Daily Life In Japan's Third Largest Chinatown

A woman arranges the Taiwan tea powder at a Chinese tea shop in Kobe Chinatown on November 24, 2011 in Kobe, Japan.  Kobe Chinatown is one of only three designated Chinatowns in Japan and has around 10,000 Chinese people residing in it. Kobe Chinatown established when the Japanese Port of Kobe opened in 1868. At that time many Chinese who came to merchant and settled around the western end of Kobe’s foreign settlement and the area soon became the focus point for subsequent Chinese migrants. Today, Kobe Chinatown is tourist spot as popular Chinese food. (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe)

© Buddhika Weerasinghe

2011 Kobe City Marathon

Scenic view of miscellaneous action of runners during the start of Kobe City Marathon on November 20, 2011 in Kobe, Japan. About 23,000 Japanese and overseas runners participated. (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe)

© Buddhika Weerasingh

Autumn Leaves In Full Color

Photographers line up and capture colored autumn leaves images at Kobe Municipal Arboretum on November 17, 2011 in Kobe, Japan. Most of park and mountain side autumn leaves delayed to change the colors due to high climate in this year. (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe) 

© Buddhika Weerasinghe

Historical Mountain Castle Attract Visitors

People walk on the historical Takeda castle sight on November 16, 2011 in Asago, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. The castle built in 15th century by Yamana Aozen, is thought to be the one of the most beautiful mountain castle in Japan. It located top of a mountain of Mt. Torafuku about 353.7 meters high from sea level. The scale is 400 meters from north to south and 100 meters from east to west. After Battle of Sekigahara castle was abandoned in 1600. (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe)

© Buddhika Weerasinghe

Seasonal Decorations Starts.

A couple walks through the seasonal decorations at Illuminated Kobe Fruits And Flower Park on November 13, 2011 in Kobe, Japan. This year 3 million LED lights are being lit up for seasonal decorations in the park, which will be on display until the middle of January in next year. (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe)

©Buddhika Weerasinghe

B-1 Grandprix, Largest National Foods Festival in Japan

A woman dress up as a kitchen tools and performs music during the B class national foods festival on November 12, 2011 in Himeji city, Japan. B-1 Grandprix, foods festival started to promote and introduce to local areas popular foods in 2006. About 63 popular cuisines introduced by different part of prefectures and expected more than 400,000 people in 2-days foods festival from 12-13 November.(Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe)

© Buddhika Weerasinghe

Snow Crabs Season Starts in Japan

 A woman sorts red coloured snow crabs during a crab auction at Kasumi port on November 6, 2011 in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. The snow crab is found in the deepest and coldest waters in the Sea of Japan. Each year snow crabs are caught from November through to March, with the current season starting today. The largest male crab, weighing about 1.4 kilograms, fetched 24,000 Japanese yen (306.7 USD) during the first day of the auction today. The day's total weight of male and female crabs was about 5,337 kilograms, worth some 7,640,000 Japanese yen (97,664.4 USD). (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe)

©Buddhika Weerasinghe

Women Perform a Tea Ceremony Under the Autumn Leaves.

A Japanese women perform green tea during the outdoor tea ceremony under the colorful autumn leaves at Zuihoji Temple Park, Arima on November 3, 2011 in Kobe, Japan. The Japanese Tea Ceremony also called the Way of Tea and Tea Art is a Japanese traditional cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of “Matcha,” powdered green tea. Tea is “Cha” in Japanese.　(Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe)

 

Airplane Flies Over the Construction Sit

A domestic airplane flies over the construction sit on October 27, 2011 in Osaka, Japan. (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe)

Auction Takes Place To Decide The Most Expensive Beef In Kobe

A cow rests in a pen during the 93rd Hyogo Prefecture Livestock Industry Promoting Auction on October 23, 2011 at Nishiwaki in Kobe, Japan. Kobe beef is one of most expensive beef around the world and this year highest priced bull sold at auction 5,001,000 Japanese yen (65,578.28 U.S. Dollars). The highest priced bull's  weight 790 kilogram.  

Livestock Industry Promoting auction organizing official said auction price of Kobe and Tajima beef this year become less demand due to March 11 Fukushima nuclear accident and economy crises. 

About 800 kilogram wait 106 cows and bulls bring to competition and auction which cows bring around the Kobe. 65 cows sold for Kobe meat and others sold for cattle farm. (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe)

Highest priced Kobe bull

Livestock farmer Nobo Fujimoto holds this year highest priced Masaru, Kobe bull after the won the competition during the 93rd Hyogo Prefecture Livestock Industry Promoting Auction on October 23, 2011 at Nishiwaki in Kobe, Japan. Two years and 8 months old Masaru is weight 790 kilogram and sold 5,001,000 Japanese yen (65,578.28 U.S. Dollars) (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe)

Nada Fight Festival

Shrine Parishioners bump their portable shrines during Nada No Kenka Matsuri, or Nada Fight Festival of Matsubara Hachiman Shrines at Otabi Mountain on October 16, 2011 in Himeji, Hyogo, Japan. The fight, the highlight of the shrine's Autumn Harvest Festival as part of the thanking to god and nature. Over 100,000 people visit the Nada No Kenka festival in every year. (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe)

Japan Commemorate 7 Months Anniversary Of Earthquake And Tsunami

Japanese Tendai-Syu Buddhist monks pray for earthquake and Tsunami victims during the moon seen festival on October 9, 2011 in Kakogawa, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. Japan is marking seven months since a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck Japan offshore on March 11 at 2:46pm local time, triggering a tsunami wave of up to ten metres which engulfed large parts of north-eastern Japan and also damaging the Fukushima nuclear plant, causing the worst nuclear crisis in decades. The current number of dead and missing is reportedly estimated to be 22,900. (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe)

©Buddhika Weerasinghe

Fukushima no-entry zone people spend the day with their pet dogs first time after the evacuated

Animal Shelter Taking Care Of Pets From Tsunami Area

ALONE AGAIN 

A staff member holds the pet dog of a family after they left during the annual festival at Happy House on October 8, 2011 in Osaka, Japan. The NPO Japan Animal Trust (JAT) are taking care about 200 of the cats and dogs for their owners who are unable to keep their pets due to their current housing conditions and the fact that they are living outside the no entry zone of the Fukushima Nuclear disaster area. (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe)

©Buddhika Weerasinghe

Buddhist Monks Collect Alms

Shingon-Shu Buddhist Monks Collect Alms on September 29, 2011 in Himeji city, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe/Street Photo Gallery)

©Buddhika Weerasinghe