The February 2011 edition of the Japan Blog Matsuri brings to you eighteen fantastic submissions from around the blogosphere presenting to you articles related to the theme “Famous Japanese Events”. Participants were asked to tell us about a current or historical notable occurrence related to Japan. The possibilities were endless. It could have been a current event, a recreational event, an historical event, a religious event, a sporting event, a cultural event, an entertainment event, a political event, a social event. The event did not necessarily have to occur in Japan but it must have been related to Japan.

There’s something here for everyone, so take a swig of your sake, swallow down your sushi and enjoy the ride.

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On a recent trip to Kyoto I was forced to respect the protocol. That is, if you go to Kyoto you must embark on an intense tour of temples, shrines, castles and imperial palaces.

This was my third time in Kyoto. On my second trip back in 2003, I disappointed zoomz (my wife) by abandoning her well prepared temple tour itinerary in lieu of a pub crawl of every British and Irish drinking establishment I could find.

This time around, in an effort to maintain peace time relations with zoomz, I submitted to the Kyoto Protocol. Following are a few highlights.

Kinkaku-ji (The Golden Pavilion Temple)

Originally built in 1397 as a retirement villa for the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the Golden Pavilion Temple is set in a Japanese strolling garden on the edge of the Mirror Pond. The original structure was burnt down by some rogue, suicidal monk in 1950. The present day structure was built in 1955.

Kinkaku-ju (The Golden Pavilion Temple)