Osaka Castle’s Sakura Gate (桜門 Sakura-Mon)
Sakura Gate (桜門) leading to Osaka Castle
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Happy Japanese mom @ Shukkei-en (縮景園)
Japanese lady in Shukkei-en (縮景園)
A Japanese girl was going through a photo shoot in full kimono in Hiroshima’s Shukkei-en (perhaps for her coming of age or seijinshiki or 成人式). My self-appointed personal guide asked the photographer if I could take some photos of her too, and they were all too happy to oblige. However, the model’s smiles all looked a little forced and unnatural in the dozen or so photos I took. I took one of her mom watching her daughter have her picture taken and found her smile to be far more genuine.
Matador Ramen (牛骨らぁ麺 マタドール)
Beef-based Matador Ramen near Kitasenju Station in Tokyo, Japan
I have always been a fan of the most common types of ramen (pork-based or tonkotsu or 豚骨), miso (味噌ラーメン), shio (salt or 塩ラーメン), and shoyu (soy sauce or 醤油ラーメン). However, it turns out that my favorite kind of ramen is beef based or at least the Matador version of beef-based ramen. I’m pretty sure this bowl was the most delicious I have ever had from beginning to end.
Overheard from the mouth of the owner to a customer as I was eating this bowl is that Matador will soon be opening another store in Takadanobaba! Those of you going to Waseda University will be able to eat this on a nearly daily basis if you so choose. Count yourself lucky and expect a long line!
Bamboo grove near Arashiyama
Japanese girls in yukata walking through Kyoto’s bamboo groves
Torii gate tunnel
Kushida-jinja (櫛田神社)
You don’t have to go to Kyoto to see a tunnel of torii gates. They are quite common at inari shrines like this one in Fukuoka.
August 6 – Peace Memorial Ceremony Day in Hiroshima
The monument in memory of Korean victims of A bomb – Hiroshima, Japan
Since I’m in Korea for the anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, I thought I’d share a photo of the memorial you can find in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park of the Korean victims. Nobody knows exactly how many Koreans were killed or injured by the bomb, but estimates put the total between 20,000 and 40,000 people. The monument features a pillar on a large turtle. The top is a crown of sorts with two dragons listing the names of over 2,500 Koreans who are known to have been killed when the A Bomb exploded. The inscription on the monument reads, “Souls of the dead ride to heaven on the backs of turtles.” I have seen several similar turtle monuments in Korea so this must be a somewhat common tombstone or memorial of some kind in Korea.