Michael Powell's Blog, page 82
June 25, 2014
A Trip to Yokohama
After Tokyo, Yokohama is the second-biggest city in Japan, with a population approximately equal to that of Los Angeles. The idea of dedicating just a single day to it sounds absurd, but the city is so easily accessible from Tokyo that it actually makes for a wonderful day trip.
Just hop on the JR Tokaido train heading south out of Tokyo Station and 25 minutes later, you’re in Yokohama. It’s so close that it could be conceivably be considered a suburb, and indeed, many people commute from here...
June 24, 2014
The Giant Pandas of Ueno Zoo
Japan’s first zoo was established in 1882, in Ueno Park. Although its age is starting to show, the zoo is still a popular retreat in Tokyo. It’s inexpensive, surprisingly large, and… of course… there are those Giant Pandas.
Before our visit to Ueno Zoo, I’d never seen a Giant Panda. Or at least, Lili and Shinshin are the first I can remember seeing. We arrived at the zoo with perfect timing, just as lunch was being served. The pair, who arrived from China in 2011, had been released into separa...
June 23, 2014
The Nikolai Cathedral in Kanda
In another country, the Nikolai Cathedral would hardly merit a second glance. But in Japan, the Byzantine-style construction is definitely noteworthy. Built in 1891, this Russian Orthodox church set atop a hill in Kanda is one of Tokyo’s stranger sights.
The Nikolai Cathedral (officially known as the Holy Resurrection Cathedral) is just a church, and it’s not even a particularly large one. But seeing it in Tokyo is bizarre… it’s as though you’ve been watching a cute anime like Doki Doki School...
June 22, 2014
Akihabara
The great Mecca of otaku culture, the neighborhood of Akihabara is home to innumerable shops dedicated to anime, manga, cosplay, trading cards and collectible figurines. The world’s first Maid Cafe was established here, and today young girls in costume line the streets. There are cheap electronics stores, grand arcades, multi-story hobby malls, and much, much more. It all sounds wonderful, and so we were surprised that we didn’t really like Akihabara.
We didn’t make it to Akihabara until our t...
Folding Paper at the Origami Kaikan
Almost everyone knows a little about origami, the Japanese art of folding paper. But for a deeper understanding, we visited Tokyo’s Origami Kaikan (Origami Center) in Bunkyo, where we had the opportunity to learn at the feet of an ancient sensei.
In its most pure form, origami is the art of creating figures by folding a square sheet of paper. Swans, frogs and balloons are the most well-known shapes, but there are artists who can fashion paper in unimaginable ways, using nothing but folds. Arch...
June 21, 2014
A Sumo Training Session
We quietly filed into the stable and after bowing to the sensei, sat cross-legged on the ground. For the next couple hours, we were to remain as still and inconspicuous as possible, while the sumo wrestlers of the Kitanoumi Beya Stable conducted their morning training session. Trust me, I wasn’t going to move a muscle. I wanted to avoid the attention of these behemoths by any means necessary.
The summer sumo tournament was set to begin in a couple weeks, and our landlord had offered to take us...
The Hara Museum of Contemporary Art
Hidden safely away on the far side of Shinagawa, off a small alley which cuts behind the Laforet Hotel, the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art is not the easiest place in the world to find. But tracking it down is probably worth the effort, depending on the current exhibition.
Founded in 1979, the museum occupies the former home of Kunizo Hara, an important business magnate. Constructed in 1938 in the Bauhaus style, this house is one of the few residential buildings from the early Showa Era which...
Happo-en: The Garden of Eight Views
After visiting the Sengaku-ji Temple in Shinagawa, we took a short detour to check out the Happo-en Garden. Since its name can roughly be translated as “beautiful from eight views”, we figured that we shouldn’t be disappointed.
The garden of Happo-en was founded hundreds of years ago by an adviser to the shogun, and has ever since provided a place of respite. Built on a hill, it really is lovely from just about anywhere you stand, whether you’re at the top looking down, or seated next to the K...
June 20, 2014
Sengaku-ji and the 47 Ronin
On a wintry night in 1703, the 47 loyal retainers of Lord Asano fought their way into the home of Lord Kira and struck him down. With the decapitated head of their enemy in tow, they slowly walked back through the streets of Edo. Once in Shinagawa, they filed into the Sengaku-ji temple and laid Kira’s head at the foot of Lord Asano’s grave. Their mission of revenge complete, the 47 ronin would soon take their own lives.
The true story of the 47 Ronin, or the Chūshingura as it’s known in Japan,...
Meet the Tokyoites
Over the course of two equally fun and frustrating days, Jürgen and I set off into the streets armed with pens, paper and a bilingual list of questions for the people of Tokyo. Not many in Japan speak English, and those who do can be reluctant to reveal the fact, so we knew it might be a difficult task to find nine people to interview. It was. But it was also entertaining, and gave us a cursory peek into the lives of the people who call Tokyo home.
Kozuwe was sitting outside at a Starbuc...
