James Richardson

James Richardson

James Richardson is a writer and Japan enthusiast. After living and working in Tokyo for over a decade, he shares his insights on Japanese society, culture, and current events.

Meiji Jingu Shrine

Meiji Jingu Shrine is a Shinto Shrine located in Shibuya, Tokyo. The Shrine was established in 1920 to commemorate Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, who created the foundations of modernized Japan.

Yushima Shrine

Yushima Tenjin Shrine is a Tenman-gu shrine located in Bunkyo City, Tokyo. A Tenman-gu shrine is a Shinto shrine dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane (a famous scholar, poet and politician of the Heian period) who is worshipped as the deity of academics, scholarship and learning. The Yushima Tenjin Shrine is associated with receiving good luck in exams. Yushima Shrine was destroyed by fire in 1703 and rebuilt in 1885, however over time the shrine gradually deteriorated. The current Shrine building was rebuilt in December 1995 entirely out of cypress wood, a long lasting material, so that it is preserved for future generations.