Sugao Stone Buddha Fire Festival This festival takes place in August in Mie Town, Bungoono City, Oita Prefecture, Kyushu. Organized mainly by local residents, it is not large in scale but offers a warm, heartfelt atmosphere. The festival begins with Shinto and Buddhist rites. According to legend, the Sugao cliff-carved Buddha statues were carved by an oni (demon), and to thank the oni everyone invites an oni to appear at the festival, where the organizers present it with a letter of appreciation. In the rooster-crowing imitation contest inspired by the legend, participants perform their own impersonations of a rooster’s crow, filling the venue with smiles. On stage, the vigorous drumming of Toyukai and traditional kagura dances take place. In the latter half of the festival, a torch-throwing ritual called 松明投げ (taimatsu-nage) lights a roughly 3-meter-tall pillar pine by tossing burning torches up into it from below, and many children take on the challenge. ■■■ What the Sugao Stone Buddha Fire Festival Is Local residents hold the festival to revitalize the area and raise awareness of the Sugao cliff-carved Buddhas. The rooster-crowing imitation contest stems from a local legend. In the tale, an oni that settled in the area caused trouble and demanded, “Give me the village maiden as my bride!” The troubled village headman consulted a monk, who told the oni, “If you carve five stone Buddhas into the cliff in one night, you may take the girl as your bride; if you fail, leave the village.” Worried villagers checked at night and found the oni carving the fifth statue. They had the village’s rooster imitation expert mimic a rooster’s crow, tricking the oni into thinking morning had arrived, whereupon it fled.

It is an event held at shrines in various places on June 30 every year, an event to exorcise the defilement of half a year and pass through the circle of thatch while wishing for good health for the remaining six months. Here, at the mountain shrine in Shirahama Towns, the Shinto priest passes through the thatch circle three times with the Ujiko (shrine parishioners), wishing for everyone's health.

In search of coolness. A fountain in the shape of a screw on Kobe Port Island. A hot summer time in the shade and idly watching the fountain dance.

There were many summer wind chimes in Kotosaka Hachimangu, Ube City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. When I listen to the sound of wind chimes, I feel like it's summer in Japan and I'm excited!

Summer festival! I went to a summer festival with my friends with a film camera, and I took pictures of the goldfish in the goldfish scoop because they were very vivid and swimming many.

Photographed 8/23/24. It is a yo-yo fortune of Kawagoe Hachimangu. It seems that it is limited to summer visits. Trains stopped due to heavy rain, which was difficult. ☔️

I went to the Domon Festival in Yamaguchi Prefecture. The lanterns that stretched all the way to the back of the road were very fantastic The lantern with the word "Domon" written on it is very large and powerful!

Iron in blue Reflection ✨ of the summer sky and the factory with a puddle Shiohama, Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture

"Summer Shrine" As you walk along the path overgrown with green trees, a vermilion shrine appears in front of you. The voices of cicadas echo through the trees, and the sunlight gently illuminates the ground. Along with the sound of leaves swaying in the wind, my heart is quietly filled.

Shisa-kun watching over the beach / Silvama Beach It is Silvama (Imadomarihama) located in Nakijin Village in the northern part of the main island of Okinawa. There is one very colorful Shisa here. In Okinawa, Shisa is a guardian deity! They are watching over the beach, so you can spend your time here with peace of mind ^^

Thereare in the summer, even though I get sweaty in the park, I go to see the sunflowers. I am amazed at the number of varieties of sunflowers these days. This year, I was surprised and such a vermilion sunflower.

In the summer garden of my parents' house, morning glories bloomed every year. I thought that was normal, but these days, when condominiums are lined up, I don't see it so much anymore and I even feel lonely. I was delighted to see the morning glory blooming in the park.

Silvama / It is Silvama (Imadomarihama) located in Nakijin Village in the northern part of the main island of Okinawa. It's also called Tomari Beach, but it's Squid where mainly Locals come... The islands on the Horizon are Iheya Island and Izena Island. The people who are sailing are people from other countries. The uncle of the manager here told me ^^ The sea is calm and very comfortable!

This is a photo that captures memories of summer Vacation. Scene of reaching for the mahjong left by Grandpa with the digital camera given to him by his grandmother.

Local eels are hard to eat. Every summer, when I returned to Shizuoka, I used to eat this eel with my parents. But this summer, we couldn't eat eel together. Every day is filled with sadness, but when I see this eel, I remember the summer with my parents and feel energized.

Old Osawa Schoolhouse Built in 1873 (Meiji 6) with private funds, it opened as the public elementary school Osawa Schoolhouse. Later, in 1889 (Meiji 22) it was repurposed as the Nakagawa village office, but the village office was abolished after the municipal merger in 1955 (Showa 30). It was relocated and restored to its current site in 1993 (Heisei 5), preserving the appearance it had when first opened.

【Kiso Living Crafts Museum】 On August 2, 2024, "Usage Crafts" opened at the Kiso Living Crafts Museum Art Gallery. A permanent exhibition hall where traditional Shinshu crafts are exhibited. You can see the local climate and culture, as well as a number of Shinshu traditional crafts that have been born and nurtured in daily life. Also, this permanent exhibition is the only place where you can see all the traditional crafts of Shinshu! !! Admission is free, so please try 😊 the traditional crafts of Shinshu "Kiso Living Crafts Museum" Address: 2272-7 Kiso Hirasawa, Shiojiri-shi, Nagano TEL：TEL. 0264-34-3888

Ōyama Afuri Shrine Autumn Grand Festival From Tuesday, August 27 to Thursday, August 29, 2024, this three-day festival gives thanks for safety on the summer mountain and announces the arrival of autumn on Ōyama, continuing a tradition of more than 150 years. On the final day, the 29th, despite typhoon conditions and rain, the shrine office led the "O-nobori"—carrying a portable shrine bearing Afuri Ōkami up the steep "Otoko-zaka" with a maximum slope of about 30 degrees to the lower shrine.

Speaking of summer, "sunflowers" It is one of the flowers that gives brightness and power to its dignified blooming appearance despite the increasingly hot heat

A Short Journey to Bentenjima: Submarine Volcanoes and Coastal Vegetation In the western and southern parts of the Izu Peninsula, deposits from ancient submarine volcanoes are widely distributed. After a long age of submarine volcanism, the whole of Izu experienced uplift and erosion, exposing volcanic internal structures that would otherwise have remained buried underground. A short walk toward the sea brings you to a small hill called Bentenjima. Originally an island known in antiquity as Kyodai-jima, it became connected to the mainland in 1957 after river mouth engineering works. Walking the roughly 200-meter promenade that circles the islet, you notice the rocky shore is made up of many angular rock fragments. When lava from an underwater eruption flows along the seabed, it cools abruptly in contact with water and shatters into pieces. It resembles what happens when a glass filled with a hot drink is plunged into cold water and cracks. The material formed by this process is called quenched fragmented lava, and it serves as evidence that lava once flowed underwater. A stand of ubamegashi oak naturally growing on the rocks is another highlight of Bentenjima.

The view from the OHAMA terrace on Ikema Island in Miyakojima was the best 🥰 It was a view that made 🏝️✨ me want to look at it for hours

Scenery ✨ from Ikema Island in Miyakojima It has become a 🩷 favorite place in Miyakojima I definitely want 🥹 to go there again someday

Under the summer sky where the Hokusei Line runs, rice waiting to be harvested announces the visit of autumn. But it was hot. Inabe City, Mie Prefecture Megane Bridge

Poet Noguchi Ujo visited this area in July of 1930 to give a lecture in the West Izu district. On that occasion, he praised the shape of this mountain in a similar way. The villagers have affectionately passed down the poem, calling it "Tekkobuttakobu no Uta."

Kyodo (Rotating Sutra Repository) This kyodo was erected in Bunka 7 (1810) by the sculptor Hanbee Ishida, who was born in Matsuzaki Town. The rotatable scripture chest has six faces, each fitted with drawers holding a total of sixty books. Each face bears symbols corresponding to the twelve zodiac signs. This rotating style originated in China and came to Japan with Zen Buddhism. It is said that turning this sutra repository once confers the same merit as reciting the entire Buddhist canon.

Shimizuyama Josenji This temple belongs to the Jōdo sect, a branch of Zōjōji, and was founded in 1414 (the 21st year of Ōei). The present buildings are part of an old Jōdo temple rebuilt in 1780 (the 9th year of An'ei). The transom above the main hall features openwork carvings of the Sixteen Arhats, and the rear garden is said to have once been counted among the three famous gardens of Izu from the Edo period. A clear spring wells up beside the temple, giving the place its name. Tokugawa Iemitsu granted the temple a shuin land allotment of ten koku and two to (approximately 10.2 koku), and the temple held rights over forty-five farms in Mukohama.

Sawada's beach ✨ on Ishigaki Island View 🥹 from the Watermark Hotel It was 🩷 insanely beautiful

Kashuizan Jokanji Temple of the Honganji Branch of Jodo Shinshu Founder of the school: Saint Shinran, about 800 years ago Temple founder: Reverend Jōshin, about 700 years ago Established: during the Einin era Revitalized by the thirteenth head priest, Reverend Shokan Although founded in the Einin years, a great fire in Matsuzaki village in the Genroku years spared only the principal image while burning the temple buildings to the ground. After that the temple used a temporary main hall, but it was rebuilt during the Kōka years by Reverend Shokan and has stood since then. The main hall is built in the shishinden style, and the worship beam bears carvings by the renowned Edo-period single-blade woodcarver Hanbee Ishida. Hanbee’s works are few, and the powerful motion of his blade is unmatched. The ceiling and transoms of the inner sanctuary of the main hall are decorated with brightly colored plaster trowel paintings by master craftsman Chōhachi Irie, active from the late Edo period into the early Meiji era. In addition, the revitalizer Reverend Shokan opened a school from the Kansei years onward. Known as the Kashui private school, it produced some 530 pupils and is said to have been the oldest and largest of the many private schools in the prefecture. March, Showa 53 (1978) Recorded by the seventeenth head priest of this temple, Shaku Kōryū

Jade Torizaki Observation decks on Ishigaki Island. Impression was 🥹✨ that the sea was insanely beautiful

KAMU-oto Performer Introduction Reading by Villager A The garden at home is so beautiful. Villager A, who helped revive puppet theater in this small village, tends moss at times and does woodworking and crafts at others. At KAMU-oto, Villager A will read three essays they have selected. Please note the venue may change in case of rain.