JAPAN PICS
Nagoya City, Aichi
愛知県名古屋市
Table of Contents

  Miso-katsu-don (味噌カツ丼)
  Astuta-jingu Shrine (熱田神宮)
  Nagoya-jo Castle (名古屋城)
  Shirakawa-koen (白川公園)
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Do-o (Hokkaido Central)
  
   Naganuma Town (The Tsuchinotomi Society Tour)
2006
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2006
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2006
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2006
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2007
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2007
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2007
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Aichi
  
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2008
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2009
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2009
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2009-2011
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2009
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2009
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2008
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2008
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2007
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2007
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2009-2010
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2008
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2008
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2008-2012
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2012
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2010
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2010
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2012
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2006
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2006
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2011
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2009
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2006
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2005
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2006-2010
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2005-2010
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2011
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2011-2012
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2010
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2005-2012
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2007-2011
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2010
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2008-2010
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2008
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2011
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2008-2011
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2006-2009
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2009
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2011
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2002-2012
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2002-2012
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2002
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2008
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2008
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2011
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2012
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2012
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2012
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2012
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2010-2012
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2010-2012
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Ehime
  
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2011
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2011
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2011
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2011
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2010
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2010
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2010-2012
Kagoshima
  
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2010
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2010
Nagasaki
  
   Nagasaki City
2010
Oita
  
   Oita City
2010

Nagoya City, Aichi
16 March 2008

  Nagoya City (名古屋市) is located in the central part of Japan, Aichi Prefecture (愛知県).  The city serves as the capital of Aichi Prefecture and the core city/port/airport for the Chubu District (中部地方).  It has an area of 326.45 sq. km (126.04 sq. miles) and the population is 2,236,000 (September 1, 2007): the density: 6,849.4/sq km (17,740/sq mi).
  In 1610, Ieyasu Tokugawa (徳川家康, 1543-1616) moved the capital of Owari Province (尾張国) from Kiyosu (清洲) around seven kilometers to a more strategic location in present-day Nagoya.  A new large castle, Nagoya-jo Castle (名古屋城), was partly constructed from materials sourced from Kiyosu-jo Castle (清洲城).  Along with the construction, the entire town of around 60,000 people, including the temples and shrines, moved from Kiyosu to the new planned town around Nagoya-jo Castle.  Around the same time not far away, the ancient Atsuta-jingu Shrine (熱田神宮) was designated as a way station called Miya (宮; the Shrine) on the important Tokai-do (東海道) that linked the two capitals of Kyoto (京都) and Edo (江戸; now Tokyo).  The town thus developed around the temple to support travelers.  The combination of these two castles and shrine towns forms what we now call Nagoya.  Nagoya was governed by the Owari-Tokugawa clan (尾張徳川家), one of the Three Branch Families of the Tokugawa House (徳川御三家).  Their annual salary was 620,000 koku of rice.
  Through the following years Nagoya became an industrial hub for the surrounding region.  Its economic sphere included the famous pottery towns Tokoname (常滑), Tajimi (多治見) and Seto (瀬戸), as well as Okazaki (岡崎), one of the only places where gunpowder was produced under the Shogunate.  Other industries in the area included cotton and complex mechanical dolls called "karakuri-ningyo" (からくり人形). Part of the modernization efforts of the Meiji Restoration saw a restructuring of Japan's provinces into prefectures and the government changed from family rule to that by government officials.  Nagoya was proclaimed a city on October 1, 1889, and designated a city on September 1, 1956 by government ordinance (政令指定都市). <br>  The city's name was written "Nagoya" (那古野) until the Azuchi-Momoyama Period in the late sixteenth century, and as the city is located between Kyoto, Shikoku and Tokyo,  it was also historically known as "Chukyo" (中京; [the] central capital).
  
  

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Miso-katsu-don
     
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(Sunday 16 March) "Tampopo" (たんぽぽ), a "Tonkatsu" (豚かつ; pork cutlet)restaurant on the 4the floor of the station department of Jingu-mae Station.  "Miso-katsu" (味噌カツ) or the "Tonkatsu" dish with miso paste is one of Nagoya's local foods.
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(Sunday 16 March) "Miso-katsu-don" of "Tampopo."  I do not want to criticize their traditional food but, honestly, the one English proverb came to my mind after the meal: "The reality falls short of the fame."  Personally I prefer to the normal "katsu-don" (a bowl of rice with a fried pork cutlet on top) which is eaten across the nation.
  
     
Astuta-jingu Shrine
     Although the exact foundation date of Atsuya-jingus Shrine (熱田神宮), Atsuta Ward, Nagoya City is obscure, this shrine is one of the oldest Japanese shrines and played an important role of Shintoism as well as Ise-jingu Shrine and Kashima-jingu Shrine.
  It is mainly dedicated to "Atsuta-taijin" (熱田大神), and also dedicated to "Amaterasu-o-mikami" (天照大神), his brother "Susano-o-no-mikoto" (素戔嗚尊/須佐之男命), "Yamato-Takeru-no-mikoto" (日本武尊), "Miyasu-hime-no-mikoto" (宮簀姫命) and "Takeina-tane-no-mikoto" (建稲種命).  It enshrines the sacred sword "Kusanagi-no-Tsurigi" (草薙剣) which was reportedly owned by the Japanese God of Mars, ""Yamato-Takeru-no-mikoto."  So this shrine has been particularly worshipped by swordsmen for centuries.
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(Sunday 16 March) Map of Atsuta-jingu Shrine
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(Sunday 16 March) "Dai-Ichi-Torii" (第一鳥居; the First Shrine Gate) near "Nan-mon" [the South Gate] of Atsuta-jingu Shrine
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(Sunday 16 March) The approach to the main shrine hall of Atsuta-jingu Shrine
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(Sunday 16 March) "Kusunoki-Gozen-sha" Shrine (楠御前社), Atsuta-jingu Shrine
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(Sunday 16 March) A big stone lantern (石灯籠), Atsuta-jingu Shrine
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(Sunday 16 March) "Dai-Ni-Torii" (第二鳥居; the Second Shrine Gate), Atsuta-jingu Shrine
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(Sunday 16 March) "Sake" [Japanese rice wine] offering to the gods, Atsuta-jingu Shrine
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(Sunday 16 March) "O-Kusunoki" (大楠; the Great Camphor Tree [laurel]) or the sacred tree, Atsuta-jingu Shrine
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(Sunday 16 March) A traditional storehouse, Atsuta-jingu Shrine
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(Sunday 16 March) "Dai-San-Torii" (第三鳥居; the Third Shrine Gate), Atsuta-jingu Shrine
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(Sunday 16 March) "Hai-den" (拝殿; Worshippers' Hall), Atsuta-jingu Shrine
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(Sunday 16 March) "Hon-gu" (本宮), viewed from "Hai-den" (Worshippers' Hall), Atsuta-jingu Shrine
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(Sunday 16 March) "Shamon-jo" (車紋所; Shrine Office) and the entrance to "Kito-jo" (祈祷所; the Prayer House), Atsuta-jingu Shrine
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(Sunday 16 March) "O-Mikuji" (paper slips of written oracles) hanging place (for people who are told bad luck), Atsuta-jingu Shrine
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(Sunday 16 March) ?"Seisetsu-mon" (清雪門), Atsuta-jingu Shrine
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(Sunday 16 March) "Minami-Shingu-sha" Shrine (南新宮社), Atsuta-jingu Shrine
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(Sunday 16 March) Shrine Gate to "Betsu-gu" (別宮; the Branch Shrine), Atsuta-jingu Shrine
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(Sunday 16 March) "Betsu-gu Hakken-gu" Shrine (別宮八剣宮; the Branch Shrine Hakken [lit. the Eight-Sword] Shrine), Atsuta-jingu Shrine
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(Sunday 16 March) "Hai-den" (拝殿; Worshippers' Hall), Jochigaso-jinjya Shrine (上知我麻), Atsuta-jingu Shrine
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(Sunday 16 March) "Hon-den" (本殿; Main Hall), Jochigaso-jinjya Shrine (上知我麻), Atsuta-jingu Shrine
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(Sunday 16 March) "Gankyo-no-hi" (眼鏡之碑; the Monument of Critical Eyes? in ancient burial mound figure), Atsuta-jingu Shrine
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(Sunday 16 March) "Nijyugocho-bashi" Bridge (二十五丁橋), Atsuta-jingu Shrine
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(Sunday 16 March) "Nijyugocho-bashi" Bridge (二十五丁橋), Atsuta-jingu Shrine
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(Sunday 16 March) "Sei-mon" (西門; the West Gate), Atsuta-jingu Shrine
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(Sunday 16 March) Shrine Gate to "Gejigaso-jinjya" Shrine (下知我麻神社), Atsuta-jingu Shrine
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(Sunday 16 March) "Hai-den" (拝殿; Worshippers' Hall) to "Gejigaso-jinjya" Shrine (下知我麻神社), Atsuta-jingu Shrine
  
     
Nagoya-jo Castle
     Nagoya-jo Castle (名古屋城) was constructed on the orders of Ieyasu Tokugawa (徳川 家康) in order to secure an important position on the Tokai-do highway (東海道) and to ward off attacks from the direction of Osaka (大阪).  Construction was completed in 1612, and the castle is typical of those built on flatlands.  Until the Meiji Restoration (明治維新), Nagoya-jo Castle flourished as the castle in which the Owari lineage of the Tokugawa family, the foremost of the family's three lineages, resided.
  In May 1945, during the air raids on Nagoya in World War II, most of the buildings, including the main and small donjons, and the Hommaru Palace, were burned down.  Fortunately, however, three corner towers, three gates and most of the paintings on the sliding doors and walls in the Hommaru Palace survived the fire, and have been handed down as Important Cultural Assets.
  The best-known items associated with the Nagoya-jo Castle are the golden dolphins, known as "Kin-no-shachihoko" (金の鯱) or "Kin-shachi."  It is said that the first dolphins ("shachi") to adorn the main ridge of castle roofs, added when the basic construction of the castle was completed, appeared in the early Muromachi Era (室町時代; 1334-1573) as a symbol of the feudal lord's authority.  Although Nagoya's golden dolphins shared the fate of the donjon, being consumed by flames in World War II, they reappeared along with a rebuilt donjon, in 1959, to the delight of the people of Nagoya.  (Main reference: the Official Pamphlet of Nagoya Castle)
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(Sunday 16 March) Exit of "Shiyakusho" (市役所), the nearest underground station (Meijo Line;名城線) to Nagoya-jo Castle
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(Sunday 16 March) Soto-bori (外堀; the Outer Moat) Site Nagoya-jo Castle
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(Sunday 16 March) Stone Wall of the Soto-bori, Nagoya-jo Castle
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(Sunday 16 March) Map of Nagoya-jo Castle
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(Sunday 16 March) "Tatsumi-yagura" (辰巳櫓; 東南隅櫓; the Southeast Tower) and "Tenshu-kaku" (天守閣; the Donjon), Nagoya-jo Castle
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(Sunday 16 March) "Tatsumi-yagura" (辰巳櫓; 東南隅櫓; the Southeast Tower), Nagoya-jo Castle.  This tower survived through World War II.  The symbol of a hollyhook (葵; crest of the Tokugawa family) can be seen on the ridge-end tiles.
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(Sunday 16 March) "Tatsumi-yagura" (辰巳櫓; 東南隅櫓; the Southeast Tower) and "Uchi-bori" (内堀; the Inner Moat), Nagoya-jo Castle.  This tower survived through World War II.  The symbol of a hollyhook (葵; crest of the Tokugawa family) can be seen on the ridge-end tiles.
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(Sunday 16 March) Statue of Kiyomasa Kato (加藤清正, 1562-1611) who was the construction magistrate of the castle, Nagoya-jo Castle
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(Sunday 16 March) "Soto-bori" (外堀; the Outer Moat), Nagoya-jo Castle
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(Sunday 16 March) "Soto-bori" (外堀; the Inner Moat), Nagoya-jo Castle
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(Sunday 16 March) "Omote-Ni-no-mon" (表二之門; the Second Front Gate) to the donjon and the Hommaru Palace, Nagoya-jo Castle.  The gate was formerly called "Mnami-Nino-mon" (南二之門) Gate.  The gateposts and the roof are all covered with steel sheets.  The gate is solidly constructed of thick timber.
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(Sunday 16 March) ""Omote-Ni-no-mon" (表二之門; the Second Front Gate) to the donjon and the Hommaru Palace, Nagoya-jo Castle.  The gate was formerly called "Mnami-Nino-mon" (南二之門) Gate.  The gateposts and the roof are all covered with steel sheets.  The gate is solidly constructed of thick timber.
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(Sunday 16 March) Deer in the site of "Uchi-bori" (内堀; the Inner Moat), Nagoya-jo Castle
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(Sunday 16 March) Deer in the site of "Uchi-bori" (内堀; the Inner Moat), Nagoya-jo Castle
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(Sunday 16 March) "Tatsumi-yagura" (辰巳櫓; 東南隅櫓; the Southeast Tower), Nagoya-jo Castle.  This tower survived through World War II.  The symbol of a hollyhook (葵; crest of the Tokugawa family) can be seen on the ridge-end tiles.
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(Sunday 16 March) "Tenshu-kaku" (天守閣; the donjon) over stone wall, Nagoya-jo Castle
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(Sunday 16 March) "Tenshu-kaku" (天守閣; the donjon), Nagoya-jo Castle.  The original Nagoya-jo Castle, surmounted by its resplendent golden dolphins, was burned to ashes in Second World War II.  In 1959, the main donjon, the small donjon, the abutment bridge between the two, and the main gate were reconstructed.
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(Sunday 16 March) "Tenshu-kaku" (天守閣; the donjon), Nagoya-jo Castle.  The original Nagoya-jo Castle, surmounted by its resplendent golden dolphins, was burned to ashes in Second World War II.  In 1959, the main donjon, the small donjon, the abutment bridge between the two, and the main gate were reconstructed.
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(Sunday 16 March) "Tenshu-kaku" (天守閣; the donjon), Nagoya-jo Castle.  The original Nagoya-jo Castle, surmounted by its resplendent golden dolphins, was burned to ashes in Second World War II.  In 1959, the main donjon, the small donjon, the abutment bridge between the two, and the main gate were reconstructed.
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(Sunday 16 March) "Tenshu-kaku" (天守閣; the donjon), Nagoya-jo Castle.  The original Nagoya-jo Castle, surmounted by its resplendent golden dolphins, was burned to ashes in Second World War II.  In 1959, the main donjon, the small donjon, the abutment bridge between the two, and the main gate were reconstructed.
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(Sunday 16 March) "Kin-no-Shachihoko" (金の鯱; the Golden Dolphin), the symbol of "Tenshu-kaku" (天守閣; the donjon), Nagoya-jo Castle.  The original Nagoya-jo Castle, surmounted by its resplendent golden dolphins, was burned to ashes in Second World War II.  In 1959, the main donjon, the small donjon, the abutment bridge between the two, and the main gate were reconstructed.
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(Sunday 16 March) ""Kin-no-Shachihoko" (金の鯱; the Golden Dolphin), the symbol of "Tenshu-kaku" (天守閣; the donjon), Nagoya-jo Castle.  The original Nagoya-jo Castle, surmounted by its resplendent golden dolphins, was burned to ashes in Second World War II.  In 1959, the main donjon, the small donjon, the abutment bridge between the two, and the main gate were reconstructed.
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(Sunday 16 March) ""Kin-no-Shachihoko" (金の鯱; the Golden Dolphin), the symbol of "Tenshu-kaku" (天守閣; the donjon), Nagoya-jo Castle.  The original Nagoya-jo Castle, surmounted by its resplendent golden dolphins, was burned to ashes in Second World War II.  In 1959, the main donjon, the small donjon, the abutment bridge between the two, and the main gate were reconstructed.
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(Sunday 16 March) The abutment bridge between tow "Tenshu-kaku" (天守閣; the two donjons), Nagoya-jo Castle.  The original Nagoya-jo Castle, surmounted by its resplendent golden dolphins, was burned to ashes in Second World War II.  In 1959, the main donjon, the small donjon, the abutment bridge between the two, and the main gate were reconstructed.
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(Sunday 16 March) Nagoya City, viewed from the top floor of the donjon of Nagoya-jo Castle
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(Sunday 16 March) Nagoya City, viewed from the top floor of the donjon of Nagoya-jo Castle<
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(Sunday 16 March) Nagoya City, viewed from the top floor of the donjon of Nagoya-jo Castle<
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(Sunday 16 March) Nagoya City, viewed from the top floor of the donjon of Nagoya-jo Castle<
  
     
Shirakawa-koen
     Shirakawa-koen (白川公園) or Shirakawa Park is located in Naka Ward, Nagoya City (名古屋市中区) and not far away from Sakae (栄) in the center of Nagoya.  It was constructed in 1558 (昭和33年) when the land was returned from the Occupation American Forces.  Two city museums are in the park: Nagoya City Science Museum, 2-17-1 Sakae, Naka-ku, Nagoya City (名古屋市科学館, 名古屋市中区栄2-17-1) (est. 1962) and Nagoya City Art Museum, 2-17-1 Sakae, Naka-ku, Nagoya City (名古屋市美術館, 名古屋市中区栄2-17-25) (est. 1988).  The nearest underground stations are Fushimi Station (伏見駅) on the Tsurumai Line (鶴舞線) and on the Higashiyama Line (東山線), or Osu-Kannon Station (大須観音駅) on the Tsurumai Line (鶴舞線).
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(Sunday 16 March) Shirakawa Park, Naka Ward, Nagoya City
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(Sunday 16 March) Nagoya City Art Museum (名古屋市美術館), 2-17-1 Sakae, Naka-ku, Nagoya City
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(Sunday 16 March) Billboard for the Hokusai [Katsushika] (葛飾北斎, 1760-1849) at Nagoya City Art Museum, Shirakawa Park



        


Copyright (c) 2008 Eishiro Ito.  All rights reserved.