Image Page on Japan
Include pictures, and at least one panorama image, and a webcam image from two different times.
Outline
- Landscapes
- Mt. Fuji
- Tropical island
- Countryside farm
- Mt. Fuji Summit
- Cities
- Tokyo
- Osaka
- Kyoto
- Shibuya
- Landmarks
- First image name
- Second image name
- Third image name
- Bathing Monkeys
- Images of People
- Salary Men
- Tokyo subway
- Traditional Wedding
- Fourth image name
- Images from the book
- Daigo-Ji
- Sapporo Snow Festival
1 Landscapes
A serene view of a river and Japan’s iconic cherry blossoms. Cherry blossoms are very much beloved in Japan, as they are both beautiful and signify the start of spring. In the background is Mt. Fuji, an iconic natural landmark for the Japanese that can be seen at many different places throughout the country. This picture gives one a sense of calmness, from the deep blue water, to the bright pink cherry blossoms and then the snow-capped peak of Mt. Fuji.
https://hdqwalls.com/download/3840x2400/sakura-river-japan
Pictured here is Kudaka island,
one of the Ryukyu islands south of mainland Japan. The environment on these islands are
tropical, entirely different from the mainland. The vegetation on this island is dense
and the oceans are a deep blue. The
people who are native here are Ryukyuan, and they have their own unique culture
and religion. This island is known
as the island of the gods to the Ryukyuan’s and is a holy place.
https://www.oki-islandguide.com/areaguide/kudaka-island
Japanese rice patty farm in the countryside. Across Japan you can find rice patties,
rice is a staple crop and is eaten with almost every meal. Rice must be flooded in order to grow so
that’s why you see raised ground for people to walk around it. Rural Japan is often very forested and
hilly, as you can see in this photo, the mountains in the background make a
very nice view with their snowcapped peaks.
Panorama taken from the summit of Mt. Fuji, tons of people
start early in the morning to climb the mountain and watch the sunrise. The people here rest atop the clouds and
you can almost see the sun starting to set. You can see in this picture that there
are buildings at the top of the mountain, some of which you can stay in
overnight.
Webcam image of Japan’s famous bathing monkeys. Up in Japan’s northernmost
island of Hokkaido, it gets very cold and snows frequently. These monkeys however have adapted to
live around and bath in hot springs located all around the country. Japan is located within the ring of
fire, so hot springs are somewhat common, it also means that Japan experiences
a lot of earth quakes too. In the
center of the picture we can see a baby monkey picking bugs out of an adult, at first
glance it looks like they are bathing each other.
2 Cities
Pictured here is the Tokyo metro at night. Tokyo is a very vertical city, with many
people living in a small area. You
can see from the amount of lights that there is much going on even at
night. The obvious center of the
photo is the Tokyo Tower, a radio tower built in the likeness of the Eiffel
Tower. It serves the dual purpose
of broadcasting and tourism. NHK
public radio is broadcast throughout Tokyo and hundreds of people each day go
to the top and can even eat at the Tokyo Tower restaurant.
Pictured here is Osaka’s Dotonbori district, a popular
tourist destination, filled with bright neon screens along a canal. This picture reminds me both of Las
Vegas and Blade Runner’s Los Angeles. Although this picture is at night the
city is still illuminated and people are out and about, enjoying the night
life.
Pictured here is Kyoto, a beautiful and historical city in
Japan. Kyoto has an older, quiet
small-town feel compared to Tokyo being a very modern, crowded and busy
city. This picture shows
Japan’s sort of dual identity.
It’s a very old country with deep history and traditions, yet also
a very progressive and modern one.
The couple is dressed in traditional clothes, while walking down a brick
road, and the houses have a very old look to them. Yet there is a modern car, powerlines,
and sewer manholes. Although Japan
is a modern country influenced by western culture, they still have their own
identity.
Webcam image of Tokyo’s famous Shibuya crossing. A popular shopping district within
Tokyo, featured in many movies and a common tourist destination. You can see in this image the sheer
amount of foot traffic taking place in this small area, it is absolutely mind
blowing. It seems as if there is no
order, and no rhyme or reason to the traffic but everyone has a place in mind
they are going and so the flow of traffic stays orderly.
3 Landmarks
Pictured here is the Fushimi Inari-Taisha, in Kyoto. It is part of a Shinto shrine that goes
all the way up to a mountain, in this path are a thousand of these gates or
torii. Torri are part of Shinto
belief and they mark the transition from the regular to the sacred. This particular stretch of torii is know as Senbon Torii, going back
to the 1600’s in which people would donate a torii in order to have their
wishes granted.
Pictured is the expansive Himeji Castle, a hilltop fortress
built during Japans feudal period in the 1300’s. It has survived for 600 years and
withstood World War II and many earthquakes. Over the years it has been rebuilt and
remodeled. Although a tool of
warfare back in the day, the architecture combined with the landscaping is very
beautiful. In the feudal period I
am sure it would have been rather imposing, but today it is a great piece of
history and just shows the sheer depth of Japanese history.
This photo is of the Daibutsu
or Great Buddha in Nara, although Japan’s official religion is Shintoism
there are many practicing Buddhist and Japan has a long history of
Buddhism. This statue was built in
the 750’s at a time when Nara was the capital of Japan, this massive
statue is made entirely out of bronze.
Buddhism originally made its way from India to Japan, and over time
turned into its own unique form of Buddhism, this monument goes to show the
importance of Buddhism in Japanese cultural identity.
https://theculturetrip.com/asia/japan/articles/the-21-most-iconic-japanese-landmarks/
4 Images of People
A picture featuring Japanese “Salary men” (and
woman). Salarymen are white-collar
businessmen employed by large companies straight out of high school or
college. They are often expected to
work with their company for the rest of their lives. Their lives are usually depicted as
being very bleak, as they work long hours in a depressing corporate setting,
often pressured by society into this lifestyle. Modern Japanese are trying to get away
from this kind of lifestyle. In
this picture you everyone is dressed in the same colored suit and many people
wear an exhausted and stressed out look on their faces.
Picture depicting rush hour commuters on a Tokyo
subway. Tokyo is notorious for
having jam packed subway systems, even to the extent of having
“pushers” to cram people into the crowded subway cars. The people in this picture mostly seem
like they’re trying to mind their own business, either by reading or
putting in headphones. Although
these people are in an uncomfortable setting, they seem rather used to it and
accept it as a fact of life.
This picture is
of a traditional Japanese Shinto wedding.
Modern Japanese people often choose to have western style wedding that
we would recognize here in the United States. This wedding takes place at a Shinto
shrine, the bride and groom share an umbrella with two shrine maidens at their
sides. Their family is also
standing behind them. Although
Japanese weddings may look different, they have similar traditions such as, the
bride’s white dress, a ceremony in a place of worship, and the father
handing off his daughter.
These are
Japan’s indigenous people of Hokkaido, Japan’s northern
island. They are called the Ainu
people, and they have their own unique culture, notice their traditional attire
and the beautiful patterns. Not
many people know that Japan has indigenous peoples like in the United States,
and that they have a similar story of subjugation and persecution. Many people have Ainu ancestry but do
not actually know it, as many have been assimilated into Japanese society way
long ago, but in recent years Japan has been taking steps to recognize Ainu
peoples. The people in this photo
seem proud to be Ainu people and be wearing their traditional attire.
5 Images from the
Book
Daigo-Ji in Kyoto, a sprawling temple complex in
the Higashiyama mountains. Founded
in 874 as a Buddhist temple it was expanded later in the 15th and 16th
centuries. This picture shows the
stunning architecture of the arched bridge and the amazing foliage with the
bright red autumn trees. A lone man
stands atop the pagoda, all the aspects of this photo give it a quiet and
serene feeling.
A child here is having a blast going
down an ice slide at the Sapporo Snow Festival in Hokkaido, Japan’s
northern-most island. The festival
draws in millions of people each year and hosts many activities such as snow
sculpting competitions and great local food is showcased here. In the background of this picture is an
impressive snow sculpture that looks almost like a real Japanese style castle.
Submitted
by Ryan Clarke on 4/5/2019.