Article Index
Key #27: Animal Islands
Immanuel Kant believed that “we can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals”
Author: Edward Porper
Key #26: A Floating Gate
A place like that must significantly enhance one's spiritual experience - in particular, considering the gate that actually flirts with water.
Author: Edward Porper
Key #25: A "Red Gates Riot"
The shrine is among the most important and popular in Japan, and it owes its significance to its divine patron. Inari is a Shinto god of rice, a synonym of “wealth” and “prosperity” for Japan
Author: Edward Porper
Key #24: The Father Figure
They mark an entrance to a shrine, and every Japanese knows that, once through them, there will be peace, quiet and beauty of all kinds
Author: Edward Porper
Key #23: Zo Of All Trades
The symbol of Edo and the symbol of Tokyo are right next to each, and they coexist in perfect harmony - even though the former wasn't even created in Edo.
Author: Edward Porper
Key #22: Son of Heaven - Part 3, A Divine Tomb
However, the tomb associated with Nintoku, the legendary 16th Emperor, is by far the most famous of them - and that renown has everything to do with the tomb's size, as implied by its name.
Author: Edward Porper
Key #21: Son of Heaven - Part 2, Kyoto
Whether for sentimental reasons or for some less obvious practical ones, the Emperor ordered the palace and adjacent gardens completely renovated, refurbished and “invigorated” - and that's where the modern story of Kyoto Imperial Palace began.
Author: Edward Porper
Key #20: Son of Heaven - Part 1, Nara.
Not exactly a single building, and not exactly in Nara - “Palace Town” looks like a much better name for what's officially known as “Nara Imperial Palace”
Author: Edward Porper
Key #19: A Commonplace Wonder - Fukagawa Edo
Arguably, one of the most stunning wonders ever experienced by humankind, isn't a place or an object but a concept known as the “butterfly effect” - namely, occurrences when small changes bring about far-reaching consequences.
Author: Edward Porper