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The Shanghai Museum (Chinese: 上海博物館) is a museum of ancient Chinese art, situated on the People's Square in the Huangpu District of Shanghai, People's Republic of China. Hours and Admission Admission Fee: Free Opening Hours: 09:30 to 17:00 History 1952: Museum founded and first open to the public in the former Shanghai Racecourse club house, now at 325 W. Nanjing Road. 1959: Museum moved into the former Zhonghui Building at 16 S. Henan Road, which previously housed insurance companies and bank offices. 1992: Museum allocated a piece of land on People's Square by the Shanghai municipal government, as its new site. Current building Construction of the current building started in August 1993. It was inaugurated in October 12, 1996. It is 29.5 meters high with five floors, covering a total area of 39,200 m². Designed by a local architect, the new museum building is designed in the shape of an ancient, bronze, tripod cooking vessel called a ding. It is said that the inspiration

Budget Captain Hostel, 37 Fuzhou Rd, ☎ +86-21-63235053. Located just off the Bund. Good rooms (each with a boat style theme), cheap dorms, unbeatable location & can be booked directly from Hostelling International. Rooms are very clean and there is a fantastic rooftop bar directly facing the Bund and the river. You should be aware that while the Bund is swarming with tourists by day, affordable nightlife is sorely lacking in the surrounding area. A taxi ride to the more happening French concession area is about 20 Yuan. 70RMB/night (dorm) 400RMB/night (twin/double). edit Le Tour Shanghai. 上海乐途白兰国际青年旅舍 A youth hostel in the Putuo District. While it is not in the most beautiful section of Shanghai, the place is clean, the people are friendly, the Metro is close, and there is a supermarket right across the corner from the hostel. Dorms usually run about the 8-11 USD/night range. Between Caoyang Rd. and JinShaJiang Rd. Metro Stations (lines 3 and 4). See map on the site for specifics.

The Bund (simplified Chinese: 外滩; traditional Chinese: 外灘; pinyin: Wàitān) is an area of Huangpu District in Shanghai, People's Republic of China. The area centres on a section of Zhongshan Road (East-1 Zhongshan Road) within the former Shanghai International Settlement, which runs along the western bank of the Huangpu River, facing Pudong, in the eastern part of Huangpu District. The Bund usually refers to the buildings and wharves on this section of the road, as well as some adjacent areas. The Bund is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Shanghai. Building heights are restricted in this area. click here for gallery The word "Bund" means an embankment or an embanked quay, and comes from the Urdu word band, meaning an embankment, levee or dam (a cognate of English terms, bind and band, German term, bund, etc.). "Bund" is pronounced to rhyme with "fund". The term was brought to India (where it came to be pronounced as "bund") by eit

In English mean Bullfinch Exchange A year of happiness secured by a golden bird. A wooden bird bringing good luck by turning last year's lies into this year's truths. Date:January 7th Place:Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine City:Saifu, Dazaifu City, Fukuoka Prefecture This is an event held at the shrine dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane (845-903) who is familiarly called Tenjin-sama. Dazaifu Tenmangu is the shrine which was constructed at the very spot where Michizane died. People receive wooden dolls carved in the shape of uso (bullfinch), known as a lucky bird, and pray for good fortune. The bullfinch is believed to be Tenjin-sama's messenger. These dolls are also sold at Yushima Tenjin Shrine and Kameido Tenjin Shrine in Tokyo, where long queues form to buy them. Sugawara no Michizane was a scholar, poet and politician of the Heian Period, and is worshipped as a god of learning in Japan. He was an honest man, never telling lies and some say that the origin of usokae comes from th

The festival named Tamaseseri Festival is celebrated in the 3rd day of the month of January and the venue is Hakozaki Shrine located in the Higashi-ku, Fukuoka City. In this fest, men wearing (only) loincloths fight for an 8 kg treasure ball, which is 30 cm in diameter. The ball is known to bring good fortune on men who are able to lift it over their head. These men are divided into the Land Team and the Sea Team. The first team consisting of farmers working on the land and the second team includes fishermen working at sea. The fate of the harvest or large catch for fishermen is mostly determined by the fact as to which team wins the competition and hands the ball over to the Shinto priest. This festival is one of the 3 most important fests of the land and has a history of 500 years. It’s known to originate from the legend of the dragon god (ryujin) offering two balls to Empress Jingu. In the afternoon 2 purified balls, which represent masculinity and femininity respectively known as ‘

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS Americans traveling to Japan as tourists with the intention of staying 90 days or less need only a valid passport to enter the country; visa requirements have been waived by a reciprocal visa-exemption agreement. Note Only American tourists don’t need a visa—that is, those in the country for sightseeing, sports activities, family visits, inspection tours, business meetings, or short study courses. Tourists cannot work in Japan or engage in any remunerative activity including the teaching of English (though many young people ignore the law). No extensions of stay are granted, which means American tourists must absolutely leave the country after 90 days. If you’re going to Japan to work or to study for longer than 90 days, you’ll need a visa; contact the Japanese embassy or consulate nearest you. Australians and New Zealanders do not need a visa for stays of up to 90 days. Canadians can stay up to 3 months without a visa. United Kingdom and Ireland citizens can stay fo

Visit The Japan National Tourist Organization (JNTO) JNTO publishes a wealth of free, colorful brochures and maps covering Japan as a whole, Tokyo, and various regions of the country. It's will help you to have a global picture about Japan, the rest, experience it by yourself. United States One Rockefeller Plaza, Suite 1250, New York, NY 10020 Phone: 212/757-5640 email: info@jntonyc.org 515 S. Figueroa, Suite 1470, Los Angeles, CA 90071 Phone: 213/623-1952 Email: info@jnto-lax.org 1 Daniel Burnham Court, Suite 250C, San Francisco, CA 94109 Phone: 415/292-5686 Email: info@jntosf.org Canada 165 University Ave., Toronto, ON M5H 3B8, Canada Phone: 416/366-7140 Email: info@jntoyyz.com United Kingdom Heathcoat House, 20 Savile Row, London W1X 1AE, England Phone: 020/7734-9638 Email: info@jnto.co.uk Australia Room 1813, Australia Square Tower, 264 George St., Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia Phone: 02/9251-3034 Email: jntosyd@tokyonet.com.au Website www.jnto.go.jp www.japantravelinfo.com www.s

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The Adachi Museum of Art was founded by Adachi Zenko in 1980 as a way of combining his passions for Japanese art and garden design. He hoped that viewing the gardens and artwork together would expand peoples' appreciation and interest in Japanese art. The Adachi Museum of Art is best known for its award winning garden. It has been named the best garden in Japan annually since 2003 by the Journal of Japanese Gardening. The garden can be enjoyed at anytime of the year and shows a different character depending on the season. It can only be viewed from the museum building. In addition to the gardens, the Adachi Museum of Art also houses a collection of nearly 1300 twentieth century paintings and artworks which are rotated seasonally. There is also a permanent exhibit of paintings by Yokoyama Taikan, as well as a ceramics exhibit. How to get there The Adachi Museum of Art is located one hour outside of Matsue: Take a train from Matsue Station to Yasugi Station (20 minutes, 400 yen by lo

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In 1930, to commemorate Kojima Torajiro, a Western-style painter who died the previous year, Kurashiki entrepreneur, Ohara Magosaburo, founded the Ohara Museum of Art. This private museum, featuring Western art, is the oldest in Japan. Magosaburo, well-known as a collector of Japanese art, highly respected Torajiro's talent and his humble attitude towards art, and sent Torajiro to Europe three times. Torajiro studied art in Europe and, at the same time, with Magosaburo's superb European artwork, choosing pieces through the sense of beauty that he possessed as a Japanese artist. Torajiro, who had a spirit typical of Meiji Era, felt there was a struggle between the highlights of Western art and his Japanese aesthetic sense, when he carefully chose artwork. He prudently chose masterpieces by El Greco, Gauguin, Monet, Matisse and other artists and brought them to Kurashiki, which are now the main features of the Ohara Museum of Art. His collection of Chinese and Egyptian art reveal

The museum was established in order to showcase the fine arts and crafts of Ishikawa, a Prefecture whose culture of fine arts and traditional crafts compares with that of Tokyo and Kyoto. The museum is accordingly managed as a regional oriented museum. The collections vary from old, Ishikawa-related fine art works to modern Japanese art: paintings, oil paintings, sculptures, traditional arts and crafts whose artists have something to do with Ishikawa Prefecture. The highlights of a visit have to be Japanese traditional arts and crafts works, including feudal Daimyo utensils using the Kaga Makie technique, a huge range of Kutani porcelain collection from Ko-kutani (Old Kutani) to Re-established Kutani, and works by numerous living national treasures. These works are on display in our seven permanent exhibition halls. Detail Info Hours Apr-Nov daily 9am-5pm (closed 3rd Thurs of every month); Dec-Mar Fri-Wed 9am-5pm Address 1-1 Kenroku-machi Location Next to Seisonkaku Villa Transportat

Meiji Mura (博物館明治村, Hakubutsukan Meiji-mura?, lit: "Meiji village" museum) is an open-air architectural museum/theme park in Inuyama, near Nagoya in Aichi prefecture, Japan. It was opened on March 18, 1965. The museum preserves historic buildings from Japan's Meiji (1867-1912), Taisho (1912-1926), and early Shōwa (1926-1989) periods. Over 60 historical buildings have been moved and reconstructed onto 1 km² (247 acres) of rolling hills alongside Lake Iruka. The most noteworthy building there is the reconstructed main entrance and lobby of Frank Lloyd Wright's landmark Imperial Hotel, which originally stood in Tokyo from 1923 to 1967, when the main structure was demolished to make way for a new, larger version of the hotel. How to get there Meiji Mura is located in Inuyama City, about one hour outside of Nagoya. From Nagoya Station, take the Meitetsu Inuyama Line to Inuyama Station, taking about 30 minutes (540 Yen). From Inuyama Station there are three to four Meitetsu

This is the largest and most fascinating collection of inro, the pouch that attaches to a kimono sash used for carrying medicine, perfume and other personal belongings. Detail Info Hours Wed-Mon 9am-5pm Address 1-98 Oshinmachi Phone 0577/32-8500 Admission ¥500 ($4.75) for adults, ¥300 ($2.85) for high-school, junior-high, and elementary students Season Closed Dec-Mar

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Hida Folk Village (飛騨民俗村, Hida Minzoku Mura?) is an open air museum of close to 30 old farmhouses illustrating the traditional architectural styles of the mountainous regions of Japan. The Hida Folk Village (飛騨の郷 Hida no Sato) is located near Takayama in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Of particular interest are the thatched and shingled roofs, such as the gasshō-zukuri-styled buildings. Many of the buildings were brought to this location from their original sites in order to preserve them. The village is quite picturesque, as it is built on a hillside overlooking the Takayama Valley and surrounds a large pond. The structures in the village range from 100 to 500 years in age. Many are open to perusal and are filled with artifacts from their respective time periods, including spindles, silk worm raising artifacts, cooking utensils, and clothing. There is also a workshop in the village illustrating how many of Japan's famous handicrafts are made, including wood carving, tie-dying, weaving, a

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The Japan Ukiyoe Museum exhibits ukiyoe (woodblock prints) from the vast collection of the Sakai family. One of Matsumoto's wealthiest merchants of his times, Sakai Yoshiaki started collecting ukiyoe and other pieces of art roughly 300 years ago. His descendants have been enlarging the collection to over 100,000 pieces, making it one of the world's largest private art collections. Compared to the size of the collection and the museum building, the number of works exhibited in the Japan Ukiyoe Museum is rather small, partly due to the fact that the building was originally built solely for storage rather than exhibition purposes. English descriptions for the exhibits are brief. How to get there The Japan Ukiyoe Museum is located about 3 kilometers outside of Matsumoto's city center, close to Matsumoto Interchange of the Nagano Expressway. The museum can be reached in a 10 minute taxi ride from Matsumoto Station (about 1000-1500 Yen) or in a 15-20 minute walk from Oniwa Statio

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The Hakone Open Air Museum (Japanese: Hakone Chokoku No Mori Bijutsukan), successfully attempts to create a harmonic balance of nature and art by exhibiting various sculptures on its spacious grounds in combination with beautiful views of the surrounding valley and mountains. Besides the sculptures, the Hakone Open Air Museum features various indoor galleries, including a sizable Picasso Collection, consisting of paintings, prints, sculptures and ceramic creations. How to get there The Hakone Open Air Museum can be reached in a short walk from Chokoku No Mori Station on the Hakone Tozan Railway (30 minutes, 390 Yen from Hakone-Yumoto, covered by the Hakone Free Pass), the last station before the terminal station of Gora. Click here for Hakone Open Air Museum Map

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The Edo-Tokyo Museum (江戸東京博物館, Edo Tōkyō Hakubutsukan?) is a museum of the history of Tokyo, established in 1993. The main features of the permanent exhibitions are the life-size replica of the Nihonbashi, which was the bridge leading into Edo; the Nakamuraza theatre; scale models of town; and buildings from the Edo, Meiji and Shōwa periods. The museum is located in Ryōgoku adjacent to the Ryōgoku Kokugikan. The distinctive elevated shape of museum's building is modeled after an old storehouse in the kurazukuri style. The Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum is a branch of the Edo-Tokyo Museum. Click here for Edo-Tokyo Museum Map Click here for Official Website

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Established 1872, the Tokyo National Museum (東京国立博物館, Tōkyō Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan?), or TNM, is the oldest and largest museum in Japan. The museum collects, houses, and preserves a comprehensive collection of art works and archaeological objects of Asia, focusing on Japan. The museum holds over 110,000 objects, which includes 87 Japanese National Treasure holdings and 610 Important Cultural Property holdings (as of July, 2005). The museum also conducts research and organizes educational events related to its collection. The museum is located inside Ueno Park in Taito, Tokyo. The facilities consist of the Honkan (本館, Japanese Gallery), Tōyōkan (東洋館, Asian Gallery), Hyōkeikan (表慶館), Heiseikan (平成館), Hōryū-ji Hōmotsukan (法隆寺宝物館, the Gallery of Hōryū-ji Treasures), as well as Shiryōkan (資料館, the Research and Information Center) and other facilities (Map). There are restaurants and shops within the museum's premises, as well as outdoor exhibitions and a garden where visitors can enjoy

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(熊本城; -jō) is a castle in Kumamoto, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan that has been opened to the public for tours. A large, and in its day, an extremely well fortified Japanese castle. The donjon (castle central keep) is a concrete reconstruction built in 1960, but several ancillary wooden buildings remain of the original castle. The castle was besieged during the Satsuma Rebellion, and was sacked and burned after a 53-day siege. In nearby San-no-Maru Park is the Hosokawa Gyobu-tei, the former residence of Hosokawa clan, the Higo daimyo. This traditional wooden mansion has a fine Japanese garden located in its grounds. The signature curved stone walls known as musha-gaeshi, as well as wooden overhangs were designed to prevent foes from penetrating the castle. Rock falls were also used as deterrents. Kumamoto Castle recently celebrated its 400th anniversary. On Dec 7, 2007 a large scale renovation of the Lord`s Inner Palace was completed. A public ceremony for the restoration was held April 2

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Click here for Gallery (松山城, Matsuyama-jō?) is a flatland-mountain castle that was built in 1603 on Mount Katsuyama, whose height is 132 meters, in Matsuyama city in Ehime Prefecture (the former Iyo Province). It is not to be confused with Bitchū Matsuyama Castle. The main castle building has been designated a National Treasure of Japan. How to get there Matsuyama Castle stands on a steep hill in the center of Matsuyama and can be accessed by ropeway. The closest tram stop to the ropeway station is "Higashikeisatsucho-mae". Click here for Matsuyama Castle Map History This castle was originally built by Kato Yoshiaki in 1603. It had a large five-story tenshu, or keep, which was moved to Aizu Castle when Kato was transferred there in 1627. The next lord, Tadachika Gamoh, died in 1635, shortly after completing the ninomaru. After Tadachika, Matsudaira Sadayuki became the new lord. He completed a new tenshu in 1642. His heirs continued to rule the castle after his death. However,