Doggy

A Shiba Inu at one of the houses in Seya, Yokohama--complete with umbrella!

The Shiba Inu (also called the Shiba Ken) is the smallest of the six original and distinct breeds of dog from Japan.

A small, agile dog that copes very well with mountainous terrain, the Shiba Inu was originally bred for hunting. It is similar in appearance to the Akita, though much smaller in stature. Inu is the Japanese word for dog, but the origin of the prefix "Shiba" is less clear. The word shiba usually refers to a type of red shrub. This leads some to believe that the Shiba was named with this in mind, either because the dogs were used to hunt in wild shrubs, or because the most common color of the Shiba Inu is a red color similar to that of the shrubs. However, in old Japanese, the word shiba also had the meaning of "small", thus this might be a reference to the dog's small size. Therefore, the Shiba Inu is sometimes translated as "Little Brushwood Dog".

Torii

A torii or gate is a symbol of Shinto shrines all over Japan. The torii pictured above was taken at the Itsukushima Shrine in the island of Itsukushima, popularly known as Miyajima, off the coast of Hiroshima.

This torii is one of Japan's most popular tourist attractions, and is one of Japan's three scenic views.

Hero

Lapu-Lapu was the chieftain of Mactan Island in the Philippines when the Spanish conquerors led by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan arrived on Philippine soil in 1521. He refused to accept the Christian faith that was preached by the foreigners and rose in arms at the Battle of Mactan which took the life of Magellan. He is considered the first Filipino hero, and his monument is displayed at the Lapu-Lapu Shrine in Mactan Island, Cebu.

Church

This is an image of the facade of the Church of St. Catherine of Alexandria in Carcar, a town in the province of Cebu, Philippines. It was built in 1860.

Carcar is home to various heritage structures from the Spanish and American colonial eras, with the church of St. Catherine at the center of it all.

Sakura

At this time of the year, sakura or cherry blossoms bloom all over Japan. Flower-viewing festivals or hanami are held all over the country where people take time out to enjoy the sight.