하코네에서 검은 계란을 먹고 케이블카를 타고 해적선을 타고 온천에서 피로를 풀고 나면 한국 관광객들은 보통 도쿄로 돌아간다. 이처럼 아직까지 한국인들에게 하코네는 먹고 즐기고 목욕하는 그저 지나가는 경유지에 불과한 것이 현실이다. 그러나 진정 하코네를 다녀왔다고 말할 수 있으려면 그저 버스에서 내리고 타기를 반복하는 여행이 아니라 최소한 하루는 이곳에 머물면서 이곳의 진정한 가치를 느낄 수 있어야 한다고 생각한다. 하코네는 그저 보고 즐길 수 있는 시설도 많지만 박물관이나 미술관도 많다. 상당한 규모를 가진 것만 해도 스무 곳에 이른다. 그 중 이번에는 하코네 라리크미술관을 소개할까 한다. 아르 누보와 아르 데코라는 두 줄기의 커다란 미술 무브먼트를 절묘하게 조합한 프랑스의 보석장식과 유리세공의 대가인 르네 라리크의 일생의 작품이 전시되어 있는 곳이 바로 하코네 라리크미술관이다. 이곳에는 200여 점이 넘는 그의 대표작이 소개되어 있으며 그가 실내 장식을 담당한 기차 모양으로...

Heralded in Japan's oldest myths as the first main island created by the gods Izanagi and Izanami, Awaji Island (or Awajishima) stands between Honshu and Shikoku. For centuries it served as a main route between the two islands, and today is connected to Kobe by the Akashi Straits Suspension Bridge, the longest in the world at nearly four kilometers. Awajima itself is fairly small, slightly smaller than Singapore. Both its position in the national myth and the presence of ancient burial moun...

Heralded in Japan's oldest myths as the first main island created by the gods Izanagi and Izanami, Awaji Island (or Awajishima) stands between Honshu and Shikoku. For centuries it served as a main route between the two islands, and today is connected to Kobe by the Akashi Straits Suspension Bridge, the longest in the world at nearly four kilometers. Awajima itself is fairly small, slightly smaller than Singapore. Both its position in the national myth and the presence of ancient burial moun...

Heralded in Japan's oldest myths as the first main island created by the gods Izanagi and Izanami, Awaji Island (or Awajishima) stands between Honshu and Shikoku. For centuries it served as a main route between the two islands, and today is connected to Kobe by the Akashi Straits Suspension Bridge, the longest in the world at nearly four kilometers. Awajima itself is fairly small, slightly smaller than Singapore. Both its position in the national myth and the presence of ancient burial moun...

NOLIFE, SE02 #8

NOLIFE, SE02 #7

NOLIFE, SE02 #6

NOLIFE, SE02 #5

Né à Tôkyô à 1950, Sawanuki démarra sa carrière en tant que directeur artistique dans la production d'émission télé de variété japonaise, de publicités et de films. Son incroyable talent fut découvert et peu à peu plébiscité par des mécènes jusqu'en 1989 où sa carrière rebondit lorsqu'il fut reconnu en temps que génie du Cosmic Art. L'artiste a à son actif plus de 400 acryliques dépeignant le monde du nouveau millénaire sous une vision cosmique prodigieuse. Ce génie fait naître sous sa ma...

Shimane est une des préfectures nipponnes située sur le Japon de l'envers, soit sur la face ouest de l'île principale de Honshû, sur les rives de la mer intérieure. Véritable cocon de verdure et riche d'une histoire millénaire, les produits de la mer et de la montagne composent les spécialités culinaires de la région. Ses symboles sont la pivoine, le pin et le cygne. Mais le charme unique de Shimane réside dans sa tradition religieuse sanctifiant les relations amoureuses. Si vous êtes encore...

Nara 奈良 Située dans la région du Kansai et voisine de Kyōto, Nara fut la capitale du Japon entre 710 et 784. La majorité des monuments historiques de la vieille ville sont classés patrimoine mondial de l'humanité depuis 1998. Les protecteurs de la cité sont les fameux Shika- cerfs japonais- qui y vivent en parfaite liberté. Friands de senbeï, ce n'est qu'après les en avoir régalés qu'ils vous autoriseront à vous présenter devant les Dieux... Autrefois, les capitales changeaient au rythme de ...

Matsue 松江 La ville de Matsue s'étend  de part et d'autre de la rivière Ohashi Gawa reliant le lac Shinji  à la lagune Naka no Umi et débouchant sur la mer intérieure. Tandis que la rive droite de la capitale de Shimane compose la ville moderne, la gauche regorge des sites historiques et trésors culturels de l'ancienne cité féodale, en rapport direct avec les mythes et légendes du Japon d'antan. Trois ponts relient les deux hémisphères. Le charme unique de cette ville propre à ravir les visi...

One of the most perplexing riddles posed by Japan is the nature of its own origins. A dazzlingly modern nation, many of the most important questions about Japan's beginnings remain unanswered. Where did Yamato culture first find expression, and through which people? How far back can we trace the history of the Imperial family, and how did they rise to power? Even the origin of the Japanese language itself is a mystery. In the realm of myth, few regions can vie with western Japan's Shimane ...

Another option for visitors to southern Kyushu is a stay in Kobayashi City. Located southwest of Miyazaki City in the Kyushu highlands, Kobayashi is a wonderful place to relax and fall into rhythm with the seasonal cycles of Japanese rural life. The town and the surrounding area are well known for grapes and pears, and in late summer many of the orchards offer visitors the chance to pick their own fruit at the very peak of ripeness, to be eaten on the spot or brought back to the inn or hotel...

Rich in history, legend and dramatic natural scenery, Miyazaki Prefecture’s Saito City is one possibility for travelers to Japan looking to stray from the beaten path. Set at the edge of the Kirishima Mountains, the city lies along a river valley surrounded by hills and forest. Through the town, the riverbanks are lined with cherry trees that burst into bloom in the spring. The Saito City Flower Festival in late March and early April marks this seasonal feast of color, and this is an excell...

French TV Show "Nolife"-"Japan in Motion #9"

French TV Show "Nolife"-"Japan in Motion #8"

French TV Show "Nolife" - "Japan in Motion #7"

French TV Show "Nolife" - Japan in Motion #6

French TV Show "Nolife" - "Japan in Motion"

Now broadcasting in France!

Now broadcasting in France!

Now broadcasting in France!

The beautiful town of Uchiko, its nostalgic lanes set in a stunning landscape of green hills and valleys, is located in the southwest of Shikoku, Ehime Prefecture. From the picturesque rice terraces and waterways to the excellent local cuisine and carefully preserved historic houses, Uchiko showcases the best of Japan in a compact package. Today the main industries are farming and tourism, but from the late Edo to the Meiji period, the town flourished as a center for Japanese paper and wax ...

Now broadcasting in France!

The Chugoku region's largest aquarium is the Shimane Aquarium Aquas, at the Iwami Seaside Park just a short stroll from the Japan Sea coast. The aquarium has a wonderful collection, including a huge shark tank with a glass tunnel running through it. An artificial tide pool is a favorite with children, letting them reach into the water and pick up starfish and other odd creatures. But the biggest draw here is the show put on by the aquarium's beluga whales. These wonderful animals seem to smi...

The architecture, gardens and exhibits of the world famous Adachi Art Museum offer an aesthetic banquet to visitors. The building itself draws you on past a superb collection of modern Japanese art, including about 130 pieces by the Yokoyama Taikan, a pioneer in the Nihonga movement which sought to create a style that was simultaneously modern and fully Japanese, without simply imitating or adapting western subjects and methods. Also on hand is a wonderful collection of ceramics, notably by th...

Lake Shinji, or Shinji-ko, is Japan's seventh largest, and connected by a lagoon to the Japan sea. As a result, the lake hosts a bounty of marine life. In Matsue, Shimane's prefectural capital, travelers flock to sample Kyodo ryori, an assortment of seven dishes drawn from the waters of the lake. Best in winter, these include moroge-ebi, a small steamed prawn, grilled unagi, or eel, shijimi clams served in a miso broth, suzuki, or sea bass, shirauo, a delicate white fish offered as either tem...

On July 2nd, 2007, UNESCO formally granted World Heritage Site status to the Iwami-Ginzan Silver Mine near Ooda city in central Shimane prefecture. From its opening in 1526, Iwami Ginzan was one of the world’s most productive silver mines for 400 years. It's believed that at the mine’s peak Japanese silver amounted to one third of the world’s production, with the bulk of that coming from this single mine. The site includes over 600 mineshafts, called mabu, both large and small. Presently,...

Only twelve of Japan's feudal era castles have survived intact to the present day, and in Matsue you can see the largest of these. Matsue Castle was completed in 1611 for the use of the local lord Horio Yoshiharu. The castle is also called the Plover Castle for its color and proximity to water. The castle's construction incorporates several interesting architectural features. The foundation is unusual in being built from irregularly shaped blocks of stone, held in place by smaller stones f...