The sharper edge to traveling in Asia

Archive for the 'Museums & Art Galleries' Category

WoWasis visits Nijo Castle in Kyoto, Japan

Nijo Castle is an important UNESCO World heritage site in Kyoto, although the appellation is losing some of its luster, since that body seems to be giving out that honor like candy these days. Nevertheless, the castle is well worth seeing, and easy to get to, located in central Kyoto. Important aspects of the castle […]

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WoWasis visits the Kohfukuji Treasure Hall in Nara, Japan

These days, Japan is restoring seemingly dozens of historical shrines and temples. The process included shrouding the building in a huge, unsightly shed for periods of up to five years. While we here at WoWasis applaud the process in general, it wreaks havoc on visitors that were hoping to see an important shrine or temple, […]

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WoWasis visits the Todai-Ji Temple complex in Nara, Japan

The Todai-Ji Temple complex is considered to be the top tourism attraction in Nara. There is much to see here, and the complex is large, including some uphill walks to fascinating shrines and temples. You begin at the Nandai-mon gate, which leads to the main temple area. Encased in huge chicken-wire boxes are two wooden […]

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WoWasis’ Top 6 picks in Takayama, Japan

Takayama is a small jewel of a city located to the north of Kyoto, and makes a refreshing two day stop. It’s unrushed, and a terrific walking town. To get here, you’ll probably take the train from Nagoya. If you do, get a window seat, as the scenery around the Hida river is at times […]

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WoWasis visits the Yatai Kaikan Float Museum in Takayama, Japan

No visit to Takayama, Japan, would be complete without a visit to the Takayama Matsuri Yatai Kaikan Float Exhibition Hall. The floats are massive wooden two or three-wheeled structures, brought out twice a year for the Takayama Matsuri (festival). Four of these floats are always on a rotating visit to the museum, where you can […]

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WoWasis visits the Hida Folk Village (Hida No Sato) in Takayama, Japan

The hillside and lake-situated Hida Folk Village historical park in the city of Takayama, Japan, isn’t to be missed, and is worth a visit if you’re anywhere close to Takayama. Opened in 1971, the site consists of more than thirty buildings from the Hida area, moved here to preserve them from destruction. Architectural styles include […]

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The incredible mechanical puppets of the Karakuri Museum in Takayama, Japan

Puppet- making has been a tradition in Japan for centuries, but we here at WoWasis admit that we were unprepared for the technical wizardry inherent in Karakuri puppets, the centerpieces of Takayam’s Karakuri Museum. Their history begins in Edo (now Tokyo) in 1617, where a watch repairman conceptualized that cogs and wheels found in timepieces […]

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The best of Takayama Japan: Gomi Teruichi’s Showa Museum

The Takayama Showa Museum is not only one of the best things in Takayama, in our opinion here at WoWasis, it’s most of the most remarkable museums in the world. Showa refers to the period of Japanese history (1926-1987) following the Taisho era (1912-1925), and preceding the Heisei era (1988-today). Virtually everyone who has owned […]

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WoWasis book review: ‘The Terra Cotta Army’ by John Man

The discovery in 1974 of some 7,000 Chinese terra cotta warriors and horses from the First Emperor’s reign circa 200 BCE is one of the outstanding archaeological finds on th twentieth century. Several of these statutes have been on tour of U.S. museums, most recently at San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum. John Man’s landmark book, […]

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WoWasis book review: ‘Myanmar Buddha: The Image and Its History’ by Somkiart Lopetcharat

This very fine and comprehensive book on Burmese Buddha images is generally available only in Southeast Asia, so we here at WoWasis would advise putting it on your shopping list for your next trip. Somkiart Lopetcharat’s Myanmar Buddha: The Image and Its History (2007, ISBN 978-974-09-6065-2) carries a suggested retail price of $85 USD, and […]

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