji) is an ancient Buddhist temple located in Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan. It is Tokyo's oldest temple, and one of its most significant. Formerly associated with the Tendai sect of Buddhism, it became independent after World War II. Adjacent to the temple is a five-story pagoda, the Asakusa Shinto shrine,[1] as well as many shops with traditional goods in the Nakamise-dōri.Read more

  • BronzeJapanTraveler

    Imperial Palace (cont’d)

    January 5, 2017 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

    The present Imperial Palace encompasses the retrenchments of the former Edo Castle.
    The modern palace Kyūden (宮殿) designed for various imperial court functions and receptions is located in the old Nishinomaru section of the palace grounds. On a much more modest scale, the residence of the current Emperor and empress is located in the Fukiage Gardens. Designed by Japanese architect Shōzō Uchii the modern residence was completed in 1993.

    Except for Imperial Household Agency and the East Gardens, the palace is generally closed to the public, except for reserved guided tours from Tuesdays to Saturdays. Each New Year (January 2) and Emperor's Birthday, the public is permitted to enter through the Nakamon (inner gate) where they gather in the Kyuden Totei Plaza in front of the Chowaden Hall.
    The Imperial Family appears on the balcony before the crowd and the Emperor normally gives a short speech greeting and thanking the visitors and wishing them good health and blessings.

    Every year a poetry convention called Utakai Hajime is held at the palace on January 1.

    The old Honmaru, Ninomaru, and Sannomaru compounds now comprise the East Gardens, an area with public access containing administrative and other public buildings.

    The Kitanomaru Park is located to the north and is the former northern enceinte of Edo Castle. It is a public park and is the site of the Nippon Budokan. To the south is Kokyo Gaien National Garden.    Read more

  • BronzeJapanTraveler

    The Imperial Palace (cont’d)

    January 5, 2017 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

    The present Imperial Palace encompasses the retrenchments of the former Edo Castle. The modern palace Kyūden (宮殿) designed for various imperial court functions and receptions is located in the old Nishinomaru section of the palace grounds. On a much more modest scale, the residence of the current Emperor and empress is located in the Fukiage Gardens. Designed by Japanese architect Shōzō Uchii the modern residence was completed in 1993.d

    Except for Imperial Household Agency and the East Gardens, the palace is generally closed to the public, except for reserved guided tours from Tuesdays to Saturdays. Each New Year (January 2) and Emperor's Birthday, the public is permitted to enter through the Nakamon (inner gate) where they gather in the Kyuden Totei Plaza in front of the Chowaden Hall. The Imperial Family appears on the balcony before the crowd and the Emperor normally gives a short speech greeting and thanking the visitors and wishing them good health and blessings.

    Every year a poetry convention called Utakai Hajime is held at the palace on January 1.

    The old Honmaru, Ninomaru, and Sannomaru compounds now comprise the East Gardens, an area with public access containing administrative and other public buildings.

    The Kitanomaru Park is located to the north and is the former northern enceinte of Edo Castle. It is a public park and is the site of the Nippon Budokan. To the south is Kokyo Gaien National Garden.    Read more

  • BronzeJapanTraveler

    The Imperial Palace

    January 5, 2017 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

    This was a very impressive place with a captivating history and landscape surrounding the palace.

    The Tokyo Imperial Palace is the primary residence of the Emperor of Japan. It is a large park-like area located in the Chiyoda ward of Tokyo and contains buildings including the main palace (宮殿, Kyūden), the private residences of the Imperial Family, an archive, museums and administrative offices.

    It is built on the site of the old Edo Castle. The total area including the gardens is 1.15 square kilometres (0.44 sq mi). During the height of the 1980s Japanese property bubble, the palace grounds were valued by some to be more than the value of all of the real estate in the state of California.    Read more

  • BronzeJapanTraveler

    Meji Shrine

    January 5, 2017 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C

    After the emperor's death in 1912, the Japanese Diet passed a resolution to commemorate his role in the Meiji Restoration. An iris garden in an area of Tokyo where Emperor Meiji and Empress Shōken had been known to visit was chosen as the building's location.

    Construction began in 1915 under Itō Chūta, and the shrine was built in the traditional nagare-zukuri style, using primarily Japanese cypress and copper. The building of the shrine was a national project, mobilizing youth groups and other civic associations from throughout Japan, who contributed labor and funding. The main timbers came from Kiso in Nagano, and Alishan in Taiwan, then a Japanese territory, with materials being utilized from every Japanese prefecture, including Karafuto, Korea, Kwantung, and Taiwan. It was estimated that the cost of the construction was ¥5,219,00 in 1920 (approximately $26 million USD today), about a quarter of the actual cost due to the donated materials and labor.

    It was formally dedicated on November 3, 1920, completed in 1921, and its grounds officially finished by 1926. The interior volume of the shrine complex when originally built was 650 tsubo.[4][5] Until 1946, the Meiji Shrine was officially designated one of the Kanpei-taisha (官幣大社), meaning that it stood in the first rank of government supported shrines.

    The original building was destroyed during the Tokyo air raids of World War II. The present iteration of the shrine was funded through a public fund raising effort and completed in October 1958.

    Meiji Shrine has been visited by numerous foreign politicians, including United States President George W. Bush, United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle.

    On the eve of new year, Japanese usually visit a Shinto shrine to prepare for the worship - Hatsumōde (初詣) of the new year. Meiji Shrine is the most popular location in Japan for hatsumōde.    Read more

  • BronzeJapanTraveler

    Meiji-Jinku

    January 5, 2017 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C

    Meiji Shrine located in Shibuya, Tokyo, is the Shinto shrine that is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shōken. The shrine does not contain the emperor's grave, which is located at Fushimi-momoyama, south of Kyoto.
    The grounds of this shrine are very picturesque and beautiful and I seem to remember having to wash my hands before entering which seems to be a practice common to Japanese temples and other places of religious significance.    Read more

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