Tag: tokyo

TOKYO, JAPAN: A TINY WISH I WON’T SAY OUT LOUD

Published on by jacquelinemhadel5 Comments
Shimo Kitazawa
Convenience Store KONBINI Culture

Tokyo at Christmas.🎄

I’m leaving around the holidays. Suitcase 🧳 half-zipped. Last coffees. Last train rides where nobody looks up. I’ll miss the small rituals: the warm vending machine cans, the way Tokyo can make me feel anonymous and seen all at the same time.

A shrine amongst the love hotels in Shibuya

This time of year hits different. Not sadness exactly—more like gratitude and bewilderment. Tokyo never begs me to stay. And I thought I wanted it to this time.

Pikachu – Vending Machine Culture
These fox guardians (always in their red bibs, always watching) feel like the city’s small protectors—I stopped here, breathed, made a tiny wish I won’t say out loud… and kept walking.

December 2025

TOKYO, JAPAN STREET ART: ALIEN OCTOPUS

Published on by jacquelinemhadelLeave a comment

13dec25

TOKYO, JAPAN STREET ART: LOVE GATES

Published on by jacquelinemhadelLeave a comment

13dec25

TOKYO, JAPAN STREET ART: LONDON POLICE

Published on by jacquelinemhadelLeave a comment

13dec25

TOKYO, JAPAN STREET ART: PEACE ON FROG PLANET

Published on by jacquelinemhadelLeave a comment

13dec25

TOKYO, JAPAN STREET ART: STAR by FANAKAPAN

Published on by jacquelinemhadel1 Comment

Fanakapan is a London-based street artist best known for his insanely realistic helium balloon and chrome-style murals.
He paints freehand with spray paint and creates 3D illusions of mylar balloons, shiny metal, and other reflective objects that look like they’re literally floating off the wall. 
He’s often described as a pioneer of “balloon style” or “balloon-graff”, mixing classic graffiti techniques with trompe-l’œil realism. 

TOKYO, JAPAN: WHERE THERE IS QUIET

Published on by jacquelinemhadelLeave a comment
Asakusa
静けさに珈琲あり
Shizukesa ni kōhī ari.
“Where there is quiet, there is coffee.”
Higashi Matsubara
Hokusai Vending Machine, Asakusa
Hello Kitty, Asakusa
Surrounded by foliage in Seijōgakuen
Daily Morning Matcha Latte
Inochi atte no monodane
命あっての物種
“As long as there is life, anything is possible.” Shimokitazawa

December 2025

ASAKUSA, JAPAN: NISONBUTSU 二尊仏

Published on by jacquelinemhadelLeave a comment

Nisonbutsu 二尊仏 = “Two Buddha Statues” at Sensō-ji

These are a famous pair of large statues called Nisonbutsu – literally “two revered Buddhas.” They stand in the open air just past Hōzōmon Gate, a little off to the side of the main approach.

Who are they?

Although people call them “two Buddhas,” they actually show two bodhisattvas:
Kannon (Avalokiteśvara) on one side – the bodhisattva of mercy and compassion
Seishi (Mahāsthāmaprāpta) on the other – the bodhisattva of wisdom and spiritual power

In Pure Land Buddhism these two usually stand beside Amida Nyorai; here they appear together as a pair, balancing compassion and wisdom.

Edo-period origin

The statues are Edo-period works, made in 1687 by a sculptor named Takase Zenbē (Zenbee) from Tatebayashi in present-day Gunma. He dedicated them to repay a debt of gratitude to a rice-merchant family who had helped him:
Kannon, bringing mercy, for the father
Seishi, bringing wisdom, for the son

Because they sit outside in an open space and are always exposed to the rain, they’re also nicknamed Nurebotoke 濡れ仏 – “the Wet Buddhas.” Local guides describe them as two of the most magnificent Edo-period Buddha statues at Sensō-ji.

29nov25

ASAKUSA, JAPAN: SENSŌ-JI MAIN HALL

Published on by jacquelinemhadelLeave a comment

Main Hall (Kannon-dō / Hondo)

The main hall of Sensō-ji enshrines Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion, and goes back to a temple founded in 645, making this Tokyo’s oldest temple site. The hall was rebuilt many times under the Tokugawa shoguns, survived fires and earthquakes, but was finally destroyed in the Tokyo air raids of 1945. The present building, completed in 1958 with donations from people across Japan, stands as both a living place of worship and a postwar symbol of recovery and resilience.

29nov 25

ASAKUSA, JAPAN: JIZŌ, BUDDHAS, & BELLS

Published on by jacquelinemhadelLeave a comment
Boshi Jizō (母子地蔵) – literally “Mother and Child Jizō.”
This statue was created after World War II as a memorial for Japanese mothers and children who were trapped in Manchuria and couldn’t return to Japan in the chaos at the end of the war.
Many died in exile or were separated from their families forever. The statue was built to comfort their spirits and to express a collective prayer of “never repeat the mistake of war.”
The Stone Lantern of Rokujizō at Sensō-ji is a 2.3-meter-tall hexagonal lantern carved with six tiny Jizō guardians, one for each realm of existence.
It once stood by the Sumida River, protecting travelers, and was moved to Sensō-ji in 1890. Today it survives as a weathered, ancient monument – a quiet reminder that Jizō is watching over people in every world, from old Edo riverbanks to modern Asakusa.
It’s very old – the exact year is unknown, but traditions suggest dates as early as the 12th or 14th century, which would make it one of the oldest stone monuments in Tokyo.
Although people call them “two Buddhas,” they actually show two bodhisattvas:
Kannon (Avalokiteśvara) on one side – the bodhisattva of mercy and compassion
Seishi (Mahāsthāmaprāpta) on the other – the bodhisattva of wisdom and spiritual power.
The Bell of Time (時の鐘 toki no kane) at Bentendō is the old “clock” of Asakusa.
Edo-period time signal
The bell was re-cast in 1692 (Genroku 5) by order of the 5th shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi.
In the Edo period, bells like this were the city’s timekeepers. Sensō-ji’s bell was one of the official time bells for Edo, ringing at fixed times so people in the city could set their day by the sound.
Bashō’s haiku
The bell is famous in literature because Matsuo Bashō wrote about it in his haiku:
花の雲　鐘は上野か　浅草か
Hana no kumo / kane wa Ueno ka / Asakusa ka
“Clouds of blossoms—
is that the bell in Ueno
or in Asakusa?”
He was living across the river in Fukagawa and could hear the bell from there.
Survival and today
During World War II many temple bells were melted down for metal, but this bell was spared because of its historical importance.
Today it’s still rung every morning at 6:00 a.m. by a monk, marking the start of the day in Asakusa, and again on New Year’s Eve as the joya no kane (New Year’s bell).
Benten-dō (Bentendō Hall) is a small sub-temple inside the Sensō-ji complex, on the little hill southeast of the main hall.
Who is enshrined there?
It is dedicated to Benzaiten (Benten), the only female member of Japan’s Seven Lucky Gods.
She is a goddess of music, arts, wisdom, water, and good fortune.
Jizō is a bodhisattva – a compassionate being who delays enlightenment to help others.
In Japan he is especially loved as:
Protector of children and babies, including miscarried or stillborn children
Guardian of travelers and people in danger
A guide for souls who suffer in the afterlife
The bright red cloths (よだれかけ yodarekake) are offerings:
Red is a protective color in Japanese folk belief – it’s thought to ward off illness and evil.
Parents and grandparents often give a bib or little hat to Jizō
to pray for a child’s health or safety, or
to comfort a child who has died and ask Jizō to guide and care for them.

29nov25