Shinagawa Tokyo Japan | Along the Yamanote Line

Horyuiji Five-storied Pagoda Model

Hello my wonderful Traveller to Japan

Tokyo’s maze of public transport is difficult to navigate. My advice is to look at the poison green line of Yamanote. It covers major tourist attractions and you do not need a wifi to check where you are going. If you use an App, I recommend the “Japan Travel App” but Google is fine as well.

The Yamanote line circle is going clockwise and anti-clockwise through Tokyo. It is easy to remember to get around. I review every station on this line. Today’s Station review is Shinagawa. A very large and up to date Station with a orwellian feel to it with it’s neon DEI signs showing a projected future on Japan which does not exists at the moment. The english speaking quaking loudspeaker voice can’t be more annoying. I do not like this station. On the West side seems to be only construction and on the East side a wide pedestrian bridge seems to go endless into high noon direction with an artificial green park between superstructures.

My research shows at least 12 worthy tourist destinations in Shinagawa but hold on, it’s a good 4 hour stroll. My usual steps per day is 20,000 but this looks like a good 30,000 to 40,000 steps maybe less. I turn South East to see the What Museum and the Exhibition “Sense of Structure” which is from the 26. of April until 25. August 2024. I saw a photo of a model of Horyuji Five storied Pagoda from 700 AD and it made me excited about the exhibition. You do not need to be an architect or engineer, it is amazing. For example this pagoda, which you can find in Nara, is said to have never collapsed during an earthquake, and various speculation circulating why its earthquake resistance. For me, seeing the drawing of the construction, it make’s kind of sense. 

Todaiji Shosoin Repository, Shoso Model

I want to show you one more building, the Todaiji Shosoin Repository, Shoso, built 756 in Nara. This model is first of all, wonderful and the description explains the construction method using intercrossed stacked legs. A sketch explains it brilliantly. 

So, if you are interested in Japanese wood structures, this is where you should go. 

Just beside the What Museum is the Ink Tokyo Shop, a shop for artists & painters, not a tourist spot but great to photograph. Same is with the What Cafe, I wanted to eat lunch but there were only standing tables. The exhibition was great and interesting.

On my why to the What Museum I got a great surprise, the brewery at the canal reminded me on Singapore’s Boat and Clarke Quay and good memories gave me the impression this is the place to go at night. I might be wrong. 

Like everywhere in Tokyo or Japan, there are numerous shines. I visited Ebara Shrine, the Dragon God Shrine of Shingawa and it is believed many Samurais like Genji, Tokugawa and Uesugi worshipped this shrine. It’s a small shrine, just beside a canal and a bright red bridge. This shrine is good for fortune, academic success, business prosperity, traffic safety, recovery from illness, family safety and love. 

My next sightseeing spot could be the Aquarium or the Suzugamori Execution side but it takes a full 45 minute to get there. I decided to go to the Shinagawa Shrine. 

Shinagawa Shrine

Shinagawa Shrine is one of the 10 shrines forming a ring around the Imperial Palace, appointed by the Emperor Meiji as symbols of a new era called the  “Tokyo Jissha Shrines”. This shrine is located on a little hill in Shinagawa and I love the dragon or lion figurine beside the gates. This shrine has lots of festivals, worth checking out. I put one video in the link section.

Links:

Shinagawa walking:https://maps.app.goo.gl/KKQ1WwaeTqBYwHUH9

What Museum: https://what.warehouseofart.org/

Ebara Jinga: http://ebarajinja.org/top.html  

Shinagawa Shrine: https://shinagawajinja.tokyo/

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😁Don't be a stranger 

🎠Subscribe to my channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/MartinaTakano

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🎠Email: martinemler@gmail.com

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Editing Software: DaVinci Resolve 17 Studio

Camera: Sony Alpha 7C & iPhone 12 

Google Maps

XOX

Martina Takano

Travel Japan with me

#Japan #Tokyo

Mysterious Kii Peninsula Japan

Japan a country to travel, it has 10 climate zones I guess and it is so different from North to South, every time I travel I cannot believe how beautiful Japan is. I just love it. 

We, my husband and myself are visiting the Kii Peninsula of Japan, the Prefectures of Mie, Nara and Wakayama. It’s May in Japan and on fifth of May is children day. Koinobori are windsocks flown during this time, it is to celebrate children and boys. The Koinobori usually starts with a black one representing the father, followed by a smaller. one, a red one representing the eldest son. If more boys were in the household an additional blue, green and then depending on the region either purple or orange koinobori were added. The government of Japan changed the Boy day to childrens day Kodomo no hi, so both sexes were celebrated. So, the red one or sometimes pink one is representing the mother. Many koinomia hang from ropes strung on posts at On Shichiri Mihama Beach in Mie. It is a beautiful site. On the day we arrived we just past by with the car but came back two days later to fly my drone. It started raining soon as you can see here. 

Video:

My husband chooses his hotels according to the most famous and affordable Onsen close to our sightseeing spot and this time we landed at Iruka Onsen Seiryuso at the river Inouzawa. A very remote location and I believe only reachable by car or bus. Our room is huge for Japanese conditions. The room comes with no bathroom but a restroom and a bathroom sink. We book a Japanese breakfast and stayed for three nights. This hotel cost per night around 25,000 ¥ without breakfast. After our arrival we visit the onsen, which has also an outdoor onsen or Rotenburo, it is separated by gender.

The next day we went to the Nachi Falls, which is Japan’s tallest waterfall in a sacred forest. The fall drops 133 m

Long before religion formed, locals worshipped the waterfall as a divine spirit. Later a shrine was built here, and the Shinto priests serve the deity daily.

A few m or a 30 min hike above the waterfall is the Hiro Shrine. The Seigantoji Temple a Tendai Buddhist Temple and coexists with the Kumano Nachi Taisha Shrine peacefully in Wakayama Prefecture. There are many pilgrimage paths, The Kumano Kodō is a series of ancient pilgrimage routes of the Kii Peninsula. These mountainous trails are used by pilgrims to the "Kumano Sanzan”. The Three Grand Shrines of Kumano: Kumano Hongū Taisha , Kumano Nachi Taisha and Kumano Hayatama Taisha. These three shrines are the holiest sites of the ancient combined Kumano religion. 

As you can see, the weather was not the best, it’s beginning of May and before rainy season. A good time to visit, very pleasant and it was not cold at all, even during the rain. Wakayama has very steep mountains and landslides are a danger in this region, so I would recommend not to go during rainy season. 

In my next video,  I will show you where these beautiful rice fields are. I see you then!

Links:

Seiganto-ji: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seiganto-ji

Kumano Nachi Taisha: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumano_Nachi_Taisha

Hiro Hachiman Shrine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiro_Hachiman_Shrine

Kumano Kodo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumano_Kod%C5%8D

(Hotel) Iruka Onsen Seiryuso: https://seiryusou.com/

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😁Don't be a stranger 

🎠Subscribe to my channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/MartinaTakano

🎠Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martinatakano/

🎠Email: martinemler@gmail.com

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Editing Software: DaVinci Resolve 17 Studio

Camera: Sony Alpha 7C & iPhone 12 

XOX

Martina Takano

Travel Japan with me

#Japan #kiipeninsula #wakayama #childrenday

Hamamatsu Flower Park & Ferry from Irago to Toba Wakayama Japan

Hello Traveler to Japan

It’s Golden week and we are traveling by car with various stops.  Today I am in Nagoya in this sensational hotel but let me start at the beginning, our first stop was in Hamamatsu in Shizuoka on our way to the Nachi Falls and Hiro Shrine in Wakayama. 

My husband works regularly in Hamamatsu but I have never been here. We stayed at a very cheap hotel, The Centirium Hamamatsu. It cost around 13,500 ¥ a night for two person and it is directly at the Hamamatsu Station. It’s a small room and functional, the staff told us, they just started a week ago. Breakfast buffet is included. The hotel has 3 stars. The location is great, sleeping was good, breakfast also good but overall lacking in atmosphere. 

Hamamatsu is famous for eel and my husband knew a great restaurant and I highly recommend it as well, (link in the description) so for lunch we went to this Hamamatsu Station South side and the restaurants name is Unagi Yaotoku Main Restaurant. A definitely great lunch, for me the best Unagi I ever had.

The Hamamatsu station has a Tourist Information Office at the station. We choose to go to the Hamamatsu Flower park because Wisteria were blooming at the time. So I will bore you with lots of footage or follow me on Instagram, if you like landscape and travel photography from Japan. This was our only activity on that day because we started early, 4 am to drive to Shizuoka, no traffic jam, we were happy about that.

That night we went to an Izakaya, cheap and good also on the south side of the Station and discussed our driving route the next day. We decided to go with the ferry via Irago to Toba to Wakayama, our original plan was to drive there around the bay. The ferry cost around 10,000 ¥ one way for a car and two adults. The coastline from Hamamatsu started late but when it started it was stunning. 

That’s it for today, in my next video, which I will publish on Monday I will show you stunning Wakayama. It’s a very mystic place and absolutely worth visiting. It is my second stay in Wakayama. See you then! Bye

Links:

Hotel: https://www.centurion-hotel.com/

Unagi Restaurant: https://www.unagiyaotoku.com/

Toba Italian Restaurant: https://en.japantravel.com/mie/cuccagna-italian-cafe-restaurant/3565

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😁Don't be a stranger 

🎠Subscribe to my channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/MartinaTakano

🎠Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martinatakano/

🎠Email: martinemler@gmail.com

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Editing Software: DaVinci Resolve 17 Studio

Camera: Sony Alpha 7C & iPhone 12 

XOX

Martina Takano

Travel Japan with me

#Japan #Hamamatsu #flowerpark