Jasmac Plaza

Visit a Shinto shrine. Any...

by lourdesmaria

Visit a Shinto shrine. Any one will do. Then read up on some Japanese mythology on the Sun Goddess, Moon God, Wind God. You'll get some insights into the ancient beliefs and concepts that still influence the culture at the most subtle levels.
Unique Qualities: Unlike the more famous Christian churches and cathedrals, which are chock full of rich artwork or striking architecture, a Shinto shrine seems quite stark in its simplicity. Yet here you will get a sense for the way in which the concept 'less is more' bears great fruit for Japanese art and religion. It's more of a subjective experience than an intellectual one. Just enjoy it. And let the insights come over time. A cold day in early Spring. Snow was still under foot. The wind was blowing and crows were cawing as I entered the grounds of Shinkotoni Jinja. It was a quiet moment when I felt close to the spirit of old Japan.

Sapporo

by KevinMichael

"Wish I had a digital camara back then"

Sapporo really does have a lot of sites to see.

A met a number of foreigners here in Sapporo who really liked living here.
I found that people were friendly and I still want to go here again. Now,
that one of my students is going to be going to college here, maybe I'll
go up and visit him in the near future.

NOTE: On digital cameras:___________________________________
But, back when I had to pay for film and the ridiculously expensive price of developing it here in Japan, I didn't want to take as many pictures. So, I only have a few of them. And some just aren't very good quality. Obviously, one big point on digital cameras is that I don't worry about how many pictures I take. If I don't like a picture, I just erase it later.

With film, it wastes paper and takes up a lot of space. And still sometimes the quality just isn't good enough. And you wouldn't know it until after you developed it.

"Odori Park"

Both these pictures were taken in Odori Park. One of the nice things about Sapporo is that more of it's streets have street names. It seems that there has been a much stronger European influence in the way the city has been designed in contrast to that of most other Japanese cities I've been to.

I had a chance to experience the Bon Odori festival in Sapporo. Honestly, compared to Niigata, people don't seem to take it as seriously here. There were people dancing but, not as many people seem to dress up in the traditional Japanese garb for the event.