Both of the places have all kinds of different trees located on the premises. One is lit up at night during autumn and the other isn’t…although it should be. One has a tall pagoda and a veranda overlooking Kyoto. The other has a small ravine filled with maples and a bridge where people can walk above them and look down into the ravine of maples. Do you know what places I’m referring to yet?

The first one is Kiyomizudera and the other is Tofukuji. Go to either one of these places during autumn and you’ll be joined by half of Japan. They are so popular that during momiji season, you will most likely be viewing the maples shoulder to shoulder with someone else you don’t know…on both sides of you.

Kiyomizudera is the most popular of the two and larger. There are tons of maple trees around the temple grounds along the backside of the temple, in front to the left, if you are looking back at Kyoto Tower, and further to the left up along the mountain. If you really want to see it in its full-on beauty, visit the temple at night when the spotlight is shining brightly in the sky like a Batman beacon. Stand along the little pond to the left, again if you are facing Kyoto Tower, and look back at the temple and beacon for a great reflection shot of the temple, beacon and trees. See the photo pictured in this article for reference to what I’m talking about.

Tofukuji on the other hand is smaller in scale, but nonetheless beautiful. It may even be more beautiful depending on what you like. The bridge overlooking the ravine of colorful red maples and the small grove of yellow maples just before the ravine are amazing. If you happen to go on a partly cloudy day, you will surely know what I’m talking about. The contrast in colors against a blue and white sky make for picturesque photos; ones you will never forget. But unfortunately for anyone who loves this place, it is not lit up at night even though the website created by those who run this temple say it is. They close down the temple just before dark in autumn. So get there early enough to see it all before they kick you out. It’s a breathtaking maple viewing place! See the photo in this article.

Momiji viewing involves Japanese maples. And they don’t just grow everywhere. It takes a little planning to find places with many maple trees on the grounds. Some local parks scattered around Kyoto have them. Some shrines and temples have them. But not all places have Japanese maples.

So here are some of the best places around the Kyoto area to see Japanese maple trees in the splendor:

• Kiyomizudera
• Kinkakuji
• Fushimiinari
• Nagaoka Tenmangu
• Komyoji
• Arashiyama
• Tofukuji
• Nanzenji
• Takaragaike
• Kibune

If you are planning to travel around Kyoto this week, you’ll be better off traveling by train. Trains are still running in most areas, but those driving cars are experiencing heavy traffic conditions due to flooded roads.

NOTE: Take caution wherever you go especially along steep mountainsides. Some landslides have been reported throughout the Kansai area.

If you are in the Kyoto area, please come back to this site, KansaiNews, and get updates. We will post pictures of flowers in the Kyoto area to help you know when the best time to view them is.

Currently, this is what the sakura blossoms look like in southern Kyoto.

Sakura cherry blossom buds

Right now, Namaste Taj Mahal restaurants throughout the Kansai region offer all-you-can-eat nan with lunch for an additional ¥340 yen! The total cost for lunch is under ¥1000!

The meal comes with curry, salad, nan and drink.

People around the world are complaining left and right about missing and messed up map components. Now Japanese as jumping on the complaint wagon.

This morning the news on local TV stations broadcast stories of people bemoaning the use of the Apple maps on their recently updated iPhones. Many wish they had never updated their phones and are afraid of using the new Apple map because they are noticing problems all on their own without the help of online or televised news stories.

Some of the complaints are:

Many want Apple to succeed in creating a good mapping service, but they are frustrated that Apple brought out the mapping service and it is so flawed. Many people have worked hard getting their businesses listed in Google Maps so others can easily find them. Not being able to find their hard work listed in the new Apple Maps makes people feel like they are back to square one. Apple had better get to work on fixing this or it will spoil the sweet flavor many have come to know and enjoy!

While I was waiting, I looked around at the new iPhones they had on display.

The new iPhone 5 is a nice piece of technology. I played around with the phone to see how well it worked. Apps and graphics opened up quickly. The phone felt lighter than my iPhone 4, but I couldn’t really tell how much lighter it was because of the cable Softbank has attached to the sample unit. It’s definitely thinner and the screen feels a bit smoother when swiping. Overall, I liked the phone.

Now would I buy one? Yes, but…

Softbank has changed their service plans. They used to offer ¥0-¥4980 monthly unlimited service plan and a flat rate monthly service plan that was around ¥4980 or so. Anyone with an iPhone 5 now has to pay ¥5460+315+980+¥2570-¥2140 which equals a total of ¥6755 per month, plus the cost of phone calls to users outside Softbank. If a buyer chooses to get the larger 32 gigabyte iPhone 5, they will have to pay an additional ¥430 per month for 25 months.

If would not buy the 16 gigabyte phone. Why?

The 16 would be way too small since the iPhone 5 camera is now 8 megapixels and apps are now slightly larger in size with the latest larger screen. Anyone with a 16 would be constantly juggling apps, photos and videos around or have to upload constantly to the Cloud. This is going to be a huge issue in the future as more and more people find it hard to store the pictures and videos they take. But that’s another article!

If you have an older iPhone, especially a 3G, 3GS or 4, upgrading would bring you much improvement in speed and technology and allow you to do much more than your current iPhone allows you to do. But it is going to cost you a little more money…at least for now…until 4G and Cloud pricing comes down to earth.

Many Chinese come to Japan on vacation. Yet, you don’t hear of any Japanese attacking the Chinese visitors because of their stance on issues. They come, they travel and do their sightseeing around Japan and then go back to China unharmed or ridiculed.

Of course, most people around the world realize that the media makes little issues out to be bigger than they really are. Japanese living and working in China are getting treated terribly and don’t deserve any of it.

I live in Kyoto and have taught at private schools as well as at universities.  I started this in order to give professionals within a particular field a means to contribute.  We must think of education as a long term need.

In regards to the schools and organizations listed in our directory, they are located in a number of different regions in Japan.  Refugees from the Tohoku area are moving to different locales throughout Japan and thus we strive to help them in their new environments.  The schools listed have agreed to give tuition assistance for affected children.  In this way, we hope to create a model that addresses the issues resulting from the triple disasters of March 11, 2011 on a national level.  As for the lessons using Skype we have at this time one volunteer based in Australia and thus, there is the possibility for the international community becoming involved.  Surely, people are suffering financially and we hope that through these offers their burdens may be lightened ever so slightly.

After School Lessons for Tohoku Children Homepage

Some of the changes that will most likely occur:

• The current gaijin card will be changed to a new version.
• Foreigners who have been living in Japan for a long period of time will begin receiving permanent residency status. He was unsure of the base number of years; 7 years or maybe fewer.
• 3-year length of stay changed to 5 years