Most viewed - JAPAN PHOTOS by Philbert Ono

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Most viewed - Koto-ku 江東区

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Engine of the Fukuryu Maru.38 views

38 views

Narrow paths like this weave through the indoor botanical garden.38 views

Walking behind the waterfall.38 views

38 views

Good place to visit in winter.38 views

38 views

In the museum lobby is a special exhibition about Yokozuna Taiho, one of the greatest yokozuna in history. His sumo stable (Taiho Beya) was in Koto.38 views

The torch procession went over one of the shrine's trademark arch bridges.38 views

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Swan of flowers37 views

Anthurium37 views

37 views

Bird of Paradise37 views

Lots of orchids.37 views

37 views

Yokozuna Taiho exhibition corner.37 views

Yokozuna Taiho's topknot.37 views

Portrait of Yokozuna Taiho and his handprint.37 views

They passed by the shrine and proceeded to the other side of the shrine grounds.37 views

37 views

The lantern bearer provides light for the priest inside the cloth barrier carrying Michizane's spirit.37 views

Main worship hall.37 views

See my YouTube video of the Kameido Tenjin Shrine's Taimatsu Torch Festival on March 25, 2016.37 views

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Fukagawa Chikara-mochi36 views

36 views

Gingko trees dominate the park in autumn.36 views

36 views

Tuna Memorial for the contaminated tuna fish.36 views

36 views

The shrine worships Sugawara-no-Michizane, the god of learning and scholarship. So many students come and pray here to pass school entrance exams.36 viewsThe torch festival marks the anniversary of Michizane's death on March 25. All Tenjin and Tenmangu shrines are dedicated to Michizane. The festival started with a short ceremony inside the shrine's worship hall at 6 pm. It was followed by the torch procession.

Since the torch bearers supposed to receive good fortune from the god, there is no shortage of volunteers, including a few foreigners.36 views

Gagaku musicians also played in the procession that went around the shrine grounds.36 views

The torch bearers were monitored by firemen who carried small fire extinguishers that squirted water on the small embers on the ground and any torches that burned too close to the human.36 views

36 views

The torch procession went over one of the shrine's trademark arch bridges. They walked within the shrine grounds along the main paths, through the center and perimeter.36 views

36 views

Kameido Tenjin Shrine torch festival36 views

Small bon fire next to the shrine that lit the torches.36 views

A ceremony was held again to transfer the spirit back to the shrine. 36 views

Eitaibashi Bridge spans over the Sumida Bridge. Lit up in blue at night.36 views

The stage in Kiba Park and spectators.35 views

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Yokozuna Taiho's awards.35 views

On March 25, Kameido Tenjin Shrine holds the Taimatsu Torch Festival officially named "Shinkisai" (亀戸天神松明祭り・神忌祭) at 6 pm to 7 pm. 35 views

The torch bearers were volunteers from the public who had signed up for the task. They carried bamboo sticks lit by a small bon fire.35 views

Michizane's spirit, which had been transferred from the shrine, is carried in the procession within a silk cloth barrier. 35 views

Spectators and photographers were not allowed to be on the bridges when the procession crossed over.35 views

On March 25, Kameido Tenjin Shrine holds the Taimatsu Torch Festival officially named "Shinkisai."35 views

Shrine priest throws some sacred confetti to purify the path ahead of Michizane's spirit coming through in the procession at Kameido Tenjin.35 views

Michizane's spirit goes over the taiko-bashi bridge.35 views

35 views

The torch procession returned to the shrine's worship hall at about 7 pm. This picture looks light, but it was actually quite dark.35 views

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My 2010 video of Fukagawa Chikara-mochi in Kiba Park.34 views

Azalea bloom in late April to early May.34 views

34 views

Tokyo Skytree under construction.34 views

34 views

Store shutter art of Kiba kakunori in Koto, Tokyo.33 views

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The park is popular with joggers and people walking their dogs.32 views

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Tokyo Sky Tree under construction in 2010.32 views

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The official website provides this very basic map of Toyosu Market. There are three blocks/buildings all connected to each other and to Shijo-mae Station via pedestrian overpasses.31 viewsThe red lines on this map show the pedestrian overpass to each block. All three buildings have a long tourist corridor with picture windows to see inside the market.

When the market is open (closed on Sun.), tourists can tour the three Toyosu Market buildings from 5 am to 5 pm. However, there's not much market action after late morning.

Besides the markets, there are sushi restaurants. The problem with this map is that it doesn't show where the restaurants are. They are in Blocks 6 and 7. Very crowded though.

Block 7 is where the tuna auctions are held, but the public won't be able to see the auction area until next Jan. But if you come here by 6 am or so, you should be able to see some tuna being hauled away on the floor. This block also has some restaurants.

Block 6 is the largest building of the three. This is where the sold tuna is carved up. This building also has a large sushi restaurant area that is not indicated on this map. The upper floor also has little shops (Uogashi Yokocho Market) for people who work at the market. They sell knives, tea, etc., and also sell to the public, but the shops close by 2 pm or so.

Block 5 is the fruit and vegetable market. Least crowded. No restaurants inside.

Sarue Onshi Park is a spacious local park with sakura cherry blossoms, azalea, and autumn leaves. Near Sumiyoshi Station on the Toei Shinjuku Line subway and Kinshicho Station.30 views

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It wasn't exactly what we had planned for lunch, but it was good and healthy. At least we ate in Toyosu.30 views

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On a street corner near Toyosu Station is where 7-11's first store in Japan opened in 1974. It's still operating here in the same building. 29 viewsToyosu is quite a new, modern town. Lots of construction still going on. It's turning out quite well.

This clock tower is the park's focal point. Cherry blossoms are substantial and many people hold hanami flower-viewing picnics. But it's not as crowded as Ueno Park.28 views

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Toyosu Market's official mascot: Itchi-no.28 views

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Tokyo Sky Tree27 views

Block 7's tourist corridor with glass windows to see the tuna floor.27 views

Hand signals to indicate numbers at auctions.27 views

At the end of the corridor, there's this big observation deck where you can see the wholesale section of the fruit and vegetable market.27 views

27 views

Tokyo Sky Tree and cherry blossoms.26 views

Tuna display in the small exhibition room in Block 7.26 views

Block 6's restaurant section is the larger one at Toyosu Market. However, all the restaurants were totally crowded with people by 1:30 pm. 26 viewsMany restaurants that were at Tsukiji moved here or opened a branch here. Wanna wait 1 to 2 hours for sushi?? Nope, but these people don't seem to mind.

If you want sushi and don't want to wait in line, go to the Tsukiji Outer Market instead.

Better view of the fruit/vegetable market toward the end of the corridor.26 views

Shijo-mae Station is connected directly to convenient pedestrian overpasses leading to the three Toyosu Market buildings/blocks. (That's Block 6 in the distance.)25 views

Toyosu Market is proving to be massively popular among the curious and sushi lovers. Toyosu Market is near Shijo-mae Station (seen on the left here) on the Yurikamome Line that runs between Shimbashi and Toyosu Stations.25 views

Another crowd-pleasing tuna display in Block 7. Life-size model of the biggest tuna ever sold at Tsukiji fish market in April 1986. 2.88 meters long, 496 kg. Didn't say how much it sold for.25 views

Entrance to the fruit and vegetable market.25 views

Corridor wall also had panels explaining the history of the food and vegetable market in Tokyo.25 views

Information desk in Block 7's exhibition room. Lots of questions from foreigners to staff who couldn't really speak English.24 views

Block 6 has this small entrance to the restaurant section.24 views

Only this coffee shop was not crowded. So we gave up having a sushi lunch at Toyosu Market. 24 viewsThere are plans to build larger restaurant facilities in buildings adjacent to the market. However, they won't open until 2023.

Block 6's upper floor has a section of shops called Uogashi Yokocho Market. (This section is not indicated on the official map.) 24 viewsThese are small shops catering mainly to market workers. They also sell to the public. However, by 2:00 pm most of the stores were closing.

Cutlery shop in Uogashi Yokocho Market.24 views

Lastly, this is the fruit and vegetable market, Block 5.24 views

The observation corridor for tourists inside the fruit and vegetable market. Lots of windows, but they don't show much.24 views

Each observation window was color-coded and named after a fruit or vegetable. A nice touch.24 views

Not much of a view though.24 views

Not much action in the fruit and vegetable market since it was in the afternoon.24 views

The vegetable market's biggest item is cabbage, then daikon.24 views

Inside the Yurikamome Line train. Since we couldn't eat sushi at Toyosu Market, we took the train to Toyosu Station two stops away and had a late lunch there instead.24 views

Directional signs for tourists are in Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean.23 views

Nice bilingual (Japanese and English) explanatory panels in the corridors. At 2 am, they unload the tuna here. At 4 am, buyers examine the tuna and assess the bid price. 23 viewsAt 4:30 am, auction starts. At 7 am, the buyers are busy hauling away the tuna.

Long lines everywhere for sushi. The restaurants usually sell out by 2 pm, then they close. 23 viewsThe huge crowd is either here for the novelty of a new attraction or they may be a strong sign of Toyosu Market's massive popularity.

I'm afraid the Tsukiji Outer Market will soon be marginalized by Toyosu Market. The market is the heart and soul, and it's now in Toyosu. The fishmongers in Toyosu are very gung-ho now and really want the Toyosu brand to exceed the old Tsukiji brand.

Block 6 has many windows for tourists, but you can hardly see anything. We can see just a small slit of the market floor. 23 viewsJust a pathway for the people and turret trucks, you don't see the sellers. However, I was later told that there is also a viewing deck on the first floor where there is a better view.

Map of Uogashi Yokocho Market in Block 6. Lots of little shops.23 views

The fruit market's biggest item is mikan (tangerines), then citrus.23 views

Across the water from Toyosu is the Tokyo Olympic Village under construction.23 views

Near Toyosu Station is a restaurant called Cafe Haus. It's a good restaurant.23 views

This is Block 7 where the tuna auctions are held. Let's enter here first. Notice the pedestrian overpass going into the building.22 views

Block 7 has this small exhibition room with photos of the old Tsukiji fish market and other things.22 views

Exhibition room in Block 7.22 views

View of the tuna floor in Block 7. The floor was painted green for better contrast with the tuna's red flesh to assess the quality. We visited around 2 pm, so nobody was here. 22 viewsYou have to come here by 6 am or 7 am to see some action.