NEWS OF TRAVEL JAPAN

Previously, I wrote about “ mizuhiki” (the lower picture above, red and white stings ), which is used for an expression of celebration on a gift. It is thought that the custom of the mizuhiki has a history of approximately seven centuries. In many good situations when Japanese people send gifts of celebration, the thing on the right above the mizuhiki knot in the picture is used to express celebration with the mizuhiki. It’s called a “noshi”, but many Japanese people including me don’t know its true meaning. I knew its meaning and the story of its beginning when I visited Toba city, Mie prefecture for the first time. The long history of the noshi The whole form illustrating the noshi is pictured above. Speaking in more detail, the part of the red and white paper envelope is called the noshi, and the part of the long yellow band is called the “noshi-awabi”. The noshi-awabi means an abalone which was stretched out. The original type of the noshi-awabi is pictured above. ...

My wife and I revisited Shinmei Shrine in Ohsatsu for the first time in 4 and a half years. In Japan there are several Shinmei shrines and Shinmei denotes that it warships Amaterasu-Omikami, who is the highest god for The Imperial Family and Japanese people (she is enshrined in Ise Shrine) . So the main god of Shinmei Shrine in Ohsatsu is Amaterasu-Omikami, then we thanked the god for our peaceful lives and prayed peace of Japan and the world to the god. This time, there was a big circle, through which people can pass, which is made by grass straws behind the inner gate of the sanctuary of Amaterasu-Ominami. A note board indicated to turn back as going around the circle three times as drawing a figure of eight, to the left-side of the circle after passing the circle firstly, to the right-side next and to the left-side again. The series of the actions of the indication is to make an invisible knot with the circle, and it may be that the series of the actions means to make relatio...

Himeji Castle is one of the first world culture heritage sites selected in Japan and it has many foreign visitors. Himeji Castle, of course, is a fortification to protect ourselves. It has weapon-rooms with walls for storing spears and waiting rooms for samurais in the main tower. And it has stone walls which are one of the characteristics of Japanese castles for guarding against an army. One of interesting things for visitors is its powers, but what attracts many foreign visitors may be the beauty of the castle. So I will try to go deep into the beauty of the castle. The large size of the castle Himeji Castle looks magnificent and it is the largest remaining castle with the main tower in Japan. Historically speaking there were many larger castles than Himeji Castle but this castle has a reason for the large size excepting the appearance of power and the largeness of staff. Himeji is the key place between western regions of Japan and Kyoto. Himeji had had castles o...

There are many Zen temples in Kyoto. Foreign travelers can enjoy the atmosphere of every Zen temple or Zen garden. By the way, Shoukoku-ji Temple historically had a high level of social status as a Zen temple but nowadays it has few visitors. What’s the mean of the high level of social status? If you come to Kyoto for visiting temples of Buddhism, probably you will know that there are Kinkaku-ji Temple and Ginkaku-ji Temple among the many temples which are recommended. Yes, Kinkaku-ji Temple and Ginkaku-ji Temple are famous and always filled with foreign visitors, but you may not know that Shoukoku-ji Temple is the parent temple of two popular temples. In olden times Shoukoku-ji Temple was a great cathedral of Zen, but it was burned many times, then a lot of its treasures and works of art were burned too. Nowadays Shoukoku-ji Temple has a few tourist attractions. The reason of burning that is different from other existing popular temples from those origins was that it was ...

I saw a kyogen-play on stage at The Festival Hall in Osaka, which is usually used for the classic music concerts of orchestras. Kyogen which is the traditional Japanese satiric comedy is usually performed in combination with Noh at a Noh hall, but this-time Kyogen was independently performed on its wide stage. So I felt the essences of Kyogen directly. As a silent play in the sorrowful drama “Narayamabushi-ko” is a sorrowful story in a poor old mountainous village. The village has little food, so the number of the population is limited. Thus, a newly born baby means removing an elderly person from the village, who is taken to the depths of Narayama Mountain and will not return. There is an elderly mother who has a filial son and a grandson who will have a new baby. She has to leave the village and she wants to go to the mountain. She has accepted the rule of the village and her fate, and she waits for the day when she will be taken. Of course this is my imagination. She said ...

About thirty years ago when I was young and I worked at the Akihabara branch of a bank, I enjoyed the festival of Kanda Shrine four times. Almost all of the young male bankers in the branch participated in the festival, and we looked forward to carry a portable shrine “o-mikoshi”. It was an unordinary experience with release of myself as a banker who is required to behave politely on business which was somewhat difficult to me. After the festival I was used to feel severe muscle weakness of all my body and shoulder inflammation, but the pleasure of carrying the portable shrine was supreme. At the first participating time I was a little bit nervous to carry the portable shrine, because it was the first time in my life and I heard that the portable shrine was very heavy. On wearing the happi coat of the festival the thermometer of my tension gradually rose, but yet I couldn’t wear the formal underwear “fundoshi”( a long cotton cloth) humbly. While being taught by my close cowork...

Tokyo is one of biggest urban cities in the world, and two large green-areas which contain The Imperial Palace and Ueno Park add an accent to the city. Among them Ueno Park provides a refreshing time to the people who visit there. In April a lot of cherry blossoms welcome people, Ueno Zoo and music halls make the people have fun and The National Museum makes the people come in touch with a historical treasure of Japanese culture through the year. Besides these there are the Mausoleum of Tokugawa shogunates and some buildings of Kanei-ji Temple in Ueno Park. From the current viewpoint, Ueno Park is indispensable to the citizens in Tokyo and foreign travelers, moreover, Ueno Park has a strange history that this place has been guarded by an invisible intermediary. I want to write about it dating back to the past. In the early part of the Meiji era The statue in the picture is Takamori Saigo, and it is near the entrance of Ueno Park. He was the general of the opposi...