Unicorn Seattle. Russian Mother Takes Magical Pictures of Her Two Kids With Animals On Her Farm. These wonderful photographs by Elena Shumilova plunge the viewer into a beautiful world that revolves around two boys and their adorable dog, cat, duckling and rabbit friends. Taking advantage of natural colors, weather conditions and her enchanting surroundings, the gifted Russian artist creates cozy and heartwarming photography that will leave you amazed. Show Full Text The boys in the photographs are the photographer’s sons and the animals belong to the farm she runs. “I largely trust my intuition and inspiration when I compose photos. I get inspired mainly by my desire to express something I feel, though I usually cannot tell exactly what that is” Shumilova explained to BoredPanda.
Rural settings, natural phenomena and the changing seasons seem to be the greatest stimuli in her works. Shumilova told us her passion for photography manifested in early 2012 when she got her first camera. See her gallery on: Flickr | 500px “Children and animals – it’s my life. How to Learn Japanese (Online & Free)【日本語の学習法】日英字幕. NARA HOTELS. Nara Hotels - Save up to 75% with GUARANTEED LOWEST RATES on Nara hotels.
Nara hotels with instant booking confirmation. Large range of Nara Hotels. Nara is a city in the Kansai region of Japan and a former capital of Japan. Nara is overshadowed by its more famous neighbour Kyoto and thus Nara is omitted from many a time-pressed tourist's itinerary. However, Nara was the Japanese capital long before Kyoto, and today preserves its main sights much more attractively than Kyoto within the large Nara Park. Nara and Nara Prefecture are unique in Japan in that they have World Heritage Sites from three different World Heritage Listings: Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area (inscribed in 1993), Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara (inscribed in 1998) and Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range (inscribed in 2011).
Nara - Todaiji Temple Nara attractions marked with a yellow highlight are World Heritage Sites. Nara - Isuien Garden Author: Craig Fryer. One Piece Manga Gets a Permanent Store in Tokyo! Though there have been others, the first permanent shop entirely dedicated to Eiichiro Oda's One Piece pirate manga and anime opened on Friday at Tokyo's Shibuya Parco Part 1 shopping complex. Named "One Piece Mugiwara Store," the new location is kicking things off with over 10,000 items, including exclusives and limited editions to celebrate the grand opening.
The ad below shows off some of the items you can expect to find in the shop and there's a nice translation below it, thanks to Anime News Network: The store brings the One Piece world to life with a life-size sculpture of Luffy, a retail area designed to resemble the Thousand Sunny ship's hold, a Mini Merry II boat replica and a gateway decorated with the whale Laboon and Straw Hat pirate mark.
The "One Piece Mugiwara Store" is open from 10am to 9pm daily, but if you aren't in the Tokyo area and still want to get a peak, you can head over to Comic Natalie and check out photos of the store taken before its grand opening. Asking For Trouble » Japan Extras: Dr Moku Apps. The Japan posts have been a bit sparse of late, I know. I shall try and find some more things to blog about. Ideally, I’d be planning another trip to Japan but I don’t think I’ll be able to afford that for another year or two.
One thing I have been doing is restarting my Japanese alphabet learning using the Dr Moku apps. I got a free copy of the Hiragana version to review on Super Cute Kawaii last year but I picked it up again recently and after a couple of days I was back up to speed. I really recommend these if you’re interested in learning Japanese. Without learning Kanji (which has over 50,000 characters!) If you fancy a go, you can find out more at the Dr Moku website. Are you learning Japanese? Related Posts. Asking For Trouble » Visit Japan with Hello Kitty. This new mobile app quite literally lets you hang out with Hello Kitty in Japan, and bring back the photos to prove it.
Created for the Japan National Tourism Organization, Visit Japan with Hello Kitty includes sightseeing tips for all regions of Japan with a cute themed Hello Kitty to match. You can ‘check in’ to the places you visit to keep a record of your trip, and if you take a photo at specific places, Hello Kitty will appear so you can include her in your holiday snaps. It also handily tells you about any nearby Hello Kitty stores so you can go shopping too. If you’re bringing your kids to Japan, I think they would get a lot of fun out of this.
Older kawaii fans will enjoy it too as each place has some explanation of local foods and festivals and it’s always fun seeing Hello Kitty pretending to be a squid or a deer or Natto. However, it is free so you’re not really losing anything by giving it a go. Related Posts. Asking For Trouble » Japan 2010 – Osaka. When we were researching new places to visit in Japan this trip, we couldn’t help but notice the ocean of negativity surrounding Osaka. One of our guidebooks suggests it’s worth a day trip, or really a half-day trip might be more sensible. The other one actually says there is no reason to stay in Osaka when Kyoto is so near by. Undeterred, we chose to spend the first part of our holiday in Osaka and can now only assume that this is all part of some conspiracy to keep Osaka free from tourists. In fact, that is one of Osaka’s great features – it was only when we took a day trip to Kyoto (take that, guidebook!)
* I expect we’d have seen some at Osaka Castle but we never quite made it there Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan It has two Whale Sharks for starters. It’s situated beside Osaka Bay so there are lots of other activities and a giant ferris wheel too. Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan website (in English). Tip! Tennoji Park Den Den Town Again with the insults! Shinsaibashi Shopping A note on hotels. The King Of Fighters. [ad#Google Line Footer] (Edit: I went back again in 2010!
The shops I covered are still there…) Ok let’s face it, Akiba is not just electric town, it’s the place where geeks and otakus come to shop, and it damn well caters to their tastes. There are maids friggin everywhere, offering to look after you or feed you, if not at least inviting you to their cafe. I took a video of one but she got suprisingly pissed off (dunno what she was saying lol) which is weird when you consider that standing on the street in a maid costume almost guarantees a million ecchi/skebe/perverts taking photos and videos of you home to… er… collect. Funnily enough, the best map I have of Akiba was actually given to me by a maid and as you can see, it lists the name of pretty much every shop, so if you don’t print out mine (and have a good grasp of kana) then pick one up. Update: rummaging through my collection, I’ve just found that I have one! So now you have two options. This guide will not describe every shop. Hello Kitty iPhone app welcomes tourists to Japan.
A new iPhone application called “Visit Japan with Hello Kitty” is trying to help tourism to the Asian country thanks to the huge popularity of the cartoon character. The application was developed by Tokyo-based Japan Tourism Agency in cooperation with Sanrio, the creator of Hello Kitty. “Hello Kitty has a strong association with Japan; it’s globally known and eye-catching,” explained Nori Akashi, PR manager for the Japan National Tourist Organization. The app features 53 different versions of the Hello Kitty character, in different costumes representing each of Japan’s 47 prefectures. Multiple characters were created for Hokkaido, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Osaka and Kyoto. For each destination, Hello Kitty pops up as a tour guide to local landmarks and can also appear on photos taken by users. The GPS system installed in the phone finds where the user is located in Japan and displays the appropriate character. Asking For Trouble » Tokyo Shopping Guide: Super Potato. Photo by JoshBerglund19 Super Potato is pretty much heaven for retro gaming fans.
The main Akihabara store has about 5 floors, each dedicated to a different console/manufacturer. The Nintendo floor was obviously our favourite and is crammed with secondhand games for the whole history of Nintendo as well as toys and other merchandise. There are also old consoles dotted around set up ready to play – yay! The top floor is the most exciting though, full of retro arcade machines and vending machines and a great place to stop and rest your feet. Even if you can’t afford to buy anything, it’s worth a trip just to marvel at all the Japan-only games and limited edition consoles. I’ve also visited the branch in Den Den Town, Osaka, which is not quite as exciting but it does have a big range of secondhand games, plus all the new releases.
If you’re a fan of old skool Nintendo or Sega gaming then Super Potato is a must-see. Walls of old games. Nintendo plush toys. It’s a Toad frenzy! How to get there. Asking For Trouble » Tokyo Shopping Guide. I have visited Japan three times now and each time I’ve researched an exhaustive itinerary of cute, crafty and creative places to visit. You’ll find individual posts on my favourite shops and sights, plus a guide to the main areas of Tokyo. After my most recent trip, I’ve added a few places in Osaka and Kyoto too.
You’ll also find links to other shopping guides and trip reports, plus resources, articles and maps. I hope you find it useful in planning your own trip! Make sure you check the Japan section of my blog too, for regular posts and links about Japan. If you enjoy these posts, please consider buying my printed Tokyo Shopping Guide, also available as a printable PDF or ebook. My Tokyo Shopping Guide You can view the whole set of posts in backwards order (i.e. most recent post back to the first post) via the Tokyo Shopping Guide category or you can jump directly to the posts you’re most interested in, using the links below. Photos and info Online Shopping Guides Japan Zines & Guides Maps. 10 Tips for your first trip to Japan : 7Tune.com.
Your first time in Japan will blow you away! It’s an absolutely jaw dropping wonderland. The size and scale of Japan can quickly become overwhelming. Here are a few quick tips we’ve found essential while living/traveling around Japan. 1. About as English as English gets in Japan Those 2 hours you spent laughing at the funny things you can say out of the Lonely Planet phrase book will be good for a few laughs but that’s about it!
2. The only way to escape the smoke! Japan is extremely smoker friendly, if you are sensitive to smoke then make sure you come prepared! 3. Make sure you take enough cash with you, as a lot of Japanese ATMs do not accept international cards. 4. 99 yen shops will rock your world Look out for the Blue and Orange!! 5. Choose your footwear wisely! 6. A common site on the first train home in the morning If you’re struggling to find somewhere to go, don’t be afraid to do a bit of exploring and ask the locals. 7. 8 Hire A Bike Travel in style! As they say ” When In Rome”! 10 Things to Know Before You Go to Japan. Beautiful, mysterious, and so very far away—Japan's appeal for the traveler is eternal. But there's a lot to know about this enigmatic country before you set foot within its borders.
Here are some insider tips to a country that's equal parts ancient and ultra modern. Tipping is Not Required Blast the trumpets and open the pearly gates—tipping is not big in Japan. Shoes On, Shoes Off In Japan, as in many Asian countries, it's customary to take off one's shoes when entering a carpeted room, certain areas of restaurants, and, above all, in someone's home. Chopsticks Aren't For Passing Food Why? Robot Toilet? What could be better than drinking your weight in sake at a shot bar and staggering to the bathroom... only to be greeted by a hole in the ground? Tip: The round "bowl" part of the Japanese toilet is the front. Gentlemen: Hang up your trousers on the hook behind the bathroom stall door. My Nose, Myself Pass the Barbecued Tongue, Please They're Not Mad at You Keep it Down. Japan Travel Tips | Inside Japan Tours. Useful information for your trip to Japan In this section we've put together lots of useful practical advice about travelling in Japan.
Choose a link from the left menu to jump to a section. Of course, everyone travelling with InsideJapan Tours is supplied with our complimentary Japan Info-Pack and has 24/7 support from our office in Japan. Those of you taking a Small Group Tour will also receive on the ground assistance from your Tour Leader. If there is anything we've forgotten, please e-mail us and we'll do our best to include it soon. Facts about Japan Area: 377,829 sq km (145,877 sq miles)Population: 127.8 million (2011) - predicted to fall rapidly over the coming decadesPopulation Density: 333.7 per sq kmCapital: TokyoPopulation: 7,967,614 (1995) - Tokyo Metropolitan Government district.
Electricity100 volts AC, 60Hz in the west (Osaka), 50Hz in the east and Tokyo. Official languageUnsurprisingly, Japanese is the official language of Japan. Finally there is kanji. Back to top Climate. Loaded for Travel | Home.