style="font-size:15px;"> Maiko place dedicatory chrysanthemum flowers in memory of a renowned Kyoto poet during the Kanikakuni Sai festival.
White face makeup and scarlet lips are the hallmarks of a maiko.
The hair ornament (kanzashi) of a maiko in seasonal autumn colors.
A maiko passes through the architecturally preserved Gion Shimbashi, an area with numerous traditional restaurants and teahouses.
koi
Nishikigoi or brocaded carp, better known as koi, are ornamental domesticated carp selectively bred from dull gray Eurasian wild carp species for their colors and patterns and type of scalation. They are popular inhabitants of garden ponds, admired for their beauty, graceful movements and longevity, while requiring little care. They have very acute senses of hearing and smell and zoom-like eyes. They also possess a submarine-like ability to maneuver in water.
Koi are symbols of strength and perseverance, and because they are able to swim against streams and even up waterfalls are often called “warrior fish.” Thus, the carp is symbolic for Boy’s Day, depicted in the form as koi nobori, streamers that fly in the wind, in the hope that one’s sons will grow up with courage and strength.
Collectors call koi “living jewels” for their variety of vivid colors from tiny sacs of pigments and crystals in their skin cells. They are aesthetically ranked based on their beauty of color and pattern, and can be very costly. They are collected by wealthy enthusiasts who enjoy participating in koi competitions.
A lone orange koi skirts the rock slabs in the pond of Tokyo’s New Otani Hotel garden.
A koi pond beautifies a Kyoto teashop garden.
The koi at the back with the tancho kohaku (red-crested crane/rising sun flag) marking is the obvious star of this collection.
A cluster of koi display the whole range of typical colors and markings.
otaku culture
Otaku, in modern Japanese slang equivalent to a “geek”but more generally an obsessive fan of some form of entertainment, hobby or topic, is part of the new pop culture sweeping Japan—even the world. Originating centuries ago in Japan in the form of humorous, random, anthropomorphized animal sketches and developed further during the later woodblock print (ukiyo-e) boom, this new culture, rather than being directed from “above,” as with most other aspects of culture, is directed from “below.” It ranges from an interest in comics (manga), TV and film animation, collecting plastic figures from those worlds and killing time in manga cafes, to the surprising concepts of costume play (cosplay), maid (meido) cafes and karaoke rooms. It is basically a search by the lonely for self-identity, with fantasies of their own, fired by a variety of consumer goods and mascot memorabilia. In these ways, the mind escapes from the stresses of modern life, particularly by those who lack social skills or are seemingly socially unfit. All this is supported by conventions, summits and festivals held worldwide.
Many popular characters are drawn from Japan’s rich stock of figures from history and religion, who in this modern way are educating and passing on their wisdom about life.
One of the important creators is thought of as “the god of manga.” Hundreds of museums, galleries and theme parks have arisen nationwide, triggering melancholic and nostalgic history through anime tourism guides and “pilgrimage” maps to the actual sites portrayed in the stories, known as “sacred places” or spiritual “power spots.”
A child entertains himself in a room of the Toei Animation Gallery in Tokyo.
Maids (meido) practice serving in a “maid cafe” in Ikebukuro.
Character dolls of all sizes, and posters are popular goods in shops all around Akihabara.
Stacks of newly released manga comics await buyers in Ikebukuro’s Animate store.
A huge Gundam figure is displayed at the Anime Gallery.
A boy chooses a toy from a vending machine in an Akihabara shop.
Kyoto’s Manga Museum has a research library of publications organized by year.
A woman studies a museum poster advertising a major exhibition about Buddha, with antiquities, which includes a popular manga about Buddha’s life.
Animate is a famous anime store in Higashi Ikebukuro.
mount fuji
Majestic Mount Fuji, a dormant volcano for three centuries, stands at 3,776 meters and is visible from hundreds of kilometers away. Its name translates as ”unique mountain,”“an authority” or “immortality.”
Popularly called Fujiyama by foreigners but by the Japanese always a respectful Fuji-san, “the most venerable of all,” Mount Fuji is a symbol of the nation. With its ideal cone shape and the inner forces of a volcano, it creates magical looking clouds and diamond-like sun shapes around its crater. Long beloved by artists, its ever-changing daily appearances also make it a magnet for passionate photographers.
The pilgrimage to worship the mountain goddess or, nowadays, secular climbing, attracts some 200,000 climbers in the short climbing season each summer.
Expansive tea fields against their impressive backdrop in Shizuoka.
The iconic mountain seen from the shore near Kamakura.
