Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

Posted on 2024-12-04

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Photo of the A-Bomb dome in Hiroshima from across the river. Autumn foliage and other buildings are also visible. — A-Bomb Dome in Hiroshima.

Photo of the eternal flame in Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima. The sun is setting in the background, and a Japanese flag is also visible. — Eternal Flame

Photo of Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima. Taken from the museum looking towards the eternal flame. The A-Bomb Dome is in the distance. — Peace Memorial Park

Mochitsuki in Osaka

Posted on 2024-12-04

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Our friends invited us to a traditional mochi pounding (mochitsuki) at their neighborhood community center in Osaka. This was an unexpected and special experience for us. For more about mochitsuki, read the traditional preparation section on Wikipedia.

Photo of three Japanese men grinding rice and shrimp into a paste in a stone mortar with wooden kines (pestles). The shrimp color the paste a bright red. — Rice is ground into a paste to make mochi.

Rice is pounded into mochi in a stone mortar.

Photo of three Japanese women shaping mochi. — Shaping mochi.

Photo of people gathered outside of a community center on a corner in a residential neighborhood in Osaka. — People gathered outside a community center in Osaka.

Osaka Castle

Posted on 2024-12-01

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Photo of Osaka Castle and a bridge over the moat. Some of the foliage has autumn colors. — Osaka Castle

A photo of Osaka Castle with a tree showing autumn color. — Osaka Castle

Photo of a corner of the Osaka Castle against a brilliant blue sky. The sun is behind the castle giving it a bit of a glow. — Osaka Castle eclipses the sun.

Osaka

Posted on 2024-11-30

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Photo of three takoyaki joints with interesting and colorful signage from across the street. People are lined up outside, and a car is passing from the right. — A trio of takoyaki places in Nishishinsaibashi.

A photo looking down a street in Nishishinsaibashi, Osaka. There are two people passing from the right. — A street in Nishishinsaibashi.

Photo of the Osaka skyline taken in the morning from the Honmachi area, looking south. — Osaka skyline, looking south from Honmachi.

On the Shinkansen

Posted on 2024-11-29

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Photo of the front of a Shinkansen train in Tokyo station. — Shinkansen train in Tokyo station.

Photo of Mount Fuji in the distance and a large, white commercial building in the foreground with “UCC Coffee Fuji” printed on it. — Mount Fuji, seen from a passing Shinkansen train.