Tokyo in the snow and the calming influence of Shintoism: A lament! Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Snow rarely falls in central Tokyo to any great degree. Hence, while children delight in this rare occasion, the childhood spirit also awakens in many adults. Therefore, with snowflakes in the air and the religious angle of Shintoism…
Tokyo tourism: Ryusenji (Meguro Fudo) Tendai Buddhist Temple Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Tokyo is a mega-city known for being ultra-modern. However, among the hustle and bustle of life, the old world still ticks based on architecture, history, spirituality, and various cultural angles related to art, ceramics, and so much more.…
Tokyo tourism: Todoroki Valley and the natural flow of Buddhism and Shintoism Sawako Utsumi and Kanako Mita Modern Tokyo Times The Todoroki Valley in Tokyo is a nice quaint walk to connect with nature. Indeed, the close proximity to Jiyugaoka and Futako Tamagawa means budding tourists can enjoy the amazing contrasts with the Todoroki Valley.…
Tokyo tourism: Buddhism in ultra-modern Tokyo Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The faiths of Buddhism and Shintoism dot the Japanese landscape. Meanwhile, the impact of Confucianism and Taoism can be felt – and other ideas that have guided this nation throughout its history. Therefore, when visiting Tokyo, the spiritual dimension is…
Tokyo tourism: Gotokuji Buddhist Temple, cats, and legend of Maneki Neko Sawako Utsumi Modern Tokyo Times If you feel like quiet spiritual contemplation and you have any type of connection with cats, then Gotokuji Buddhist Temple in Tokyo is a great place to visit. This concerns the historical importance of this Buddhist temple and compound…
Tokyo tourism: Ikegami Honmonji Temple and Nichiren Buddhism Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Ikegami Honmonji Temple in Tokyo is a great place to connect with spirituality because of the connection with the holy Buddhist priest Nichiren Shonin (1222-1282). Indeed, depending on your route, it is worth visiting the Senzokuike Pond…
Tokyo tourism: Senzokuike Pond, Nichiren, and the backdrop of Shintoism Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Senzokuike Pond (Senzoku-ike) is a lovely place to visit in Tokyo. Indeed, the relaxing pond is enhanced by the Buddhist and Shinto angles related to history and the scenery. Thus, Shinto shrines and themes dot…
Review of Tokyo Ueno Station by Renae Lucas-Hall Special Contribution: Renae Lucas-Hall According to Wikipedia, the author Yu Miri was born in Yokohama to Korean parents. Her abusive father worked in a pachinko parlour and her mother was a bar hostess. She was bullied at school and made to feel like an outsider. Years later,…
Tokyo and Covid-19: Will workstyle changes impact greatly? Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis is impacting internationally to various degrees. Economies and development are enormous throughout the world. Similarly, the same applies to the death rate from coronavirus and a plethora of important issues. In all major developed…
Review of Ellery Queen’s Japanese Mystery Stories Special Contribution: Renae Lucas-Hall Originally published by Tuttle in 1984 under the title Ellery Queen’s Japanese Golden Dozen, this cover features a watchful detective smoking in Tokyo’s back streets with Japanese street signs, red lights, and lanterns in the background. Crime fiction is very popular at the moment…
Adachi hostess cluster in Tokyo related to at least 100 Covid-19 cases Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis continues in Tokyo despite recent infections, on the whole, coming down. Yet, with 211 new confirmed cases on Thursday, concerns remain that the situation isn’t out of the woods yet.…
Tokyo Covid-19 infections reach a new high of 224: Yes, Yuriko Koike, the nightlife! Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The coronavirus (Covid-19) entered Japan in the middle of January. However, in Tokyo, the highest reported day for new infections is July 9. Once more, just like the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the…
Tokyo tourism and Akihabara: Anime, electronic goods, otaku, and maid cafe Kanako Mita and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo News In Tokyo, the district of Akihabara is extremely independent and caters for a different experience. This relates to cosplay shopping, electronic products, maid cafe, otaku culture, and working space cafes to formulate new ideas. If your…
Tokyo Governor Koike is enabling the sex entertainment area to threaten society with Covid-19 Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Sadly, many traditional owned family companies have gone bankrupt because of the coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis in Tokyo. At the same time, many Tokyoites are still waiting for the promised 100,000-yen from…
Tokyo is moving closer to full economic and social normality from Covid-19 Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike is moving closer to returning the capital to normality, even if caution remains. Koike lifted the warning on a possible major rise in coronavirus (Covid-19) based on recent low levels…
Red Light Area again responsible for 7 out of 12 new Covid-19 cases in Tokyo Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is located in Shinjuku but the same district is also responsible for new coronavirus cases (Covid-19). This applies to the sexual entertainment district of Kabukicho in Shinjuku.…
A contemporary artist from Japan and her love of Dutch landscape art Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Dutch art of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries is revered by Sawako Utsumi, who is a contemporary Japanese artist. Historically, the links developed between Japan and Holland (the Netherlands) are also extremely fascinating, especially during the Edo…
The brief fleeting flower of the Japanese artist Shigeru Aoki Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese artist Shigeru Aoki (1882-1911) blossomed quickly but family problems and then tuberculosis would soon take him from this world. Hence, the promising artistic flower of Aoki parted before even reaching 29. This sad reality means that nobody…
The footsteps of death followed the Japanese poet Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902) Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The life of the Japanese poet Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902) was short and blighted by ill health from a very early age. Hence, the words that flowed from Shiki were naturally impacted by the shadow of death. However,…
Japanese photos of the late nineteenth-century: Ogawa Kazumasa and lovely flowers Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Ogawa Kazumasa (1860-1929) was born during the final period of the Edo era in Japan. Hence, the modernizing dynamics that followed during the Meiji period that began in 1868 impacted greatly on Kazumasa. This includes learning photography techniques…
Tokyo gardens and tourism: Rikugien Garden in Komagome Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times If you are a Tokyoite or one of the countless numbers of tourists visiting Tokyo, then it is important to enjoy gardens and other areas related to quiet contemplation. Hence, the garden of Rikugien is one of several…
Tokyo tourism: The delightful Kiyosumi Garden in Tokyo Sawako Utsumi Modern Tokyo Times Tokyo is a mega-metropolis that is home to vast numbers of people and growing numbers of international tourists visit the capital city of Japan. Hence, having such a high population and vast numbers of skyscrapers, then gardens and open spaces play a…
Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire through Japanese eyes: Buddhism, Christianity, and Shintoism Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The contemporary Japanese artist, Sawako Utsumi, who hails from Northern Japan, once more creates a lovely art piece. Spiritually, her background is based on Shintoism and tinged with Buddhism based on the cultural legacy. Yet, in general, the…
Japanese contemporary artist and L.S. Lowry: A new light and different cultural perspectives Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Sawako Utsumi hails from northern Japan and she is a contemporary Japanese artist, who equally adores art from the distant past. True to the nature of Utsumi, her art focuses on the rich traditions of old…
Contemporary Japan artist inspired by the Dutch master Hendrick Avercamp Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The contemporary Japanese artist Sawako Utsumi is once more focusing on the world of Dutch art. This time it is Hendrick Avercamp (1585-1634), unlike past art pieces that focused on Esaias van de Velde (1587-1630) and Aert van der…
Art of Japan and the two paths of Buddhism and Shintoism: Faith in the snow without Abraham Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The latest art piece by Sawako Utsumi, a contemporary Japanese artist who hails from Northern Japan, utilizes the snowy landscape by highlighting the respective strengths of Buddhism and Shintoism despite terrible adversity.…
Contemporary Japanese artist inspired by Alfred Sisley: Japanese eyes and cultural warning Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The artist Alfred Sisley painted many adorable landscapes through the medium of impressionism. Yet, to many individuals with limited knowledge of art, his name remains relatively unknown in comparison with other impressionist artists. However, this doesn’t distract…
Contemporary Japanese Art and Shintoism: The spirit of Sawako Utsumi and the Kano School Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Sawako Utsumi is a contemporary Japanese artist who hails from the land of the rising sun. In this art article, the emphasis is on the individualism of Utsumi who is paying utmost respect to two…
Japan art and Kanzan Shimomura: Famous son of Wakayama and his early artistic life in Tokyo Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The artist Kanzan Shimomura (1873 to 1930) is a famous son of Wakayama and just like this part of Japan is rich in culture and faith, Kanzan also had a spiritual and cultural…
Tokyo Fashion News: Changing Dynamics of Ginza Fashion Sarah Deschamps and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times Tokyo is blessed with countless fashion districts that cater to different age groups and economic pockets. Equally, you have exquisite shopping malls and walking areas that bless districts including Aoyama, Ginza, Omotesando, and Yurakucho. However, what is noticeable about…
Folklore of Japan and Onset of Abandonment: Death and love Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Japanese folklore focuses on an array of subjects, from the beauty of light to areas of extreme darkness. The subject area involving oyasute (the abandonment of a parent – or relative) and ubasute (the abandonment of an elderly female…
Japanese art and Kawamura Kiyoo (1852-1934): Changing times but sublime continuity Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese artist Kawamura Kiyoo (1852-1934) created many amazing pieces of art during a period of rapid political change. He was born in the old world of the Edo Period (1603-1868) and he witnessed the modernization of the…
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