This section contains the pictures taken during trips to Japan. Japan (日本 Nihon or Nippon, officially 日本国 Nippon-koku or Nihon-koku) is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south. The characters which make up Japan's name mean "sun-origin country", which is why Japan is sometimes identified as the "Land of the Rising Sun".
The Aikikai Hombu Dojo (合気会本部道場, Aikikai Honbu Dōjō) is the headquarters of the Aikikai which is an umbrella organisation of various national, as well as smaller, aikido organisations. Although the name strictly refers only to the main training hall (dōjō), it is often used by extension to refer to the Aikikai organisation itself. The dōjō was founded by Morihei Ueshiba in 1931 under the name Kobukan. The current building, which stands on the same site as the original Kobukan, dates from 1967.
Ryōgoku Kokugikan (両国国技館, Ryōgoku Kokugi-kan) is an indoor sporting arena located in the Ryōgoku neighborhood of Sumida, one of the 23 wards of Tokyo in Japan Japan, next to the Edo-Tokyo Museum. This is the third building to be associated with the name kokugikan to have been built in Tokyo. The current building was opened in 1985 and has a capacity of13,000 people. It is mainly used for sumo wrestling tournaments (honbasho) and hosts the Hatsu Basho in January, the Natsu Basho in May, and the Aki Basho in September. It also houses a museum about sumo. The venue is also used for other indoor events, such as boxing, pro wrestling, and music concerts. In past years, it has hosted the G-1 Climax, an annual tournament in New Japan Pro Wrestling
Yoyogi Park (代々木公園, Yoyogi kōen) is one of the largest parks in Tokyo, located adjacent to Harajuku Station and Meiji Shrine in Shibuya. What is now Yoyogi Park was the site of the first successful powered aircraft flight in Japan, on December 19, 1910, by Captain Yoshitoshi Tokugawa, following which it became an army parade ground. During the postwar occupation, it was the site of the Washington Heights residence for U.S. officers. It later was selected as the site for the 1964 Summer Olympics, and the distinctive Olympic buildings designed by Kenzo Tange are still nearby. In 1967, it was made into a city park. Today, the park is a popular hangout, especially on Sundays, when it is used as a gathering place for people to play music, practice martial arts, etc. The park has a bike path, and bicycle rentals are available. As a consequence of Japan's long recession, there are several large, but quiet and orderly, homeless camps around the park's periphery. Recently, Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara announced plans to build a stadium -- with room for 100,000 -- in Yoyogi Park in order to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. Yoyogi Park has a fenced dog run, one of the few areas in Tokyo where dogs are allowed to be off leash. The dog run is located towards the western side of the park, inside the bicycle path, east of the parking lot at the western edge of the park. The dog run's ground is covered in wood chips, and the run is divided into two sections and contains a few benches.
Harajuku (原宿 "meadow lodging") is the common name for the area around Harajuku Station on the Yamanote Line in the Shibuya ward of Tokyo, Japan. The area is known internationally for its youth style and fashion. Harajuku street style is promoted in Japanese and international publications such as Kera, Tune, Gothic & Lolita Bible and Fruits.
Ueno (上野, Ueno) is a district in Tokyo's Taitō Ward, best known as the home of Ueno Station and Ueno Park. Ueno is also home to some of Tokyo's finest cultural sites, including the Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum of Western Art, and the National Science Museum, as well as a major public concert hall. Many Buddhist temples are in the area, including the Bentendo temple dedicated to goddess Benzaiten, on an island in Shinobazu Pond. The Kan'ei-ji, a major temple of the Tokugawa shoguns, stood in this area, and its pagoda is now within the grounds of the Ueno Zoo. Nearby is the Ueno Tōshōgū, a Shinto shrine to Tokugawa Ieyasu. Near the Tokyo National Museum there's The International Library of Children's Literature. Just south of the station is the Ameyayokocho, a street market district that evolved out of an open-air black market that sprung up after World War II. Just east is the motorcycle specialty district, with English-speaking staff available in some stores.
