This is Kanazawa Yuwaku Edo Village when I visited in early autumn. The door of the old thatched house was opened to let the wind in. The sky was blue and refreshing, and I think one woman was a good accent.

It is a Chinese temple called Kanteibyo Temple in Kobe. It enshrines the hero of the Three Kingdoms, Guan Yu. I posted the photo because it was on the ceiling of the mountain gate and the picture was written in very vivid colors. The one in the back is the middle gate, also called the Denglong Gate, which is likened to the reason why the carp of the Yellow River travel up the rapids and turn into dragons.

Shingenna, at the knee of the great master Scenic green This is a morning photo of Kobe in the driveway again. In the immediate vicinity of here is Shubogahara, where Kobo Taishi (Kukai) is said to have trained.

The next day returning from my two and a half months travel in Europe, I visited Nara, one of the most historical cities in Japan, with my friends. Compared to the cool weather in Europe, the Japanese summer was too hot for me. It seems like it was too hot for the deers too. I wanted to jump in with them!

Some photos of our trip to Sawara in Chiba Prefecture over the 3 day weekend a couple weeks back. On the way to Sawara we stopped at Chiba Station and had lunch at a place called Common Café. I order a burger not expecting a lot, but it was the best burger I've had in a long time actually. We arrived a bit late in Sawara and were kind of tired so we decided to just go to the hotel, shower and relax for a bit and then have dinner. We had a reservation at a French restaurant called Mougins and it ended up being a really great experience. After eating dinner we were headed back to the hotel and we heard some hayashi and cheering in the distance and we decided to check out what was happening. We found a dashi parading through the streets and they were stopping at different places to pick up alcohol lol. Apparently they'd been doing it every Sunday, I think since corona started. It was pretty cool to see though. The next day we went to check out the Sawara Historical District and after reaching our destination we decided to take a break at a cafe. We ordered a shaved ice and some sort of soda. They were both really delicious, especially the shaved ice. It was some sort of flavor using tea from Kyoto and milk. I forget what it was called exactly though. We also stopped by the former residence of Inoh Tadataka, the famous Japanese cartographer. It was quite interesting seeing where he lived. After visiting his residence, we to the nearby museum and learned about his life and everything he did. I was pretty blown away by how incredible he actually was. I was a bit surprised that I hadn't learned much about him when I was studying the history of Japan, but after visiting the museum I'm convinced he was truly a genius. Unfortunately I couldn’t take pictures inside of the museum, but seeing all of the tools that he used to draw maps and learning how they worked was really interesting. On top of that, the maps he drew were unbelievably accurate. I think it mentioned somewhere that his maps were used until the 1900's, despite being drawn several hundred years prior. His cartography was only one of the endeavors he pursued as well. There were also some documents that explained how he helped his town get through the famine, and also documents detailing how he dealt with local lords imposing taxes on his town. Besides the museum, we also took a boat ride through the canal that ran through the historical district. The canal was quite nice, and you could see the historical buildings that lined the sides of it while going through it. We had to lower the cover on the boat for several bridges as the water level was quite high due to the recent rains, but that just made the experience even more memorable. The tour guide on the boat mentioned how when the canal was used back in the Edo period, it was incredibly busy and boats would have been bumping into each other constantly while passing through. During the boat ride through the canal I noticed some interesting statues on various lanterns and decided to check them out. They all turned out to be interesting and unique. We ended our trip by having a late lunch near the historical district. We had planned to take a train back to Tokyo but missed it by a few minutes. Fortunately, a bus arrived at the perfect time and so we rode that back to Tokyo. It was much better than the crowded trains. Overall it was a really good day-trip style excursion and I definitely recommend it! Managed to find 2 poke lids too!

This is a photo of when I went to Daikakuji Temple in Arashiyama Kyoto. It looks like it's going to rain anytime soon.

Kamigamo Shrine / Kyoto It is the oldest shrine in Kyoto. The vermilion tower gate shines well against the blue sky. The official name is Kamobetsu Raijinja Shrine, and it is a shrine dedicated to Kamobetsu Raijinja. According to my research, Betsuraijin means "a god who is powerful enough to separate lightning" and has been worshipped since ancient times as a god of evil, calamity, and victory. This was my first time visiting in the summer.

Continuing from yesterday, at "Ouchi-juku" in Minamiaizu, Fukushima Prefecture. It was a historical place that made you feel as if you had traveled back in time.

"Ouchi-juku" flourished as an important road post town connecting Aizuwakamatsu City and Nikko Ima City in the Edo period. Even today, the remnants of the Edo period remain as they are. It is said that it is actually living as a store and residence in order to take over this landscape. The photo was taken from a small hill. The sight of more than 30 private houses with thatched roofs lined up was a masterpiece.

Projection mapping ? of Nijo Castle. :* Stylish cherry blossom viewing ?

Osaka Castle, where you go for a walk at night, is always in the season ? of scattered cherry blossoms.

This is a photo of the ruins of Fukuoka Castle and cherry blossoms in Fukuoka City. The cherry blossoms reflected in the castle moat, the castle walls, and the illumination make you feel the spring of Japan.

Osaka Castle as seen from Osaka Castle Park and Nishinomaru Garden in Osaka City. There is an admission fee of 200 yen in the garden, but it is very beautiful because you can see Osaka Castle in front of you and seasonal flowers are in full bloom. Spring is a famous place for cherry blossoms. The view of white snow willows growing in clusters is also superb.

Ox Tora Shrine in Shobara City, Hiroshima Prefecture. The torii gate surrounded by a forest of guards is truly a gate of Kakuriyo. I've been to many shrines, but I feel that it is quite rare to find a place that is in such harmony with nature.

This photo was taken at Naritasan Shinshoji Temple. ? When I visited for the first time, I was attracted by the beauty of the five-storied pagoda on the site and took this photo. We were able to get a glimpse of 1500 years of history.

The title is "Dancing Yosakoi Flag" I hope that one day there will be a special four days where you can feel the enthusiasm of the dancers and the audience again.

Just some more photos to wrap up our trip to Nikko. I took a bunch of photos of different monuments and buildings that seemed important or had lavish decorations. I can't make out what the writing on the monument says but I can at least make out the kanji for heart (心). I also liked the golden palanquins inside the the building in the forth photo, although I'm not sure if they were used at some point or are simply for decoration. The other photos are from Futarasan Chugushi Shrine (二荒山中宮祠神社) located in front of Lake Chuzenji. Unfortunately we didn't have time to go inside the shrine but I was at least able to take some nice photos of the torii gate. Apparently it has a kagura hall as well and the entrance to Mt. Nantai is located inside the shrine as well. And finally, just an assortment of food that I haven't posted yet. All of it tasted great. It was definitely a trip I'm never going to forget!

Some more photos from our trip to Nikko. There were so many awesome monuments, landmarks, and buildings that it'd be impossible to fit it all into one post. I was so glad that I had my mobile battery with me because I was taking so many photos that I was just burning through my battery lol. I really liked how the incense burner looked and I tried looking up how old it was but I wasn't able to find anything about it, only the one in front of Tokugawa Ieyasu's burial site. I would have liked to use the chozuya as well, but unfortunately it was closed off due to covid. I also liked seeing the sake barrels as well as they always brighten up shrines. The "Ippon Toro" lantern was interesting as well. I'd never heard of Empress Tofukumon'in before either, so it gave me some interesting things to read about Japan's Edo Period. Apparently she helped rebuild prominent temple in Kyoto and collected art and pottery from famous artisans of the time and even those of the past. Some buildings I'd have to look at a map to know their names but there was definitely no shortage of decorations. Unfortunately we weren't able to take photos inside some of the main buildings, but a few of them had ceiling paintings done by famous painters. Many of them were birds, and I'm not an expert, but I think they were mostly cranes and they were all really beautiful.

Continuing on from yesterday's post... On the second and final day of our trip we woke up and ate a light breakfast followed by some udon and soba at a nice little restaurant on the way to the Kirifuri Highlands (霧降高原). We were originally planning on hiking up to the observation deck around 880 meters up the mountain, but it proved to be a little farther than we thought it would be an had to stop at around 650 meters as there was a massive staircase to reach the observation deck and not everyone in the group was up for the challenge lol. Not having the proper gear didn't help much either. Most people had on snow shoes and they could easily trek through the snow but wearing just boots or tennis shoes we were a bit under-equipped and decided it'd be better not to overdo it. We got to see some really amazing views and talk to an 85-year-old man who told us what gear we should buy if we're planning on hiking in the snow, about how the dam located on the mountains across from us rises and falls during the day/night, and how this was his ~60th time climbing the mountain but the woman he came with has done it more than 300 times. She had to turn back early that day, but those are some impressive numbers! After enjoying the outdoors we headed over to Nikko Edomura/Edo Wonderland (日光江戸村) and had a blast exploring the theme park. We arrived at about 2pm so we got a nice discount on our all-day passes. Walking around we got to see all of the different buildings that gave the theme park its Edo-Period-feel. We also got to see the oiran procession (花魁道中) which was really awesome as well. It seemed like they tried to make it as accurate as possible too. The way the courtesan walked was in the traditional figure eight style which, from what I've read, is not easily done, so I assume that this is a sort of special type of profession as she was doing it (to my untrained eye) perfectly. One funny thing was that the girls in red in front of the courtesan had to slouch somewhat because they were too tall and the theme park obviously can't employ children to play the role like they would have traditionally. We also got some temporary "tattoos." They got some cute Nyan-mage tattoos and I got a Shinsengumi tattoo lol. After that we watched a really awesome performance inside of the ninja theater, but we weren't allowed to film or take photos so I don't have anything to post unfortunately. It was really cool seeing the ninja actors jumping off of rooves and fighting though. On top of that we also tried out the ninja maze where I was unfortunately the last one to make it out as I got unlucky and hit a dead end at the last part of the maze. This was a really fun experience as there were a lot of hidden and revolving doors that you had to find to escape the maze. We also did the shuriken experience and I managed to get 3/5 but I gave one of my shuriken to my girlfriend in the hopes that she would stick one in the target but unfortunately she wasn't able to lol. I guess I was technically 3/4 because of that. Overall the whole trip was a blast and we got to make some awesome memories out in Tochigi. I definitely recommend it as a travel destination!

This is a shrine visit at Ebisu Shrine in Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture. We wish for the healthy growth of the baby and visit him around one month old. Even after that, there are many people who visit milestones in their lives, such as Shichi-go-san and adults. Visiting the temple is the first of them, the first appearance to God. It's kind of reassuring to think that there is a god watching over you.

I Mt. Konpira climbed to the top for the first time!! I have a lot of muscle pain and it hurts. I'm? glad I was able to climb it. Revenge Success ✌️?

Take a ? walk in the Bikan district of Okayama Prefecture I don't know anything about the old days. Just walking is exciting A place ☺️ I love no matter how many times I go Nothing but ♡ happiness to eat and drink delicious

Demon Dance Setsubun Luzanji Temple

It was a very cute place decorated with 20 colorful Japanese umbrellas and 300 wind chimes in the "Restoration Townscape", which reproduces the castle town of the Ichijoya Asakura clan ruins in Fukui City. When the wind blew, the sound of wind chimes was pleasant, and the summer sky, the sound of wind chimes, and the colors of Japanese umbrellas made the visitors forget the heat, and the visitors were happily and enthusiastically taking pictures.

Decided to donate some clothes I wasn't wearing anymore over the weekend so I decided to go to the Second Street in Minami-Senju. Managed to find some cool stuff along the way. I was walking from Minowabashi and saw this nice looking temple, apparently called Koshunin (公春院). It was a really lovely spot and I would have liked to take more photos but I had some luggage with me and also wanted to avoid taking any photos of the tombstones as I thought it might be rude. It seems the temple focus on memorial services though and looked like a nice place. The next spot I came across was just a really small shrine that seemed so randomly placed that I wanted to take a picture of it. There wasn't much space inside the shrine are so it was quite difficult to get a decent photo, but I did the best that I could and tried to take a photo from the side street next to it which was also incredibly narrow lol. The last thing I ended up finding was a statue of Matsuo Basho! I'd not been to Minami-Senju as I've never really had a reason to go there, but I saw the statue from the corner of my eye and thought "Hmm I wonder if that's Basho" and sure enough it was. It even has "The Narrow Road to the Deep North" (奥の細道) written below it. Also, apparently there is debate about which "Senju" he started at (Adachi or Arakawa), so this is one of the statues depicting the place where he started his journey! It ended up being a pretty interesting walk. I'd like to visit the area again as there was a ton of cool stuff.

"The Beginning of the Flame Dance" Onisube One of the three major fire festivals in Japan. It is said that it was started in the 2nd year of Kanwa (986) by Sugawara no Michishinko's great-grandson Sugawara no Michishinko. It is a sacred ritual of extinguishing calamity and fire to exterminate demons, which is a symbol of calamity, It is a festival where many worshippers pray for happiness for the whole year to the huge flame that burns every year.

"Horse Festival" held in Honsu City, Gifu Prefecture It is an annual festival of Nagaya Shrine held on August 1 and 2 every year. It is said to have been held since the shrine was built. It is designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Gifu Prefecture. Dance of children, floats are towed. At the end of the festival, riders dressed in layers of haori hakama ride horses, open flower umbrellas and fans, and run around the precincts. The layered haori is gradually taken off and scattered with confetti. Although it was canceled for two years due to Coronavirus pandemic, the sight of local high school students running looks brave.

Japan Events Naritasan Shinshoji Temple

【Spring, full bloom】 Speaking of spring events in Japan, cherry blossom viewing! At Adachigahara Furusato Village in Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, you can enjoy the superb view created by the cherry blossoms in full bloom and the five-storied pagoda!