Shimmoe-Dake, an active volcanic crater in Kirishima National Park,
on the southern island of Kyushu.
This hike and many more are described in Hiking in Japan: An Adventurer's Guide to the Mountain Trails.
The festival of Shichi-Go-San, on November 15, when parents take their children,
boys of seven and three years of age, and girls of five years of age, to the temples
for a special blessing.
Learn more: Lonely Planet Japan.
An Eki-Bento box, a train station lunch box, with shrimp, rice, egg, greens, and pickled vegetables.
Learn how to make a bento lunch at home: Bento Boxes.
The Tarumae-dake volcano rises above the fog on the island of Hokkaido.
Shojin Ryori, a vegetarian meal served at the Haryo-in Temple in Koya-san, a buddhist town with more than 200 temples.
A serene pagoda amid the placid hills of eastern Kyoto.
The Kompon Chu-do of Enryaku-ji Temple peeks out through the autumn foliage of
Mount Hiei.
The austere simplicity of the rock garden at Ryoan-ji Temple envokes a quiet mood of contemplation and inner peace.
Learn more: The Gardens of Japan.
The epicenter of the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima. A somber reminder of the horrors of war and a memorial to world peace.
In Hiroshima, thousands of origami paper cranes form a massive
monument to peace.
A baseball game in the shadow of Osaka Castle.
A Samurai warrior stands guard over modern Tokyo.
Yoyogi Park in Tokyo is the scene of impromptu rock concerts on Sundays.
The Shinjuku district of Tokyo, setting for many futuristic Japanese
animation movies.
The following books present more information about Japan, including travelling around
the country and learning the language, plus photographic books that offer more images
of the country:
The Life of a Samurai Artist
by Masayuki Nagare
A survey of the work of the renowned Japanese sculptor Nagare, including photographs of
his sculptures in the United States and Japan, commentary from the artist, and an essay
about his life and career.
The Living Traditions of Old Kyoto
by Diane Durston, Lucy Birmingham, Lucy B. Fujii (Photographer), Donald Richie (Designer)
100 color photographs of Kyoto, the former Japanese capital and city of temples, shrines,
and history.
Shimmoe-Dake, an active volcanic crater in Kirishima National Park,
on the southern island of Kyushu.