Slide show updated

Hello and Welcome to nipponcraft.com,

We have updated the slide show on the top page of our website to match the spring to early summer season. These pictures are taken at Kyoto, Nara, Osaka and Yamanashi. Please enjoy the virtual tour.

From the slide show, I introduce the tour cart today. In the past, these types of carts were prevalent in Japan and many people used as transportation within a city. However, these carts are utilized only as tourism nowadays.

This tour cart (driven by a young man) is called  "Jinriki-sha".  This cart will take you around Kyoto with the charge of 2,000 yen per 10 minutes (approximately 1km ) per person.

When you have a ride, it looks like this phot from the passenger seat.







You can find these tour carts at various places in Kyoto and they are waiting for you just like taxi. This company has a branches in Kamakura and Asakusa (Tokyo).

Thank you,
- Ken
http://www.nipponcraft.com/

May 5th Boys Day

Hello and Welcome to nipponcraft.com,

Let me introduce Boys' Day.
Today is Boys' Day in Japan and a holiday for wishing boys' healthy growth and promotion in future.
The families who have sons celebrate this day by displaying such dolls (armor) as shown in the photo at home.

Armor for wishing Boys Day

Besides displaying a doll, it is Japan's custom to eat rice cakes called Kashiwa-mochi (柏餅) on Boys Day. This rice cake bean jam inside is wrapped by oak's leaf. The oak leaves will not fall down until new ones come out, so it has been considered as a symbol of family's continuing prosperity.

Kashiwa-mochi rice cakes, typically 1,5 USD or 1,0 Euro per piece

Outside of home, it is Japan's old custom to display cotton-made or nylon-made carps on Boys Day, because carps are the symbol of strength and promotion in society.

Photo taken at Yamanashi Prefecture

Thank you,
- Ken, President
http://www.nipponcraft.com/

Flying Carps

Hello and Welcome to Nipponcraft.com,

May 5th is Boys' Day in Japan, wishing boys' promotion in  future. As Boys' Day is drawing near, families who have boys and communities are setting up "flying carps" (Koinobori) as a celebration and custom. Carps  are the symbol of strength and promotion in Japan. In this season, you can see lots of carps decoration outside of houses.


I took the above photo in Hokuto-city in Yamanashi prefecture, 100 miles west of Tokyo. Officially, it is announced that the city set up 450 carps bundled in wires for Boys' Day celebration. These carps are made of nylon. They look as if swimming in the sky as winds blow.

How to get there: Drive through Chuo-do highway from Tokyo and get off the highway at Sudama interchange. Drive along route 141 up north about 20 minutes to find Mimani-Kiyosato drivers' station. This is where I took the photos.

Thank you,
- Ken, President
http://www.nipponcraft.com/

Sakura season over in Tokyo and south forth

As you can see in the photo, Sakura flowers are falling down and scattered on the pavement.

I took this photo in a residential area in Meguro area in Tokyo to show you how the pavement is covered by sakura flowers. The city garbage trucks need to clean up all the scattered flowers.  The flowers' weight collected  from all over Tokyo should sum up to some tons, because there are thousands of sakura trees there.

I took another photo to show you the beauty of sakura flowers falling from trees and dancing in air. I hope you can see the flowers are falling like snow in the photo. (I waited for some time to shoot this moment.)

Actually when the wind is strong, the flowers are falling like heavy snow. We call this phenomena sakura snowstorm.

The duration of sakura flowers blooming is something like one week to ten days. They bloom very rapidly and simultaneously.  And then they fall down very quickly as winds blow.  This nature's phenomena affects the thinking of Japanese people. Japanese people sometimes love the way of life like sakura - bloom very beautiful for a short time and fade away very quickly.

- Ken, President

http://www.nipponcraft.com/

Information: Raditoactivity No Problem in Tokyo

Hello and Welcome to nipponcraft.com,

The Ministry of  Education, Science & Technology of Japan is measuring and collecting radioactivity data from all over Japan and announces the results on its website: http://www.mext.go.jp/. (You can find English page on the website.)

Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of  Public Health is also providing radioactivity level in Tokyo:
http://www.tokyo-eiken.go.jp/index.html

According to the website information, the radioactivity level in Tokyo yesterday (April 18th, 2011) was 0.075μSv/h while the maximum level in the past (before the Fukushima Nuclear Plant accident happened) was 0.028 - 0.050μSv/h.

 I find TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company) is also measuring the radioactivity level in Shibuya (in Tokyo) by their own efforts and that the information is provided (only in Japaneses ) at http://www.tepco.co.jp/nu/pamp/index2-j.html. According to the information, the level today (April 19th, 2011) is 0.045μSv/h outside.

 It looks like that the radioactivity level is withing the allowance defined by the government. I can survive in Tokyo.

- Ken
http://www.nipponcraft.com/

Old Noren hanging

Hello and Welcome to Nipponcraft.com,

I took a photo of a Noren hanging in front of a restaurant (looks very old!) while walking through Tokyo. Why did I take a photo of this Noren?  Because this one looks very old and I felt a kind of confidence and obstinacy of this restaurant keeping tradition and good taste for a long time. Actually, I entered into this restaurant to have a late lunch and the taste was quite good.  Also, the price is reasonable.  This restaurant serves Tendon cuisine (Tenpura rice bowl) with the price of 600 Yen.

If you have a chance to visit Japan, please look for old Noren hangings. These may be an evidence of being loved by customers for a long time.

This restaurant is located in a town named Jinbo-cho in Tokyo.  (15 minutes subway ride from Shinjuku)
Jinbo-cho is a town specialized in selling books; you can find hundreds of book stores (especially second-hand books) in this town. I visited this town to look for a computer book instead of visiting amazon.com.

- Ken, President
http://www.nipponcraft.com/

Greeting: Sakura season in Tokyo

Hello and Welcome to Nipponcraft.com,

Sakura flowers have bloomed in Tokyo, one week later than last year's season. We can enjoy Sakura flowers for a week.

Sakura trees and flowers, Photo location: Setagaya in Tokyo

 Also, today is the elementary school entrance ceremony day. Parents and their six-year children attend the ceremony by seeing Sakura flowers. Sakura flowers and the ceremony are the typical combination scenery in April.

Signboard of elementary school entrance ceremony 

On my way of commuting, I found many young people were enjoying Hanami-party (party under flowers). During this season, many Japanese people enjoy drinking alcohol under Sakura trees. While in most countries drinking alcohol is prohibited outside in a park, it is OK to drink in Japan. (No policeman!)
What is found interesting at Hanami-party is that you can order delivery pizza at a park. The delivery man will find you by telling the location.

Hanami-party under Sakura trees, Photo location: Komazawa-park in Tokyo

I know many visitors are cancelling their travels to Japan from the fear of radiation emission out from Fukushima nuclear plant, but the radiation observed in Tokyo is very little (actually almost the same level as the number before the nuclear accident happened). We are still living OK!

- Ken, President

   http://www.nipponcraft.com