the view from japan » shane sakata

bicycle

shane sakata — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 11:03:17 +0000

Seen in an alley in Shibuya, this is the standard model of bicycle in Japan that is used for everything from shopping to commuting to and from the train station or school. These one-speed bikes come in a standard silver-gray color, are inexpensive (mine was around USD 90), and come well appointed with the basics that include a keyed locking mechanism, road light for nighttime cycling and black mesh basket for toting around all your stuff. I love my Japan bike!

unicycles

shane sakata — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 06:00:57 +0000

If you are a young girl in Japan you will most certainly learn to ride a bike but there is a good chance that you will also learn to ride a unicycle. While the young boys seem to stick with scooters, girls of the same age seem to prefer brightly colored unicycles and pedal about adroitly in neighborhood parks, playgrounds and even on the streets. The unicycling craze began in 1989, when Japan’s Ministry of Education made it a part of the physical education curriculum for third and fourth graders.

It’s so common in my neighborhood that the community center has a unicycle parking rack!

ningyo

shane sakata — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 06:00:37 +0000

This ningyo, Japanese puppet, is three puppets in one and was manipulated skillfully by the puppet-master in a performance of the shishi-mai, lion dance, in an Edo era puppet show that I attended last year in Tokyo’s picturesque Rikugien Park.

As a finlae, the puppet-master flipped up the skirt of the lion to reveal the two ningyo dancers beneaththe costume and the audience rewarded him with a collective gasp of “sugoi!” (wow!) and a loud round of applause.

sasuke inari

shane sakata — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 06:00:05 +0000

A climb through the red tori stacked one upon another on the stairs led me to the Sasuke Inare shrine and this moss covered statue of a mythical kitsune (fox).

It was apleasure to happen upon this a somewhat obscure but lovely shrine in a glade that offered some cooling respite from the heat of summer in Kamakura.

sushi shop

shane sakata — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 06:00:49 +0000

Sushi zanmai is a great chain of sushi shops in Tokyo. This one is located in the area where the Tsukiji morning market is held and serves up some of the freshest sushi that you have ever tasted. It’s oishi (delicious), even for breakfast!

Put Sushi Zanmai on your dining itinerary the next time you visit Tokyo and you are not likely to be disappointed.

jinja yen

shane sakata — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 06:00:54 +0000

Brass five yen coins glint in the sun as they dangle from twisted red cords in front of a jinja (shrine) on Mt. Takao. The mountain is a great place to combine a love of nature with some cultural sightseeing and makes a great day trip from Tokyo. Many shrines dot the trails that meander up and down the mountain and on a clear day you might catch a glimpse of Mt. Fuji from the summit.

hozuki

shane sakata — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 06:00:38 +0000

Two ground cherry pod plants, hozuki, bask in the light of a nearby sign and sway gently in the breeze as the attached furin, Japanese wind chimes, emit a tinkling sound that is synonymous with summer in Japan.

Many matsuri in late July and early August celebrate the peak of this lovely orange blossom or pod with Hozuki ichi (Ground Cherry Pod Festivals) where you can purchase the plants and partake of some great festival food and entertainment.

Such was the case this past week at the Kagurazaka Festival in central Tokyo.

rita hayworth in tokyo?

shane sakata — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 06:00:40 +0000

What appears to be a World War II era figurine with a striking likeness to Rita Hayworth is reminiscent of the custom painted artwork that adorned fighter planes during the second world war. This vintage statuette was being used as a paper weight for fliers in Tsukiji, Tokyo.

It always strikes me as odd to see wartime era memorabilia displayed with such nonchalance in Japan given the destruction and devastation that the war wreaked on the nation and her people.

tsukiji fish buyer

shane sakata — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 06:00:14 +0000

A buyer at the Tsukiji Wholesale Fish Market in Tokyo takes time to inspect some ika (squid) carefully.

See more images and learn more about my early morning adventures at the Tsukiji tuna auction and the Tsukiji morning market.

tawara

shane sakata — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 06:00:25 +0000

Decorative and functional, rice bales (tawara) are bundled rice straw that can be used to make rope, floor mats, and sandals. Some groups advocate the use of this overabundant and under-utilized food bi-product as an environmentally friendly building material among other things.