The Wako Building in Ginza Tokyo is one of the up-market area's most famous landmarks.
The present rounded building was built in the 1930s and amazingly survived the World War II bombing of Tokyo. Wako was originally founded in 1881 by Kintaro Hattori as a watch business called K. Hattori (which later became Seiko). The first company building on the site was demolished in the 1920s to make way for the existing structure - the clock at the top of the building pays homage to the company's roots.
Wako, the retail business split off from Hattori (Seiko) in 1947 and now the company is a high-end store selling watches (of course), jewelry, women's fashion items, baby wear and expensive foreign chocolate.
Wako Ginza also has two restaurants, a cafe, tea salon and chocolate salon. The Wako Hall is an exhibition space in the building.
Wako has branches in Haneda Airport, Hiroo and Shinsaibashi in Osaka
Wako Building
Tel: 03 3562 2111
Hours: 10.30am-6pm; closed Sunday
© Guillaume Marcotte & JapanVisitor.com
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Friday, March 19, 2010
Wako Building Ginza
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Hello Kitty Plastic Sandals
ハローキティ
Brightly colored Hello Kitty plastic sandals worn with sweat pants and sweat top are a favorite with the Japanese "Bad Girl" fashionistas.
That carefully contrived "just got out of bed look" is completed with pink enameled toe nails and a shock of uncombed carrot-dyed hair.
Note the reflexology dimples on the soles of the sandals.
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Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Daishoin Temple Hagi
大照院萩
The Mori Clan, who built the castle town of Hagi and ruled the domain from there during the Edo period, had, rather unusually, two family temples for the burial of their dead. Local people say this was a ruse by the clan to downplay their power in the eyes of the ruling shogunate.
The first family temple was Daishoin, a Rinzai sect temple rebuilt by the Mori in the late 17th century. Here the first, second, fourth, sixth, eighth, tenth, and twelfth lords and their wives were buried, while the third, fifth, seventh, ninth, and eleventh were buried at Tokoji Temple on the other side of Hagi.
Both graveyards have hundreds of stone lanterns donated by faithful retainers, though Daishoin has 600, about 100 more than Tokoji.
Because of its location, a little away from major tourist attractions in Hagi, Daishoin gets far fewer visitors than Tokoji. The temple is less well maintained and a little run down, but this only adds to its charm and atmosphere, coupled with the fact that it is often empty of visitors.
Daishoin is a short walk from Hagi JR station.
Open from 8:30am to 5:00pm daily. Entrance 200 yen
© Jake Davies & JapanVisitor.com
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Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Japanese Wanted Posters
犯罪ポスター
Japanese wanted posters are nothing if not graphic. Hung outside Japanese police boxes (koban) and in railway stations - the posters show a photograph of the wanted person, their crime and the amount of reward the Japanese police are offering for information leading to their arrest.
The poster in the photographs has a cross through the image of Ichihashi Tatsuya, who was finally arrested for the crime of abandoning the body of Lindsay Ann Hawker, a young English teacher found dead in a bath of sand on the balcony of the suspect's apartment near Tokyo.
The text begins "Near You!" and introduces a rogues' gallery of dangerous felons who seem to have been on the posters for years! Dial 110 if you spot one of them!
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Monday, March 15, 2010
Walls of Hagi
萩
The castle town of Hagi, Yamaguchi Prefecture, was constructed on the "island" delta between the 2 forks of the Abu River.
When the railway reached Hagi it went around the town and not straight through it and therefore the town was spared the redevelopment that occurred around railway lines and stations elsewhere in Japan.
Consequently sections of the old town are still pretty much as they were centuries ago, and it is said that Edo-period maps can still be followed.
In the old samurai district near the castle many of the former samurai dwellings still stand, and the roads are lined with impressive traditional earthen walls.
© Jake Davies & JapanVisitor.com
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Sunday, March 14, 2010
Japan This Week 14 March 2010
今週の日本
U.S. Reaches Out to Tokyo’s Real Power
New York Times
日专家热议新时代中日关系 认为日本不能与中国较劲
People's Daily
Lexus, a Toyota Brand, Avoids Taint From Recalls
New York Times
China threat can heal US-Japan rift
Guardian
Japan detains anti-whaling activist
Washington Post
Zapatero recibe una solicitud para condecorar a Toru Arakawa, el japonés que ayudó a abrir fosas de la Guerra Civil
El Pais
Kan: Okinawa costs topped official claim
Japan Times
65 years after the war, Japan needs convincing of the need for US bases
Times Online
Takeshi Kitano: "Sarkozy et Carla, c’est bien"
Libération
Japan opens 98th national airport in Ibaraki
BBC
A Jostled Princess, a Heavy Crown
New York Times
Toyotas Are Safe (Enough)
New York Times
Japan coach Okada in the dark over squad for friendly
Yahoo Sports
Last week's Japan news
Japan Statistics
Percentage gap between median wages for men and women, 2006.
South Korea: 38
Japan: 33
Germany: 23
Canada: 22
UK: 21
USA: 19
OECD average: 17.5
New Zealand: 10
Belgium: 9
Source: New York Times
The number of visa overstayers in Japan is at its lowest in twenty-one years. As of January 1, 2010, the number of foreigners who had overstayed their visas was 91,778 - the first time in 21 years the number dropped below 100,000.
Of those deported, Chinese topped the list for the seventh year in a row.
Source: Kyodo News
In its annual list of the world's richest, Forbes magazine's top ranked Japanese was Uniqlo's Tadashi Yanai. He came in 89th, with a net wealth of $7.6 billion.
Source: Forbes
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Saturday, March 13, 2010
Toppy Jetfoil Yakushima
トッピフェリー屋久島
There are several ways of getting to Yakushima, an island that is a World Heritage Site located off the coast of Kyushu.
From Kagoshima, perhaps the most pleasant option is a two-hour ride on the "Toppy" jetfoil.
"Toppy" means flying fish in the local dialect, and the boat does indeed "fly."
On the day we rode across the bay to Yakushima, the seas were rough but the ride smooth once the jetfoil kicked in and the boat lifted up and out of the water as it glided forward.
The fee is 7,000 yen one way.
For those who prefer a slower, cheaper, and possibly rougher ride, regular ferry service is also available. The Yakushima Ferry 2 departs Kagoshima New Port in the morning, and costs 5,000 one way for a four-hour ride to the island. For an extra fee, you can bring your car as well.
(Flights are available from Kagoshima Airport, but as the airport is so far outside the city this is not a good option. If you are coming , however, from Kansai - Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, Nara - flights from Itami Airport take one hour and 15 minutes.)
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Friday, March 12, 2010
24 Kaikan Sauna: Gay Shinjuku
２４会館
24-Hour Kaikan is a gay sauna, part of a chain, located at the back of Shinjuku Ni-Chome, and, with 8 floors, is the biggest cruising premises in the area. As the name indicates, 24-Hour Kaikan is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Foreigners are welcome, and staff speak limited English.
The 2,600 yen entrance fee, payable by vending machine in the entrance, is for a 13-hour stay: 200 yen-per-hour after that. (A 6-hour “short stay” on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. is also possible for 2,000 yen: 200 yen-per-hour after that.)
The procedure is: put shoes in locker and change into slippers, buy admission ticket from vending machine, take shoe locker key and ticket to the front desk, and receive a clothes locker key and a bag with robe, face cloth, and bath towel. The reception floor also has a snack room.
There is parking on the first floor (600 yen for first 3 hours). There is a dry sauna, steam room, communal bath, and tanning beds on the 3rd floor. There is a video room on the 4th floor, and private rooms on the 5th, 6th, and 7th floors.
Private rooms are expensive (from 3,800 yen to 21,000 yen depending on numbers and time slot) so most action takes place in the common rooms on the 4th, 5th, and 6th floors - so much action in fact that if on weekends you manage to find a space on a futon to lie down, sleep is often difficult. Being a roomful of scores of guys, there is naturally a lot of snoring. Being a roomful of guys there for hooking up, there is also naturally a lot of moaning and groaning, huffing and puffing, and those on the cruising front lines scouring the scene for hookups with subtle groping of likely looking sleeping forms.
Foreigners are not all uncommon at 24 Kaikan Shinjuku, and, while most Japanese guys are not very forthcoming and are unlikely to make the first move, if you know what you want and stay tuned, your chances are as good as anywhere else in the world. The easiest Japanese guys to hook up with are gaisen, i.e. those into foreign guys, but they do not necessarily form the limits of your cruising experience in Japan. Those who don't think of themselves as gaisen might just need a little more effort on your part.
24 Kaikan also has a rooftop floor, equipped with another suntan room and a cold bathtub.
Condoms (kondomu in Japanese) are available free of charge.
Upon entry, you may be asked to show your passport or alien registration card.
Read more about gay Japan
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Thursday, March 11, 2010
Food Poisoning Chihana Kyoto Three-Star Restaurant
食中毒千花
One of Kyoto's most revered kaiseki restaurants Chihana, a recipient of three stars from the Michelin Guide, was recently cited in a food poisoning case.
On February 26th, a party of eight suffered high fever and diarrhea after dining at the world famous restaurant.
As a result, Kyoto city ordered the restaurant closed for business for three days from March 4 - 6.
The eight patrons ranged in age from 32 to 58, and all were from the Kyoto area.
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Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Kyoto National Museum Treasures of the Hapsburg Monarchy
京都国立博物館ハプスブルク
The Kyoto National Museum, the wonderful Meiji Era brick pile across the street from Sanjusangendo and a high-end Hyatt Hotel, is currently showing a fantastic series of paintings and other items until March 14.
2010 marks the 140th anniversary of the establishment of relations between Japan and Austria-Hungary.
To celebrate this event, some 120 paintings and decorative art works from the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna and the Szépmüvészati Múzeum in Budapest are on display.
These works were formerly owned by the Hapsburgs, who ruled much of Europe for over six hundred years.
They were in addition patrons of many painters, such as Durer, Velazquez, Rubens, Raphael, Titian, and Goya.
There is also an album of one hundred Japanese paintings and two lacquered shelves decorated with makie (sprinkled metal design) presented by Emperor Meiji (1852-1912) to Emperor Franz Joseph (1830-1916) as a token of their friendship.
The details are stunning. The birds and insects in particular are wonderful.
Treasures of the Hapsburg Monarchy
Until March 14
9:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m. (Entrance Until 5:30 p.m.)
Fridays 9:30 a.m.-8:00 p.m. (Entrance Until 7:30 p.m.)
1500 yen for adults
Suggestion: Go towards the end of the day. You will have Durer and Rembrandt almost all to yourself.
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