Sixty years after the Niigata Minamata Disease first made headlines, the ghost of mercury still casts a long shadow. Not just in rivers. Not just in bodies. But in memory, justice, and what society has chosen to waste—or allow to be wasted.
Rivers Still Echo
In a Tokyo symposium held late this May by the Tokyo Association to Indict Minamata Disease, film served as both archive and alarm. The event screened Fighting Pollution: Niigata Minamata Disease (1968), followed by recent footage of...
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As you might know, kabukicho can be a little different compared to the rest of Tokyo and most of Japan. In a way, I decided to use that to my advantage and spent quite some time there (not buying any special services there though 🤨).
Because of my frequency around the area, I can recall various "interesting" experiences that occurred while I was there. Here's the story about the time I was almost pushed into a room in kabukicho.
One fine night, I was walking through the streets of...
Once upon a time I was recording some talented folk. Street performers in Nanba, creating an amazing performance. To do this, I always make sure to record audio with my phone, which I put on a surface aimed at the street performers, in this case, on the edge of the bench close to them. The usual, except there was an old lady behind me (other side of the bench) who seemed homeless. To this day I'm still not 100% sure what she said to me at first, but maybe she wanted me to get out of the way...
My nostrils awoke first, already walking down to the beach to take in the sea air. I dropped down to the first story to have breakfast and chat with the owners to collect suggestions for the coming day. Had I left a little earlier the day before I could have made it back to Naha on day 5 of my ride, but it was worth it to spend time with Yagi-sensei and his son, and have a relaxed schedule for my last day on the horse.
The beach was a beautiful and filled with coral of all sizes, with...
Despite knowing I wanted to come back to Okinawa, I couldn't muster the executive function to pull the trigger on tickets until about 10 days prior to the trip. The years of isolation and stagnancy had left me timid and afraid of commitment, so I had to shore up my courage and bite the bullet. I cross-referenced prices across a few different sites (Google search, Kayak, and the Chase travel portal), and determined that it was best to buy my flight direct from Peach, an LCC (Low Cost Carrier)...
When I knew I was coming to Okinawa, I got in touch with a yo-yo friend I met during my last visit. A 2A (looping) player, Chika is a super nice guy who is a driving force behind Okinawa's yo-yo scene. The timing is perfect, he told me, as he had just returned to Okinawa from living in Tokyo for work, and they were planning to have a 練習会 (practice meetup) right by my station on Sunday.
Since the meetup was at 1:00 p.m., I had a fair amount of time to kill in the morning. I decided against...
I woke up to a beautiful view of seaside cliffs from my third floor room, and packed up my things to hit the road. Since I was so close, I had to detour to Manzamo, thus named by King Shokei who said it looked like it could easily seat 10,000 people. The area surrounding the cliff is now a full-blown tourist attraction, with a large visitor center selling souvenirs and snacks, and booths to play dress up and get your photo taken in traditional Okinawan clothing... I have a much darker...
I crawled out of my cubby hole when I could no longer ignore the spear of light stabbing through the window, and stuffed my personal effects back into my bags. I retrieved my bike from the lobby and hit the road. The night before, I asked the sushi chef if he had any recommendations for 絶景, zekkei, must-see things. He thought for a moment and said "Kayauchi Banta," an overlook point high above the Ginama Fish Harbor. As it turned out, it shared the same turn off the oceanside highway as...
I awoke with a growing frog in my throat; the nights with only air conditioners to keep my cool had taken its toll on my airways, worsening a mild but persistent cough that I'm especially self-conscious about considering the recent uptick in covid cases. I've actually seen a remarkable number of people walking by themselves down the road, wearing a mask. I can't judge anyone without knowing their specific circumstances, but that seems like it would make the already unbearable heat and...
I had a fairly restless night as the events of the previous day ran through my head. When did I last have my passport for sure? When else did I pull out my passport pouch, is it possible that it fell out of the pouch... or if I dropped it... or did I just forget to get it back after checking in to the hostel in Kunigami... Did the minshuku (guest house) in Higashi village even ask for it? I couldn't believe the ONE time I didn't put the silicone cover on the bike for a 2-minute conbini run...
The 1st of September 2023 marked the 100th anniversary of the Great Kantō Earthquake.
The Great Kantō Earthquake (関東大地震 Kantō daijishin) was a massive tremor that hit Tōkyō and the surrounding prefectures on 1 September 1923. The Japanese term Kantō daishinsai (関東大震災) also refers to the damage that ensued in the following days. The earthquake struck at 11:58 AM with a violent uplift of the land in the prefectures of Tōkyō, Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, Ibaraki, Yamanashi, and Shizuoka. Damages...
Local sights and landmarks: Kuji Entōbunsui (久地円筒分水, "Kuji Cylindrical Water Diversion")
The Kuji Entōbunsui is located in Takatsu Ward, Kawasaki. It is a diversion trough constructed to divide the water of Nigaryō Canal (二ヶ領用水) to several formerly agricultural areas further downstream. It is also called Nikaryō Yōsui Kujientō Bunsui (二ヶ領用水久地円筒分水). It was completed in 1941, and in 1998, it was designated a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property (国の登録有形文化財 Kuni no tōroku yūkei...
Initially, a few islets in Tokyo Bay that housed artillery batteries to defend Edo, Odaiba (お台場) is an artificial island shared by the Tōkyō wards of Kōtō, Minato, and Shinagawa. It was expanded in the 1990s and was devised as a seaport district with industrial facilities, residential and commercial areas, and several entertainment facilities. It was all the rage with the young folk in the early 2000s who'd go shopping at Venus Fort, a mall modelled on an Italian Renaissance town with day...
Kure, known for its port, shipbuilding industry, and naval base, is particularly famous for its association with Japan's mightiest battleship, the Yamato. Located in southwestern Hiroshima Prefecture, the city has an excellent natural harbour serving as Japan's second-largest naval port to this day. The Yamato Museum, officially known as Kure Maritime History and Science Museum, illustrates Japan's maritime history with a scale replica of the Yamato battleship and countless relics and...
The Kure Maritime History and Science Museum (呉市海事歴史科学館 Kureshi Kaiji Rekishi Kagakukan), also known as Yamato Museum (大和ミュージアム), is located in Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture. Its central exhibit is a 1/10 scale model of the IJN battleship Yamato. The Yamato was built at the location of the current museum, which depicts the history of the Kure Naval Base, founded in 1889, and the Kure Naval Dockyard, established in 1903. The museum opened its gates in 2005, but severe space constraints meant...
Exploring the right banks of the Tama River upstream of Hamura, I happened to pass Entakuzan Hōkōji, a temple of the Sōtō School of Buddhism dating to the 15th century, famous for one of Japan's recent Great Buddha statues, that of Rokiya Daibutsu (鹿野大仏), an 18-metre tall bronze cast in Yamagata in 2018. It is a bronze image of Shakanyorai (釈迦如来) in the lotus position. The statue's base is six metres tall, making the bronze statue a good 12 metres, just about a metre shorter than the Great...
Kanazawa Hakkei (金沢八景) is an area in Kanazawa-ku (southern Yokohama) that attained fame through its woodblock print depictions by Hiroshige and other ukiyo-e artists. Kanazawa Hakkei refers to a series of eight scenic views that immortalise the breathtaking landscape and picturesque coast around Hirakata Bay that disappeared at the end of the Edo Period. Accessible via Kanazawa-Hakkei Station on the Keikyū Line, several interesting cultural and historical attractions make a visit worthwhile...
Ippoin Temple is another gem I found while cycling around Hamura. It was founded in 1424 by Mita Utanosuke Taira no Masasada (三田雅楽之助平将定等), whose grave lies nearby, in the vicinity of Aso Bicycle Shrine.
Ippoin Temple (一峰院), officially known as Ryūshuzan Ippoin (龍珠山一峰院), belongs to the Kenchōji branch of the Rinzai school. Rinzai is one of three Zen sects in Japanese Buddhism.
The temple was founded by Gyokuei Kentō (玉英賢韜) under the sponsorship of said Mita Utanosuke Taira no Masasada...
Buddhism arrived in Japan in the 6th century, in either 538 or 552 CE, on a journey from India that took several centuries. The king of Paekche, one of three Korean kingdoms, sent one of his sons to the Emperor of Japan. The mission presented an image of Buddha, several sutras, and other ceremonial items to the emperor, along with a letter that praised the dharma. Historians view the Korean mission as the introduction of Buddhism to Japan. While the powerful Soga clan welcomed the new...
Inspired by Uehara-san's excellent article on Tsukui Castle, we decided to explore Tsukuiko Shiroyama Park (津久井湖城山公園) in Sagamihara. The hill on which the scarce remnants of Tsukui Castle rest lies in a scenic valley bordering Tsukuiko (津久井湖), an artificial lake created by Shiroyama Dam on the Sagami River completed in 1965. This entry is just a tailpiece of Uehara-san's article, so please refer to his article for the castle's historical details.
Kanachu (Kanagawa Chūō Kōtsu) buses connect...
This stunning guide invites you into the story of sake—an ancient beverage finding its way in a modern world.
Whether you're a sake novice or an experienced connoisseur, Exploring the World of Japanese Craft Sake offers fascinating insights, practical tips, and rich stories about this popular beverage.
Authors and experts Nancy Matsumoto and Michael Tremblay personally undertook the challenge of visiting 35 artisanal sake breweries in Japan, the US, and Canada to interview makers and...
Ikegami Honmonji, officially known as Chōeizan Daihonzan Honmonji (長栄山大本山本門寺) is the head temple of the Nichiren sect in Ikegami, Ōta Ward, Tōkyō. The temple, simply called Ikegami Honmonji (池上本門寺) since ancient times, is one of the fourteen sacred temples of the Nichiren sect and revered as the place where Nichiren passed away.
On 8 September 1282, the ailing Nichiren left Mount Minobu (in modern-day Yamanashi Prefecture) planning to recuperate at a hot spring in Hitachi (Ibaraki...
The Matsudaira (松平氏 Matsudaira-shi) were a samurai family (武家 buke) from the Matsudaira area in Mikawa Province (modern-day Aichi Prefecture). Although its exact origins are unclear, the clan claimed descent from the medieval Seiwa Genji (清和源氏) branch of the Minamoto. Its founder was said to be Matsudaira Chikauji (松平親氏, d. 1393), who lived in the early Muromachi period and established himself in Mikawa Province, at the village of Matsudaira (in modern-day Toyota). Originally a poor Buddhist...
This is Meguro River Illumination called Megurogawa Minna no Illumination (目黒川みんなのイルミネーション) with lights on the sakura trees. The closest stations are Ōsaki Station and Gontanda Station on the Yamanote Line. It's about a six-minute walk from Ōsaki Station, which is the one I used.
Link:https://competition.adesignaward.com/design.php?ID=50068
Lonely Planet's Best Day Hikes Japan is your passport to 60 easy escapes into nature. Stretch your legs away from the city by picking a hike that works for you, from just a couple of hours to a full day, from easy to hard. Climb Mt Fuji, walk the Tohoku coast, and enjoy the views in Kamikochi. Get to the heart of Japan and begin your journey now!
Inside Lonely Planet's Best Day Hikes Japan Travel Guide:
Colour maps and images throughout
Special features - on Japan's highlights for hikers...
Jindaiji Motomachi (深大寺元町) is a peaceful neighbourhood in western Tōkyō: tranquil, lush with greenery and trickling streams, and rich in local history, it lends itself to those who want to escape the bustling city to enjoy sightseeing, culture, and traditional Japanese goodies. It takes about fifteen minutes by bus from Chōfu Station to reach the area that is famous for one of the oldest temples in the Kantō region, Jindai-ji Temple, the Jindai Botanical Gardens, and soba (蕎麦 or そば)...
Haneda Shrine (羽田神社 Haneda-jinja) is a Shintō shrine located in Honhaneda, in the Ota Ward of Tōkyō.
History:
The shrine was originally part of a temple that was founded in the Kamakura Period (1185-1333) by Namekata Yojirō (行方与次郎), a feudal lord of Hanedaura and local naval commander. It enshrined the spirit of Gozu Tennō (牛頭天王), a syncretic deity of epidemic diseases and healing. Scores of political leaders, like the Go-Hōjō clan, the Tokugawa shogun, and the Shimazu continued to...
Onsenji Temple (温泉寺), formally known as Bekkaku Motoyama Matsudaisan Onsenji (別格本山末代山温泉寺), is a Buddhist temple of the Koyasan Shingon sect located on Daishiyama in Kinosaki, Toyooka City, Hyōgo Prefecture. Its principal deity is the Eleven-Faced Kannon Bodhisattva. Onsenji is the guardian temple of the Kinosaki hot spring village.
According to legend, the temple was founded in 738 by the Buddhist priest Dōchi Shōnin (道智上人), the founder of Kinosaki Onsen, while the mountain and temple...
If you happen to be near Hamura or ever cycle the Tama upstream, take a short stop at the Hamura Weir (羽村堰 Hamura zeki), an interesting place in the local history of Edo, modern-day Tōkyō.
The weir marks the historic spot where the Tamagawa Aqueduct (玉川上水 Tamagawa Jōsui) starts. The 42-kilometre long aqueduct was constructed in the Edo period to divert drinking and fire fighting water from the Tama River to Edo and provide irrigation to farming villages. The first attempt to create an...