120000 Lotus Flowers @Kodai-hasu, Ancient Lotus Park – Saitama

When it comes to finding peace and serenity amidst nature’s splendor, Kodai Hasu no Sato (古代蓮の里) in Gyoda, Saitama Prefecture, stands out as a hidden gem. This charming lotus park offers a sanctuary of tranquility, where visitors can immerse themselves in the mesmerizing beauty of ancient lotus blooms. The city of Gyoda has a long

100 years on, The Indian Water Tower at Yamashita Park, Yokohama

In the age of ChatGPT when mostly all information is on the internet, and we all research our travel destination before hand, the fun of “discovering” gets diluted. But then again, there are always surprises when we physically start exploring and today, I want to share with you an incredible discovery I made during my

Rare Kamakura Summer Night Illuminations 2017

Kamakura, the famous tourism spot in Kanagawa Ken near Tokyo was my first day long trip in 1998. I was fascinated by the huge Buddha statue in deep meditation on an open ground and have been visiting this place at least once a year. BUT, IT WAS ALWAYS IN THE DAY TIME and I have

Ashok Stambha (Pillar) at the panoramic cutting edge of Chiba

This article is about Nokogiri in Chiba, but lets take a small tour into India’s history.. In todays global scheme of things, internet technology has established an effective line for communication and collaboration, which is critical for virtual teams to establish governance, control structures to help blend local talent and execution in regions and gently blend

Enoshima Benzaiten – A mystical shrine on a beautiful island

Enoshima Benzaiten is the Japanese Buddhist goddess who has origins in the Hindu goddess Saraswati. Bumping into Indian gods in Japan is not that rare given the cultural export of Buddhism from India. In Hindu tradition Saraswati holds a musical instrument veena and so does the Japanese version Benzaiten, holding a biwa, a traditional Japanese lute. Enoshima is a beautiful island just an hour

Depiction of Indian gods in Japanese games : Artistic liberties?

The Bollywood movie ‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram’ by the legendary Raj Kapoor has a song  “Yashomati maiyya se bole nandalala, radha kyun gori, mein kyun kala? (Krishna asking his mother why he is dark while Radha is fair). Krishna is referenced as a dark (or black?) personality while there are many instances where we see Krishna

Multiple Entry Business Visa for Indians to be extended for 10 year duration

Some “Acche Din” or “good days” for Indians planning to visit Japan on business. Nikkei reports that Japanese Prime Minister Abe in his visit with India’s Prime Minister Modi and also the Vietnam premier made some important decisions which will bring convenience on visa matters for people visiting Japan. The Foreign Minister of Japan Mr. Fumio Kishida announced in

Mahatma Gandhi Statue at Suginami Ward Library

I have lived all my childhood in Bombay (now Mumbai) and went to the city of Pune for four years in 1992 in my days at an undergraduate college @University of Pune. For any Indian, October 2nd is the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi a national holiday in the 1990’s and I was surprised to know that my college

50 Years of LOVE IN TOKYO : 1966-2016 photo story

Let me recollect the FIRST word in Japanese language that I have learnt in my life…. Well, I clearly remember that I was around 10-12 years old and the Doordarshan channel was playing the 1966 hit, bollywood movie LOVE IN TOKYO. The song SAYONARA SAYONARA introduced the first word for me, “Sayonara” which is the Japanese word

Benzaiten Temple at Shinobazu Pond in Ueno Park

Benzaiten (弁才天, 弁財天) is a Japanese Buddhist goddess, who originated from the Hindu goddess Saraswati. The Shinobzu Pond at Ueno Park has a temple of Saraswati. Floating on the water of the pond, it is a Buddhist temple dedicated to Saraswati the goddess of the arts, knowledge and wisdom. Japanese of todays generation, pray to her

Ganesha Temple in Asakusa : Kangiten at Matsuchiyama Shōten

Stories, symbols and rituals are the primary way to transmit ideas across generations and the Hindu religion uses symbols in form of idols extensively. So to represent Wisdom, you can look at a few attributes like, WIDE EARS – Ability to assimilate a lot of input or listen SMALL MOUTH – Talk less FLEXIBLE TRUNK –

Nirvanam Ariake : Indian restaurant in the Odaiba area

We had covered the South Indian restaurant Nirvanam based in Kamiyacho a couple of months back. Nirvanam has expanded to one more location and its in the Odaiba neighborhood, closer to the Ariake Station on the Yurikamome Line or Kokusai-Tenjijo on the Rinkai Line. A better menu!, great ambiance, more floor space and a big

Enoshima Lanterns, experience “Yu-Suzumi” a cool summer evening

The Enoshima Island in Kanagawa Prefecture is a picturesque island located just 45 minutes on a train from central Tokyo. Benzaiten (Indian Goddesses Saraswati) , the goddess of music and entertainment, is enshrined on the island. The island in its entirety is dedicated to the goddess, who is said to have caused it to rise from the

Giant Robot and Kyu Furukawa Rose Garden

“Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot”, does this ring a bell? Well what was popular in the 1960’s in Japan as ジャイアントロボ (Giant Robot) and was a hit in the US in the 70’s as “Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot” was on Indian television channel Doordarshan in the mid 1980’s when I was 12

Photo Story : YOKOHAMA HOLI 2015

The Indian festival of COLORS, was celebrated on the picturesque location of Aka Renga Souko in Yokohama last weekend. Here are the experiences, we had there, a COLORFUL event and a lot of fun. The event held for three consecutive days, we went on the final day of Sunday when the temperatures were slightly better off

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