🍑 🍑 🍑Hana-Momo”, peach blossoms in bloom. Photo taken in Tsukikawa-Onden Hanamoto-no-Sato in Nagano prefecture on May 1st 2018.
🍑 🍑 🍑Hana-Momo”, peach blossoms in bloom. Photo taken in Tsukikawa-Onden Hanamoto-no-Sato in Nagano prefecture on May 1st 2018. Hanamoto-Kaido is well-known for its beautiful ornamental peach blossoms. Peach trees which have three colored flower petal with crimson, pink and pure white are impressive. 4km path along the river with 5000 peach trees. […]
🎏 🎏 🎏 Koi-Nobori”, carp shaped streamers swimming in the blue sky.
🎏 🎏 🎏 Koi-Nobori”, carp shaped streamers swimming in the blue sky. They are raised to cerebrate Children’s Day on May 5th. It comes from the Chinese legend that a carp swimming upstream finally turned to a dragon after he overcame the waterfall. The families with boys raise the carp streamers on the pole […]
Children's Day
Children's Day is former Boys' Day May 5th is celebrated as Children's day in Japan. It used to be Boys’ Festival. As it is designated as a national holiday, it turned to “Children’s Day” for both boys and girls, because we have Girls’ Festival known as Doll Festival on March 3rd but not registered as a […]
Golden Week
Golden Week is one of three annual holiday seasons in Japan. Golden Week is a week with many national holidays which starts on April 29th. How long we have as Golden Week depends on the year calendar. Many people travel during this period, therefore everywhere gets packed with people including accommodations and transportations. It's better to consider […]
Why Japanese people wear masks?
“Why so many Japanese people wear masks?” This is the most frequently asked question from the tourists visiting Japan in springtime. Our guests seem to be puzzled to see many people wearing masks after winter is over. Some guests get anxious if some infectious diseases are spreading around or doubt the air might be too […]
Equinox Day and Higan week (Eqinoctial week)
Higan is a week centering around the Equinox day. There are two Equinox days in a year, vernal and autumnal, so we have 2 Higan weeks in a year, Haru-Higan（vernal higan) and Aki-Higan（autumnal higan). Each Equinox day is designated as a National Holiday. During this period Buddhist temples hold special memorial services and we have the custom of visiting our […]
"Hina-matsuri" Doll Festival on March 3rd.
March 3rd is cerebrated as Girl’s Festival called “Hina-matsuri” in Japan. Although it is not designated as a national holiday, it is commonly cerebrated for the family with girls.Hina-maturi is translated to “Dolls Festival”, because families with girls display Hina-ningyo, or Hina-dolls, at their homes to pray for girls’ healthy growth and happiness. Hina-dolls are […]
Yushima Tenmangu shrine & Plum Festival
Yushima Tenmangu is commonly called Yushima Ten-jin. "Ten-jin" means God of Thunder. This shrine is famous for God of Academics, attracting many students who pray for passing the entrance examinations. It is believed that any part of bull statue which people touched will be cured. So many touch its head. Enshrines a first actual person to […]
What is Ema, or picture tablet?
Ema are wooden votive picture tablets which are found in shrines or temples in Japan. People write their wishes and dreams on the back of "Ema" and hang them in the designated area in the precincts of shrines or temples. People originally donated living horses. Front of Ema has picture. […]
Let's eat Octopus balls at Japanese stall !
Octopus balls called Takoyaki in Japanese are originally local food for Osaka, Japan. You can enjoy them throughout Japan nowadays. It is very popular food for stalls in the festival. It is fun to see how they are being made on the special plate. Osaka people make them at home.