Zhongshan Park
When you enter the Forbidden City from the front gate under the magnitudinous portrait of Mao, you are still half a city away. On either side of this first section, which is a series of gates, before reaching the actual … Continued
More Adventures in Tokyo
Shibuya Of course, I wandered other areas of Tokyo as well. Being so near Meiji Jingu, I walked to the busiest intersection in the world. On the way I passed the beautiful sports national sports complex and had to get … Continued
Japanese Imperial Palace and Gardens
Japan is still an empire with an emperor as head of state. This emperor still lives in a magnificent imperial palace in the heart of Tokyo. This palace is stock full of history and is surrounded by beautiful gardens. A … Continued
Jiyu Gakuen Myonichikan
My second Frank Lloyd Wright building in Japan was the simple, yet beautiful, Jiyu Gakuen Myonichikan. Myonichikan or “the House of Tomorrow” was designed by Wright in 1921 for the girls’ school Jiyu Gakuen. Originally built in a quiet and … Continued
Meiji Jingu Shrine
Another of Tokyo’s must-see destinations is a large, not-so-old, Shinto shrine called Meiji Jingu. This impressive site is not just about the religious structure or campus but the entire forest around it. Maybe you recognize the Meiji part of its … Continued
Writing Haiku in Japan
As I mentioned in my Senso-ji post, I wrote a few of my own haiku while in Japan. It seemed fitting. I shared one before about the beautiful orb weavers I saw throughout my time in Japan. That one was … Continued
Tokyo Towers
I love to go up in high towers, and in Japan I visited three Tokyo towers–Tokyo Skytree, Tokyo Tower, and Ropongi Hills. Tokyo Skytree The second tallest freestanding structure in the world towers over the city of Tokyo. Tokyo Skytree … Continued
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Imperial Hotel
My target when visiting Museum Meiji-Mura was Frank Lloyd Wright’s Imperial Hotel lobby. In 1916, America’s greatest architect received the commission for the next iteration of Tokyo’s Imperial Hotel. Wright already admired Japanese design philosophies and had done work in … Continued
Museum Meiji-Mura
Museum Meiji-Mura is an open air architectural museum just outside of Inuyama showcasing buildings from the Meiji period of Japan from 1868-1912. During this time, Emperor Meiji led the nation out of an isolated feudal nation to its more modern … Continued