What's A Torii?

Above, toriis near Hakusan Park in Niigata. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

People just getting interested in Japanese culture who have visited Japan for the first time or have seen pictures of torii gates may wonder, What's a torii?

Above, a torii at Lake Ashi. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I've been to Japan seven times and I have seen torii gates of different sizes at many places.

But to answer the question what a torii is, here's what Wikipedia says:

A torii is a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the profane to the sacred (see Sacred-profane dichotomy). The presence of a torii at the entrance is usually the simplest way to identify Shinto shrines, and a small torii icon represents them on Japanese road maps. They are however a common sight at Japanese Buddhist temples too, where they stand at the entrance of the temple's own shrine, called chinjusha (鎮守社, tutelary god shrine) and are usually very small.

The photos that accompany this blog post are just some of the torii gates that I have seen.

The most famous torii gate is the one at the Itsukushima Shrine at Miyajima.

Above, the torii gate at the Itsukushima Shrine at Miyajima. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Japan Getting Serious About International Tourism

Above, Hakusan Park in Niigata. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Japan is a country of beauty, both in natural beauty and man-made beauty (architecture, etc.). Westerners who are fans of Japanese pop-culture, especially those who are fans of anime, super-hero and kaiju films, have fancied vacations to Japan to see the country for themselves for decades.

While there are many fans of Japanese pop-culture, they aren't enough to sustain the tourism industry to the extent of other first world nations. Japan is at 27th place worldwide in foreign tourism and 8th place in Asia as a draw. With so much going for it, Japan has not been the tourist draw as it should have been.

It has only been since 2003 that tourism became a focus of the Japanese government with initiatives to turn Japan into a "tourism-based country."

Nippon.com points out several reasons why turning Japan into a "tourism-based country" is desirable:

There were good reasons for the government’s decision to emphasize tourism. First, the economic benefits of tourism can be substantial. Second, international tourism is a quick and relatively cheap way of securing foreign currency reserves. Third, global demand is expanding rapidly—especially in emerging markets—thanks to rising incomes, an increase in leisure time, and the development of affordable modes of transport (figure 1). Fourth, tourism is an industry with the potential to revitalize Japan’s languishing rural economies.

The goal of the Japanese government is to reach 20 million foreign visitors by 2020 and 30 million foreign visitors by 2030. These are ambitious goals, but they are achievable. If small entities like Hong Kong, Macao, and Singapore can out-perform Japan in foreign tourism, Japan (with some effort) can overtake and pass them in tourist numbers. According to the Nippon.com article, even South Korea has drawn more tourists than Japan, and South Korea is "not especially known for its tourist attractions." Japan has a lot more to offer. Japan lagging behind those places makes it obvious that somebody had dropped the ball in making Japan a top tourist destination.

Thankfully, all that is changing. Japan reached 10 million foreign visitors in 2013 and it is expected to reach 13 million this year.

To read the full Nippon.com article, go here.

Learning The Ropes

Above, a statue guards the entrance to Hakusan Park in Niigata, Japan . In the background,
yukiduri ropes are tied to some of the park's trees  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Three years ago, I made a side trip to Niigata, Japan. While there, I wandered around Hakusan Park and noticed some trees with peculiar ropes tied to them.

I really didn't give them much thought (I did think they looked cool) and continued on with my exploration of the city.

It was only tonight that I saw a Tweet with a photo of some trees with these ropes that was posted by Japan Tour & Travel.

Above, trees tied with yukiduri ropes surround a pond at Hakusan Park in Niigata.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Here's what they said about the ropes:

Yukiduri ropes to prevent branches from breaking under heavy snow at a Japanese garden.

So, they're called "yukiduri ropes" and the purpose of them is to keep tree branches from breaking due to heavy snow. Makes sense. Niigata does get a lot of snowfall during the winter months.

Well, one learns something new everyday! 

Japan Favorites, Part Two

Back in July 2009, I blogged about some of the favorite places in Japan I saw during my 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 visits. (To view it, go here.)

Picking up where that blog post left off, here's some favorite places and things during the 2010 trip.

2010

Above, the Skytree from the Sumida River.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Tokyo portion of the trip was for promoting The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan and some visits to places that can be added to a second, updated edition. In between interviews on the travel guide, I managed to see the Tsukiji Fish Market and take in a screening of Space Battleship Yamato.

One of the first things upon my arrival in Tokyo was to take some promo photos of the travel guide with Ai, who served as a model (right).

One of the things I wanted to see in Tokyo was the Skytree Tower.  It was under construction at the time, but it was still impressive even though it hadn't yet reached its full height. Besides, it was near to one of my favorite places in Tokyo, Asakusa's Nakamise Street.

Another place I wanted to visit while in Tokyo was Toho Studios in Setagaya. I wanted to see the man-sized Godzilla statue and the Seven Samurai mural at the new main entrance. I wandered around the outside of the studio lot and even from the vantage points from the outside, I could see the changes to the studio since my November 2001 visit.

Above, the Daily Yomiuri article on "The
Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan." The interview
 for the article took place while I was in Tokyo.

I also met former Toho-Los Angeles General Manager Masaharu Ina for lunch. I gave him a copy of the travel guide and he was very impressed with it.

As I never had been to the Sea of Japan side of Honshu (the main island of Japan) before, I decided to head to Niigata via bullet train to see what it was like.

I found Niigata to be much more laid-back in temperament than Tokyo and nowhere near as crowded. While taking a city bus tour of Niigata, I visited a museum and the city's performing arts center where a photo exhibit was taking place. I went to see the photo exhibit and saw many nice photographs on display and a Japanese man who was a dead-ringer for Akira Nakao, who played General Aso in three Godzilla movies of the 1990s. I also visited Niigata's Hakusan Park.

Above, the Bandai Bridge in Niigata.
Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The train ride to Niigata was a pleasant one as we traveled through farmlands (mainly rice paddies) and through mountain regions.

After a couple of days in Niigata, I headed back to Tokyo for a few more days of wandering around before heading back to Los Angeles.

I found it interesting that although Japan has about a 1-2% Christian population, there were Christmas decorations in abundance. Both hotels I stayed at had Christmas trees in their lobbies.

The best meals on the trip had to be the sushi I had at a restaurant next to the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo. It was a platter of assorted tuna. It had to be the best sushi I ever ate. The other was the big cheeseburger I had at the The Beat Diner in Tokyo. The Beat Diner was a new eatery located under the shinkansen tracks separating Ginza and Hibiya. It occupies the former location of Becker's.

Above, rice paddies and snowy mountains as seen from the bullet
 train en route to Niigata from Tokyo.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Hakusan Park, Niigata

Last December, I took a side trip for a few days to Niigata, Japan. I had never been to the Sea of Japan side of Honshu before, so I picked Niigata as the place to visit.

While in Niigata, one of the places I visited was Hakusan Park. The park was built in 1873 as Japan's first municipal park. Niigata residents find Hakusan Park an excellent place to unwind and relax.

Above, a ceremony being conducted at Hakusan Shrine.

Hakusan Park also includes Hakusan Shrine ("Hakusan-sama"). It is said that this Shinto shrine is "known as the god of marriage. If you visit here and worship, you may succeeded in love."

Above, an Akita statue.

The park is landscaped in a Dutch style with ponds, hills and much greenery. The park contains ume trees, cherry blossoms, wisteria and lotus plants.



Statues, plaques and a row of torii gates can be found at the park.

Above, a row of torii gates at one of the entrances to the park.

To get to Niigata from Tokyo, take the Joetsu-Shinkansen. Travel times range from 1 hour, 40 minutes to 2 hours, 10 minutes. It depends upon which train that is taken.