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Japan Photos 2025



This month's arrangement.




Tho today is beautiful, it's been a stormy and windy couple days. Not only leaves all over the ground, but also stuck on trees.


Similar to the above, sans snow.


nsfw? Pareidolia is when you imagine faces on your toast or something, Not sure what imagining bodies would be called.
 
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Konnichiwa Mina-san!

It's a neighborhood shrine and park, but not a tourist spot. There are no tourists, but there are no locals either. It's a common sight in the countryside.


A shrine in front of the coast



View of the sea from the shrine



Lanterns at the shrine



Autumn leaves seen from the gazebo



Big tree in the hill park


In the past, there were lots of children playing here. Until recently, it was a place of relaxation for the elderly. Nowadays, not only children but even the elderly are considered rare.

Temples, shrines, and parks in tourist areas are packed with people, but in rural areas you can enjoy a leisurely stroll.

NANGI
 
Thanks for sharing this! Lovely imagery! I'm too curious: is this Sumiyoshi Shrine (住吉神社) in Akashi?
 
Konnichiwa thomas-san!

Yes, that's right. That photos are Sumiyoshi Shrine in Akashi(The last photo, "Big tree in the hill park," is a park 3km away from the shrine.) Inspired by thomas, I also posted some photos of my neighborhood.

Akashi City is next to Kobe City. Many tourists come to Kobe. but no one comes to Akashi. To begin with, there are no tourist attractions.



This photo shows whiskey made by a sake brewery in Akashi. I used to drink Suntory Royal, but the price has skyrocketed due to the whiskey boom.

AKASHI is just as tasty as Suntory Royal, but at a quarter the price. It's now my favorite whiskey.

However, the taste of the sake is best in Kobe.

NANGI

P.S. There is one thing that Akashi City can be proud of in the world. All Kawasaki motorcycles made in Japan are produced at the Akashi factory.
 
Continued rainy and very windy wx here, what passes for early winter (tho nothing like chicago!). This is the windshield of the car after leaving it for a while.

 
Konnichiwa Mina-san!

This is a neighborhood castle. It's a tourist spot, but it's a familiar sight to me.



From the entrance



from the front



From the southwest



From the northwest



from the east

This was the first time I took a photo of the castle. If you see it every day, you don't think to take a photo of it.

NANGI
 
Very nice now that all the scaffolding is taken down. When is the last time you went inside? I've only been there once, about 30 years ago. I'd like to go again.
 
Continued rainy and very windy wx here, what passes for early winter (tho nothing like chicago!).
There isn't much left here in Chicago. We had warm weather, or well above freezing anyway, and rain melt the snow away.
 
Konnichiwa mdchachi-san!

I visited the inside of the castle about three years ago. The major repairs of the Heisei era were completed in 2015, and after the COVID-19 pandemic hit, so I think it was visited around 2022.


Locals visit the castle as children with their families or for school trips. For this reason, only a minority of locals visit as adults. I also don't think I would have visited if there hadn't been a major repair.

about the major repairs of the Heisei era

The castle is clearly visible from the station, so local people are satisfied with just looking at the castle and don't think about going to the castle. No matter how wonderful a treasure is, once you get used to it, you lose sight of its value.


from station building



enlarged display

However, Himeji is far from Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara. And there are no other tourist attractions in the area apart from the castle. This makes it difficult for tourists to visit, and even those who do visit tend to return to Osaka quickly after seeing the castle.

about access

If you want to avoid crowded tourist spots, Himeji Castle is a good option. And if you're interested in Japanese castles, Himeji Castle is undoubtedly the best castle in Japan. Himeji is a rural area, but the castle is very worthwhile.


the intersection in front of the castle.

There are few people waiting at traffic lights, and most of them are foreign tourists.

NANGI
 
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We went to Himeji just before they started the restoration work. We haven't been back since but it has been on my list of things to see again when we have the chance.
 
Killing a few minutes earlier at the station, waiting for a train arrival. This is straight up the roof/cover for a semi-outdoor space--buses one direction, taxis and drop-off another, station entrance another, some fountains and water around, too.

 
Which station?
 
Konnichiwa Petaris-san!

We went to Himeji just before they started the restoration work. We haven't been back since but it has been on my list of things to see again when we have the chance.

If you're planning on visiting a Japanese castle, the best time to do so is during cherry blossom season.



Of course, the castle is also beautiful during the autumn foliage season.



The snowy scenery is beautiful, but when it snows it disrupts traffic schedules, which is a problem. And it's hot in the summer, so it's a problem.

However, I think the castle is beautiful in all seasons.

If you visit Himeji Castle, go to "EGRET Himeji". Admission to the rooftop observation deck is free.


from EGRET Himeji

NANGI
 
The grave of Fujiko F. Fujio (born Fujimoto Hiroshi), the creator of Doraemon.



Doraemon and his creator, Fujiko F. Fujio, are a familiar presence in Japan, as generations of children have grown up with the manga and anime adventures of Doraemon and Nobita. We knew that Fujimoto had once lived in our area, but we were unaware that his grave was located in our own — and rather expansive — neighbourhood cemetery. The nearby Doraemon Museum was opened in 2011.

Museum  Doraemon Museum

In the middle of a quiet residential area of Kawasaki's Tama Ward, a new must-visit landmark has opened its gates: the Doraemon Museum, officially called the Fujiko F. Fujio Museum (藤子F.不二夫ミュージアム). Fujiko F. Fujio is the pen name of one of the most successful and well-known comic artists in...
 
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