There is a replica of the Eiffel Tower in Saga. This is a one-fifteenth reduced scale of the real tower which exists in Paris. The replica tower has two extra small towers on both sides of the main tower that was planned for the real tower but never built because of the budget shortage. This excellent architecture was made...
When you get off the train at Sakakibara-Onsen Station, you see a huge pyramid made of so many glass panels. If you have been to the Louvre Museum in Paris, it is very easy to recognize that the pyramid is very similar to the entrance of the Louvre Museum. Additionally, there are two big statues in front of the pyramid: one is the Venus de Milo...
Did you know that Jesus Christ’s grave is supposedly in Japan? Real Christians will never admit the existence of Christ’s grave because he was taken up to heaven. However, it exists in the north part of Honshu. I visited there in the summer of 2001. This was in the early stage of my exploring tour inspired by Roadside Japan...
It was said that this Niko-Niko En was the strangest place in Japan at the time. I visited this place in the spring of 2002. As always all hidden weird places are hard to access; this private wooden statue museum was deep inside of the countryside. I parked my MX-5 in the riverside parking lot. There were so many...
I found tiny old glass bottles in a showcase when I visited the Palace Factory in Imabari. There was an explanation plate on the showcase, and it said that this private museum was founded by Dr. Taichi Shouji. It is located in a residential area of Nakano, Tokyo. My wife and I visited there in the winter of 2009. I made a reservation phone call to him and...
There is a model palace of Vienna’s Schloss Belvedere in Imabari, Ehime. Can you believe it is actually a large seasoning factory for the most famous seasoning manufacturing company: Nihon Shokken Holdings Co.? I’ve not been to Austria, but I’ve been to this huge manufacturing facility in the spring of 2008...
After committing evil deeds in the world of the living, a person falls into hell. Almost all Japanese were taught this by their father or mother. By the way, do you know what hell is? What kind of punishment would we receive there? You can find the real world of the Buddhist levels of hell with a miniature...
Do you know about the threadworm inspection which had been enforced at all elementary schools in Japan? Yes, I’d had this examination long ago. However, students nowadays don’t know the name of this test because Japanese hygiene management runs almost perfectly recently. In fact, I’ve never encountered the threadworm infection at...
It is on the hillside of Baika Mt. in Atami. This mysterious war museum is run by an anonymous person, and a few people from war-bereaved associations visit this museum sometimes. The “Roadside Japan” book showed me this eccentric library, and I visited it in the autumn of 2005. I couldn’t reach this place directly because there was no guide sign on...
Almost all residents of Hokkaido know and have tasted the sweets made by Saka Nutrition Food Co. Sapporo. I really like their “Saka Line-Sand Biscuit.” Meanwhile, most of the inhabitants of Hokkaido don’t know about the private retro-goods museum that is run by this biscuit company beside the confectionery factory in Sapporo. I’ve been there...