Images of Japan: February 2023

A selection of images of life in Japan during February 2023. All of the photos were taken by the City-Cost editorial team.

[Above] A setsubun bean-throwing event was held in the precincts of the Buddhist temple Shibamata Taishakuten in the city of Katsushika, Tokyo, on February 3 to mark the turn from winter to spring.

Local dignitaries took to a stage to throw packets of dried beans to onlookers. Some people believe that eating the same number of beans as your age helps to ensure good health.  

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[Above] You can have a word or two with Myoken-sama, the "god of the stars," at Chiba Shrine in the city of the same name, east of Tokyo. 

We had heard that Chiba Shrine ranks as one of the more popular shrines in the Tokyo area for hatsumode, or the first shrine / temple visit of the year. The grounds of the shrine though, while lovely, actually sit on the fringes of a large red-light district, which makes for an interesting contrast in mood.

[Above] Early signs of the plum blossom at Kameido Tenjin shrine in Tokyo's Koto Ward on February 12.

The shrine is well-known for its ume matsuri, or plum festival, held during February and March. There are some 300 plum trees in the shrine precincts and three photogenic bridges that are said to represent life's journey through past, present and future.

[Above] The shitamachi streets of the old downtown area of Sumida ward in east Tokyo. 

[Above] The main road that cuts roughly east-west through the onsen area of Yunishigawa in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, is delightfully free of traffic even on a weekend.  

Along this road is the Heike-no-Sato folk village, a recreation of the village established here by Heike clan warriors who are rumored to have escaped to Yunishigawa following their defeat in the Genpei War (1180-1185).

[Above] Lanterns emit a warm glow during a kamakura matsuri in the town of Yunishigawa, Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture. 

[Above] The steam locomotive "Taiju" lets off some steam as it departs Kinugawa Onsen bound for Shimoimaichi in the Nikko tourist region, Tochigi Prefecture. 

The service from Tobu Railway Co., launched in 2017, covers a roughly 12-kilometer route between Shimoimaichi and Kinugawa-Onsen stations on the Kinugawa Line. 

[Above] The Haneda Airport Garden shopping complex opened near terminal three of Tokyo International Airport on January 31. The facility is home to the largest airport hotel in Japan - the Villa Fontaine which boasts over 1,700 rooms. 

[Above] All was quiet on the streets around the Bank of Japan in Tokyo’s Nihonbashi district on February 23, a national holiday and the emperor’s birthday. 

[Above] Watching trains arrive and depart Ochanomizu station from the Hijiribashi bridge in Tokyo's Chiyoda ward, February 23. 

[Above] A Saturday night in Tokyo’s popular nightlife district of Roppongi, an area which at night has something of a reputation for debauchery. Not when we’re in town though - we’re at the kind of age when we like to get to bed at a reasonable hour. 

More images from life in Japan:

December 2022

November 2022