Did you know that there is a 1:1 scale replica of the world-famous #Shibuya Scramble intersection that can be rented by TV and film productions located 80 km northwest of Tokyo in the city of #Ashikaga? The real intersection is so busy that nobody can close it down for controlled filming.
This set was notably used in the hit Japanese TV series Alice in Borderland.
Two Shintō shrines on Awaji Island are associated with the creation myth of Japan (国生み神話) in the earliest chronicles Kojiki and Nihon Shoki. At Onokoro Island Shrine (自凝島神社), visitors are encouraged to perform rituals to sacred stones for good fortune. The sekirei stone (鶺鴒石) is for couples, with a white and red cord, and I was surprised that my wife grasped my hand and prayed as we held the cords.
We also went to Izanagi Shrine (伊弉諾神宮), dedicated to the two founding gods or pillars (二神、又は二柱) of the archipelago. Worshippers believe that the founding gods dwell in the 900-year-old husband-and-wife camphor tree (夫婦楠). We have seen a similar tree at Ōmiwa Jinja in Nara (大神神社) where two trees merged into one at the base. We also noticed a connection to the Onokoro Island Shrine at the Izanagi Shrine, a small sekirei monument to married couples (夫婦鶺鴒像), and both sites included a bird motif.
Some Japanese service staff say they're struggling to cope with visitors who don't make any effort to find linguistic common ground. More below on tourists who insist on speaking their mother tongue (and how not to be That Guy).
A Japanese company is developing a space elevator to transport humans and cargo, aiming for a cost-effective and sustainable alternative to current space travel.
#TIL about a really high quality and expensive #vegetarian meal in #Japan called Shojin Ryori. It's a vegetarian cuisine that's prepared at Buddhist temples and is mostly found in Kyoto. You will need to reserve ahead of time for these. #Vegan#Japanese
"A bill submitted by the administration of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida would compel the dominant platforms to allow third parties to launch their own app markets and to offer more payment options, while banning the technology giants from giving preferential treatment to their own products."