Ukiyo-e and Stone Lanterns Vol.2 Utagawa Hiroshige
Discover how Utagawa Hiroshige captured Japan’s landscapes and stone lanterns in ukiyo-e prints, from Edo traditions to global influence.
Granite and Tokyo Tour Series 2025 No.8 Tokyo Nihonbashi Bridge
Explore Nihonbashi Bridge in Tokyo, rebuilt in 1911 with Kitagi Granite. From its origins in 1603 as Japan’s business hub to today, this iconic stone arch st...
Okazaki, Japan Shrine Visit Report 2025 No.1 Stonemason District Shrine
Discover Sekko Danchi Jinja in Okazaki, a rare granite shrine dedicated to the god of stone. Built in 1974, it enshrines Ishitsuchibiko-no-kami and features ...
Granite and Tokyo Tour Series 2025 No.7 Barbizon74, Akasaka
A field note on Barbizon74 in Akasaka, Tokyo: generous use of Aji Stone—often called the “diamond of granite”—in a luxurious random masonry spec, the ...
Granite and Tokyo Tour Series 2025 No.6 Tokyo Nihonbashi Tower
Tokyo Nihonbashi Tower uses Indian striped granite with a hammered finish. A quick field note on why bold stone patterns work in urban architecture bu...
Granite and Tokyo Tour Series 2025 No.5 Zōjō-ji: The Tokugawa Clan’s Bodaiji
Explore Zōjō-ji Temple in Tokyo, the Tokugawa clan’s great head temple with shogunal mausoleums. Learn its history, politics, granite stonework, and burial l...
Granite and Tokyo Tour Series 2025 No.4 Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery
"Discover the Seitoku Memorial Picture Gallery, a national monument built with Mannari Granite. Explore its 100-year history, stone façade cleaning, granite ...
Quarry visit report 2025 No.3 Okayama Mannari Stone
Discover Mannari Granite, the pink granite of Okayama. Formed 70–80 million years ago, it is prized for monuments, lanterns, and iconic Japanese architecture.
Ukiyo-e and Stone Lanterns No.1 Katsushika Hokusai
Discover how Katsushika Hokusai captured stone lanterns and sacred stoneworks in his ukiyo-e. From lost hanshita drawings to thousands of vanished prints — a...
Granite and Tokyo Tour Series 2025 No.3 National Diet Building
Explore Japan’s National Diet Building, completed in 1936 and built with domestic granites such as Giin-ishi, Tokuyama, Mannari, and Aji Stone.
Quarry visit report 2025 No.2 Ohshima Island
Discover Oshima Stone, a prestigious granite from Shikoku, Japan. Learn its 100-million-year history, quarrying tradition, and use in castles and landmarks.
Granite and Tokyo Tour Series 2025 No.1 Yasukuni Shrine
Stone-focused perspective on Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine: why the 1933 grand torii was built with Kitagi granite, how the stone was shipped, and how reme...
Granite and Tokyo Tour Series 2025 No.2 Bank of Japan Head Office
Explore the Bank of Japan Head Office, a late 19th-century stone landmark built with Kitagi granite. Discover its history, Tatsuno Kingo’s design, and cultur...
Is Earth Still Making Resources? Rocks, Gems, Metals & Fuels Explained
Earth still creates rocks, gems, metals and fuels—but on million-year timescales. Learn how resources form, why local deposits run out, and what it means for...
Can Humanity Survive a Giant Asteroid Impact?
Discover how humanity can respond to massive asteroid threats—and how Japanstones.shop’s granite reflects Earth’s timeless resilience.