Cruxay.com

I’m back from my little “vacation” (as if I needed one) and I figure it is time to get posting again. Today, I bring you 2 rather interesting areas in the prefecture of Tokyo. I’m actually doing a post on Shimokitazawa in particular because I just found out a friend who was once in Toronto on working holiday is now living in Shimokitazawa. The other is an area of Ueno which sells the display foods for restaurants, which is also a really interesting place to walk around. (more…)

For once, I think I’ve put something out that I actually like. Despite having no intentions of making a video like this, and almost no footage whatsoever, I think I managed to put together something rather decent.

This video features just some of the places I came across during my time in Japan (May/June 2007). Locations include: Shinjuku, Yoyogi, JR Shinkansen, Asakusa (during Sanja Matsuri), Akihabara (Zelda shot), Ueno Zoo (animals & Chiki the street performer), Kyoto, Arashiyama, Miyajima (deer), Tokyo Tower (Roppongi), Matsushima, Hiroshima (arcade scenes).

Have a look and let me know your thoughts about it either here or on youtube. Thanks.

Moving on to my next picture set, today we will be looking at the area of Roppongi（六本木：ろっぽんぎ）in Tokyo. Roppongi is an upscale area of Tokyo with many bars, nightclubs, lounges, shopping malls and other sorts of expensive things. It has 2 relatively well known landmarks, the first being Tokyo Tower, and the second being the newer area of Roppongi Hills（六本木ヒルズ), which was opened around 2003. There are many foreigners who work in Roppongi as it is also a rather large business district. If you are the type who enjoys blowing off large amounts of cash in exchange for some entertainment, I would highly recommend you check Roppongi out. (more…)

Today’s uploaded photos are from my visit to Osaka, in the Kansai region of Japan. Osaka is a popular travel spot for several reasons, and much like anywhere else in Japan, Osaka has a very interesting historical background. There are lots of Buddhist temples, as well 大阪城（おおさかじょう：Osaka Jou) Osaka Castle, which is very well preserved and absolutely beautiful to look at. I Didn’t get to spend a lot of time in Osaka, but then again I’m nowhere near as crazy about the place as some people I know. Check out my pictures from Osaka (link here, as well as in the top banner under pictures).

Also, I’d like to mention that I am looking for others with interest in Japan that have blogs or sites to trade links with. Networking our sites not only increases the amount of traffic we can potentially receive, but also allows us to expand our knowledge and understand the different perspectives at which we all deal with learning the Japanese language and Japanese culture.

I’ve already established 3 link trades so far. These are great sites and I’d appreciate it if you have interest to go check them out:

Sanokame.com: A very informative fellow from Sweden who has some great stuff to say about Japanese entertainment, as well as design and technology in general.

NeilDuckett.com: A fellow ‘gaijin’ living in Tokyo, Japan with a rather extensive blog packed full of pictures, Japan employment information, and links to many other great Japanese weblogs.

DannyChoo.com: A huge online community for those interested in Japanese culture, anime, idols, and otaku related information.

Of course, all these links are in the side bar, and I’m hoping to see YOURS there soon as well.

Cheers.

Hey! Still in the midst of getting more photos from my last trip to Japan up. Just some general information about that: I went during May and June of 2007 with my girlfriend. I had saved up to go to Japan prior to that for about 2 years. If you are watching my youtube Japan blog videos, then you are probably wondering how we ended up in such an awesome place, and let me tell you it was no easy task, and even now I can’t guarantee that it could happen again that we could get so fortunate. Although, any questions about it I will be more than happy to try and answer.

During the 2 months there, 6 weeks were spent exploring Tokyo and trying to get accustomed to living a Tokyo lifestyle (which wasn’t all that hard to tell you the truth), and 1 week was spent using our JAPAN RAIL PASS (the most beautiful thing you will ever need when you go to Japan, I’ll post about it later and how amazing it is), and we toured around the main island of Honshu, hitting up many spots and spending over 6 - 8 hours on trains DAILY for that week. Exhausting!

That’s all for now! Check out the Harajuku and Hiroshima galleries I just got up. All my pictures from Japan (that are currently up) can be found by clicking the link in the top banner named ‘pictures.’

The picture to your left is a view of what it is like in Asakusa during possibly the busiest 3 days of the year. The Asakusa Sanja Matsuri (三社祭　さんじゃまつり Three Shrine Festival), held on the 3rd week of every May, attracts around 2 million locals and tourists. It is considered one of the 3 great Shinto festivals in Tokyo (Shintoism being the primary “religion” in Japan… yeah I’ll post about that later too). If you are in Tokyo during the month of May, I definitely recommend you check this crazy event out!

Asakusa on any other day is about as quiet as anywhere else in Tokyo if not quieter, but over these 3 days it is absolutely packed beyond all comprehension. I was getting mowed down by Obaasan’s (おばあさん Old ladies) and they didn’t seem to care that I could have stepped on them if I wanted to. But there is literally NO room to move around, especially on the 3rd and final day as room has to be made for 神輿（みこし Mikoshi), the Portable Shinto shrines that each district proudly haul through the streets, while everyone stands there and gets their toes crushed.

An example of a Mikoshi is shown in the picture to your right. However pretty you might find it, I’d refrain from going near one and trying to snag a touch. Each Mikoshi is approximated to weigh in at around one ton, and costs around 40 million yen (approx. $400,000 USD). Not to mention it is lugged around by scary looking dudes like the one in this picture. 

Don’t take my word for it, but I’ve heard that the majority of these festivities are run by Yakuza (ヤクザ Japanese organized gangs). So try to be careful about your valuables while visiting, and don’t step on the wrong person’s foot, because it could cost you.

Check out the Asakusa gallery for the rest of the Sanja Matsuri Festival pictures I managed to take.

Also drop a line in the comments and tell me what you think of all this madness!