The Bamboo Temple This Kamakura temple is a must-see for its towering bamboo forest, its exquisite garden-like grounds, and its teahouse, where you can enjoy a delicious bowl of mattcha while contemplating the gently-swaying bamboo. Lovely in every season, it’s a particularly welcome destination in the summer months when the bamboo dials the temperature downContinueContinue reading “Hōkoku-ji Temple”
Tag Archives: July
Korakuen Area
The Korakuen neighborhood is a great mix of venerable and modern entertainment, from the quirky thrills of Japanese baseball to a centuries-old stroll garden to an amusement park with a roller coaster that zooms right through a skyscraper. It’s an especially good place to go in June for the iris garden, anytime from April throughContinueContinue reading “Korakuen Area”
The Tokyo Toilets
Have your own perfect day exploring the seventeen amazing toilets designed by famous architects that were featured in the Wim Wenders film “Perfect Days.” If you want to see the transparent ones turn opaque when you flip the lock on the door, go between April and October, when the weather is warm enough for theContinueContinue reading “The Tokyo Toilets”
Yushukan Museum
The Yasukuni Shrine grounds are home to an extensive WWII museum, with a fascinating collection of artifacts, weapons and memorabilia from the Japanese side. It’s easy to spend a few hours here, especially if it’s hot or rainy outside. The Yushukan is arranged as a timeline that starts long before the war, detailing events inContinueContinue reading “Yushukan Museum”
Ueno Area
Ueno is the heart of “Old Tokyo,” where a vast park hosting venerable museums and thousands of sacred lotus exists side by side with busy artisans and merchants doing what they’ve been doing best for centuries Why do guidebooks send people to Ueno for all the wrong reasons? For example, if you go during cherry blossomContinueContinue reading “Ueno Area”
Yasukuni Shrine
The shrine with a sumo ring! The most controversial shrine in Tokyo, the Yasukuni Shrine hosts festivals with all the trimmings in January, April, July and October. It’s also got a fascinating WWII museum, a lovely garden and an outdoor sumo amphitheater. This is a gorgeous, lively, maddeningly nationalistic, must-see Imperial shrine. Like the MeijiContinueContinue reading “Yasukuni Shrine”
Jonelle Patrick writes about Japan 