from Tanaka-san
We went to Kamakura this weekend (4/23, 4/24) with our spring students, so I would like to share some photos.
Kamakura, a city in Kanagawa prefecture, is fairly close to Tokyo and has plenty of historical and architectural interest. It is full of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, and it also has a great beach.
We’re at Hase-dera (Hase Temple), about to enter a cave. The rain on Saturday and the sunshine on Sunday really ramped up the trees!
Inside Benten-Kutsu (a cave that commemorates the Benzaiten goddess) in Hase-dera. It is narrow, with low ceilings, so the tall U.S. students need to crouch down.
In front of Kamakura Daibutsu (the Great Buddha statue in Kamakura). Students said that they saw many American tourists on-site and they are happy for that.
Obamaccha ice cream. Interesting flavors.
Ice cream shops in the Hase area that sell Maccha green tea ice cream call the ice cream flavor ”Obamaccha,” since President Obama visited Kamakura and enjoyed the ice cream. Green tea? Sweet potato? Some careful tasing going on.
Gathering his nerve before trying the green tea and vanilla. Obamaccha ice
cream . . . probably Mr. Obama did not imagine this coming.
Sunday’s Enoshima island. Up the hill is the shrine; there is a long line of people waiting to pray.
Very, very crowded, with lots of tourists. It was fine weather, so no wonder.
Tags: Enoshima Island, Hase Temple, Hase-dera, Japan, Japanese culture, Obamaccha, travel
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We did a post a while back about travel books for Japan and Tokyo. Reading a travel book is a great way to get some history, culture, geography, a good dose of practicalities, and a real taste of life there. It’s not expensive and it might spark some ideas for you of how to get over there!
We received a few suggestions from readers and fans, for books we hadn’t included. Here they are.
Living Abroad in Japan (Moon Living; Ruth Kanagy)
From an Amazon review–
I lived in Japan in my youth, speak the language, and often visit my Japanese friends, I found much new information that was helpful for planning to live in Japan again. Ruth Kanagy illustrates her guidebook with beautiful original photographs and gives accurate descriptions and background explanations, social customs, and the Japanese lifestyle.
This book is a useful guide for planning a quality short trip, including important money saving details that a travel agency won’t tell you. It’s also great for longer stays, an extended work project, or even relocation to Japan.
Eyewitness Travel Guide to Japan (Dorling Kindersley publishing)
This one was recommended by KCP alum Matt Henry. He heavily praised the photography and layout in it.
From an Amazon review–
This book is chock full of useful info and wonderful photographs. I particularly like their suggested “walks,” tours (such as Kiso Valley or Saga Pottery area), and maps.
Other highlights are detailed diagrams (such as the Gassho-zukuri houses and Toshu-gu Shrine in Nikko) and lots of photos and descriptions. Japan is a fabulous place to engage with the culture; this book can help you make the leap from reading/observing to engaging, since it takes away the reams and reams of text found in other books. It’s not at its best as a standalone reference, though.
Tags: Japan travel, KCP, resources, study abroad
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A great way to “explore” Japan, and to explore your own feelings about going there, is to read about it. These books may be useful to you in your exploring. They link to Amazon.com, so you can buy the books for low, low prices–as low as $2, in some cases. Also included are excerpts from reviews. Enjoy!
The one book you NEED to come to Japan
After spending about 3 weeks in Japan with this as my only guide book, I can honestly say you NEED to buy this book before traveling to Japan. It also serves as sort of a mini-travel dictionary in a pinch as well as a quick guide to cultural practices.
Better than Frommer’s
I recently bought both this book and Frommer’s most recent edition of its guide to Tokyo. I think the Lonely Planet guide is much better than its rival. Lonely Planet’s is shorter, but the information in it is much more useful–especially for my situation as a student with a place to stay and food being taken care of (though Lonely Planet does have information on hotels and restaurants for those who need to know).
Indispensable Atlas for a Traveler in Japan
I travel to Japan every 5th week or so to sell my company’s semiconductors to various manufacturers spread out all over Japan. This bilingual atlas is terrific for English-only speakers like me, as it has all the Japanese characters next to the English names, which is essential when navigating the train stations off the main lines. This Atlas has good city maps, too.
Innovative and upbeat, not your usual guidebook.
This is definitely not your average guidebook. Rather than just a listing of the usual tourist destinations, Tokyo for Free gave me insight into what living in Japan would really be like.
The greatest
Having lived in Japan for the past 6 years, I’ve had the opportunity to use all of the major guidebooks (and quite a few of the minor ones as well), and without a doubt, the most useful and informative guidebook is this one. Of course Lonely Planet has lots of information about restaurants and hotels, but what you really want is a purpose to visit the places that you are visiting. This guidebooks tells you the history of each place, so you can understand why each place is important.
Outstandingly beautiful book, yet information-packed.
If you glance through this book, you’ll immediately be stunned by the top-notch scenery shots of today’s Japan. National Geographic’s long experience in joining excellent information with outstanding images has given us a great look at Japan and its culture. I’m now planning a trip there for next summer!
Real-size images of Japan and Japanese
I’m a Japanese living in Japan. I bought this book to check if it’s worth recommending to my friends–and yes, I recommend this book. It’ll tell you real-life Japan and Japanese without exaggeration. It covers Japan from the inside–the life of ordinary Japanese people.
Tags: books, Japan lifestyle, KCP, learning Japanese, resources, study abroad
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