Celebrate New Years with traditional performances and exhibitions at the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno.  The museum is hosting some great events on January 2nd and 3rd that are sure to entertain visitors of all ages. On the schedule are the Shishimai (Lion Dance), performed to bring good fortune and health for the upcoming year, [...]

To visit a garden in Japan is to take a step away from reality.  Many of these gardens are a calm oasis in the center of very vibrant and bustling communities and they offer visitors an opportunity to relax and forget, if just for a moment or two, the hectic pace just beyond the garden [...]

The first Grand Sumo Tournament of 2009 will be held in in Tokyo from Sunday, January 11th through Sunday, January 25th and advance tickets for this event are now on sale.  If you haven’t seen sumo live and will be in Tokyo during this time frame this is definitely one event that you will want [...]

The two clay figures pictured below sit in Tokyo Metropolitan Hibiya Park and were a gift from Miyazaki Prefecture in 1965.  The gift was made in honor of a sister-park agreement between Miyazaki Prefectural Heiwadai Park and Tokyo Metropolitan Hibaya Park that was made the same year. The story behind the picture: “My husband had [...]

The Imperial Palace, home to Their Majesties, the Emperor and Empress of Japan, is only open to visitors on two days each year: the Emperor’s Birthday and January 2nd.  His Imperial Majesty, The Emperor Akihito, ascended to the throne upon his father’s death in 1989 and will turn 75 on December 23rd, a national holiday [...]

A Visit Japan campaign was launched by the Japanese government with the establishment of the Japan Tourism Agency in October of this year.  The Visit Japan campaign is aiming to increase the number of annual visitors to from the 6 million that came in 2007 to 10 million by 2010 .  So where do most [...]

This shot of traditionally dressed Shinto Priests parading at Meiji-Jingu Shrine in the Harajuku area of Tokyo was captured by Danielle who recently made a trip to the shrine’s Autumn Festival and it is with pleasure that we share it with you at The Nihon Sun.  Thanks Danielle! In her own words: “This shot was [...]

This past weekend my husband and I made the almost two hour trip from Chiba Prefecture to Kawagoe in Saitama Prefecture.  Nicknamed “Little Edo” this town is famous for it’s traditional architecture and a quaint old fashioned atmosphere.  We spent an enjoyable afternoon wandering about the town and ended up at Kitain Temple where 540 [...]

Take the futuristic, unmanned, Yurikamome Line from Shinbashi Station in the Tokyo and you will embark in Odaiba a place that is home to modern architecture, seaside cafes, strolls along the beach and a multitude of shops. When you get off at Daiba Station, you will be standing face to face with the Fuji TV [...]

A Japanese stone lantern, or ishidoro, found within Kasai Rinkai-koen park.