The Shinto shrine Kasuga-taisha, built in 768 by the powerful clan of Fujiwara, is well known in Nara. I read somewhere on internet that what Fushimi Inara is for the tori, Kasuga-taisha is for the toro. What are toros? These … Continue reading
Todai-ji was built in 752 by the Emperor Shomu to defend the country against the epidemics but also to consolidate the imperial power. Nandaimon is the first gate you have to pass through in order to go to Todai-ji. A … Continue reading
Nara has been the first permanent capital of Japan, before it was moved to Kyoto. When you are in Kyoto, seeing Nara seems mandatory, so many tourists head there. Most of them limit their trip to see the three temples … Continue reading
At the beginning it was a villa which a noble donated to a priest. He turned it into a temple, which was called Zenrin-ji, meaning The Temple of the Zen Forest and it was dedicated to help the poors. During … Continue reading
Ginkaku-ji is a Zen temple and it is part of the UNESCO treasury. You may visit it daily between 8.30-17, and the entrance ticket is 500 yen. Making your way to the temple, you can see a lot of little … Continue reading
Because I stayed at only 10-15 minutes walk from Heian Jingu, I made it my first destination in Kyoto. Heian Jingu is an imperial shinto altar, so I have to write few words about shintoism and shinto altars. Shinto comes … Continue reading
Edirne was the first town I entered in Turkey. We visited there only the Selimiye Mosque, which offered a wonderful sample of Ottoman architecture. It is said that the sultan Selim II saw Mohammed in a dream and decided to … Continue reading
The Blue Mosque, the most famous in Istanbul, is unique in Turkey because it has 6 minarets. The construction begun on 1603 and ended on 1617. It is said that Sultan Ahmet Camii asked for gold minarets but the words … Continue reading
Sf. Sofia’s Church in Istanbul is 1400 years old. It was build on 360 at Constantin’s II order. By then, it was a basilica with a wooden roof, which was burnt during a riot in 404. Theodossius II ordered the … Continue reading
Any tourist who is for the first time in Bangkok will go to Rattanakosin area, where the Grand Palace with the Emerald Budha Temple stay, near the bank of Chao Praya. Rattanakosin, the name King Rama I gave to this … Continue reading