Circle Stock Images »
prev
Display Options

Japan Images Gallery(50 images)

| Slideshow | RSS RSS
Japan has been my base for 25 years. I have prepared a gallery or galleries containing images from Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, Sapporo although there are also more specialized collections of Japanese Festivals, Japanese Gardens, Japanese Cuisine and even Costume Play. To view respective collections please go to individual galleries at www.asiaimages.net or contact john@asiaimages.net
  • A Japanese man relaxing at an open air hot spring called a "rotemburo" in Japan. Bathing in a natural atmosphere, among the trees and under open skies is a favorite with Japanese. Nowadays it is almost a requirement for any hot spring resort to have outdoor baths thanks to their popularity.
    rotemburo.jpg
    add to lightboxadd to cart
  • The "Nozomi" is the newest version of the Shinkansen, popularly known overseas as the "bullet train". The Nozomi can reach speeds of up to 320 km/h (200 mph) although they currently operate at a maximum of 300 km/h (186 mph) in service. Nozomi trains stop only at the most important stations, and reach Osaka from Tokyo in about two and a half hours.
    shinkansen-...jpg
    add to lightboxadd to cart
  • Mode Gakuen Spiral Tower is a 170-metre, 36 storey educational facility located in Nagoya, Japan. The building is home to three vocational schools: Nagoya Mode Gakuen, HAL Nagoya and Nagoya Isen. The concept of the towers are derived from enthusiasm of students from the schools twist up to the sky. The towers are highlighted with many ecological features such as double glassed and air flow window system, and natural air ventilation system.
    mode-gakuen...jpg
    add to lightboxadd to cart
  • Geisha, or geiko as they are called in Kyoto, are traditionally entertainers whose skills include performing various Japanese arts such as classical music and dance. Apprentice geisha are called maiko literally "dance child". It is the maiko with her white make-up and elaborate kimono and hairstyle, that has become the stereotype of a geisha to Westerners.
    geisha-1.jpg
    add to lightboxadd to cart
  • Rickshaws still ply the streets of Arashiyama in the rural part of Kyoto. Nowadays the rickshaw pullers tend to be university students, working at a part-time job rather than this being a blue-collar low level job. The bamboo grove at Arashiyama, where this rickshaw and passengers is located, is one of Kyoto's best retreats from the urban scene.
    japanese-ri...jpg
    add to lightboxadd to cart
  • Mengake Mask Procession - Mengake or Masked Parade at Goryo Jinja shrine. At this festival a group of ten people take part in this annual ritual: 8 men and 2 women. Wearing grotesque or comical masks leave the shrine and parade through the nearby streets accompanied by portable shrine and festival music.
    mengake-ima...jpg
    add to lightboxadd to cart
  • A torii is a traditional Japanese gate commonly found at the entry to a Shinto shrine. The basic structure of a torii is two columns that are topped with a horizontal rail. Slightly below the top rail is a second horizontal rail. Torii are traditionally made from wood and are usually painted vermilion red.
    kamakura-to...jpg
    add to lightboxadd to cart
  • Sensuijima Sea Breem Festival - The way in which Japanese dances are performed is different in each region, though the typical Bon dance involves people lining up in a circle. The dance of a region can show the area's history and specialization. Dancers perform the same dance sequence in unison.
    festival-ki...jpg
    add to lightboxadd to cart
  • A morning market (Hakodate Asaichi) is held daily from 5am (6am during winter) to noon, just a few steps away from JR Hakodate Station. The market area spans about four city blocks..Products on sale include various types of fresh seafood such as crabs, salmon eggs, and sea urchin. The indoor section of the market has yet more seafood shops as well as fresh produce such as potatoes and other Hokkaido products. .Several fish restaurants can be found in the market area, offering fresh seafood breakfasts if your stomach is up to it. .
    hakodate-as...jpg
    add to lightboxadd to cart
  • Gassho-zukuri houses were built of wooden beams combined to form a steep thatched roof that resembles two hands praying together.<br /> You can see houses such as these Shirakawago. These structures were built to suit the environment in Shirakawa and made to withstand heavy snowfall. The houses face north and south, to minimize wind resistance.
    gasho-zukur...jpg
    add to lightboxadd to cart
  • Shiraike Jigoku - as its name suggests, "white pond hell" features a pond of hot, milky white water.
    shiraike-wh...jpg
    add to lightboxadd to cart
  • Onsen Yukatas - Yukata is a Japanese summer robe. People wearing yukata are a common sight at fireworks displays, bon odori festivals and other summer events and frequently worn after bathing at traditional Japanese inns. Though their use is not limited to after bath wear, yukata literally means "bath clothes".
    yukatas.jpg
    add to lightboxadd to cart
  • Bamboo Tsukubai - Water is considered purifying in Japan, thus the emphasis on cleanliness in everyday life. It is also a comfort to hear tsukubai trickling water to soothe the nerves as well.
    tsukubai-wa...jpg
    add to lightboxadd to cart
  • Shinjuku Bright Lights - Metallic sculptures overlooking traffic at Yasukuni Street in Shinjuku - one of the main shopping and train terminals of Tokyo. This is Kabukicho an entertainment and red-light district in Shinjuku.. Kabukicho is the location of many hostess bars, host bars, love hotels, shops, restaurants, and nightclubs, and is often called the "Sleepless Town". The district's name comes from a 1940s plan to build a kabuki theater: although the theater was never built the name stuck.
    kabuki-cho.jpg
    add to lightboxadd to cart
  • Taiko Drummer participaing in summer O-bon festivities at Shonan Beach - Taiko means "drum" in Japanese and to the relatively recent art form of ensemble taiko drumming or more specifically "kumi-daiko". Performances can last up to 25 minutes and typically follow a rapid/ sudden/urgent structure; the performance speeds up significantly towards the grand finale.
    taiko-drumm...jpg
    add to lightboxadd to cart
  • Octopus Vendor at Ameyoko Market, Tokyo. Ameyoko or Ameyocho as it is sometimes called was once Tokyo's black market district. Nowadays it is given over to selling knockoff designer jeans, sunglasses, bulk food items, fish and just about anything you can think of. It is liveliest at night with spillover passengers from nearby Ueno Station.
    ameyocho-oc...jpg
    add to lightboxadd to cart
  • Sanrio Puroland is an indoor theme park located in Tama Center, Tokyo that attracts over 1.5 million visitors per year and hosts various musicals, restaurants, attractions, and theme rides using popular characters such as Hello Kitty, Pochacco, Keroppi, and many more. While many of the shows are only in Japanese, Puroland nevertheless attracts many visitors from overseas as well as Japan because of the worldwide popularity of these characters. Puroland has become one of Japan's most popular attractions.
    hello-kitty...jpg
    add to lightboxadd to cart
  • Sanja Matsuri Mikoshi Bearers - the biggest of Tokyo's traditional 3 grand festivals is held at Asakusa Shrine; the Sanja festival is a three-day weekend of boisterous traditional mikoshi processions through the streets of Asakusa with plenty of drinking, dancing, music and other revelry. Held by the Sensoji Temple in Tokyo, the huge parade draws over two million people into the streets. The gold and black lacquer mikoshi are the vehicles of the shrine's kami or deities and the purpose of the processions is to bring luck and prosperity to the areas inhabitants. Many of the mikoshi are so large, heavy and elaborate that dozens of people are required to carry them.
    sanja-matsu...jpg
    add to lightboxadd to cart
  • Little Japanese girl running through the Red Torii gates at Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto; Fushimi Inari Shrine is one of Kyoto's landmarks and has been featured in countless movies as backdrop. A torii is a traditional Japanese gate commonly found at the entry to a Shinto shrine. The basic structure of a torii is two columns that are topped with a horizontal rail. Slightly below the top rail is a second horizontal rail. Torii are traditionally made from wood and are usually painted vermilion red.
    fushimi-ina...jpg
    add to lightboxadd to cart
  • Shojin Ryori Vegetarian Temple Cuisine "Shojin Ryori" is vegetarian cuisine at its best, consisting of pickled, seasonal vegetables and a variety of tofu dishes artfully arranged on lacquerware.
    shojin-ryor...jpg
    add to lightboxadd to cart
  • Japanese Monk Hats, usually only worn while collecting alms in the early morning, hang along the wall at Taizoin, a sub temple of Miyoshinji Temple in Kyoto.
    zen-monk-ha...jpg
    add to lightboxadd to cart
  • Many Japanese Buddhist monks make their pilgrimage to Koyasan as well as the many other "henro" or white-clad pilgrims making their way from temple to temple. Though the most famous trail in Japan is around Shikoku Island's 88 temples, Koya-san is another hot spot.
    japanese-mo...jpg
    add to lightboxadd to cart
  • The Moss Garden at Saihoji Temple, Because of the beautiful moss that covers the land in the garden, Saihoji is often called the "Moss Temple" or Koke-dera.<br /> The garden was designed by reknowned Zen monk and garden designer par excellence Muso Soseki and is covered with 120 types of moss.
    saihoji-mos...jpg
    add to lightboxadd to cart
  • Fire ceremony at Ekoin in Koya-san. There are temples and shrines that have accommodation facilities called shukubo in Japan that attract attention not only as places to stay, but as places that let you experience Japanese culture. Koya-san is one of the best places to experience a temple stay in Japan. Ekoin is one of the most popular temples for this for foreign visitors. One reason is that most of the young monks speak English, and Ekoin is well accustomed to foreign visitors. Also Ekoin has morning prayer services and fire burning ceremonies that visitors can observe.
    koyasan-fir...jpg
    add to lightboxadd to cart
  • Sanmon Gate at Zenkoji Temple is considered an Important Cultural Asset in Japan. It contains five wooden Buddhist statues as well as a plaque which contains five hidden doves in the lettering. The temple was built in the 7th century and the city of Nagano was built around the temple. The temple was founded before Buddhism iwas split into several different sects in Japan so it is co-managed by priests from different schools of Japanese Buddhism.
    zenkoji-tem...jpg
    add to lightboxadd to cart


prev