Beautiful Details of the Japanese World

On my first full day in Japan, I was invited to make wagashi (Japanese sweets) with one of the locals. Together we made daifuku—a mochi filled with white bean paste and topped with a strawberry—and mitarashi dango—sweet soy sauce-covered rice flour balls, boiled and then grilled. The instructor was so welcoming and sweet to us!

This temple, based in Satagya city, was absolutely covered in these lucky cat statues. They ranged from 0.5 to 20 inches tall and were so cute! Mixed in with the traditional cats were handmade imitation/imposter cats that other people had left—it really made the place feel loved.

In my first week, I got to go to the temples in Asakusa. Getting to experience it with myself in a kimono was unreal. It was surreal seeing locals and tourists alike dress up in kimonos and surround themselves with the brilliantly red architecture.

This 121-ton statue of the Buddha was amazing to behold. For an extra 50 yen, you could go inside and see how it was made. It was so cool seeing the different techniques they used to hold the statue pieces together—some real engineering right there.

Why can't we incorporate more greenery into our structures? Walking through Shibuya, there were many buildings incorporating greenery into their design, just like this mall. The combination of parkland and the geometric glass windows is eye-catching and inspiring.

How can there be so many buildings? I often think this when standing at the top of my apartment building in central Tokyo. It's crazy to look in every direction and see a skyline. It reminds me just how big and condensed Tokyo is.

Public transport is essentially the only way to get around Tokyo, so it's no surprise that these locations are filled with art. I liked this one especially because of the inscribed metal plates and the pop of yellow in the back. It's simple enough to blend it, but when given attention, it shines.

Manhole cover art is actually extremely popular across Japan, with them often depicting something important to that region. There are even special covers with popular characters such as Pokémon or Hello Kitty. This one from central Tokyo depicts a cherry blossom with Ginkgo leaves sprouting out between the petals. I love how such a mundane piece of architecture is given attention and beautified—it wasn't necessary, but it shows attention to detail.

Even during rush hour, I was able to capture this beautiful view of a waterway when transferring from one train station to another.