Kansai– tag –

Hikone Castle has “Tenshu”, a tower building within the castle, that has been existing since it was built more than 400 years ago. Throughout Japan there are 12 castles that have existing “Tenshu” since they were originally built and onl...

There are 12,000 shrines that have names with “Tenmangu” or “Tenjin”, and this Kitano Tenmangu in Kyoto sits at the top of the 12,000. All of them enshrine a historical figure, Sugawara, Michizane who was a scholar, a poet and a major va...

Fushimi is now a ward of Kyoto City but it used to be another city adjacent to the old Capital. It had been developed as a port town with easy access from both Kyoto and Osaka. Fushimi Castle was the residence of a famous Samurai Lord wh...

Nishiki Market in Kyoto has been being called as “Kyoto’s Kitchen”. It has been for approximately 400 years but the original market was founded here about 1300 years ago as a place to trade fish. Now they sell not only fish but other fre...

Ryoanji is a famous Zen temple in Kyoto for its Rock Garden. The garden has no trees, no flowers, no paths, no creeks, no ponds…. All it has are waves of white pebbles and small 15 rocks on mossy soils. It looks like a miniature 15 islan...