Miyajima In Hiroshima Prefecture

Above, the famous Torii gate on Miyajima.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Back in August 2004, part of the itinerary of the first G-Tour was a visit to Miyajima in Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. It is located in the Inland Sea of Japan.

It was, to me, one of the highlights of the tour.

The Japan Daily Press has posted an article about the island:

Miyajima, translated to “shrine island,” is an island located in the Western part of Japan in Hiroshima Prefecture. Its one of the Three Views of Japan – the three most celebrated and scenic sites in the country. Miyajima became part of the city of Hatsukaichi in Hiroshima in 2005 and changed its name to Itsukushima, although most people still refer to it as Miyajima. 

The island`s most remarkable landmark is the Itsukushima shrine and Torii “gate” which welcomes visitors as they take the ferry from the mainland to the island.

Above, a view of Miyajima from the ferry.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

There are many things to see on the island besides the Itsukushima shrine and the Torii gate. There are many tame deer wandering around the island begging for food from visitors. And, there are several restaurants and accommodations available to visitors should they elect to stay on the island.

To read more, go here.

Japan Daily Picks Up Bellés Blog Post

The Japan Daily just sent me a note that they have posted a link to the article on Jonathan Bellés with The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan at FANTASTI'CS.

They sure work fast! I only posted it about an hour or so ago.

To see more, go here.

Tokyo Tower Wax Museum To Close September 1

Above, the moon and Tokyo Tower.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Japan Daily Press has some sad news for fans of Tokyo Tower's wax museum:

Besides being a landmark of Japan’s capital, Tokyo Tower is also known for being home to a number of wax figures of pop-culture icons. However, the Tokyo Tower Wax Museum will have to bid adieu beginning September 1, as the broadcast tower will go through a major renovation. The museum’s contract will also end with no plans of renewal.

The Tokyo Tower Wax Museum opened in 1970 because of Den Fujita, the same man who brought McDonald’s to Japan. His son Gen Fujita took over in 1988 and has expanded the museum’s collection.

The wax figures may find a new home at another facility, the article says.

To read the full article, go here. 

Japan Slowly Recovering from 2011 Disasters, But...

Above, a Himalayan cedar tree planted by former President
U.S. Grant at Zojo-ji temple in 1879.  Photo by Armand Vaquer

The Japan Daily Press has an article on Japan's recovery from the 2011 disasters.

Much of what they wrote about has already been discussed here.  But the final paragraph caught my attention as it seems to fly in the face with recent trends concerning the exchange rates between the yen and foreign currencies.

Granted, the dollar has slipped a bit this past week to about 96 yen, but this appears to be temporary and not long term.

The article stated:

However, there is still a sector of international tourists that are afraid to visit the recovering country because of the still high risk of more natural disasters in the next few years. The yen is also expected to rise in its overall strength which means that it will slowly become increasingly expensive for tourists to visit Japan year after year.

I highly doubt that the yen will rise in its overall strength as Prime Minister Abe's policies take more effect on the Japanese economy. The dollar should stabilize at around 100-110 yen. If it doesn't, that would shoot down Japan's tourism goal of 25 million visitors by 2020.

To read the full article, go here.

Stop Using Smartphones On Train Platforms, Japan's Railway Companies Ask

Above, a gathering place near the Hachiko statue at Shibuya Station is the place
 to fiddle with your smart phones, not on train platforms.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Japanese railway companies are asking people to refrain from using smartphone while on train station platforms.

According to Japan Daily Press:

Due to the increasing number of people falling on the train tracks while using smartphones, some railway companies are asking passengers to refrain from using the devices while on the train platforms. A fifth-grade boy fell onto the tracks at the JR Yotsuya Station in Tokyo on Monday and suffered minor injuries. The Metropolitan Police Department said the boy was not paying attention because he was focused on his mobile phone.

I noticed how Japanese people have their noses buried in their cell phones, particularly on trains.  On my last trip to Japan, I saw one girl twice (same girl, but on two different days) at a train station with one hand diddling with her phone and the other picking and pulling her hair's split ends.

There has been many a time I felt like telling someone to "put down the freaking phone!"  (In the U.S. as well as in Japan).

To read more, go here.

ANA Launches "Let's Do Japan" Website

All Nippon Airways has launched a new website that targets U.S. tourists who are also manga and anime fans.

According to Japan Daily Press:

In the tradition of Japanese manga-style comics, All Nippon Airways (ANA) recently launched a tourism and culture website called “Let’s Do Japan” (www.letsdojapan.com). ANA, Japan’s leading airline in terms of sales, built the site to let online visitors create their own Japanese manga personality while learning helpful tidbits about Japanese culture and trends. 

This is ANA’s first-ever tourism campaign that is specifically targeted at U.S. consumers, given that Japanese manga and anime are becoming global phenomena, especially in America. Site visitors will be able to create their own manga characters through a site feature called “Manganizer”. The app uses manga-style graphics and features five distinct Japanophile travelers that the visitors can choose from: they can either be the Executive, the Fashionista, the Gourmand, the Designer or the Aficionado, thus creating a true-blue manga hero with stories that use the visitors’ own pictures.

Sounds like fun.

To view the full article, go here.

"Cool Japan" Supported By Prime Minister Abe

Above, Astro Boy is featured at a Niigata ATM.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The tourism campaign promoting "Cool Japan" has received the blessing and support of the Prime Minister.

According to the Japan Daily Press:

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is eager to get the ‘Cool Japan’ concept going, as the government held the first council meeting for its promotion on March 4. The concept aims to develop Japan’s uniqueness in terms of anime, fashion and other cultural traditions abroad, effectively increasing exports of these products. This is in line with one of Abe’s key policy measure to nurture related industries and transform them into major export businesses.

So far, I've seen nothing to indicate that kaiju will be a part of the "Cool Japan" campaign.

To read the full article, go here.