Podcasts about osaka castle

Will and Dawn In Osaka: Let's check in on Will and Dawn's trip to Osaka! We have some footage from Osaka Castle as well as Universal Japan! JAWS IS DOWN! Let's Look At Corey's Twitter: We do have to check back in on the Anti Jim and Them petition and Corey's Twitter. Daredevil Deb: We check in on our favorite, Daredevil Deb who is now doing stand up!? FUCK YOU WATCH THIS!, THE BEAR!, DAVE BLUNTS!, FIRST DAY OUT THE HOSPITAL!, HARD R!, REMOTE MIKE!, WOMEN'S MONTH!, WHITE BOYS!, NAPKINS OVER THEY DRINK!, THEME PARK!, VLOGGERS!, THEME PARK MAGIC!, YANKEE IN THE SOUTH!, WILL AND DAWN!, JAPAN!, OSAKA!, CASTLE!, COREY'S TWITTER!, GATLINBURG!, BREAKING!, OFFICE!, LAUGHING!, FRUSTRATED!, ANNOYED!, GALAXY GAS!, DRIVEL!, NOTHING!, SIERRA SISTER!, SCREAMING!, UNIVERSAL!, NO TICKETS!, ET!, JAWS IS DOWN!, WEATHER!, SNOWING!, COLD!, OUTSIDE!, SNOOPY!, PEANUTS!, HARRY POTTER!, PEANUTS!, BUTTERBEER!, SUPER NINTENDO WORLD!, UNDERGROUND LEVEL!, BUTCHERED!, GLITTER!, STRIP JOINTS!, REFERENCES!, SUBTLE!, TROLLING!, NEED ATTENTION!, LIKE WOMEN!, HDM!, HEATHER MAY!, CAN'T GET WOMEN!, HERBS!, ADDICTION!, ASHAMED!, GASLIGHTING!, BLOCK AND IGNORE!, DIVINE BING BING!, MONEY!, VIDEOS!, 5D BARS!, MUSIC!, 3D PRINTER!, WALK OFF A CLIFF!, ADRIEN SKYE!, DISS!, BHAD BHABIE!, DAREDEVIL DEB!, TIKTOK!, STUNTS!, OLD LADY!, STAND UP!, INSIDE BITS!, OPEN MIC!, ASIANS!  You can find the videos from this episode at our Discord RIGHT HERE!

Fluent Fiction - Japanese: Kindled Bonds and New Beginnings in Snowy Osaka Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/ja/episode/2024-12-30-23-34-01-ja Story Transcript:Ja: 冬の冷たい風が、薄く雪化粧をした大阪城の西の丸庭園を吹き抜けていました。En: The cold winter wind blew through the Osaka Castle Nishinomaru Garden, lightly dusted with snow.Ja: 木々にきらめく光がついていて、夜が近づくにつれて幻想的な景色が広がります。En: As the night approached, the trees adorned with shimmering lights created a magical landscape.Ja: 多くの高校生が、文化的な校外学習で訪れていました。En: Many high school students were visiting as part of a cultural field trip.Ja: その中に、新しく大阪に引っ越してきた少年、武男がいました。En: Among them was Takeo, a boy who had recently moved to Osaka.Ja: 武男は、まだ慣れない新しいクラスにどう溶け込んでいいのか分からず、不安な気持ちを抱えていました。En: Takeo, still unsure of how to fit into his new class, carried a sense of anxiety.Ja: 文化遺産に興味がある彼は、展示物を静かに見つめていました。En: Interested in cultural heritage, he quietly observed the exhibits.Ja: そのとき、地元の生徒である明が近づいてきて、「大阪城の歴史について聞きたい？」と明るく声をかけました。En: At that moment, Akira, a local student, approached and cheerfully asked, "Do you want to hear about the history of Osaka Castle?"Ja: 「ええ、お願いします。」武男は少しためらいながらも答えました。En: "Yes, please," Takeo replied, hesitantly.Ja: 明は笑顔を浮かべ、楽しそうに城の歴史や伝説を説明し始めました。En: With a smile, Akira began explaining the history and legends of the castle with enthusiasm.Ja: 彼は、出会ったばかりの武男に親しみを感じ、一緒に見学することにしました。En: Feeling a sense of camaraderie with the newcomer, Akira decided to tour the place together with Takeo.Ja: しばらくして、明はみんなを集めて即興のストーリーテリングをすることにしました。En: After a while, Akira gathered everyone for an impromptu storytelling session.Ja: 「この庭園での大晦日の伝統は、特別なんだ。」彼は涼し気な青空を見上げながら話し始めました。En: "The tradition of New Year's Eve in this garden is special," he began, gazing up at the cool blue sky.Ja: 武男はそれを聞きながら、かつての故郷での大晦日の過ごし方を思い出しました。En: Listening intently, Takeo recalled how he used to spend New Year's Eve in his former hometown.Ja: 突然、彼は手を上げて、自分の故郷の伝統について話すことを決心しました。En: Suddenly, he raised his hand, deciding to share his own hometown traditions.Ja: 「私の故郷では、大晦日に特別なおもちを作ります。」彼が話し始めると、クラスメイトたちは興味津々に耳を傾けました。En: "In my hometown, we make special rice cakes for New Year's Eve," he began, and his classmates listened eagerly.Ja: 武男の物語は、静かな雪の中に温かさをもたらし、他の生徒たちも自分の家族の思い出をシェアし始めました。En: Takeo's story brought warmth to the snowy setting, prompting other students to start sharing their own family memories.Ja: 話が盛り上がるうちに、武男の心の重荷は少しずつ軽くなり、同時に年が明ける瞬間が近づいていました。En: As the conversation gained momentum, the burden in Takeo's heart gradually lightened, and the moment of the new year's arrival approached.Ja: みんなは庭園の端に集まり、伝統的な鐘を聞きながら新しい年を迎える準備をしました。En: Everyone gathered at the edge of the garden to listen to the traditional bell, preparing to welcome the new year.Ja: 鐘の音が響く中で、彼らは手を合わせてお祝いし、良い年の到来を祈りました。En: While the sound of the bell resonated, they clasped their hands together in celebration, praying for a prosperous year ahead.Ja: 夜空には花火が舞い上がり、武男は温かな繋がりを感じ、心に新しい希望が芽生えました。En: Fireworks soared into the night sky, and Takeo felt a warm connection, with new hope budding in his heart.Ja: 「新しい友達ができてよかった」と彼は心から笑いました。En: "I'm glad I made new friends," he smiled genuinely.Ja: 彼は、少し勇気を出すことで意味深い絆が生まれることを学んだのです。En: He learned that a little courage could lead to meaningful bonds.Ja: 武男の新年は、こうして心温まるスタートを切り、賑やかな大阪の夜空の下で、彼の心にも新たな光が灯されました。En: In this way, Takeo's new year started warmly, with a new light kindled in his heart under the bustling Osaka night sky. Vocabulary Words:blew: 吹き抜けてshimmering: きらめくadorned: ついていてmagical: 幻想的なcultural: 文化的なheritage: 遺産exhibits: 展示物hesitantly: ためらいながらenthusiasm: 楽しそうにcamaraderie: 親しみimpromptu: 即興のgazing: 見上げながらintently: 興味津々にrecalled: 思い出しましたtraditions: 伝統burden: 重荷gradually: 少しずつresonated: 響くclasped: 手を合わせてprosperous: 良いbudding: 芽生えましたgenuinely: 心からcourage: 勇気meaningful: 意味深いbonds: 絆kindled: 灯されましたbustling: 賑やかなlightly: 薄くdust: 雪化粧eagerly: 興味津々に

Gliding down an over-500-meter-long ice slide, Zhang Jiajia felt like she was flying, and that her one-minute experience had been worth the hour-plus wait in line.张佳佳从一条500多米长的冰滑梯上一滑而下，感觉自己仿佛在飞翔，这一分钟的体验让她觉得一个多小时的排队等待都是值得的。"It's super exciting. My heart soared with me," said Zhang, a tourist from east China's Zhejiang province, after trying the Super Ice Slide at the iconic Harbin Ice-Snow World, which kicked off its annual run on Saturday.“太刺激了！我的心也跟着飞了起来，”来自中国东部浙江省的游客张佳佳在尝试了哈尔滨冰雪大世界标志性的超级冰滑梯后说道。哈尔滨冰雪大世界于12月21日正式启动了一年一度的运营。The world's largest ice-and-snow theme park, the 26th edition of the Harbin Ice-Snow World, officially opened at 10 am in Harbin, the capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province also known as the "city of ice."冰雪大世界位于中国东北部黑龙江省省会哈尔滨（被誉为“冰城”），是全球最大的冰雪主题公园。12月21日上午10时，第26届冰雪大世界正式开园。Themed "Dream of Winter, Love among Asia," the park was built using 300,000 cubic meters of ice and snow, incorporating elements inspired by the upcoming 2025 Harbin Asian Winter Games, which will open next February, right after China's Spring Festival holiday. It is also the first major international ice and snow event hosted by China since the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.本届冰雪大世界以“冰雪同梦 亚洲同心”为主题，总用冰用雪量为30万立方米，园区设计和建设充分融入2025年哈尔滨亚冬会（将于明年2月中国春节假期后举办）元素。这也是继2022年北京冬奥会后，中国举办的首个大型国际冰雪赛事。With an overall planned area of 1 million square meters, up from last year's 800,000 square meters, the park is the largest in its 26-year history.冰雪大世界总体规划面积100万平方米，比去年增加20万平方米，是26年历史上规模最大的一次。The park features nine major zones, recreating landmark landscapes of 42 countries and 3 regions that are members of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) in the form of ice-and-snow structures that can be illuminated at night, including replicas of the Temple of Heaven in China, Osaka Castle in Japan and the Taj Mahal in India.园区内设有九大主题区域，以冰雪形式还原了亚洲奥林匹克理事会（OCA）的42个成员国及3个地区的标志性景观，这些建筑夜间可以亮灯，包括中国天坛、日本大阪城和印度泰姬陵的复制品。The main tower stands on the main axis of the park, featuring towering ice columns that depict the official emblem of the OCA.主塔位于园区主轴线上，高耸的冰柱上雕刻着OCA的官方会徽。"The ice sculptures are incredibly exquisite. It's hard to imagine that they are made of ice blocks harvested from the Songhua River. Each piece of artwork showcases the superb craftsmanship of the artists," said Zhong Xueying, another tourist from Zhejiang.“这些冰雕精致无比。很难想象它们是用松花江上采集的冰块雕刻而成。每一件艺术品都展示了艺术家们的精湛技艺，”来自浙江的另一位游客钟雪英说。The most popular attraction in the park, the Super Ice Slide, has increased the number of its lanes to 24, with a 300-meter-long windproof warm house mounted at the queuing area, allowing visitors to take a break from freezing weather while overlooking the park's scenery.园区内最受欢迎的景点“超级冰滑梯”已增至24条滑道，排队区搭建了300米长的防风暖棚，游客在此避寒保暖的同时，还可俯瞰园区景色。Saturday also marks the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. The day not only means another solar term but also marks an important festive day on Chinese lunar calendar.12月21日周六也是冬至，这是一年中白天最短的一天。这一天不仅标志着另一个节气的到来，也是中国农历中一个重要的节日。Just one hour after the park opened, the queue for the Super Ice Slide stretched hundreds of meters.园区开放仅一个小时后，超级冰滑梯的等候队伍就长达数百米。In addition to ice-and-snow landscapes, the park has added fantasy shows, virtual reality projects and an immersive digital art museum to its inventory of winter wonders, offering new and exciting experiences for both global and domestic visitors.除了冰雪景观，园区还增添了奇幻表演、虚拟现实项目和沉浸式数字艺术馆等冬季奇观，为全球和国内游客提供新奇刺激的体验。The "Snow Disco" event, which attracted thousands of tourists last winter, will also be held at the Dream Stage in the park for this year's edition.去年冬天吸引了数千名游客的“雪地迪斯科”活动也将在本年度的园区梦想舞台上举行。"How lucky! Today is the last day of my trip to Harbin, and I didn't expect to witness the opening of the Ice-Snow World. I'm so happy that it feels like I'm celebrating the Chinese New Year in advance," said Dai Xiaoqin, a tourist from Wuhan city in Hubei province.“真幸运！这是我哈尔滨之行的最后一天，没想到能赶上冰雪大世界开园。我太高兴了，感觉像是提前在庆祝新年，”来自湖北省武汉市的游客戴小琴说。"We wish to showcase the enthusiasm and confidence of the people in participating in ice-and-snow sports, and integrate a variety of new elements into this edition of the park," said Guo Hongwei, Party secretary and chairman of Harbin Ice-Snow World Co., Ltd.“我们希望彰显全民参与冰雪运动的热情和信心，并将多种新元素融入冰雪大世界的设计中。”哈尔滨冰雪大世界股份有限公司党委书记、董事长郭宏伟说。An adult park ticket is priced at 328 yuan (about $45.6). The park also offers discounted tickets and free admission to certain groups of visitors.园区收取成人门票价格为328元人民币（约合45.6美元），并为部分游客提供优惠票和免费入园政策。As an established ice-and-snow theme park, Harbin Ice-Snow World stands out as one of China's iconic winter attractions. It surged in popularity on Chinese social media last winter, becoming an internet sensation as passion for winter sports and tourism continues to rise across the country.作为著名的冰雪主题公园，哈尔滨冰雪大世界是中国标志性的冬季景点之一。去年冬天，随着全国对冬季运动和旅游的热情不断高涨，哈尔滨冰雪大世界在中国社交媒体上走红，成为网红打卡地。Last year, China recorded over 385 million winter leisure visits nationwide, a year-on-year increase of 38 percent, with related revenue up 50 percent.去年，中国全国冬季休闲旅游人次超过3.85亿，同比增长38%，相关收入同比增长50%。In Harbin alone, last snow season saw over 87 million visitors, up 300 percent year on year, and 124.8 billion yuan in tourism revenue, up 500 percent. The 25th edition of the Harbin Ice-Snow World, in particular, received over 2.7 million tourists.上个雪季，仅哈尔滨一地就接待游客8700多万人次，同比增长300%，实现旅游收入1248亿元人民币，同比增长500%。其中第25届哈尔滨冰雪大世界接待游客超过270万人次。To accelerate growth of winter economy in the country's northeastern region, the Chinese government has recently unveiled initiatives including establishing dedicated ice-and-snow holidays, increasing flight routes and optimizing visa-free policies, all aimed at attracting more domestic and international visitors.为推动中国东北地区冬季经济发展，中国政府最近出台了包括设立冰雪旅游专列、增加航线、优化免签政策等一系列举措，旨在吸引更多国内外游客。emblemn.象征；徽章

This season was a long one! The Krewe re-groups to reflect on Season 5 as a whole, and everything that went into it...  with a SPECIAL GUEST! Join us for one last audio journey in Season 5 as we discuss all the milestones, top moments, challenges, & fun anecdotes, in addition to a look ahead to Season 6 & listener feedback! Let's GO!------ About the Krewe ------The Krewe of Japan Podcast is a weekly episodic podcast sponsored by the Japan Society of New Orleans. Check them out every Friday afternoon around noon CST on Apple, Google, Spotify, Amazon, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.  Want to share your experiences with the Krewe? Or perhaps you have ideas for episodes, feedback, comments, or questions? Let the Krewe know by e-mail at kreweofjapanpodcast@gmail.com or on social media (Twitter: @kreweofjapan, Instagram: @kreweofjapanpodcast, Facebook: Krewe of Japan Podcast Page, TikTok: @kreweofjapanpodcast, LinkedIn: Krewe of Japan LinkedIn Page, Blue Sky Social: @kreweofjapan.bsky.social, & the Krewe of Japan Youtube Channel). Until next time, enjoy!------ Support the Krewe! Offer Links for Affiliates ------Use the referral links below & our promo code from the episode!Support your favorite NFL Team AND podcast! Shop NFLShop to gear up for football season!Zencastr Offer Link - Use my special link to save 30% off your 1st month of any Zencastr paid plan! ------ JSNO Upcoming Events ------JSNO Event CalendarJoin JSNO Today!

How many original castles does Japan ACTUALLY have standing? Where is Japan's oldest castle located? When counting castles in Japan, do castle ruins factor in? The Krewe is joined by William de Lange, the author of An Encyclopedia of Japanese Castles & many other Japan-related publications, to get the answer to these questions and so many more!------ About the Krewe ------The Krewe of Japan Podcast is a weekly episodic podcast sponsored by the Japan Society of New Orleans. Check them out every Friday afternoon around noon CST on Apple, Google, Spotify, Amazon, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.  Want to share your experiences with the Krewe? Or perhaps you have ideas for episodes, feedback, comments, or questions? Let the Krewe know by e-mail at kreweofjapanpodcast@gmail.com or on social media (Twitter: @kreweofjapan, Instagram: @kreweofjapanpodcast, Facebook: Krewe of Japan Podcast Page, TikTok: @kreweofjapanpodcast, LinkedIn: Krewe of Japan LinkedIn Page, Blue Sky Social: @kreweofjapan.bsky.social, & the Krewe of Japan Youtube Channel). Until next time, enjoy!------ Support the Krewe! Offer Links for Affiliates ------Use the referral links below & our promo code from the episode!Support your favorite NFL Team AND podcast! Shop NFLShop to gear up for football season!Zencastr Offer Link - Use my special link to save 30% off your 1st month of any Zencastr paid plan! ------ Past KOJ Architecture & History Episodes ------Foreign-Born Samurai: William Adams ft. Nathan Ledbetter (Guest Host, Dr. Samantha Perez) (S5E17)Foreign-Born Samurai: Yasuke ft. Nathan Ledbetter (Guest Host, Dr. Samantha Perez) (S5E16)Change in Urban & Rural Japanese Communities ft. Azby Brown (S5E15)KOJ Podcast S5E6 - Inside Japanese Homes & Architecture ft. Azby Brown (S5E6)Kendo: The Way of the Sword ft. Alexander Bennett, 7th Dan in Kendo (S4E16)Jokichi Takamine: The Earliest Bridge Between New Orleans & Japan ft. Stephen Lyman (S4E13)The Chrysanthemum Throne ft. Dr. Hiromu Nagahara [Part 2] (S2E18)The Chrysanthemum Throne ft. Dr. Hiromu Nagahara [Part 1] (S2E17)The Age of Lady Samurai ft. Tomoko Kitagawa (S1E12)------ Links about William de Lange ------An Encyclopedia of Japanese Castles (Amazon)Japan Then & Now (Amazon, Released June 2024)Walking the Edo Sanpu (Amazon, Released August 2024)William's Website------ JSNO Upcoming Events ------JSNO Event CalendarJoin JSNO Today!

Philips Sonicare: We are very happy for the Costco Guys and their sponsorship of the Philips Sonicare electric toothbrush. Osaka Adventures: We have tales of meeting Masahiro when we arrive in Osaka and some more tales of our Japanese adventures like Mike leaving his phone on the train. Sponge B. Marley: Jeff's infamous shirt purchase in Japan. He chose Sponge B. Marley over black basketball dunking Bart Simpson. FUCK YOU WATCH THIS!, THE BEAR!, ALICE COOPER!, THE MAN BEHIND THE MASK!, FRIDAY THE 13TH!, PATREON!, FREE TIER!, FREETARD!, WHY DON'T GIRLS LIKE ME!?, WHIRLWIND ADVENTURE!, THE COSTCO GUYS!, SPONSORSHIP!, PHILIPS SONICARE!, ADVERTISING!, ELECTRIC TOOTHBRUSHES!, BIG AJ!, BARREL CHESTED!, OSAKA ADVENTURES!, JAPAN!, TRIP!, FOOTAGE!, MASAHIRO!, TRUMP!, KAMALA!, AMERICA!, OHTANI!, FETISH!, DITCH!, SCAM!, OLD MAN!, LESS HELPFUL!, DRUNK GUY!, SANTA!, DOTOBORI!, OSAKA CASTLE!, HANSHIN TIGERS!, SUPERFANS!, TRANSLATION!, TRUMP CHANT!, LOTTERIA!, NO CHEAP!, NO TIP!, GIFT!, LOST PHONE!, TRAIN!, LANGUAGE BARRIER!, SKET!, COMMUNICATE!, POLICE STATION!, THIRD SIGNATURE!, ICHIRAN!, IPPUDO!, RAMEN WARS!, MISO SOUP!, CURRY!, MATSUYA!, FAMILYMART!, SWAP MEET!, SOUVENIR SHOP!, BIG NEW YORK!, KAITO!, SLIPKNOT!, JACK AND THE BEANSTALK!, MAGIC BEANS!, ENGRISH!, KEEP ON DRUGGIN!, ELMO!, GROVER!, HOTTIES!,  You can find the videos from this episode at our Discord RIGHT HERE!

Episode description: In this episode, Andrew recaps his recent 48-hour trip to Osaka, Japan. He shares his experiences from the first-ever Culips meetup, his shopping adventures for running shoes and vinyl records, and his nighttime run around Osaka Castle. Andrew also describes his encounters with local cuisine, an exceptional coffee shop, and the challenges of exercising in Japan's summer heat. This episode will help you improve your English in the following ways: Listening comprehension: Practice understanding a native English speaker as he gives a detailed account of his travel experiences. Vocabulary building: Learn new words and expressions related to travel, shopping, and running, such as "layover," "hustle and bustle," "tax-free plan," and "running crews." Idioms: Understand and learn useful English idioms like "put some faces to the community," "all set for," and "it is what it is" used in context. Pronunciation: Hear the correct pronunciation of everyday English, which you can then practice on your own. English speaking practice: Join discussions with other listeners on the Culips Discord server for additional speaking practice. Important links: Become a Culips member Study with the interactive transcript Join the Culips Discord server Small-group discussion class schedule (member only)

今年（ことし）ももうほとんど半分（はんぶん）過ぎ（すぎ）ましたが、とらくんの今年の目標（もくひょう）の一つ（ひとつ）が「大阪（おおさか）に一人旅（ひとりたび）をする」だそうです。そこで、今回（こんかい）は大阪の魅力的（みりょくてき）な見どころについて調査（ちょうさ）してみました。歴史（れきし）に触（ふ）れられる大阪城（おおさかじょう）から、買い物（かいもの）エリアの梅田（うめだ）、下町（したまち）グルメや大阪文化（ぶんか）の象徴（しょうちょう）でもある道頓堀（どうとんぼり）エリアについて紹介（しょうかい）しています。日本（にほん）に旅行（りょこう）する予定（よてい）のある方（かた）は、東京（とうきょう）、京都（きょうと）に続（つづ）いてぜひ大阪を旅行してみることもお勧（すす）めします。 Almost half the year has passed already, and one of Tora-kun's goals for this year is to 'travel alone to Osaka.' In light of this, we've explored the charming attractions of Osaka in this episode. From the historic Osaka Castle, where you can touch upon history, to the shopping area of Umeda, and the Dotonbori area, which symbolizes downtown gourmet and Osaka culture, we introduce these exciting spots. For those planning to travel to Japan, we recommend visiting Osaka, following Tokyo and Kyoto. The script is available here: https://www.makiko-japanese.com/ I will update this episode on Youtube as soon as possible!! Please check out and  subscribe to our youtube channel: ⁠www.youtube.com/channel/UChu8-tNd_4RyWo-iE5cr-Ow⁠ email, comments, requests, also Japanese lesson inquiries: toranomaki.nihongo@gmail.com にほんごのかいわのレッスンもしています。メールでれんらくください。 Please follow our Instagram, @toranomaki.nihongo --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/toranomaki-japanese/message

On this episode I speak with Production Designer Helen Jarvis about the amazing limited series Shögun. The series is a massive undertaking with intense research, diving into historical texts, paintings, and archival material. She discusses that the goal is to not just recreate 17th-century Japan in the “Shoin-Zukuri” style but also make it visually compelling for a modern audience. Filmed on location in Vancouver, Shögun enlisted expert consultants from Japan to work with the Canadian crew in what became a seamless collaboration between Eastern and Western talents in service of telling a truly authentic Japanese story. Committed to being authentic to the era, the sets, locations, décor, props and construction builds for Shögun were designed to make the viewer - and cast - believe they stepped into 1600 feudal Japan. Helen describes how the sets were spread across two expansive exterior backlots, a remote mountainside location and two massive sound stages, which housed all the interiors of Osaka Castle, gardens, a Catholic mission and parts of the imposing ship the Erasmus. This series is a gorgeous design accomplishment and all episodes are now streaming on Hulu. Are you a fan of TV and film production? Do you love learning about the behind-the-scenes work that goes into creating your favorite shows and movies? Then you need to check out the Decorating Pages podcast! As an Emmy-winning set decorator, host Kim Wannop brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to each episode, featuring interviews with some of the top names in the industry. From production designers to set decorators to prop masters, each guest offers a unique perspective on the art and craft of visual storytelling. Whether you're a film buff, a design enthusiast, or just love hearing fascinating behind-the-scenes stories, the Decorating Pages podcast is a must-listen. So why wait? Subscribe now and get ready to take a deep dive into the world of TV and film production! #DecoratingPagesPodcast #TVProduction #FilmProduction #BehindTheScenes #VisualStorytelling #SetDecorator #ProductionDesigner #PropMaster #DesignEnthusiast #FilmBuff #PodcastLove #SubscribeNow Subscribe to Decorating Pages Podcast on Apple, Spotify, Pandora, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio,iHeartRadio Follow at: @decoratingpages on Twitter decoratingpages on IG Decorating Pages Podcast on YouTube @decoratingpagespodcast on TicTok Contact Kim Wannop at kimwannop@decoratingpagespodcast.com www.decoratingpagespodcast.com

Embark on an exploration of Japan's decorative manhole covers, from Kagawa's Slowpoke to Osaka Castle motifs. Learn about the community of "manholers" who collect manhole cards and how these colorful covers serve as a canvas for expressing local identity and culture. This episode reveals the surprising artistry found in everyday streetscapes and the story behind this fascinating aspect of Japanese urban design. Check out our transcripts, video podcasts, and Japanese learning resources at⁠⁠: https://sayurisaying.com/japan-manhole-covers-exploration Please consider a donation to support this podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/sayurisaying⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If You Ever Wondered What Connor McGregor Was Really Like… This week on the podcast, Brian and Darryl are reviewing the Amazon Prime Original Road House, Episodes 5 & 6 of Shogun, and Apple’s Masters of the Air. Episode Index Intro: 0:07 Road House: 8:21 Shogun: 28:39 Masters of the Air: 47:40 Road House (Amazon Prime, 2024) Out of 10 I Really Missed All the Throats Being Ripped Outs Darry: 4/10 Brian: 5.5/10 Summary The 2024 remake of the classic 1989 film “Road House” follows Dalton (Jake Gyllenhaal), a former UFC fighter who takes a job as a bouncer at a roadhouse in the Florida Keys. However, Dalton soon discovers that the paradise-like setting hides a more sinister underbelly, as a group of criminals led by the ruthless Ben Brandt (Billy Magnussen) and his enforcer Knox (Conor McGregor) attempt to take over the bar and the surrounding land. Dalton must use his fighting skills and wits to protect the roadhouse and its staff, including Ellie (Daniela Melchior) and Frankie (Jessica Williams). Cast & Crew Director Doug Liman Cast Jake Gyllenhaal as Dalton Daniela Melchior as Ellie Conor McGregor as Knox Jessica Williams as Frankie Lukas Gage as Billy Billy Magnussen as Ben Brandt Joaquim de Almeida as Sheriff B.K. Cannon as Laura Arturo Castro as Moe Darren Barnet as Sam Dominique Columbus as Reef Post Malone as Carter Production Notes The 2024 “Road House” is a remake of the 1989 cult classic film starring Patrick Swayze. Conor McGregor makes his acting debut as the villainous Knox, providing a physical threat to Gyllenhaal’s Dalton. The film updates the setting from a small town in Missouri to the Florida Keys, giving it a more tropical and modern feel. While following the basic premise of the original, the 2024 version introduces new characters and a more fleshed-out backstory for Dalton. Amazon’s MGM Studios produced the film and is an exclusive release on Prime Video starting March 21, 2024. Shogun (FX) Episode 5: “Broken to the Fist” Out of 5 A Dead Husbands Untimely Returns Darryl: 4.25/5 Brian: 4.25/5 Summary Toranaga returns to Ajiro with his entire army, and upon learning of Nagakado’s killing of Jozen, he strips him of his command of the cannon regiment and gives the position to Omi. Having survived the ordeal in Osaka to escape to Edo, Buntaro moves in to live with Blackthorne and Mariko. Blackthorne is gifted a freshly killed pheasant by Toranaga, which he hangs in the front yard of his house to age and instructs the household not to touch it until it matures. During dinner, Blackthorne and Buntaro engage in a sake-drinking binge before Buntaro proves his archery skills while drunk and forces Mariko to tell Blackthorne about how her father, Akechi Jinsai, murdered Lord Kuroda Nobuhisa, the previous ruler of Japan before the Taikō, and was forced to execute his family before committing seppuku, and that she married Buntaro and was forced to live as atonement for her father’s crime. Later that night, upon learning that Mariko has been assaulted by Buntaro, Blackthorne confronts him outside, but Buntaro lays down his sword and apologizes for disturbing his home. The next day, after a long discussion with Mariko, Blackthorne returns home to discover that Uejiro, the house’s gardener, took down the rotting pheasant to bury and was executed as a result. Blackthorne declines Fuji’s request to kill her for disobeying his order regarding the pheasant and approaches Toranaga with a request to permanently leave Japan. A massive earthquake causes a landslide and Blackthorne rescues Toranaga from being buried alive. Blackthorne returns to a heavily damaged Ajiro and discovers that Fuji had been injured. The following day, Muraji leads Yabushige and Omi to Uejirou’s hut and manages to convince them that he is the spy that they were searching for. In Osaka, the remaining regents debate on who will take Toranaga’s place on the council. Ochiba finally arrives and reunites with Yaechiyo before telling Ishido that the council will now listen to her. Episode 6: “Ladies of the Willow World” Out of 5 Crimson Sky has Arriveds Darryl: 4/5 Brian: 4.15/5 Summary In 1578, Mariko is sent by Jinsai to live at the home of Nobuhisa, where she becomes friends with his daughter – the future Ochiba. One night, Mariko watches as her father’s allies are executed by Nobuhisa while he looks on in a rage. In 1600, at a funeral for those killed by the earthquake, Toranaga promotes Blackthorne to chief admiral and general of his cannon regiment. Toranaga also bestows upon him a fief as a token of gratitude for saving his life. The following morning, Toranaga reprimands Buntaro for assaulting Mariko and orders him to stay away from her for one week. Blackthorne approaches Toranaga again with a request to leave Japan in order to continue warring against the Portuguese, but his request is denied. Sensing tension between Mariko and Blackthorne, Toranaga orders her to take Blackthorne to see a courtesan. That night, Mariko brings Blackthorne to a brothel but she leaves once the courtesan began escorting Blackthorne to her room. Later, Toranaga reveals to Mariko that Jinsai wanted her to continue his work of protecting Japan after his death. At Osaka Castle, the remaining three regents and their families have been taken hostage by Ochiba and Ishido, under the guise of an unspecified plot on Yaechiyo’s life. Hiromatsu manages to escape but was forced to leave Kiri and others behind. At a stage performance by Ito, an influential daimyō, Ochiba recalls being taken in as a consort by the Taikō after Nobuhisa’s death and producing an heir for him. After the play, Ochiba and Ishido offer Ito a position on the council. The council convenes to vote on Ito as regent, however, Sugiyama refuses to confirm him and leaves. Later, Ochiba explains to Ishido that she believes Toranaga plotted her father’s death. When Sugiyama tries to flee Osaka, he and his family are killed by Ishido and his retinue. Arriving in Ajiro, Hiromatsu informs Toranaga of the situation in Osaka. Toranaga’s war council wants to use the Crimson Sky plan, which involves assaulting Osaka Castle and forming a new government in the wake of the attack. Toranaga initially refuses to launch such an assault as he understands that he will most likely become the new Shōgun if the plan succeeds. When news of Sugiyama’s death reaches Ajiro, Toranaga realizes that his impeachment is inevitable and announces that he will invoke the Crimson Sky plan to protect Yaechiyo and limit future bloodshed. Masters of the Air (Apple) Out of 10 Real American Heroes Darryl: 8.5/10 Brian: 8.25/10 Summary “Masters of the Air” is a World War II drama that follows the story of the 100th Bomb Group of the United States Eighth Air Force in 1943. The series depicts the harrowing experiences of these young American airmen as they take on the dangerous task of bombing targets in Nazi Germany, facing constant threats from anti-aircraft fire and enemy fighters. The show explores the emotional toll of combat, portraying the varying fates of these heroes – some were captured, wounded or killed, while others made it home, all paying a heavy price in the fight against Hitler’s Third Reich. Episode Breakdown Episode 1 (January 26): In spring 1943, USAAF majors Gale Cleven and John Egan of the 100th Bombardment Group deploy to England to join the allied war effort against Nazi Germany. In June, the 100th, comprising four squadrons of B-17s from RAF base Thorpe Abbotts, is sent on a daytime bombing mission to destroy military targets in Bremen, Germany. Despite the use of the advanced Norden bombsight, the bombardiers are unable to confirm the targets due to heavy cloud cover, and the mission is aborted. The 100th is forced to fly through heavy anti-aircraft fire, and is then attacked by Luftwaffe fighter pilots. The failed mission results in the loss of three B-17s and thirty men, while the 100th commanding officer, Colonel Harold Huglin, is relieved of command due to illness. Episode 2 (January 26): The 100th copes with its first combat losses. At a pub, RAF members challenge the American tactic of daytime raids; feeling disrespected, Lieutenant (Lt.) Curtis Biddick defeats a British pilot in a bare-knuckle boxing match. When Major Marvin Bowman is incapacitated by illness, Major Cleven is tasked with leading the 100th on their second mission: bombing German U-boat pens in Norway. Lt. Harry Crosby, despite airsickness, successfully navigates the mission. Lt. Biddick’s B-17 is damaged; the other planes reduce airspeed to stay with Biddick’s, which makes a controlled landing without power in Scotland. Episode 3 (February 2): In August 1943, the 100th participates in the Schweinfurt–Regensburg mission to destroy aircraft manufacturing plants deep within Germany before traveling to North Africa. Lt. Biddick and his co-pilot are killed during an emergency landing in a forest. Sergeant Quinn parachutes to safety after his B-17 is destroyed; he lands in Belgium and is met by resistance members from an escape line. Major Egan and Cleven arrive in Africa along with the surviving members of the 100th. Episode 4 (February 9): In October 1943, fresh B-17 crews, including Lt. Robert Rosenthal, arrive. The 100th bombs Bremen once again. Feeling the effects of combat exhaustion, Major Egan is sent on leave to London, where he has a one-night stand with a Polish war widow. Learning that Major Cleven did not return from Bremen, Egan returns to duty early. Meanwhile, Sgt. Quinn is guided by Belgian resistance smugglers. He also meets two other American airmen, including Bob, who is killed after being exposed as a German infiltrator. Quinn and the others arrive via train to German occupied Paris on the way to Spain. Episodes 5 (February 16): The 100th returns from the Bremen mission after taking heavy casualties. Lt. Crosby replaces Captain Payne as the lead navigator and is promoted. Major Egan leads another bombing raid to Münster just days after the Bremen mission. The mission ends disastrously for the 100th after they are intercepted by swarms of fighters. All but one B-17, piloted by Lt. Rosenthal, are shot down. Having bailed from his doomed plane, Major Egan parachutes alone into the German countryside of Westphalia. Episode 6 (February 23): Major Egan is taken prisoner and almost dies after he and other downed pilots are attacked by enraged German civilians in Rüsselsheim after a bombing. He is taken to Dulag Luft for interrogation before being transferred to Stalag Luft III. There, he meets other comrades from the 100th, including Cleven. Lt. Rosenthal and his crew are sent to a country estate for relaxation and counseling, which Rosenthal resists. Captain Crosby attends a conference at the University of Oxford where he meets a British ATS officer whom he bonds with before she is unexpectedly called away. Episode 7 (March 1): In March 1944, the 100th loses fifteen B-17s and one-hundred-fifty men during a mission over Berlin. Their next attack proves more successful when the bombers are guarded by P-51 Mustang fighter squadrons. They are upset to learn that the number of missions required for a crew to be discharged is being increased to twenty-eight. Captain Rosenthal completes his twenty-fifth mission, but decides to reenlist. He learns General Doolittle is planning to use the B-17 crews as bait to draw the Luftwaffe into the sky to face the P-51s; Rosenthal is placed in command of the 350th. Captain Crosby begins an affair with ATS officer Wesgate. Sgt. Quinn returns to base and is exempted from further missions due to his knowledge of the escape lines. In Stalag Luft III, Major Cleven and other prisoners of war build a crystal radio to tune into the BBC news. A large group of British prisoners escape; Cleven, Egan and the other American officers are threatened that the camp will be turned over to the SS and Gestapo if there are further escape attempts. Episode 8 (March 8 ) : In June 1944, Captain Crosby conducts operational planning for two hundred bombing missions against Wehrmacht positions in France in preparation for Operation Overlord. Working for three straight days, he passes out and sleeps through D-Day. There is virtually no resistance from the Luftwaffe. During Operation Dragoon, the Tuskegee Airmen of the 99th Fighter Squadron are downed attacking German positions at the Côte d’Azur; 2nd lieutenants Richard Macon, Robert Daniels, and Alexander Jefferson are transferred to Stalag Luft III, now under control of the SS. They are invited by Cleven to join with preparations for a potential breakout, now that the Red Army is approaching. Episode 9 (March 15): In February 1945, Major Rosenthal’s plane is shot down over Berlin; he parachutes into no man’s land and is rescued by the Red Army. The Germans evacuate Stalag Luft III, forcing the prisoners to march in freezing conditions; they are taken via train to Nuremberg before being interned at Stalag XIII. When they are again forced to march, Majors Cleven and Egan try to escape, but only Cleven succeeds. Cleven survives an attack by Volkssturm children before encountering U.S. Army units. Egan and the other prisoners are taken to Stalag VII and are liberated soon after. In Poznań, Major Rosenthal enters Fort VII and witnesses the horror of The Holocaust. Majors Cleven, Egan, Rosenthal and Crosby reunite at Thorpe Abbotts; they participate in Operations Manna and Chowhound to supply food to the Dutch population stricken by Hongerwinter. After the German surrender, the 100th departs for home. The series ends with a montage explaining the future lives of its central characters. Infamous Shirts for Naked Bodies… You’ll feel “shirty” when you buy our gear from the Flying Pork Apparel Co. Contact Us The Infamous Podcast can be found wherever podcasts are found on the Interwebs, feel free to subscribe and follow along on social media. And don't be shy about helping out the show with a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts to help us move up in the ratings. @infamouspodcast facebook/infamouspodcast instagram/infamouspodcast stitcher Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Play iHeart Radio contact@infamouspodcast.com Our theme music is ‘Skate Beat’ provided by Michael Henry, with additional music provided by Michael Henry. Find more at MeetMichaelHenry.com. The Infamous Podcast is hosted by Brian Tudor and Darryl Jasper, is recorded in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show is produced and edited by Brian Tudor. Subscribe today!

Did you Know FX Dubbed Shogun So You can Look at Your Phone AND Watch the Show? This week on the podcast, Brian and Darryl discuss the new FX Mini-Series Shogun (and why mini-series are important to the TV and streaming landscape). Episode Index Intro: 0:07 The Art of the Mini-Series: 8:04 Shogun: 31:36 The Art of the Mini-Series: The 25 best TV miniseries of all time https://www.yardbarker.com/entertainment/articles/the_25_best_tv_miniseries_of_all_time_030124/s1__33231407#slide_4 Shogun (FX) Out of 10 Seppuku is Not the Way to Gos Darryl: 8/10 Brian: 7/10 Summary: Shogun is a historical fiction novel set in feudal Japan. It tells the story of John Blackthorne, a risk-taking English sailor shipwrecked in Japan. Thrust into a completely alien culture, Blackthorne clashes with the ambitious Lord Toranaga, a powerful daimyo with his own political rivals to contend with. Caught in the middle is Lady Mariko, a skilled samurai woman with a tarnished family history. All three must navigate a web of intrigue, loyalty, and cultural differences to find their place in this tumultuous world. Main Cast: – Hiroyuki Sanada (Lord Yoshii Toranaga): A powerful and cunning lord, Toranaga is locked in a political battle for dominance. You might recognize Sanada from his roles in “John Wick: Chapter 4” and “The Last Samurai.” – Cosmo Jarvis (John Blackthorne): A resourceful English sailor who shipwrecked in Japan. Blackthorne struggles to adapt to the strict Japanese way of life. Jarvis has starred in films like “Persuasion.” – Anna Sawai (Toda Mariko): A strong-willed samurai woman caught between her duty to her family and her attraction to Blackthorne. Sawai is a rising star in Japanese cinema. Supporting Cast: – Tadanobu Asano (Kashigi Yabushige): A rival lord and antagonist to Toranaga. Asano is a veteran Japanese actor known for his work in the “Thor” franchise. – Takehiro Hira (Ishido Kazunari): A skilled swordsman and ally of Toranaga. – Tokuma Nishioka (Toda Hiromatsu): Mariko’s father, caught in the political turmoil. – Other notable cast members include Nestor Carbonell, Tommy Bastow, Shinnosuke Abe, Yoriko Dōguchi, Yuki Kura, and Hiroto Kanai. Crew: – Executive Producers: Justin Marks, Rachel Kondo, Michaela Clavell, Edward L. McDonnell, Michael De Luca, Andrew Macdonald, and Allon Reich. – Creator: Justin Marks based on the novel by James Clavell. Episodes: Episode 1 Title: Anjin Directed by: Jonathan van Tulleken Written by: Rachel Kondo & Justin Marks Date Aired: February 27, 2024 Summary: In 1600, a lone Dutch trading ship, Erasmus, arrives on the coast of Japan with a starving crew. John Blackthorne, the ship’s English navigator, is taken prisoner by samurai warriors. The episode introduces the political landscape with five regents vying for power and the religious tensions between the Catholic Church and the Protestant Blackthorne. Blackthorne is brought to Osaka Castle, where he meets Lord Toranaga and Lady Toda Mariko. Episode 2 Title: Servants of Two Masters Directed by: Jonathan van Tulleken Written by: Rachel Kondo & Justin Marks Date Aired: February 27, 2024 Summary: The episode delves deeper into the power struggle. We learn about Toranaga’s precarious position among the regents and the secret ambitions of the Portuguese. Blackthorne becomes a pawn in the game as Toranaga uses him to sow discord among his rivals. Blackthorne also encounters the Jesuit priest Domingo who reveals the Catholic agenda in Japan. Blackthorne is saved from execution by Yabushige and provides Toranaga with intel about the Portuguese and Spanish plans for Japan. The episode ends with an assassination attempt on Toranaga, highlighting the dangers he faces. Episode 3 Title: Tomorrow is Tomorrow Directed by: Charlotte Brändström Written by: Shannon Goss Date Aired: March 5, 2024 Summary: Toranaga outsmarts Ishido by sending his wife in disguise with Blackthorne. The episode showcases the political maneuvering and the lengths Toranaga goes to in his quest for power. Blackthorne’s quick thinking saves the caravan from Ishido’s forces. Toranaga deals with the Portuguese to escape Osaka and secure passage on their Black Ship. The episode ends with Blackthorne joining Toranaga on the ship, marking a turning point in their relationship. Infamous Shirts for Naked Bodies… You’ll feel “shirty” when you buy our gear from the Flying Pork Apparel Co. Contact Us The Infamous Podcast can be found wherever podcasts are found on the Interwebs, feel free to subscribe and follow along on social media. And don't be shy about helping out the show with a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts to help us move up in the ratings. @infamouspodcast facebook/infamouspodcast instagram/infamouspodcast stitcher Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Play iHeart Radio contact@infamouspodcast.com Our theme music is ‘Skate Beat’ provided by Michael Henry, with additional music provided by Michael Henry. Find more at MeetMichaelHenry.com. The Infamous Podcast is hosted by Brian Tudor and Darryl Jasper, is recorded in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show is produced and edited by Brian Tudor. Subscribe today!

We get a second dose of Heiji as we go to Osaka Castle with the last case of Volume 31 (Chapters 317-321), the Tiger Scroll Case. This episode was released earlier on our Patreon so be sure to sign up … Continue reading →

During the early days of the COVID-19 Pandemic, being at home with my thoughts, I kept busy by researching mokuhanga. And one of my many discoveries was the exhibition at the Portland Art Museum held from September 24, 2020, to June 13, 2021, called Joryū Hanga Kyøkai, 1956-1965: Japan's Women Printmakers and curated by Japan Foundation Associate Curator of Japanese Art and Interim Head of Asian Art Jeannie Kenmotsu. It was an exhibition of mokuhanga, etchings, and lithography of a group of printmakers I didn't know much about. Individually I may have heard their names but as a group? I needed to learn more.    History is an essential part of mokuhanga; to search out those printmakers who have come before us to understand what they did and how they did it. I have learned so much from the past that I can use it in my own work for my present and future.        On this episode of The Unfinished Print, I speak with Jeannie Kenmotsu, Ph.D., about the Joryu Hanga Kyokai and, the road to this exhibition, the work that went behind it. We explore how the Joryu Hanga Kyokai showed a different face of printmaking in Japan. We discuss Tokyo during the 1950s and 1960s, the mokuhanga and print culture of the time, internationalism, and how this exhibition could catalyze more research on this incredible group.  Please follow The Unfinished Print and my own mokuhanga work on Instagram @andrezadoroznyprints or email me at theunfinishedprint@gmail.com  Notes: may contain a hyperlink. Simply click on the highlighted word or phrase. Artists works follow after the note. Pieces are mokuhanga unless otherwise noted. Dimensions are given if known. Joryū Hanga Kyōkai, 1956-1965: Japan's Women Printmakers - was an exhibition curated by Jeannie Kenmotsu from September 24, 2020 - June 13, 2021, at the Portland Art Museum. It is the first step in understanding and education on the subject of women in Japanese printmaking in modern Japan. Members of the group were  Romanesque Architecture - is a style developed in the north of Italy, parts of France, and the Iberian Peninsula in the 10th century. Evolving from thick walls, no sculpture, and ornamental arches into towering round arches, massive stone and brickwork, small windows, thick walls, and an inclination for housing art and sculpture of biblical scenes.  For more information abbot Romanesquwe architecture you can find that, here.  Portland Art Museum - established in 1892, the PAM has established itself as one of the preeminent art musuems on the West coast of the United States. The musuem has 40,000 pieces of art and art objects. More information about PAM can be found here.  The Royal Ontario Museum - also known as The ROM, is an art, world culture, and natural history museum in the city of Toronto, and is one of the oldest museums in the city. More info, here.  mokuhanga in the 1950's and 1960's - Japanese woodblock printmaking became quite popular after World War II. With Japan growing exponentially post war, through industry and art, the independent philosphy that the West perpetuated began to filter into the Jpaanese art world. Sōsaku hanga became increadingly popular where there is only one carver, printer and draughtsman. These prints touched on various themes, but especially in the abstract. Artists such as Shigeru Hatsuyama (1897-1973), and Kiyoshi Saitō (1907-1997) spring to mind, who created a new kind of mokuhanga by using various techniques, colours, and sizes  that were unique and expressive. Oliver Statler's book, written in 1956, Modern Japanese Prints : An Art Reborn, was published because the art form was growing so quickly. It is a great summary  on the sōsaku hanga movement during that time.  Edo Period prints - woodblock prints of the Edo Period (1603-1867) were predominantly of kabuki actors (Sharaku), and courtesans (Harunobu) beginning in the middle of the 18th century. The traditional system of production came into play when making ukiyo-e of this period, designer,  carver, printer, and publisher. Famous designers of the day were Hiroshige (1797-1858), Hokusai (1760-1849). Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition - was an international fair in 1905 held in Portland, Oregan, USA from June 1 - October 15 and attracted over 1 million visitors. It helped to showcase Portland and its environs, promoting the movement and expansion West by settlers. The Portland Art Museum began shortly after the Exposition as The Portland Art Association needed its own space to showcase art pieces from the Exposition.  The Metropolitan Museum of Art - is the largest art museum in North and South America. It began to be assembled by John Jay (1817-1894) in the late 19th century. Incorporated in 1870, the museum has collected many essential pieces, such as the works of Henri Matisse (1869-1954) and Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919). For more information about the MET, you can find it here. Adolphe Braun (1812-1877) - was a German-born photographer who helped to establish photography as an art form. His work with the reproduction of art furthered art history throughout the world. Chizuko Yoshida (1924-2017) - was the wife of painter and printmaker Hodaka Yoshida. Beginning as an abstract painter, Chizuko, after a meeting with sōsaku hanga printmaker Onchi Kōshirō (1891-1955), Chizuko became interested in printmaking. Chizuko enjoyed the abstraction of art, and this was her central theme of expression. Like all Yoshida artists, travel greatly inspired Chizuko's work. She incorporated the colours and flavours of the world into her prints. Rain B (1953) 14 3/4 x 9 7/8" Yoshida Hiroshi (1876-1950) - a watercolorist, oil painter, and woodblock printmaker. Is associated with the resurgence of the woodblock print in Japan, and in the West. It was his early relationship with Watanabe Shōzaburō, having his first seven prints printed by the Shōzaburō atelier. This experience made Hiroshi believe that he could hire his own carvers and printers and produce woodblock prints, which he did in 1925.  Osaka Castle (1935) Fujio Yoshida (1887-1997) - the wife of Hiroshi Yoshida and the mother of Tōshi Yoshida (1911-1995) and Hodaka Yoshida. Fujio was so much more than a mother and wife. She had a long and storied career as a painter and printmaker. Fujio's work used her travels and personal experiences to make her work. Subjects such as Japan during The Pacific War, abstraction, portraits, landscapes, still life, and nature were some of her themes. Her painting mediums were watercolour and oil. Her print work was designed by her and carved by Fujio.  Yellow Iris (1953)  Hodaka Yoshida (1926-1995) - was the second son of woodblock printmaker and designer Hiroshi Yoshida (1876-1950). Hodaka Yoshida's work was abstract, beginning with painting and evolving into printmaking. His inspirations varied as his career continued throughout his life, but Hodaka Yoshida's work generally focused on nature, "primitive" art, Buddhism, the elements, and landscapes. Hodaka Yoshida's print work used woodcut, photo etching, collage, and lithography, collaborating with many of these mediums and making original and fantastic works. Outside of prints Hodaka Yoshida also painted and created sculptures.     Dawn At Sea (1969) - silkscreen 25 5/8" x 19 3/8" (AP) Tōshi Yoshida (1911-1995) - was the second child of Hiroshi Yoshida and Fujio Yoshida, although the first to survive childhood. Beginning with oil paintings and then apprenticing under his father with woodblock cutting. By 1940 Tōshi started to make his mokuhanga. After his father's death in 1950, Tōshi began to experiment with abstract works and travel to the United States. Later travels to Africa evolved his prints, inspiring Tōshi with the world he experienced as his work focused on animals and nature.  Irises and Ducks - 19 5/8" x 11 3/4" Ayomi Yoshida - is the daughter of Chizuko and Hodaka Yoshida. She is a visual artist who works in mokuhanga, installations and commercial design. Ayomi's subject matter is colour, lines, water, and shape. Ayomi's lecture referred to by Jeannie at PAM can be found here. She teaches printmaking and art. You can find more info here.  Black Marks (1999) 20 1/2 × 20 1/8 in (AP) Guide to Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints: 1900-1975 - is a book published by the University of Hawai'i in 1995. It is a reference book describing artists, publishers, and carvers. It contains no images but is a valuable resource for the mokuhanga academic.  Uchima Toshiko (1918-2000) - was a Manchurian-born Japanese artist who worked in mokuhanga, liothography, assemblages and collage. She was one of the founders of the Joryū Hanga Kyōkai in 1955/56. She lived most of her life in the United States, specifically New York City.  Package From Italy - collage 19.8"x16.8" in Ansei Uchima (1921-2000) - was a mokuhanga printmaker in the sōsaku hanga style of Japanese printmaking. He was the translator for Japanologist Oliver Statler (1915-2002). Way For Hakone (1966) 13 3/4 x 21 in Oliver Statler (1915-2002) -  was an American author and scholar and collector of mokuhanga. He had been a soldier in World War 2, having been stationed in Japan. After his time in the war Statler moved back to Japan where he wrote about Japanese prints. His interests were of many facets of Japanese culture such as accommodation, and the 88 Temple Pilgrimage of Shikoku. Oliver Statler, in my opinion, wrote one of the most important books on the sōsaku-hanga movement, “Modern Japanese Prints: An Art Reborn.” Iwami Reika (1927-2020) - was a Japanese-born artist and one of the founders of the Joryū Hanga Kyōkai. For a short video about Iwami Reika's work, check out Artelino.com. Round Shadow C (1957) sōsaku-hanga - or creative prints, is a style of printmaking which is predominantly, although not exclusively, prints made by one person. It started in the early twentieth century in Japan, in the same period as the shin-hanga movement. The artist designs, carves, and prints their own works. The designs, especially in the early days, may seem rudimentary but the creation of self-made prints was a breakthrough for printmakers moving away from where only a select group of carvers, printers and publishers created woodblock prints.  Yoseido Gallery - is a fine print gallery located in the Ginza district of Tōkyō, Japan since 1953. More information can e found, here. Francis Blakemore (1906-1997) - was an American-born artist, writer, philanthropist and curator of modern Japanese mokuhanga. She lived in Japan for over fifty years and helped to support the burgeoning sōsaku hanga print movement of the 1950s. Blakemore worked in mokuhanga (collaborating with Watanabe Shōzaburō) and making self-printed and carved prints. She also worked in oils.  Far Eastern Madonna (1939) white line woodblock print  Japanese Economy of the 1950's - from 1945-1991 Japan had its most prosperous period of economic growth. By 1955 the economic began to grow twice as fast as prior to '55. According to The Berkley Economic Review the advancement of technologies, accumulation of capital, increased quantity and quality of labor, and increased international trade were the main reasons that strenghtend Japan. For more information regarding the begining of this growth you can find the BER article here.  intaglio printing - is a printing method, also called etching, using metal plates such as zinc, and copper, creating “recessed” areas which are printed with ink on the surface of these "recesses.” More info, here. The MET has info, here.   Minami Keiko (1911-2004) - was a Japanese-born artist and a founder of the Joryū Hanga Kyōkai. Keiko's work is abstract, whimsical and youthful. She lived mainly in Paris, France, where she studied aquatint etching under Johhny Friedlaender (1912-1992). More information about Minami Keiko's art and life can be found here.  House With Sun and Trees : watercolour and gouache 14 3/4x11 in. Yōzō Hamaguchi (1909-2000) - was a Japanese-born mezzotint printmaker who lived in Paris, France, for most of his life. He was the husband of Minami Keiko.  Bottle With Lemons and Red Wall (1989) mezzotint 30 x 24 in. mezzotint - is a style of printmaking which uses a copper plate, “rocked” with a tool called a rocker, and then burnished with various devices. A good video showing the entire process from start to finish of a mezzotint print can be found here by the artist Julie Niskanen Skolozynski. Kobayashi Donge - is an aquatint etching artist who's subject is generally women and literature.  Roses Go Well With Mount Fuji (1993) etching with hand colouring on paper Tokyo University of the Arts (Geidai) - founded during the merger of the Tokyo Fine Arts School and the Tokyo Music School in 1949, TUA offers Masters's and Doctorate degrees in various subjects such as sculpture, craft and design as well as music and film. It has multiple campuses throughout the Kantō region of Japan. More information regarding the school and its programs can be found here.  担当者 - is a Japanese word which means “person in charge." Nihon Hanga Kyōkai - is the Japanese Printmakers Association. It was created in 1918, focusing on the new sōsaku hanga print movement. It evolved into a modern print organization covering various types of printmaking, such as relief, intaglio, planographic (lithography and offset printmaking), and stencil. You can find more information on their website in Japanese and English here. First Thursday Society (一木会) - was created by printmaker Onchi Kōshirō (1891-1955). The group brought artists and collectors to discuss the growing sōsaku hanga (creative print) movement to collaborate, share their work, and it acted as a mentorship program.  Un'ichi Hiratsuka (平塚 運一) - (1895-1977) - was one of the important players of the sōsaku hanga movement in mokuhanga. Hiratsuka was a proponent of self carved and self printed mokuhanga, and taught one of the most famous sōsaku hanga printmakers in Shikō Munakata (1903-1975). He founded the Yoyogi Group of artists and also taught mokuhanga at the Tōkyō School of Fine Arts. Hiratsuka moved to Washington D.C in 1962 where he lived for over thirty years. His mokuhanga was multi colour and monochrome touching on various subjects and is highly collected today.  Landscape (1934)  College Women's Association of Japan - was started by the alumnae of Mount Holyoke College from Massachusetts. Later expanding to other universities and colleges in the US, the CWAJ  established Japanese women to study abroad through travel grants and scholarships, thereby promoting Japanese culture. What began as a fundraising program from 1956 onward, the annual print show has become one of the most essential print shows in the world, showcasing prints of all types. It is the largest juried print show in Japan. More information about the CWAJ and its print show can be found here.  Kantō (関東地方) - is a region located on the main island of Honshu, Japan, which encompasses the Prefectures of Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tōkyō, Chiba and Kanagawa. The Kantō Regional Development Bureau of the Ministry of Land Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism oversees these prefectures. More information can be found here.  Kansai (関西地方) - is a region located on the main island of Honshu, Japan, which encompasses the Prefectures of Nara, Kyoto, Wakayama, Osaka, Hyōgo, Shiga and Mie. It has the most UNESCO world heritage sites in Japan. For tourist information about Kansai, see here.  Jun'ichirō Sekino (1914-1988) - was a Japanese mokuhanga printmaker of the sōsaku hanga creative prints movement. Sekino's works are landscapes and portraits and are black and white and colourful. Sekino studied under Onchi Kōshirō. He was invited to the United States several times as a visiting professor at Oregon State University, the University of Washington, and Penn State University in 1963, where he taught classes on mokuhanga. You can find more information about Sekino and his work and life on his website here.  U.S Army Officer (1948)  24"x18.8" in. Munakata Shikō (志功棟方) - (1903-1975) arguably one of the most famous modern printmakers; Shikō is renowned for his prints of women, animals, the supernatural and Buddhist deities. He made his prints with an esoteric fervour where his philosophies about mokuhanga were just as interesting as his print work.  Night Birds (The Fence of...) 7.4"x11.5" in. Aomori (青森県) - is a prefecture in north Japan. Located about an hour and a half from Tōkyō, Aomori is known for its incredible nature, festivals, sports and outdoor activities in all four seasons. More information can be found here.  Kobe, Japan - is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture in Japan. One of the few ports open to Western trade, Kobe has always had a great vibe. With a lot to visit and see, Kobe has many attractions, such as its harbour, Mount Rokkō, and various museums and mansions on the hill; its proximity to Osaka and Kyoto makes it an ideal place to visit. For more information about Kobe, Japan, see here.  Shirokiya - was a department store company which started in Japan with various stores throughout Japan and Hawai'i. It was founded in Tōkyō in 1662 and went out of business in 2020. The store was famously depicted in a Hiroshige print, View of Nihonbashi Tori-itchome 1858.  Sarah Lawrence College - is a liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York.  Founded in 1926, Sarah Lawrence has been dedicated to the education process and inclusivity of its student body since its inception. For more information about the school and their work can be found here. Pratt Institute - is a private university located in Brooklyn, New York. Established in 1887 and founded by American business magnate Charles Pratt (1830-1891), the Pratt Institute focuses on the liberal arts such as architecture, art and design, shaping leaders of tomorrow. For more information about TPI, you can look here.  Elise Grilli (d.1969) - was an art critic and author who wrote for the Japan Times. She lived in Japan throughout the 1940's into the 1960's. Her book The Art Of The Japanese Screen is considered a classic.  Charles Terry (1926-1982) - was an author and translator of Japanese in Tōkyō for Harry J. Abrams.  James A Michener (1907-1997) - a Pulitzer Prize winning writer, scholar and academic who wrote on Japanese prints, amongst many more topics. Shima Tamami (1937-1999) - was a mokuhanga printmaker who joined the JHK when they had already established themselves. Her career was short, moving to the United States in the 1960s. Her mokuhanga depicts Japanese aesthetics and themes producing still lives. Her work was featured in James Michener's book, The Modern Japanese Print: An Appreciation, in 1962. For more information and images of Tamami Shima's work, please check out the Viewing Japanese Prints site here. Bird B (1959) 11.9"x16.3" in. Noriko Kuwahara - is a scholar, curator, and author of Japanese art in Japan.  PoNJA-GenKon - is an online listserve group which means Post-1945 (Nineteen Forty Five) Japanese Art Discussion Group Geidai Bijutsu Kondankai. It was established in 2003 to bring together specialists in Japanese art in the English speaking world. For more information about what PoNJA-GenKon does search here. Philadelphia Museum of Art - originating with the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, the PMA has over 200,000 pieces of art and objects and is one of the preeminent museums in the US. More information can be found here. Sakura City Museum of Art -  is a fine art museum located in Sakura City, Chiba, Japan. It is dedicated to the arts of those form Sakura City and Bosho. More information in Japanese here.  Ao no Fūkei (Landscape in Blue) - is a mokuhanga print created by Chizuko Yoshida in 1972.  Futurism - is an art movement which began in Italy. It was established in the early 20th Century by artists Filippo Tommaso Marinetti (1876-1944), Umberto Boccioni (1882-1916), and Carlo Carrà (1881-1966), amongst others. The idea of Futurism was to reject the past and celebrate the speed and power of the present, of industrialization and modernity through art. Futurism influenced other artistic communities around the world.  The Endless Manifesto - Started by Tommaso Marinetti's original manifesto on Futurism called Manifesto of Futurism, the Futurists wrote many manifestos about their ideas on art, history, politics, literature, music, among other topics, until 1914, as well as books, articles in literary journals, magazines and newspapers. The MoMA has written a good article on the Futurists and their manifestos and writings here. © Popular Wheat Productions opening and closing musical credit - Joe Chambers "Ruth" released on Blue Note Records (2023) logo designed and produced by Douglas Batchelor and André Zadorozny  Disclaimer: Please do not reproduce or use anything from this podcast without shooting me an email and getting my express written or verbal consent. I'm friendly :) Слава Українi If you find any issue with something in the show notes please let me know. ***The opinions expressed by guests in The Unfinished Print podcast are not necessarily those of André Zadorozny and of Popular Wheat Productions.***                    

This week on the podcast we're talking about Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe and Nara. We based ourselves in Osaka for nearly 2 weeks and took that opportunity to explore the city of Osaka, including the Osaka Castle, Dotonburi, Universal Studios Japan, as well as some of the amazing restaurants and arcades that Osaka has to offer. We also took a number of day trips from Osaka and explored Kyoto, Kobe, and Nara. In this episode, we share why we chose Osaka, what the city is like, as well as what we did on each of our day trips, and much more. Enjoy! In this episode:An overhead view of how we planned out this part of our Japan tripWhy we chose Osaka in particularHow we split up our days working while traveling around OsakaOur day trips to Kyoto, Kobe, and NaraTravelling by train in Japan and planning out your routes in advanceSpending 5 days in central Osaka, and our highlights from visiting restaurants and arcades in the cityVisiting Universal Studios Japan, the Osaka Castle, Dotonburi, and moreThis show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/3657151/advertisement

Konnichiwa Mina san, Welcome to episode 135 we're on autopilot for the next couple of weeks! But that doesn't mean I did not come empty-handed by rerunning one of my "Classic Smooth Tokyo Episodes" from this podcast Catalog! In this week's episode, I'm continuing this new series called Places I want to visit in Japan! Today, the city in Japan I want to focus on is Osaka, a large port city and commercial center, It's known for its modern architecture, nightlife, hearty street food, and The 16th-century shogunate Osaka Castle! I want to discuss this with you the listeners!!!! Enjoy this episode and Arigatou Gozaimasu Minnasan! Here are all the Info Links to my Podcast episodes, Social Media, and Podcast Merch https://linktr.ee/Smoothtokyothepodcast! Follow me on Twitter @SmoothTokyo --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/andrew-harris3/message

Hello. Welcome to Jenni's Pika Pika Japanese. Today's topic is again related to cherry blossoms, and I would like to introduce a popular park for cherry blossom viewing. The first is Shinjuku Gyoen. Shinjuku Gyoen was a feudal lord's mansion in the Edo period, gifted by Kiyonari Naito, a vassal of Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Edo Shogunate. After the Meiji Restoration, it became an imperial garden and was opened to the public as a national park in 1949. If you are an anime fan, you may be able to picture the garden in Makoto Shinkai's "The Garden of Words" in Shinjuku Gyoen. The other is Osaka Castle Park. In 1583, Toyotomi Hideyoshi decided to unify the nation and set his headquarters in Osaka, and began construction of Osaka Castle, which took about 15 years to complete and was four to five times the size of the current castle. The Nishinomaru Garden, located west of the castle tower and covering an area of 6.5 hectares, is famous as a cherry blossom viewing spot, with approximately 300 cherry trees, mostly Someiyoshino, planted in the garden. こんにちは。 ジェニのピカピカ日本語へようこそ。 今日も桜にちなんだ話題ですが、花見の時に人気の公園をご紹介します。 一つ目は新宿御苑。 新宿御苑は、江戸時代に江戸幕府の創始者の将軍徳川家康の家臣・内藤清成が賜った大名屋敷でした。明治維新後に皇室庭園となったものが、1949年に国民公園として一般に開放されたのです新宿駅から歩いて10分程度と非常に便利な場所に位置しています。 アニメファンであれば新海誠監督の、「言の葉の庭」 “The Garden of Words”の庭がこの新宿御苑といえば、イメージが湧くのではないでしょうか？ さて、もう一つは、大阪城公園です。 大阪城は、1583年に豊臣秀吉が、全国統一の本拠地を大阪と定め、大阪城の建築に着手し、完成に約15年を要したその規模は現在の4～5倍という広大なものでした。 現在の大阪城公園では、天守閣の西にある広さ約6.5haの西の丸庭園は、ソメイヨシノを中心に約300本の桜が植えられ桜の名所としても有名で毎年春には、お花見を楽しむ人で賑わいます。

Konnichiwa Mina san, Welcome to Episode 89 of the podcast! In this week's episode, I'm continuing this new series called Places I want to visit in Japan! Today, the city in Japan I want to focus on is Osaka, a large port city and commercial center, It's known for its modern architecture, nightlife, and hearty street food, and The 16th-century shogunate Osaka Castle! I want to discuss with you the listeners!!!! Enjoy this episode and Arigatou Gozaimasu Minnasan! Music by Lofi Japan, Here are all the Info Links to my Podcast episodes, Social Media, and Podcast Merch https://linktr.ee/Smoothtokyothepodcast!  --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/andrew-harris3/message

We're in Osaka, Japan, with my new friend La Carmina of LaCarmina.com. In this episode, we talk about celebrating the Buddhist Obon holiday, Hanami cherry blossom viewing, and touring the Osaka Castle. Show notes are at https://WeTravelThere.com/osaka I love to travel, but I hate waiting. CLEAR uses biometrics to verify your identity to skip airport security lines. With this limited-time offer for listeners, you can try CLEAR free for 2 months, when you sign up at wetravelthere.com/clear.

Episode OverviewIn episode 70, Powlo reviews his recent cruise aboard Cunard's, Queen Elizabeth, Alex asks Chris about the historical significance of Singapore and of course we have the latest cruise news.In support of episode 70, Sandals & Sunsets are offering listeners a saving of Spanish Avarca Sandals. Use code “BigPod” when visiting https://bit.ly/3yKAh33Support The Show - Buy Me A Coffee This podcast is only possible thanks to our supporters, simply buying a coffee keeps us on air. It is just like shouting your mate a coffee, and we consider our listeners close mates.  https://bit.ly/2T2FYGXMaritime History / Listener QuestionAlex asks Chris. “In modern times Singapore was/is a global port handling everything from cargo to passengers. Was Singapore if historical importance to the line voyages, if so, when did it become so, or was the focus always mostly on trade/cargo?”Cruise Review: Queen ElizabethPowlo experienced the first cruise post COVID onboard Queen Elizabeth, he joins todays podcast at 18m:45s.During the conversation, Powlo mentions his next cruise, a Transatlantic Voyage on Queen Mary 2 in Nov 2021. Since recording, Cunard have cancelled the voyage and will be replacing all QM2 voyages with close to home, UK departures through to January 2022.Cunard: https://bit.ly/2WUk12hQueen Elizabeth: https://bit.ly/38GNS0FImage Credit: Powlo enjoying Chris Frames latest book onboard Queen ElizabethCruise NewsCrystal River Cruises Celebrates Resumption of European River CruisingThe World's Most Luxurious River Cruise Line, celebrated the resumption of European river cruise operations and its return to Europe's beloved rivers as Crystal Ravel sailed from Vilshofen on a seven-night Danube itinerary featuring calls in Germany, Austria and Hungary, shipboard overnights in Vienna and Budapest, and cruising of the UNESCO-listed Wachau Valley. In Vilshofen, the officers and crew welcomed guests back to Crystal Ravel after a nearly 18-month pause in operations. August 30, sister ship Crystal Debussy is set to cruise from Basel on a seven-night Rhine itinerary with calls in Switzerland, France, Germany and Netherlands and overnight calls in Koblenz and Amsterdam.Crystal Ravel departs August 29 from Vishofen to cruise the DanubeCrystal Debussy departs August 30 from Basel to cruise the RhineOceania Cruises Resumes SailingMarina's August Cruise is the First in Almost 18 MonthsOceania Cruises, has welcomed guests across the gangway for the first time in 524 days. Marina is the first of Oceania Cruises' ships to resume sailing and is also the very first cruise ship to sail from the port of Copenhagen since 2019.Marina's first voyage sails from Copenhagen to ports in Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland prior to concluding in Stockholm. Marina will spend the remainder of the northern hemisphere summer and autumn cruising around Western Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Greek Isles prior to setting sail for Miami where she will arrive on 1 December 2021.Marina is the first ship to resume sailing for Oceania Cruises and will quickly be followed by Riviera, which resumes sailing in the Greek Isles on 18 October 2021, and Insignia from Miami on 21 December 2021, to kick off the epic six-month-long “Around the World in 180 Days” voyage. Sirena resumes sailing in the Caribbean on 21 January 2022, and Regatta will start sailing on 5 February 2022 in Polynesia, followed by Nautica in the Mediterranean on 1 April 2022.Oceania Cruises' New Ship Owner's Suites And Top-Of-Ship Library To Be Styled Exclusively In Ralph Lauren HomeOceania Cruises, the world's leading culinary- and destination-focused cruise line, unveiled the palatial Owner's Suites and top-of-ship Library aboard Vista, which will be exclusively styled in Ralph Lauren Home. In a first for the line and the industry, Vista will be the first and only ship afloat with a Library exclusively styled in furnishings and artwork from the iconic designer.LibraryAtop the ship on Deck 15, the Library, exclusively styled in Ralph Lauren Home, offers an inspired sanctuary for every guest on board to enjoy. Bordered by glass walls offering extraordinary seascapes, the Library invites sybaritic relaxation, the ultimate quietude of a few hours with a bestselling novel, or perhaps the unrivaled indulgence of simply watching the world float by. Polished nickel sconces and chandeliers provide the perfect ambient lighting while classic sepia equestrian prints adorn the walls.Adjacent to the Library is Baristas, the ship's complimentary gourmet coffee bar, along with the Bakery where guests may indulge in a frothy cappuccino or rich latte and fresh-baked French and Italian pastries.Owner's SuitesVista will feature three supremely spacious Owner's Suites, each of which spans the full beam of the ship. Measuring 2,400 square feet and styled exclusively in Ralph Lauren Home, these seagoing estate homes are the ultimate expression of timeless American elegance.Vista's Inaugural SeasonVista's Inaugural Season itineraries will be available for previewing on September 9, 2021, and will open for sale on September 15, 2021. Her 18 Inaugural Season voyages begin in April 2023 and will span more than 24 countries across four continents, from the ancient sands of Asia in the east to the glittering hills of Hollywood in the westPrincess shares top reasons to Cruise Japan with princess in 2023Temples, Castles, Spring Flowers, Festivals, and Vibrant Cities Feature in Princess' 2023 program onboard Diamond Princess.Princess Cruises today announced its 2023 Japan cruises and cruisetours program featuring the line's Japan-built Diamond Princess which will sail over the northern Spring and Summer season. Marking the 10th anniversary sailing from Tokyo (Yokohama) and KobeTemples, Shrines, Castles – Our guests delight in the abundance of stunning temples and shrines, like the magnificent 16th century Osaka Castle or Seiryu-ji Temple, home of Japan's largest bronze seated Buddha.Festivals – Opportunities to experience seven festivals, including Japan's world-famous Kyoto Gion Festival, featuring massive, hand-crafted “Yama” and “Hoko” floats that are constructed every year without the use of nails, or watch a display of 10,000 fireworks during the Kumano Fireworks Festival.Vibrant Cities & Landscapes – Astounding cities where the 21st century coexists with the spirit of ancient Japan thrive, such as shopping in Tokyo's Ginza district, trying local delicacies at nearby restaurants or exploring the Imperial Palace plaza. With access to seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, guests can marvel at Mt. Fuji, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial and the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto.Spring Flowers, Gardens and Onsens – Travellers soak in spring flowers all over Japan during spring, whether it's visiting a classic Japanese garden, seeing hundreds of sakura (cherry blossoms) while picnicking, enjoying the meditative atmosphere of tranquil parks or soaking in the healing benefits of a geothermal “onsen” natural hot spring bath.And moreEthical Cruise T-Shirts Now available branded podcast t-shirts, cruise-tees and Christmas gifts or design your own in the studio. All using organic cotton, printed using green energy and plastic-free packaging! https://bit.ly/32G7Rdh Join the show:If you have a cruise tip, burning question or want to record a cruise review get in touch with us via the website https://thebigcruisepodcast.com/join-the-show/  Guests: Chris Frame: https://bit.ly/3a4aBCg    Chris's Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ChrisCunard  Peter Kollar: https://www.cruising.org.au/Home  Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2XvD7tF  Castbox: https://bit.ly/2xkGBEI  Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/2RuY04u  I heart Radio:  https://ihr.fm/3mVIEUASpotify: https://spoti.fi/3caCwl8  Stitcher: https://bit.ly/2JWE8Tz  Pocket casts: https://bit.ly/2JY4J2M  Tune in: https://bit.ly/2V0Jrrs  Podcast Addict: https://bit.ly/2BF6LnE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Float on the Golden Wasan in the moat that surrounds the Osaka Castle before exploring the cherry blossom trees in full bloom. Beneath a cotton candy sky, you engage in the ancient ritual of hanami or "flower watching." "This moment, but once," is a Japanese proverb that reminds you that moments are fleeting and should be savored. The cherry blossoms form a cloud and you float across the starry night sky. It's time to dream away. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/michelles-sanctuary/support

Join Akeyo and Felix as they try to come to terms with the implications of a secret underground castle made of gold.

Episode links: A remark made by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during a Group of 20 dinner that the installation of elevators at Osaka Castle was a “big mistake” has been criticized as lacking consideration for disabled people and especially inappropriate ahead of the Tokyo Paralympics next year. https://barrierfreejapan.com/2019/06/30/at-g-20-summit-dinner-japanese-prime-minister-shinzo-abe-says-installing-elevators-at-osaka-castle-a-big-mistake/

Welcome to the Travelman Podcast! I hope everyone is feeling great today and if you’re like me and you’re from Southern Hemisphere then all you probably want is to see winter done and dusted. So, join me for a very appropriate podcast as I’m bringing spring a few weeks forward and I’ll be discussing cherry blossoms in Japan with my brother Patrick. He’s a guy that knows a lot about Japan, and maybe not so much about blossoms although he always loves seeing all the flowering trees, he’s not much of a green thumb. I loved hearing his story about when Pat and his lovely wife Zoe went Go-karting around Toyko and Zoe accidentally bumped into some Korean guys! Timestamps: Intro to the show 2:01 – Talking cherry blossoms with Pat 20:10 – The Maricar incident (Go Karting the streets of Japan) Additional Information: Cherry Blossom’s in Japan info: https://www.kyuhoshi.com/japan-cherry-blossom-forecast/ Japan travel info: https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e623.html Villa Fontaine info: https://www.hvf.jp/eng/ Shinkansen info: http://english.jr-central.co.jp/info/index.html Osaka Castle info: https://www.osakacastle.net/english/ Hiroshima Castle info: http://visithiroshima.net/things_to_do/attractions/historical_places/hiroshima_castle.html Shukkein Atomic Bomb Victims Memorial info: https://villagehiker.com/travel/travel-japan/hiroshima-city-japan-vh-ts-00.html Nara Deer Park info: http://nara-park.com/ Nunobiki Herb Garden info: http://www.japan-ryokan.net/kobeherb/en/index1.html Maricar info: https://maricar.com/en/akihabara.html Patrick’s Twitter: @patrickadownes Follow Travelman Podcast: iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/travelman-podcast/id1281446908 SoundCloud: https://m.soundcloud.com/user-265082759 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/benthetravelman/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travelmanpodcast/?hl=en Twitter: https://twitter.com/TravelmanPod Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/ben-dow/travelman-podcast Travelman Podcast Website: https://travelmanpodcast.wixsite.com/travelman (New website coming soon via www.travelmanpodcast.com)

Episode 25 - This is a review of the 9th and 10th days out of 10 of our Japan trip.  Day 9 we head to Himeji to see astonishing Himeji Castle and we end the day on the sensory overload Tombori River Walk in Osaka eating Takoyaki. Day 10 takes us to Osaka Castle and the airport, but not before a little logistical train scare!  A review of days 1-8 can be found on Episodes 21-24.  For better insight to this show it would be helpful to listen to Episode 5 Japan Trip Planning and Episode 4 Japan Rail Discussion. All relevant links to this show can be found on www.zippingaroundtheworld.com under the Japan tab.  You can leave comments in the Comments tab as well.  Please support the show by subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes.

Casual chat with AJ. 

sermon transcript Introduction We come to the description of the New Jerusalem, with words that boggle the mind and stretch the imagination. How do you describe indescribable, inexpressible wonders? The Apostle Paul was caught up to the third heaven, to paradise, where he heard inexpressible things that man is not permitted to talk about. He was forbidden to write anything about what he saw there. The Apostle John, on the other hand, had a vision through the Spirit which he was told to write down and make known. John’s vision was of the New Jerusalem, the coming city, with buildings — giving us a spiritual architectural image. All of my adult life, I have enjoyed excellent architecture. I am an architect wanna-be. I was a mechanical engineer — boring, though needed and can get a job. Architecture, on the other hand, is an amazing combination of science and art, function and form — crafting buildings with a combination of engineering skill, for safety, and artistic beauty, to be aesthetically pleasing, designed to draw and transport in an artistic way. The science of architecture includes the materials and the strength of structural members, like the I-beam. It may be boring to most of us, but very essential, something for which we are all thankful even if we know little about them. The science ensures that the building will stand firm through all weather and conditions. In Japan and other locations, architecture must take into account seismic shifts and other environmental factors. The artistry of architecture has undergone many shifts over the centuries with different schools of architecture, different artistic approaches to building design — classical, baroque, colonial, Victorian, gothic, renaissance, Romanesque, oriental. Our church building is in the style called Greek Revival — it looks like a Greek temple with the pillars out front. I have seen some amazing buildings around the world. Prague is a beautiful city with many awe-inspiring buildings. I love the St. Louis Arch. It was built in the 1960s to commemorate St. Louis as the Gateway to the West. It is truly a magnificent piece of architecture, soaring hundreds of feet above the ground, made with steel and a glistening aspect. It is quite elegant and beautiful. The Capitol building in Washington DC was finished during the American Civil War. The Eiffel Tower, which I saw last summer for the first time, was considered a monstrosity when it first went up, but now it is a landmark and an icon of the Paris skyline. In London, I have seen Big Ben, the Parliament, and many other iconic buildings. I have been to the spectacular Osaka Castle in Japan, and the Forbidden City in Beijing. I have never visited Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater in Mill Run, Pennsylvania, which integrated the mountain stream and the woods and the rocks with the house in an amazing and new way. Many of you have toured the Biltmore mansion in Asheville. It seems odd to have a beautiful French château in the Black Mountains of North Carolina — an example of elegance, ostentation, expanse. On the other hand, on various mission trips in countries that had been behind the Iron Curtain — Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic — I have seen buildings that were built during the Cold War era that seemed to be ugly by design. They have no special form, just structures built of cinder block. I felt that they could suck one’s life out through the eyes to behold them, and much more so for one who had to reside or work in such ugliness. The Radiant Glory of the Holy City (v. 9-11) In Revelation 21, God gives John the task of describing what it will be like for all of us from every tribe and language and people and nation to live together. The image here is architectural, a spiritual structure that stretches human language and imagination. In the end, we merely say we can hardly imagine what that radiant city will be like, perfect in form, perfect in function. This is a city whose architect and builder is God, as we are told in the book of Hebrews. Revelation 21:9-11 tells of the radiant glory of the city: “One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.’ And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.” The Angelic Guide The account begins with an angelic guide, as often happens in the book of Revelation. This angel is identified as one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues. The backdrop of this radiant, spectacularly beautiful account is human wickedness and rebellion and sin that has been judged by the overwhelming wrath of God. We have seen His wrath throughout Revelation, like the seven bowls of the seven last plagues, and in the verse immediately before this one, Revelation 21:8: “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur, this is the second death.”God’s wrath is kindled because of the wickedness of the human race. There is a strong parallel between this and the earlier description of the great whore of Babylon. As we looked ahead when we studied Revelation 17, now we will look backward for the comparison, at the nearly identical phrasing. Revelation 17:1 says, “One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, ‘Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters.’” The prostitute is described in Revelation 17 and 18. Contrast that with Revelation 21:9: “One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.’ The angel will show us the bride’s glory. The parallel is clearly intentional, with identical language — the bride of Christ is the direct opposite of the great whore of Babylon, dressed in spectacular, shimmering, gaudy jewelry, and luxurious clothing, with an outward seductive allure. She is drunk with the wine of immorality and with the blood of the saints. She is a creature of pleasure and a vicious violence against the people of God. The bride of Christ, in contrast, is depicted as radiant with a different kind of sparkle and glory. The light of the glory of God is shining in her. It is the difference between perhaps a rhinestone and a perfect diamond. Yet every member of the body of Christ has been rescued out of the great whore of Babylon. Every one of us was being sucked into the whirlpool of the world system of wickedness and sin. We were drawn down by it, until the sovereign grace of God reached down and rescued us out of it. We have been delivered from the kingdom of darkness and brought over into the kingdom of the beloved Son. That is how we became part of the bride of Christ. There, but for the grace of God, go I, as we look at the great whore of Babylon. We were part of that system. The symbolic bride language, the city that is a bride, generates an amazing combination of images. The bride language flows from the Old Testament image of Israel as the bride of Yahweh, depicted in many places. Sometimes the people of God were depicted as God’s Son, whom he carries, and in other place, as his bride, whom he marries, especially in the Book of Hosea. In the New Testament, this image is perfected in Ephesians 5:25, 31-32, where Paul commands Christian husbands to “love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. … ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ This is a profound mystery — but I am talking about Christ and the church.” We have the fulfillment of that image in Revelation, the new Jerusalem descending from God, out of heaven, like a bride, beautifully dressed for her husband, prepared for the wedding celebration and the eternal marriage. The Triune God — Father, Son and Spirit — has been preparing her in the heavenly realms for this final display of her glory. A Great and High Mountain John is carried away by the Spirit to a mountain, great and high. Whereas the angel carries John away in Revelation 17 to a low-lying plain, where he can see the great whore of Babylon, here he is carried to an elevated lofty perch where he can look at her. It is not implied that the New Jerusalem is built on a mountain, but rather, that John is observing from this visionary mountain. “The Holy City” Jerusalem is called the holy city. What an incredible expression. The word holy means separate unto God, as His special possession, free from all darkness. God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. So she has been perfectly separated from all wickedness and all darkness, and she is radiant with God’s glory. She is holy, separated unto God as His special possession. The beauty of this image is that throughout history, cities have been the seat of great wickedness. The Tower of Babel shows the beginning of that link between human rebellion and sin and urban wickedness, crime and ugliness. The people of Babel said, “Come, let us build a tower that will reach up to heaven, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the earth.” It is a direct affront to the lofty glory of God, like Satan who says in Isaiah 14, “I will ascend, I will make myself like the most high. I will sit on the throne and I will rule over all things.” The people of Babel were trying to do the same thing with this tower made of brick, thoroughly baked and covered with pitch. They started to build this lofty tower in direct defiance of the God of the universe. Human cities have continued, from that spirit of Babylon, to be cesspools of human wickedness and rebellion and pride, technology, achievement, wealth, arrogance. Think about “the city that never sleeps”, and how “nothing good happens after midnight”. Think about the red light district or back alley drug deals, a lurking stalking sleepless malice, the smell of human filth, the danger of human violence. It is reasonable to associate these things with cities. In certain places, in certain cities, you will be warned to not go out at night unaccompanied. Augustine called this the City of Man, in all of its rebellion and ugliness and wickedness. However, there is nothing intrinsic to cities to make them wicked. Human sinfulness is responsible for that. But we will be forever in a radiant, spectacularly beautiful city. How marvelous is the holy city Jerusalem. In Isaiah 1, she was called a harlot, and defiled. She who was once a faithful city has become a harlot. Now, she is radiant and holy and beautiful. That is the power of the cleansing and atoning work of Jesus Christ. He gave himself for his bride to make her the holy city, and she is shining with the glory. Glory = Radiant Display of God’s Perfections Revelation 21:11 says, “It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.” This city is shining, radiantly bright. There is a spiritual glow to it. That is the essence of the holiness of God and the beauty of God. When God created the heavens and the earth, he said in Genesis 1:3, “‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light ‘day’…,” Light is a complex physical phenomenon that scientists have been studying throughout the history of human science. Isaac Newton set up a prism and discovered the spectrum and white light, and the science of optics was born. Isaac Newton was the father of three Sciences. Albert Einstein studied what light is made of. Is it a particle? Is it a wave? The quantum theory of physics came about at the beginning of last century. People have been studying light for a long time, but we will see light forever and ever. This city will be radiantly glowing with the light of the glory of God. It is marvelous that God created light before He created light-bearers, creatures that give off light. I once had a discussion with an atheist, a visiting scholar at Duke. We were having Bible studies, and he informed me that there was a flaw in the book of Genesis. He pointed out that there was light, but no sun, moon and stars until the fourth day. He looked at me as though it were a mic drop, a gotcha moment. I asked if there were laboratories at Duke, which he confirmed. He admitted, when I asked, that some were in the basement, and that the basement had no windows, but the labs were not in total darkness because there were lights in the room. I asked, “How is it that humans can do light without the sun, the moon and the stars, but God, in your opinion, cannot?” God does light very well. He will do light beautifully forever. He does not need the sun, the moon and the stars. He says, “Let there be light!” and there is light. This New Jerusalem shines, it glows with the light of the glory of God. Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, is the radiance of God’s glory. All of the light that we see, that is God, it comes to us through Christ. Christ shines the glory of God to us, so this New Jerusalem will shine with the glory of God administered to us through Jesus Christ. We should not imagine that the brilliance of this light will be blinding. It will display the perfection of sight and the perfection of light. Seeing Christ as he really is will be the clearest we have ever seen anything, and it will be the most pleasing seeing we can possibly imagine. It will bring us a perfect pleasure to see that light. In this world, brilliant light can be painful, actually destructive, but in that world, there will be no more pain. Rather, the radiant beauty of the new universe and the New Jerusalem will be perfect pleasure, the most pleasing sight, the most beautiful sight we can ever imagine. This radiant glory illuminates everything in the New Jerusalem. The materials of the city are all translucent or transparent to shine the light through, so everything shimmers and glows and radiates with the light of God. All the precious stones in the foundation of the wall would be totally dark, were it not for the glory of God. They would have no light to show themselves. The streets of gold, which are mysteriously called transparent as glass, would be black and dead, were it not for the glory of God. Though these things are not mentioned in Revelation 21 or 22, except the Tree of Life, any growing thing that will flourish in the new earth — flowers, plants water, rivers, lakes, ponds — will shimmer with the light of the glory of God, where the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. The lights of that place all around us will flow into our perfected eyesight. We will be in resurrection bodies and have resurrection eyes, and we will see eternal glory. Jesus said, “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be filled with light.” There is no “if” here — our eyes will be good, and therefore our whole body will be filled with the light of the glory of God. It says in Matthew 13:43, “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” Like a Clear Jasper Stone This New Jerusalem will be like a clear jasper stone. The glory of the New Jerusalem is said to be precious, valuable, like a precious gem, so it is likened to a jasper, clear as crystal. Jasper is a form of quartz, usually appearing in a reddish color, often with streaks or spots that make it interesting, appealing, fascinating. It is formed by mineral-rich volcanic sediments coagulating in unpredictable patterns. Like many physical aspects of John’s description, this is a different kind of jasper, since it is perfectly clear as crystal. We could liken it more to a diamond with no inclusions, a perfectly radiant diamond, with no flaws. Despite the fact that the new Jerusalem is made up of redeemed sinners, the purification of the bride by the blood of Christ is so complete, the radiance of the glory of God will be undimmed by any spot or blemish in us but will shine with the glory of God. The Wall and Gates and the Holy City (v. 12-14) The Wall Revelation 21:12-14 details the wall and the gates of the city: “It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” Ancient cities had walls for protection. At night, the gates would be shut to keep wild animals and wicked people out, brigands, marauders, bandits, and especially invading armies. If there were an invading army, the safest place for the populace would be inside the walled fortress. It is a picture of absolute safety, before gun powder and artillery made such fortresses obsolete in the 15th century. Behind the mighty high wall of stone was the safest place to be to face an enemy or any threat. This wall is a surprising feature of the New Jerusalem, because it seems unnecessary. All the enemies of the city will have been thrown into the Lake of Fire, from which there can be no escape. We are told later that the gates of this city will never close. Revelation 21:25 says, “On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.” The gates are always open, just as Isaiah 60:11 predicted about the future glory of Zion: “Your gates will always stand open, they will never be shut, day or night, so that men may bring you the wealth of the nations — their kings led in triumphal procession.” This wall is said to be great and high, a massive barrier, impenetrable. Many commentators believe that the entire layout is symbolic and spiritual, not literal. They struggle with the interpretation, wanting it to be one or the other, literal or symbolic. Why could it not be both? They point out that the wall is impossibly short compared to the height of the city, which is impressive, 12,000 stadia or 1400 miles up. The wall is measured at 144 cubits — whether that is the thickness or the height, I do not know. I drew it proportionally — the wall is practically invisible compared to the city. The wall is symbolic in that it depicts being outside and entering; and ultimately, Jesus is the doorway for the sheep. We must enter the Kingdom of God — no one is born into it — and only by Christ can we enter this city, being born again by repentance and faith in Christ. The Gates Revelation 21:12-13 says, “It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west.” The gate of the city is the way by which one enters and leaves. It is the place where official business was transacted in that ancient near eastern setting. People went to the city gates to be honored to do business. Adam sinned on behalf of all of us in the Garden of Eden when he ate from the forbidden tree. He and Eve were evicted from the garden. So that he would not reach out his hand and take from the Tree of Life and live forever, God put an angel, a cherubim, with a flaming sword flashing back and forth, to guard the way to the Tree of Life. But now, Christians have been given the right to enter and to eat from the tree. Revelation 22:14-15 says, “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.” Outside are the wicked; inside are the redeemed who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb. I want to appeal to those of you who know you are on the outside, not a Christian, you have never come to faith in Christ: the doorway is open for you. All you need to do is repent and believe, trust in Christ, and you will enter now by faith spiritually and later physically. Trust in Jesus; repent of your wickedness, of the ways you have violated God’s laws. When you trust in Christ, His blood will cleanse you from wickedness, and you will have the right to eat from the tree and live forever. Jesus is the gate for his sheep. He said in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” In John’s vision, there is not only one gate, but twelve — three in the east, three in the north, three in the south, and three in the west. Each gate is labeled with one of the sons of Jacob, one of the twelve tribes of Israel. This shows a continuity of God’s covenant work. God made a promise to Abraham that through his offspring, all peoples on earth would be blessed. Abraham is called therefore the father of many nations. We who have repented and believed in Jesus, though we are from many different ethnic backgrounds, are counted sons and daughters of Abraham through faith in Christ. Galatians 3:7 says, “Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham.” These names honor the grace shown to Israel and through them, grace shown to us — sinners saved by grace. At MIT, where I was an engineering student, there is a courtyard called Killian Court, a series of buildings built in 1915, dedicated and inscribed with the names of some of the great figures of science up to that point. They polled the faculty and came up with the key names that would be in really big font, and then many other names in smaller font. MIT students walk under those names day after day to get to their classes. The big font names include Aristotle, Newton, Lavoisier, Franklin, Pasteur, Faraday, Archimedes, Darwin, Copernicus, and da Vinci. That what passed for scientific greatness in 1915. Their names are there as an honor for their accomplishments; by contrast, the names of the patriarchs, the sons of Jacob, are on the gates because they were sinners saved by grace. Why the points of the compass? East, north, south, west — three on each side times four is twelve. Until very recently, I had no thought that it was anything but random. We are not looking for any kind of symbolic configuration. But the book of Revelation is continually working in my brain. I wake up in the morning thinking about it. Jesus said in Matthew 8:11, “I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” The four points of the compass indicate that this gospel has spread to the ends of the earth, and people have come from all over the world to enter this new Jerusalem. The Foundation of the Wall Verse 14 says, “The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” This gives a feeling of massive stability. It is not moving; there is no concern for earthquakes or plate tectonics; it is eternal and permanent. Ephesians 2:20 tells us that the household of God is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.” The Old Testament is represented by the twelve descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the New Testament believers are represented by the twelve Apostles. That shows continuity of the people of God, all together. It also shows that the Apostles’ witness to the life, teachings, miracles, death and resurrection of Jesus is the basis on which the rest of us are saved. They were eyewitnesses of his glory. They wrote Matthew and Mark and Luke and John. They wrote down what they saw with their eyes and handled with their hands and heard with their ears. Because they wrote it down, our faith is based on something that is not moving but rather on historical truths that can never be shaken. The Dimensions of the Holy City (v. 15-17) The Angel Did the Measuring The dimensions of the holy city are described in Revelation 21:15-17: “The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits thick, by man's measurement, which the angel was using.” The angel measures, similar to the elaborate measurements that the angel conducts in Ezekiel 40 and 41, in which the angel takes a rod and measures the walls, the gates, the porticos, the alcoves, and the courtyards, everything to do with the visionary temple in Ezekiel 40-4 This angel has a rod of gold to take these measurements. He measures the entire city, especially its gates and its walls. This act of measurement is scientific and mathematic, but it gives a sense of the reality, the physicality, of this place. It also gives a sense of its limitations, its boundaries. We will be radiantly glorious in our resurrection bodies, but we will not be gods and goddesses. There is a limit to us. We are creatures, and even in our perfected states, we will have limits surrounding our eternal lives, living within boundaries that we are assigned by God. The boundary lines have fallen for us in pleasant places, Psalm 16 says. There is a limit, a finiteness, and a reality, fixed by the purpose of God. The Layout and Dimensions of the City We see a little bit of the layout of the city here. Urban planning is a major science. When leaders change or extend a city, they turn to civil engineers and urban planners who know how to lay out a city. My hometown of Boston was very poorly laid out. Some say that the roads are paved cow paths or deer paths. I do not think there is a single perpendicular intersection in the Back Bay section, at least where I lived. There is somewhat of a grid for a while and then it becomes jumbled. Washington DC, in contrast, was laid out scientifically and mathematically according to President Washington’s instructions for a capital city. He contracted a Frenchman named Pierre Charles L'Enfant in 1791, who made the Mall the center of its egalitarian vision of human government. This eternal city, the new Jerusalem, the capital city, has been very well planned by the ultimate urban planner, the ultimate architect, God. We do not know much about the streets, but there is one wide main street, going right down the center of the city. The dimensions are mind-boggling. The city is laid out as a perfect square in its footprint, but it is also massive in scope. No city in human history comes close. It is 12,000 stadia on a side. A stadion, singular, is about 607 feet, or two football fields. 12,000 stadia is just shy of 1400 miles on a side for a city. I superimposed this over the United States. If I placed a corner here in the Triangle, it would extend to Northern Canada, so to keep it all in the United States, I put one terminus at Orlando, Florida. 1400 miles west ends around El Paso, Texas. 1400 miles straight up from El Paso is the Canadian border around Montana or North Dakota. 1400 miles east to finish the square lands in a small place in Canada north of Ottawa, called Val-d’Or, Quebec. The footprint would take up effectively half of the Eastern Continental United States — one city. That is massive. Even more amazing, John tells us, is that it is a perfect cube. Length, width, and height are 1400 miles. Some people think that it is patterned after the Holy of Holies. 1 King 6:20 details the construction of the Holy of Holies, the place where the Ark of the Covenant was, where the blood of the sacrifice was placed: “The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty wide and twenty high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold, and he also overlaid the altar of cedar.” The height is incomprehensible. The International Space Station orbits the Earth 150 miles above the surface of the earth. This city rises about ten times higher than that, way out into outer space. At ten feet per floor, a skyscraper would be 700,000 stories. An elevator taking you to the top floor would take a long time. Imagine the buttons. The fastest elevator in the world is in Shanghai, traveling at 40 miles an hour, borderline uncomfortable. Imagine traveling 1400 miles at 40 miles an hour. Driving at that speed from Orlando to El Paso would take 35-hours. My son Calvin commented, “They’d better have some good in elevator entertainment! Henry Morris, in his book Revelation Record, presented a different possibility: the new bodies of the resurrected saints will be like those of angels, no longer limited by gravitational or electromagnetic forces. It will be as easy for the inhabitants to travel vertically as horizontally in the New Jerusalem. Consequently, the streets of the city may well include vertical passageways as well as horizontal avenues, and the city blocks might actually be more like city cubes. How do you take this both literally and figuratively, or spiritually? John McArthur said, “Human language is inadequate to fully describe the unimaginable magnificence of the believers’ indescribable eternal home. Unwilling to take the language of Scripture at face value, many seek for some hidden meaning behind John’s descriptions. But if the words do not mean what they say, who has the authority to say what they do mean? Abandoning the literal meaning of the text only leads to groundless, futile speculation. The truth about the heavenly city is more than is described, but it is not less and not different from what is described.” [Commentary on Revelation 12-22, p. 280] Just because the numbers are symbolic does not mean that they are not also literal. 12,000 is a symbolic number, twelve times ten cubed. The wall, 144 cubits, is twelve squared. God can do both literal and symbolic together. The Building Materials of the Holy City (v. 18-21) Precious Translucent Building Materials The building materials of the city depict the radiant glory of the people of God. Revelation 21:18-21 says, “The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.” Everything here, all this precious valuable material, has as its essence translucence or transparency. It is all about the glory of God in us. With transparency everywhere, there will be no privacy in the city, but we will not need it, not having the same bodily needs we have now. Marriage will have been fulfilled by then and we will be like the angels, neither marrying nor giving in marriage. We will have no dark secrets to hide from anybody, so we will live transparent lives, shining with the glory of God. The preciousness and variety of these building materials speak to the amoral cultural diversity of the people of God. We come from every tribe, language, people and nation. We look different from each other and we have different creative answers to problems like architecture, food and clothing. This beautiful amoral diversity — rescuing the word diversity back from the way the pagans have grabbed it — will shine in the Kingdom of Heaven. The visible spectrum is beautiful — red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. Each of these colors is represented in these precious stones with each of those colors. Some time ago, I preached a sermon entitled, The Cross: A Prism for God’s Glory, Like Isaac Newton’s experiments with white light. In the same way, all of the glory of God is visible in the cross. Every individual attribute of God is represented: justice, wrath, patience, love, power. We see the same thing in the Church of Jesus Christ. We will shine radiantly, but differently from one another, together making up the beauty of the New Jerusalem. Finally, we consider the astonishing pearly gates. Pearl is made of one of the most precious substances in the ancient world. It results from some particulate, like a grain of sand, getting inside an oyster. The oyster protects itself by covering it, layer by layer, with a shimmering hard substance called conchiolin, like the rings of a tree. It testifies to the suffering that has gone into building the Kingdom of God. First and foremost, Jesus suffered, but Paul said in Colossians 1:24, “Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions…” The blood of martyrs is seed for the church. There have been all kinds of labor and suffering that have gone into building the place. Every time we walk by those massive pearly gates, we will be reminded of the beauty that came from suffering. Applications Meditate on Heaven and Share the Gospel First, meditate on Heaven in your own way. Friday morning, I went with my daughter, Daphne to Hillsborough to get some coffee and hot chocolate. Then we went for a walk in this reserve called Ayr Mount, a beautiful place with a pond and a river and some woods. It was a shining shimmering morning. We walked down a path called the Poets’ Walk. I was thinking about the book of Revelation, which I do all the time, and we came to a clearing, a field. The sunlight was shining, so I stood by Daphne’s side, held her hand to pray. We closed our eyes and could see the sunlight through our eyelids. I prayed about the New Jerusalem, when Daphne tapped me. There was a woman standing there with a dog watching us. I do not know how long she was there because we had been praying for a while. It was an awkward moment. But she said, “You looked so prayerful. I didn't want to disturb you.” Could we have our hearts and our souls filled with joy and hope at where we are going? Could that drive out sin? Could it drive out depression? Could it drive out worldly sadness and discouragement? Could it be a light that attracts people who are right now on the outside, who do not have hope, who do not have forgiveness? Could that attract people to Christ, if we would be more filled with a joy and inner light of this beautiful place to which we are going? Be active as witnesses. Share the gospel. The workplace may be one of the best places to do evangelism in America. People get to know you and see the way you live. It is a good place to do some gradual witnessing. Closing Prayer Lord, thank you for the time we have had to walk through these verses, to look line by line at each of the aspects of this New Jerusalem. We may never have this opportunity again. Father, I pray that you would please strengthen our imagination, strengthen our sense and our faith, so that we may shine with the glory of hope, so that people who are without hope and without God in the world may see something different in us and ask us to give a reason for the hope that we have. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

This time we leave the big city of the east, for the big city of the west. Osaka is increasingly one of the most visited places in Japan.We’ll be doing a 2 part special on the city, this time introducing the cannot be missed big attractions! From the mouth watering foods that make the city famous to family fun at roller coasters and finally the old Japanese culture and architecture, a must see castle! We also include some tips throughout! Part two will include an exclusive interview with former Yelp Community Manager, expert and local of Osaka’s customized Osaka itinerary! If you enjoy this episode, please take a moment to leave us a review to help us create better content for you! [links] http://bit.ly/_Dotonbori http://bit.ly/Kushi_Daruma http://bit.ly/UnivST_JPN http://bit.ly/OSK_cstle Check our twitter @realtokyoFM Send us an e-mail at realtokyo@tfm.co.jp and we'll send you a TokyoFM World sticker！ Enjoy Tokyo！

The Siege of Osaka Castle in the winter of 1614-15 and the final Battle for Osaka Castle in the summer of 1615 marks the final chapter in the Sengoku Jidai. After years of rivalry between the forces of the Toyotomi and the Tokugawa the final question of who would dominate Japan for the next few hundred years was decided - but not before conspiracy, cowardice, spanked bottoms and cross dressing was tried as a winning strategy!  Here is a map of the events discussed in the podcast.

Tokugawa Ieyasu had won the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 and set up organising Japan under his clan's domination.  However, safely ensconced in Osaka Castle was Hideyori, son of Hideyoshi; the last of the Toyotomi.  Tokugawa Ieyasu knew that he would never be safe until the last of the Toyotomi claims to control of Japan were snuffed out.

広島大学の新入生の皆さんの中には、県外出身の人も大勢いると思います。そんな皆さんのために、今回は広島についての話題をお届けします。 会話は、日本人の男性（Keiso）が、大阪から来た外国人の女友達を広島に招くという設定です。会話の中でKeiso君が広島の名物をいろいろ紹介していますが、どのような名物が紹介されているか数えてみましょう。また、それらに対する女性の反応はどのようなものでしょうか。 追記（2011年4月14日） 4/12配信のファイルで、広島風お好み焼きの説明に不適切な箇所がございましたので、該当部分をカットして再配信いたします。buckwheat noodlesはいわゆる「日本そば」ですので、広島風お好み焼きに使われるそばとは異なるものです。お詫びして訂正いたします。 今回お借りした素材 画像（もみじ饅頭）：Wikipediaより Download MP3 （12:43　7.4MB　初級～中級）** Script *** (Slow speed) 02:20-4:40 (Natural speed) 11:05-12:50 Hiroshima Style (Scene: A foreign friend who lives in Osaka visits Hiroshima.) W: Hey, Keiso. Thanks for inviting me to Hiroshima. I always wanted to come to Hiroshima. I've never been here before! M: Really? I thought you moved to Japan when you were seven. W: I did. But then school started, and I never really got a chance. M: I see. Well, no matter. You're here now! What da ya wanna do first? W: Hmm. What do you recommend? M: Let's see. There's Hiroshima Peace Park, and Hiroshima Castle. Those are both pretty interesting. Shall we go there? W: Nah. I've already been to the Osaka International Peace Museum and Osaka Castle. M: OK. How about we go to a shopping street named Hondori? You like shopping right? W: Yeah, shopping is fun. But, Osaka has a much bigger shopping area, named Dottonbori(*). M: Hmm, how about a baseball game? The Carp are quite good this year. W: Yeah. Baseball is fun to watch. But, the Tigers are much better! M: OK. Change of plans. Let's get something to eat instead! How about we try the famous Hiroshima momiji manju? It's a kind of sweet. It's really good! W: Really? Is it better than the Kyoto mochi(**)? I bet the mochi is better. M: Well, they aren't the same. So, it's impossible to compare. W: I see. Well, just decide already! We've been standing here for ten minutes! Doesn't Hiroshima have something fun to do? In Osaka, we have the Osaka Aquarium and Universal Studios Ja . . . M: OK. OK! I've decided. I'm going home! (*) もちろん「道頓堀」のこと。日本語の長音の感覚が外国人には難しいことがあるため、このように言い間違えたものと思われます。 (**) 京都の「八ッ橋」のこと。 (Written by Kyle Kumashiro)

広島大学の新入生の皆さんの中には、県外出身の人も大勢いると思います。そんな皆さんのために、今回は広島についての話題をお届けします。 会話は、日本人の男性（Keiso）が、大阪から来た外国人の女友達を広島に招くという設定です。会話の中でKeiso君が広島の名物をいろいろ紹介していますが、どのような名物が紹介されているか数えてみましょう。また、それらに対する女性の反応はどのようなものでしょうか。 追記（2011年4月14日） 4/12配信のファイルで、広島風お好み焼きの説明に不適切な箇所がございましたので、該当部分をカットして再配信いたします。buckwheat noodlesはいわゆる「日本そば」ですので、広島風お好み焼きに使われるそばとは異なるものです。お詫びして訂正いたします。 今回お借りした素材 画像（もみじ饅頭）：Wikipediaより Download MP3 （12:43　7.4MB　初級～中級）** Script *** (Slow speed) 02:20-4:40 (Natural speed) 11:05-12:50 Hiroshima Style (Scene: A foreign friend who lives in Osaka visits Hiroshima.) W: Hey, Keiso. Thanks for inviting me to Hiroshima. I always wanted to come to Hiroshima. I've never been here before! M: Really? I thought you moved to Japan when you were seven. W: I did. But then school started, and I never really got a chance. M: I see. Well, no matter. You're here now! What da ya wanna do first? W: Hmm. What do you recommend? M: Let's see. There's Hiroshima Peace Park, and Hiroshima Castle. Those are both pretty interesting. Shall we go there? W: Nah. I've already been to the Osaka International Peace Museum and Osaka Castle. M: OK. How about we go to a shopping street named Hondori? You like shopping right? W: Yeah, shopping is fun. But, Osaka has a much bigger shopping area, named Dottonbori(*). M: Hmm, how about a baseball game? The Carp are quite good this year. W: Yeah. Baseball is fun to watch. But, the Tigers are much better! M: OK. Change of plans. Let's get something to eat instead! How about we try the famous Hiroshima momiji manju? It's a kind of sweet. It's really good! W: Really? Is it better than the Kyoto mochi(**)? I bet the mochi is better. M: Well, they aren't the same. So, it's impossible to compare. W: I see. Well, just decide already! We've been standing here for ten minutes! Doesn't Hiroshima have something fun to do? In Osaka, we have the Osaka Aquarium and Universal Studios Ja . . . M: OK. OK! I've decided. I'm going home! (*) もちろん「道頓堀」のこと。日本語の長音の感覚が外国人には難しいことがあるため、このように言い間違えたものと思われます。 (**) 京都の「八ッ橋」のこと。 (Written by Kyle Kumashiro)