Today, I attended the Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine Monthly Festival. Preparations for the New Year 🎍 had begun, and Shichi-Go-San's shooting spots were moving.

Prayer at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine before going to work. A wedding ceremony was taking place. This is the Hanamari of Temizuya.

Isumi Shrine Light-Up As part of the Otaki Castle Town illumination, Isumi Shrine is also lit up through December 31, from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM.

Photographed 12/9/24. It is the sacred tree of Kawagoe Hachimangu. The carpet of Ginkgo leaves is very beautiful.

Photographed 12/4/24. This is the love water of Kawagoe Kumano Shrine. Shot from a different angle.

Photographed 12/4/24. This is the love water of Kawagoe Kumano Shrine. It was redecorated for winter. ❄️

Prayer to Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine before work. 💛 Ginkgo leaves.

Photographed 12/4/24. At the Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine, a potato dedication ceremony was held. This is Kawagoe Imo Lottery. With the number enclosed in the fortune teller, you can receive a strip of the Imo Lottery Extra Edition. It seems that you can understand the potato language, potato knowledge, and lucky potato items.

Photographed 12/3/24. At the Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine, a potato dedication ceremony was held. The Kawagoe Imo Lottery is handmade by everyone at the Kawagoe Imonoko Workshop.

Photographed 12/3/24. Kawagoe Kumano Shrine is a Tori no Ichi market. It is a very auspicious rake such as a beckoning cat, a turtle, and an owl. It was early, so I couldn't see them. Next year, I will try to come in the evening.

Photographed 12/3/24. Kawagoe Kumano Shrine is a Tori no Ichi market. It is a good luck charm for the zodiac sign of the coming year. 🐍

Photographed 12/3/24. Kawagoe Kumano Shrine is a Tori no Ichi market.

Today, I took a walk in Kawagoe. On the approach to the temple to Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine, pigeons were eating rice. Squid is a messenger of God, so it may be very auspicious. 🕊️🌾

The 13th Azumino Kamiakari Bamboo Lantern Festival Friday–Sunday, December 6–8, 2024 About 10,000 bamboo lanterns will be lit one by one, warming and brightening the cold winter nights The gentle glow of candles will warm your heart as well Lighting hours: 16:00–around 20:00 Venue: Hotaka Shrine Open lighting ceremony for everyone (Participants are asked to bring a lighter for lighting by 16:00.) *Lighters for lighting will be sold on site.* ● Kagura Hall Live Performance A lively live show will be held to energize the event ● Special Hotaka Ningyo Kamiakari Display A special stage unique to this year’s kamiakari will be exhibited in the Kita Shrine Garden ● Kamiakari Goshuin (Kamiakari commemorative seal) During the kamiakari event, from 16:00 to around 20:00, a special goshuin will be available only at this time. A customary offering of 500 yen is required. Concurrent Event / Azumino Terrace Dec 6–8 “Rice and Sake MARKET” 15:00–20:00 Food trucks and delicious-treat tents gather in one place! A warm rest tent with a stove will also be available.

This is a photo of the maple and gate of Oyada Shrine in Mino City, Gifu Prefecture Autumn leaves bathed in sunlight were well photographed.

Commemorative Celebration for the Registration of Gokase Ara-odori as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Today, Sunday, December 1, a celebratory gathering was held at the Ara-Odori Hall in the Sakamoto district to mark the registration of “Gokase Ara-odori” as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in February of Reiwa 3 (2021).👏✨ Because the registration around Reiwa 3 fell during the COVID-19 pandemic, holding a celebration then was difficult, so today’s event was finally realized.🥹 After the opening, the ceremony proceeded smoothly with greetings from the Ara-Odori Preservation Society and congratulatory messages from guests, followed by kagami-biraki (sake barrel opening) accompanied by the powerful sounds of Ara-odori drums, bells, and matchlock gun volleys.🍶🔨 Later, Mr. Fujimoto, the lead dancer, gave the toast and the banquet began.👏 It was a wonderful gathering where members of the Ara-Odori Preservation Society, the dancers and their families all shared their various feelings about Ara-odori.😌 During the banquet, the host conducted interviews in which, somewhat shyly, everyone spoke passionately about Ara-odori.🤭✨ When people had enjoyed enough sake and conversation, the event concluded with three cheers of banzai.🙌🙌🙌 In Miyazaki, a land that preserves many traditional performing arts such as kagura, the registration of Gokase Ara-odori as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage truly felt like a great achievement.😳 Going forward, we hope these traditional performing arts, preserved and passed down in each district, will continue to be treasured.✨

Today, I attended the Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine Monthly Festival. It is a Shichi-Go-San shooting spot. Today, we and the water of Precincts and the festival of Shimahime Shrine. It is a shrine related to water. If I have time, I will attend.

⛩ Gion Shrine Niiname Festival and Final Kagura Performance 👹 On November 23rd, the Niiname Festival and the final kagura performance were held at Gion Shrine in the Kuraoka district.⛩ First a Shinto ceremony took place, followed by a kagura dedication at the kagura hall.👹 Today we welcomed visitors from overseas and guests who came from Tokyo.😮 The gingko trees at Gion Shrine had turned color, creating a carpet of yellow.😆✨ Gokase Town is getting colder, and it looks like winter is finally arriving.⛄

Ikuta Shrine. I found autumn.

Autumn leaves frame The thirteen-storied pagoda is surrounded by maples. Anyway, it's beautiful, so it's definitely a Spot you want to visit in autumn. Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture "Tanzan Shrine" 2024/11/28

Prayer at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine before work. A pigeon was eating rice on top of Isehikari. 🕊️🌾

Photographed 11/23/24. Yesterday, I attended the Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine Shinji Festival. It is a Shichi-Go-San shooting spot.

[Event: Report on the November 9 (Sat) Salt Road Walk!] Here is a report on our autumn Salt Road Walk, where participants felt history underfoot. The walk began in the Sha district at Nishina Shinmeigu Shrine. The morning started shrouded in mist, but the sky cleared into perfect blue as the day progressed. Participants enjoyed walking while gazing up at the snow-capped Northern Alps. Thank you to everyone who joined us 😍 A brief introduction: we plan to hold this event again around the same time next year. If you’re interested, please check our association website in the fall. Omachi City Tourism Association

【Inagako Autumn leaves】 R6.11.14 Autumn leaves are getting warmer than last week. Lake Inagako, the ginkgo at Suwa Shrine, and the ginkgo at Kushigata General Park are in Best time to visit! Enjoy the warm color gradients.

The reason why foreigners are interested in the Japanese language is "The beauty of the Japanese language. I often hear that the reason why foreigners are interested in the Japanese language is "the beauty of the Japanese language. Using the calligraphy skills learned through the calligraphy experience, students write their favorite kanji characters on fans and hanging scrolls of their choice. The master calligrapher will then take the kanji back to your bag with his expert brush strokes. Since each kanji character has multiple meanings, it is important to know what other meanings they have. Knowing the meaning will make the bag shine.

Photographed 11/6/24. It is a one-year cheap sea bream lottery of Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine.

Today, I attended the Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine Monthly Festival. It is a sea bream lottery.

Aerial view of Seihoji Temple (2023/12) It is a very nice temple with a walking garden Gari under the covered tree and an upside-down maple in the pond there. Please go there this fall. Fujiwara Towns, Inabe City, Mie Prefecture "Seihoji Temple"

Photographed 11/12/24. The front of the Kokoku-sama of the Minbu Inari Shrine in the Precincts of Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine was new.

Photographed 11/9/24. It is Hanachozu of Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.