There are so many temples in Kyoto, but this Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple has something different because of its stone carving collection in their garden. Usually, stone statues of rakan, which means disciple of Buddha, are made by professional craftsmen; however, most of the one thousand stone sculptures there were carved by amateurs. That is the reason why there are so...
The most famous Japanese folk tale is Taketori-monogatari known as “The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter”. The story about Princess Kaguya, who was born from a bamboo stalk, takes place somewhere in ancient Kyoto once upon a time. A bamboo craftsman, who lived in Kyoto, built a private palace, which was made from bamboo. He was Mr. Kiyosuke Nagano and...
There is a Kannon statue of one-hundred-meter height on the north side of Awaji Island, Hyogo. This tall statue of the Goddess of Mercy was founded by Mr. Toyokichi Toyouchi, a real estate tycoon in Osaka. It was built in 1977 and was closed in 2006 because of the owner’s death. I visited there in the winter of 2003 so I could enter the inside of the statue...
As you know, there is a huge Japanese castle built by Hideyoshi Toyotomi in the center of Osaka City. It’s called “Osaka-Jo”. But few people know that a barbershop owner made his own castle in Higashi-Osaka. The name of the castle is “Kosaka-Jo” because it is in the Kosaka area of Higashi-Osaka. I’ve visited...
You can see the most beautiful garbage disposal site on Maishima Island, Osaka. There are so many people who go to Universal Studios Japan near the plant, but only a few enthusiasts visit the site. The plant was designed by Mr. Hundertwasser, an Austrian artist, and architect, and the exterior is like a fancy mosque. When I visited there...