MOA Museum of Art (MOA美術館), Atami, Japan

This article was updated on 19 Sep 2021 to clarify the train trip to Atami Station and the museum.

There are many museums and opportunities to visit them in Japan, especially in the major cities frequented by overseas visitors, such as Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. However, outside of the major tourist cities, there are many large and small museums that are also worth making a trip to. There are many national, prefectural, city, and private museums that have exhibits ranging from the traditional (art, history, cultural) to the bizarre (the Meguro Parasitological Museum in Tokyo comes to mind). The MOA Museum of Art (MOA美術館) in Atami, Japan is easily reachable from Tokyo by Shinkansen and local bus in about 50 minutes. The museum is located on a mountain hillside overlooking Sagami Bay and requires seven escalators inside the hillside to travel from the museum's entry to the main building exhibition area. Please continue reading to find out more about this art museum, see more photographs, and how to access the museum.

Kunōzan Tōshōgū Shrine (久能山東照宮), Nihondaira, Japan

This article was updated on 19 Sep 2021 to clarify the rail portion of the trip to Shizuoka Station.

Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川家康, January 31, 1543 – June 1, 1616) was the founder and first shōgun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He brought a long period of civil wars to an end and united all of Japan. As shōgun, he created and solidified the Tokugawa shogunate, which ushered in the Edo period and effectively ruled Japan for 250 years from 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. [1]

Nikkō Tōshōgū Shrine (日光東照宮), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is Japan's most lavishly decorated shrine and mausoleum dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, and is located in Nikkō, which is about two hours north of Tokyo by limited express train. Ieyasu is enshrined at Nikkō Tōshōgū as the deity Tōshō Daigongen (東照大権現), "Great Gongen, Light of the East". A Gongen is believed to be a buddha who has appeared on Earth in the shape of a kami (spirit or god) to save sentient beings. [1] Initially a relatively simple mausoleum, Nikkō Tōshōgū was enlarged into the spectacular complex seen today by Ieyasu's grandson Iemitsu during the first half of the 1600's. [2]

While Nikkō Tōshōgū Shrine should be on everyone's list of sights to see when visiting Japan, this article is not about that easy-to-reach and popular must see (and crowded) place. Tokugawa Ieyasu is not buried at Nikkō Tōshōgū, but on the mountain chosen by Ieyasu himself at Kunōzan Tōshōgū Shrine in Nihondaira, near the city of Shizuoka. Many people believe that "after the first anniversary of his death", his remains were reburied at Nikkō Tōshōgū, but neither shrine has offered to open the graves, so the location of Ieyasu's physical remains are still a mystery. [1] Shizuoka is southwest of Tokyo and is easily reachable in one hour by Shinkansen. While Kunōzan Tōshōgū Shrine is not as large or as lavishly decorated as the Nikkō Tōshōgū Shrine, it has the advantage of being not as well known, so there are fewer tourists and no crowding which allows for a more leisurely pace to view the shrine. Please read the rest of the article to find out about more about this not so well known, designated national treasure near Tokyo.

Nezu Museum (根津美術館), Tokyo, Japan

This article was updated on 19 Sep 2021 to clarify taking the train or subway to get to the museum.

The Nezu Museum (根津美術館, Nezu Bijutsukan) is an art museum in the Minato district of Tokyo, Japan. The museum houses the private collection of pre-modern Japanese and East Asian art of Nezu Kaichirō (1860–1940), the former President of Tōbu Railway, and is built on Nezu's former residence and garden. Closed due to large-scale renovation and renewal in 2006, the museum re-opened in fall 2009 with a completely new museum building designed by the noted Japanese architect Kuma Kengo [1]. Kuma Kengo was also the architect for the modern redesign of the Akagi Shrine, which I reviewed in this earlier article: 

• https://ducksoupeasytravel.blogspot.com/2019/05/not-your-typical-japanese-shrine-akagi.html.

One of the defining architectural features of the Nezu Museum is the street entrance. The photograph of the entrance at the beginning of this article is the museum's most identifiable feature and is a tribute to Kuma Kengo's skill as an architect. As the museum is a very popular with both tourists and locals, it is really hard to get a photo without someone walking through it!

While it is worth a visit to view the art exhibits at the Nezu Museum when you're in Tokyo, for me the real reason to visit the museum is to see the garden. The site not only contains the museum, but also four tea houses and statuary within the garden. I last visited the museum on 29 Nov 2017, when the Fall colors were the most prominent and the garden most picturesque. Read the rest of the article to find out more information, and see more photographs of the museum and gardens.

Yuasa Soy Sauce (湯浅醤油有限会社), Yuasa, Japan

This article was updated on 19 Sep 2021 to clarify the train trip to Yuasa Station and the factory.

Everyone loves ice cream, but ice cream was not the reason I made a trip to see this factory in Yuasa, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. The ¥400 ice cream cone was an added bonus for visiting and it is a unique flavor that is a specialty for this place. The flavor of this ice cream is soy sauce and you can try it at the café attached to the Yuasa Soy Sauce factory. Soy sauce ice cream is not salty in taste (as one might think), and is a nice tasty treat after touring the factory. Please read the rest of the article to find out more about touring the factory and the real reason why I made a special repeat trip here.

Honke Owariya (本家尾張屋 本店), Kyoto, Japan

This article was updated on 20 Sep 2021 to correct rail pass information.

Soba (そば or 蕎麦) is the Japanese name for buckwheat and usually refers to thin noodles made from buckwheat flour. They contrast to thick wheat noodles, called udon (うどん). Soba noodles are served either chilled with a dipping sauce, or in hot broth as a noodle soup. The tradition of eating soba originates from the Tokugawa period, also called the Edo period, from 1603 to 1868. In the Tokugawa era, every neighborhood had one or two soba establishments, which functioned much like modern cafes where locals would stop for a casual meal [1].

Soba restaurants are still common in Japan to this day, functioning much as they did in the Edo period. So if soba restaurants are so common and casual in today's Japan, why did I make a special trip to eat here on 04 Nov 2019?

Please continue to read the rest of the article to find out why and to see more photographs.

Tōtō Museum (TOTO ミュージアム), Kitakyushu, Japan

This article was updated on 21 Sep 2021 to clarify the rail trip to the museum.

When visiting Japan, every itinerary will and should include museum visits. Each museum is unique, range in size from large to small, and each usually specializes in one of a wide variety of different subjects. The types of museums include: national (many located in Tokyo), prefectural, municipal, company, and private. These museums are well worth the time to visit given your particular interests and are located throughout the country from the largest cities to the smallest villages.

This article covers a 03 Nov 2019 visit to a company museum located in the city of Kitakyushu on Japan's southern-most main island of Kyushu. Company museums can be glorified places to advertise products, but most are informative about the industry or product the company specializes in. Many times, the museum is located adjacent to the company's production facility, so it is possible to take a factory tour and see the museum in one visit. In this instance, the museum is located on the grounds of company headquarters, next to a production facility, but tours are not given.

From the picture at the top of the article, you probably have guessed that this museum involves toilets and you would be partially correct. While toilets are a large well-known part of the products offered, the company is also known for its kitchen and bathroom fixtures. However these are not just any toilets, these toilets are manufactured by Toto. Toto is credited with being the first to develop and market washlets, probably Toto's most famous product today. Not only do modern washlets wash and dry toilet users, they also come with heated seats, automated flushing capabilities, play sounds to mask toilet noises, and automatically open and close lids. You will find these toilets throughout Japan, both in private and public bathrooms. Please read the rest of the article to find out more about this unique only in Japan museum and to see more photographs.

Jewel Changi Airport, Singapore

This article was updated on 21 Sep 2021 to add a map for Jewel Changi Airport.

Singapore's Changi Airport is not only a major transportation hub, but also a shopping and sightseeing destination. Jewel Changi Airport was developed over a former open car park for one of the terminals and is accessible from three of the (current) four terminals at the airport. Jewel's centerpiece is the world's tallest indoor waterfall, named the Rain Vortex, and is surrounded by a terraced forest setting, which is further surrounded by an upscale shopping mall. I will not go into the details, but you can get more information about Jewel on Wikipedia:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewel_Changi_Airport

All I can say is that Jewel is spectacular and definitely worth seeing if you're ever in Singapore. Jewel not only attracts airport users, but Singaporeans themselves come to Jewel not only for shopping, but also eating. Singapore's rabid food culture has so many food choices and places to eat, it is no wonder that Jewel has also mirrored the food options found in the city itself as well as offering unique eating places that can only be found at Jewel.

If you're scheduled for a flight out of Changi Airport, it is possible to check-in early with selected airlines, and then go shopping and eating before the flight leaves. It is not unusual to see passengers in transit wheeling their baggage carts while viewing the Rain Vortex.

Map

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