 Most viewed - Shibuya-ku 渋谷区 |
Shibuya Station, Hachiko statue2616 views
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Shibuya Station, Hachiko statue1696 views
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Shibuya Station, Hachiko Exit 渋谷駅 ハチ公口1165 views
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Shibuya Station, Hachiko Square1056 views
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Shibuya Station, Hachiko Exit smoking area852 views
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Shibuya Station, Hachiko Exit smoking area710 views
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Popular meeting place at Shibuya Station, south exit.682 views
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Shibuya Station, Hachiko Exit smoking area cigarette butts681 views
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Shibuya crossing558 views
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To Dogenzaka and Center-gai arcade508 views
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Shibuya Station, South Exit, as seen from Tokyu Plaza 渋谷駅南口448 views
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Center-gai arcade415 views
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Center-gai arcade404 views
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Shibuya Station, South Exit, Tokyu Plaza 渋谷駅南口365 views
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Shibuya crossing341 views
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Shibuya Station338 views
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Shibuya Station, South Exit, as seen from Tokyu Plaza 渋谷駅南口327 views
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Yoyogi Park, Tokyo in spring298 views
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285 views
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Cherry blossom pinickers from Hawaii at Yoyogi Park, Tokyo. They are playing the ukulele and dancing hula.227 views
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Atsuhime at Shibuya Kagoshima Ohara Festival 175 views
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Money in the offertory pit on New Year's Day at Meiji Shrine.171 views
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New Year's Day at Meiji Shrine. A total of 3 million people give New Year's prayers (Hatsumode) at Meiji Shrine. Japan's most popular shrine during New Year's.160 views
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The performed two songs, TOKYO Ohara TOKYOオハラ and Chesuto! Ohara チェスト！おはら. 158 views
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Saigo Takamori, Atsuhime, and Okubo Toshimichi at Shibuya Kagoshima Ohara Festival.157 views
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Saigo Takamori and his dog at Shibuya Kagoshima Ohara Festival.156 views
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Shibuya Kagoshima Ohara Festival 154 views
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The dance parade restarted for the second half of the festival, Shibuya Kagoshima Ohara Festival.154 views
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Shibuya Kagoshima Ohara Festival 152 views
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Baton twirlers at Shibuya Kagoshima Ohara Festival150 views
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On her legs is a summer pelt of deer fur (muka-baki 行縢). It supposed to cushion any fall from the horse. Fortunately, no one fell off the horse this day.140 views
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Actor Toshiro Mifune at Meiji Shrine.138 views
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In the past, police were hired to guard the money pit at Meiji Shrine. They also wore these face protectors to deflect the coins that fall short of the pit.131 views
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Meiji Shrine on New Year's Day128 views
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Actor Toshiro Mifune presides over the yabusame horseback archery at Meiji Shrine. The first and last time I saw this living legend in person. He was a student of the Takeda School of mounted archery and still has a close connection with the shrine.126 viewsI think he donated something for the shrine's yabusame.
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Her arm guard bears her family crest and the sleeve's cuff has a dragonfly that is an auspicious symbol for courage and never retreating or running away. (Dragonflies don't fly backwards.)126 views
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This is Matayoshi Akemi (又吉あけ美). Her long, black hair made her stand out as "A woman archer!" as many exclaimed. They had seven horses that are specially trained for yabusame. Each one has a name. The arrows have blunt wooden tips.126 views
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Her formal yabusame kimono (yoroi hitatare 鎧直垂) is light blue. Her left side is covered with a black arm guard (igote 射籠手) to make it easier to shoot the arrow. 126 viewsOn her left side, she also wears a tachi sword and the shorter dagger (maezashi 前差し). Right above her forearm, you can see a coil of spare bow string (tsurumaki 弦巻).
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Kagoshima Goodwill Ambassadors in Shibuya, Tokyo123 views
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Lots of coins that fell short of Meiji Shrine's money pit. People no longer throw money from so far away. They wait until they get to the front.123 views
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Delighted to see a few women archers at Meiji Shrine yabusame horseback archery on Nov. 3.122 views
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Yabusame is a centuries-old Shinto ceremony to pray for peace in the land and rich harvests. The mounted archery is preceded by a Shinto prayer ceremony. 120 viewsIt originated with samurai who had to be skillful mounted archers in medieval battles before guns were introduced.
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People behind me on New Year's Day at Meiji Shrine.117 views
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There's a 210-meter straight horse track within the shrine's spacious grounds. The track has three targets and each horseback archer gallops at full speed and tries to hit each target with an arrow.115 views
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At Meiji Shrine, a wedding couple is led by a Shinto priests and two shrine maidens.101 views
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Meiji Shrine's torii.95 views
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Two wedded tree trunks (楠) coupled by a sacred rope at Meiji Shrine.94 views
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Meiji Shrine is also popular for holding weddings. On weekends, you can see several couples passing through.93 views
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Meiji Shrine's main worship hall. If you look closely at the wooden pillars, you can see numerous little cuts in the wood made by people throwing coins at the shrine during New Year's.92 views
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Yoyogi Park with huge crowds of flower viewers80 views
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The Shibuya Kagoshima Ohara Festival is a Kagoshima dance parade held annually near Shibuya Station in Tokyo in May. About 2,200 dancers in 63 troupes dance along the Dogenzaka and Bunkamura-dori main roads for almost 3 hours from 1:20 pm to 4 pm.73 views
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My gang enjoying the blossoms.66 views
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Amulets, charms, talisman66 views
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See my 29-min. video of the Shibuya Kagoshima Ohara Festival in 2014.65 views
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Gingko trees along the fringe of the park near Yoyogi Koen Station in autumn.64 views
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Most of the dance troupe were Tokyo-based with members having ties to Kagoshima.61 views
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They were very good.61 views
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Taiko drummers kicked off the festival.59 views
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They danced to two songs played repeatedly. One was Kagoshima Ohara-bushi おはら節, Kagoshima Prefecture's most famous folk song.59 viewsThe song rambles on about things and scenes in Kagoshima like the Sakurajima volcano.
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Every once in a while, they stopped dancing for 2 min. to allow people to cross the street.59 views
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Some troupes came all the way from Kagoshima.59 views
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During the intermission at 2:25 pm, lively performances by young dancers were held in front of the 109 building. Young Dance Troupe (from Kagoshima) ヤング踊り連59 views
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These photos were taken on May 18, 2014. Kagoshima is the southernmost prefecture in Kyushu.58 views
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The intersection in front of the 109 building was the main area.58 views
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Opening ceremony included speeches by politicians.58 views
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Poster girl58 views
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The other song was, Shibuya Ondo 渋谷音頭 which mentions sights like Hachiko and Dogenzaka. One of Shibuya's official songs.58 views
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The second troupe to perform was the Baton Association of Universities in Tokyo 東京都大学バトン連盟.58 views
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They also performed to Tokyo Ohara TOKYOオハラ and Chesuto! Ohara チェスト！おはら.58 views
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They were also very good.58 views
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Tokyo Fire Dept. Brass Band57 views
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CLosing and awards ceremony in front of 109.57 views
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Outside Shibuya Station, they had this tent selling Kagoshima goods and giving out free festival pamphlets.56 views
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The dance parade was held on Dogenzaka and Bunkamura-dori roads.56 views
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Dancers started to assemble on the street by 12:30 pm.56 views
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Okame56 views
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Map of Yoyogi Park.55 views
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Yoyogi-Koen Station platform on the Chiyoda Line subway has a nice leafy motif. This is the nearest station to Yoyogi Park.55 views
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P.A. booth55 views
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Tokunoshima55 views
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Tokunoshima is famous for bullfighting.55 views
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Yoyogi Park is one of the more popular parks for hanami flower-viewing picnics in late March-early April in Tokyo.51 views
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What impressed me the most about Yoyogi Park was not the cherry blossoms. It was the long lines of people waiting outside these log cabins.51 views
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Meiji Shrine or Meiji Jingu is Tokyo largest and most important Shinto shrine. Dedicated to Emperor Meiji (1852–1912) and Empress Shoken (1849–1914). The most popular shrine during New Year's in Tokyo. It also holds a variety of seasonal events.50 views
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Halloween costumers and cosplayers of all kinds gathered in Shibuya on on Oct. 31, 2016. 50 viewsHalloween in Japan is fast becoming a major seasonal/commercial event, on par with Valentine's Day. Halloween merchandise has been taking off in Japan.
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Ironically, nobody said "trick or treat" and I didn't see anyone giving out Halloween candy. (No one carried candy bags either.) 50 viewsJapan invents its own Halloween (and Valentine's Day).
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Are they standing in line to buy tickets for an outdoor rock concert in the park?49 views
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Second torii49 views
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Ema prayer tablets.49 views
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No, they are standing in line to use the public toilets. Funny thing was the men's line was just as long as the women's line. But I'm sure the men's line progressed faster. It must've taken an hour to get to the toilet.48 views
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Turn left and see another torii.48 views
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Go left.48 views
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It's crowded under them trees, and pretty noisy.47 views
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Meiji Shrine is in a large wooded, park-like area. A wide walking path leads to the shrine. It can be dusty due to the gravel.47 views
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Sake rice wine.47 views
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The left tree is actually a couple.47 views
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Meiji Shrine is one of Tokyo's major sights. Cross the Bridge over the train tracks.46 views
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The torii gate for Meiji Shrine.46 views
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Barrels of French wine offered to the Meiji Shrine because the Meiji Emperor liked wine.46 views
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Across the barrels of wine are barrels of sake rice wine.46 views
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Along here, you may see some outdoor panel displays.46 views
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Where you wash/purify yourself. Temizuya46 views
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Yoyogi Park's pond and fountain.45 views
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JR Harajuku Station will soon be replaced by a new building.45 views
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Harajuku Station45 views
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Meiji Shrine's forest was man-made, not natural.45 views
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Where you wash/purify yourself. Temizuya45 views
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Shinmon Gate 神門45 views
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Wedding couple on their way to their ceremony inside the shrine with the wedded trees in the foreground.45 views
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On the left, there is a gate where you can exit and go to the shrine's park area.45 views
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In June, iris garden at Meiji Shrine.45 views
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Meiji Shrine torii44 views
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Last torii before the main shrine.44 views
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The main worship hall is flanked by these two large trees.44 views
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Main worship hall in front and a large offering pit where you throw money, etc.44 views
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When I saw yabusame at Meiji Shrine for the first time years ago, Mifune Toshiro (center) was still alive and he was there. I think he was the bugyo (master of the yabusame proceedings 奉行).44 viewsBehind him, you can see a white tarp for VIPs. They were sitting in front of the second target. Many foreign diplomats are invited to this event and they sit here.
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Lots of sexy costumes too.44 views
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