🐋 Prayer for the opening of the sea and the safety of the sea The long-awaited summer has arrived ✨ At two beaches in Mikuni Town, Fukui Prefecture, a sea opening ceremony was held 🌅 to pray for safety Use also conducts water rescue drills to protect the safety of all users, and the Bathing in the sea season is in full swing! 🏖 Mikuni Mr./Ms. Set Beach ・ The shallow and wide beach is Popular with Families! ・ Marine sports are popular 🏄 ・ Held in Mikuni Fireworks Festival on 8/11 Sun! ⁡ Famous as a Spot to watch the sunset. 🏖 Hamachi Beaches ・ It features beautiful sandy beaches and highly transparent seawater! You may be able to observe the fish. ・ In the vicinity, there are plenty of leisure facilities such as Echizen Matsushima Aquarium and Shibamasa World This year is expected 😖 to be hotter than last year You can come to cool off or play to your heart's content! Be sure 🍽️ to stop by the surrounding Sightseeing spots This summer, I'm coming to visit the sea of Mikuni~ ☺️ ࿐·˖✶࿐·˖✶࿐·˖✶࿐·˖✶࿐·˖✶࿐·˖✶࿐·˖✶ In the middle 💘 of the charm of Fukui Prefecture Check out our past posts!

🌸 Gokase Cherry Blossom Viewing 2024 — Results Announcement 🌸 Thank you for waiting‼️ Here are the results of “Gokase Cherry Blossom Viewing 2024” 🥳👏 We received a total of 116 votes this time ✍️✨ Thank you so much for all your votes 😌 Now for the results 👇👇👇 🥇 Gold Prize @gokase_pan — Rain and the Night at Josenji Weeping Cherry Tree 🥈 Silver Prize @sakai_0808 — Nighttime Hanami Camp at the Waterfront Park 🥉 Bronze Prize @niidome2110 — Evening at Josenji Weeping Cherry Tree Congratulations to all the winners㊗️🥳🎉 And thank you to everyone who participated and submitted entries 🙏✨ By the way…… We’ll soon announce a photo contest on Instagram themed around summer in Gokase 😳💡 Please join us again 🥰

Right now in Suwa City, nikko kisuge are in bloom on Kirigamine. Hydrangeas are in full bloom around the city. There are hydrangea viewing spots throughout the city. In Suwa City, Shoganji Temple is even nicknamed Hydrangea Temple. During this rainy season, why not head out with an umbrella to enjoy the hydrangeas as they change their beautiful sevenfold colors? Even in the rainy season, you can savor the unique charm of Japan during this time of year 🎶

Summer lurks in everyday life

Summer Traditions Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine with the sound of wind chimes Photo taken on July 6, 2024

Mario Ice Season 🍨 ∩ '∀' ∩ Waai

July 7 (Sunday) Sunset Village Kids Festa – Tanabata Festival– On Tanabata day, July 7, the Sunset Village Creation Promotion Council and the Childcare Support Center teamed up to hold the Sunset Village Kids Festa – Tanabata Festival – in the Wind Hall at Gokase Winery👨‍👩‍👧‍👦🎋✨ True to the Wind Hall’s name, the wind blew strongly, but the sky was perfectly clear and blazing sunny—a day with no better weather🥵☀️ That didn’t bother anyone: the children were full of energy💪✨ A water play area was set up at the venue! Kids blasted water pistols in the pool, sent all kinds of bubbles into the air, and played with water-balloon yo-yos… the fun continued from morning until the event ended, always packed and lively🔫👏 On stage, children moved their bodies to music in a rhythmics session, sang together at a mini concert, and listened intently to picture-book readings and a panel theater. A special collaboration with the local wind ensemble, G Music Band, brought an electrifying hula dance that thrilled the crowd🥳🙌 There were also hands-on experiences with wind and percussion instruments and the koto, and the children were ecstatic to touch live instruments they rarely get to try🎺🎶 Vendors lined up, including BLANCO Ice Cream from nearby Yamatomachi, offering drinks and treats for kids and adults and fun lottery games. The place was bustling🌭🥤🍧 Upstairs in the cool Wine Hall, Midori Kakuda’s photo exhibition and photo session were held, capturing many lovely and new scenes of Gokase in beautiful shots📸✨ On the same floor, a nursing room and a rest area provided considerate support for visitors with small children🍼💕 In the afternoon, everyone wrote wishes on tanzaku and tied them to the bamboo. The once bare bamboo became brightly decorated, creating a very atmospheric scene😌 The children’s heartfelt, unique wishes felt cleansing to the heart🥹✨ The venue was arranged with parents’ comfort in mind, and the children, who had played to their hearts’ content and ended up soaked from head to toe, left wearing satisfied smiles😊🥰👏 Places and opportunities where children can laugh and play freely are precious😳✨ It was a perfect day, and I hope many more wonderful events like this will be held in the future👍👍👍

The night at Mt. Takabocchi Highlands — famously known as "Japan's top photo spot" — feels different in a whole new way! Look at this photo!! What an utterly beautiful view You'd be missing out if you don't see it in person! Whether you go with family, friends, or a partner, an unforgettable moment awaits everyone! You just have to go now~

Although the rainy season makes the outdoors dark, the hydrangeas stand out brilliantly! This is Jokoji Temple in Kaminishijo, Shiojiri City, also famous as the rhododendron temple.

Arch of the Milky Way Shot in Tsumekizaki 2024.07.05 The three images are combined into a panorama.

It is the Tanabata Festival of Hofu Tenmangu Shrine in Yamaguchi Prefecture. The entire Tenmangu area is vividly decorated with strips of paper and wreaths, and at night, the "Hikari no Sai Garden" is set up to light up the umbrella artwork, and the corridor is enveloped in a fantastic atmosphere.

Today, Saturday, July 6, three bathing beaches in Atami City opened for the season simultaneously. At Atami Sun Beach, officials attended a safety prayer ceremony led by Kinomiya Shrine. After the safety prayer ceremony, swimming began at 9:00. Handheld fireworks were given as gifts to the children who gathered. Please enjoy the sea in Atami this summer as well! Beach opening period / Saturday, July 6, 2024 – Sunday, August 25, 2024 Atami Sun Beach: Higashikaigancho, Atami City Nagahama Beach: Kamitaga, Atami City Ajiro Onsen Beach: Shimotaga, Atami City * The Atami Sun Beach Water Park runs from Saturday, July 13, 2024 to Sunday, August 25, 2024.

Nishiki Onuma Park’s iris garden in full bloom ✨ Open until 7:00 PM through Monday, July 15 (national holiday) ✨

If you climb the hill in the cicada rain, drenched in sweat, the green carpet Unfolds below. Train in summer colors moves energetically through it. Come on! Train-kun! Shooting location: Ato City, Yamaguchi Prefecture "Funahira Mountain"　

Fireworks at Nagashima Sparland Fireworks festivals in various places have a long interval between launches, but the fireworks here are intensive for about 30 minutes without a break, and I am always excited! Furthermore, since this is an amusement park, it is attractive to take pictures with Roller coasters. Mie Prefecture Kuwana City Nagashima Town

Miyazaki Prefecture Gokasecho Shopping and Souvenirs: Baba House Baba House sits on the grounds of Miyazaki Sabou. Here you can buy Miyazaki Sabou tea and sweets from Baba Club. Contact 4805-4 Kuwanochi, Gokasecho, Nishiusuki District, Miyazaki Prefecture 882-1202 Phone: 0982-82-0211

[Miyazaki Prefecture Gokasecho Mountaineering and Trekking] Karasudake Karasudake sits at the northern tip of the Kuwanouchi district The summit offers a full 360-degree view where you can take in sweeping scenery Each May, the azalea festival is held

Miyazaki Prefecture Gokasecho Hiking and Trekking: Kabakidake Rising at the heart of the Kuwanouchi district, the mountain is known locally as Shiroyama, or Castle Mountain, because an ancient mountain fortress called Kabakidake Castle once stood there. It is cherished by the local community. With Mt. Masugata to the east as its backdrop, the mountain offers wide views to the west, south and north. Its shape—easy to defend but hard to attack—has made it famous as the representative mountain of Kuwanouchi.

[Miyazaki Prefecture Gokasecho Mountaineering and Trekking] Mt. Masugata Mt. Masugata in the Kuwanochi area The summit offers a full 360-degree panorama, with views of the Aso mountain range, Kuju mountain range, Mt. Sobo, Mt. Unzen Fugen, and the gorge of the Gokase River all visible at a glance. You can also see a sky full of stars at night, but be aware that the trail to the summit is rugged and there are no streetlights.

[July 2024 Kiso Festival] Kiso will be the festival Information of July, which will be held in various places. Starting with the famous Mikoshi portable shrine roll in Fukushima, Kiso Town, you can enjoy colorful festivals in various places. Please come and visit us! ♦July 12 Fri, 13 Sat Yabuhara Shrine Annual Grand Festival Kiso Village Yabuhara A powerful festival in which two lions, male and female, perform a dance of two lions, male and female, on the stalls of making << total Cypress trees. >> ♦July 13 Sat, 14 Sun Higashiyama Shrine Summer Annual Grand Festival Nagiso Town Midono <portable shrine parade carrying a portable shrine while singing a song. > ♦July 14 Sun, 15 Mon Susao Shrine Festival Okuwa Village Nojiri << they carry their portable shrine and Parade Town, and at the end, they are led by the flame of torches to enter the mountain. >> ♦July 22 Tue, 23 Wed Mizunashi Shrine Festival Mikoshi portable shrine roll Kiso Town Fukushima << "Sosuke! Kiso's strange festival that excitingly sprees Mikoshi horizontally and vertically with a shout. fireworks will also Gari on the 22nd. >> ♦July 23 Wed, 24 Thu Wachipo Shrine Summer Annual Grand Festival Tsumago juku <<, with a shout of "goodbye to Gemo", the portable shrine parade the Shukuba. >> ♦July 26 Fri, 27 Sat Deer Shrine Festival Okuwa Village Suhara <<, the fierce pushing of the portable shrine with the shout of "Let's give it to you, let's put it back" is a sight to behold. >> ♦July 27 Sat Cypress trees summer festival Agematsu town << in preparation for next year's Sacred Tree Festival, we will hold a fireworks festival with Mikihiki. >> ♦July 27 Sat, 28 Sun Ontake Shrine Annual Grand Festival Otaki village << "Three Swords Dance" and dances by priestesses are Dedication. >> Information about the Festival is also Publication on the Home Page "Kiso Valley Torippu"!

[Miyazaki Prefecture Gokasecho Mountaineering and Trekking] Gionyama This mountain is said to be the birthplace of Kyushu, first emerging from the sea as the current Kyushu rose from tectonic movement, and fossils dating back 430 million years have been excavated here. During the mountain opening season, you can enjoy flowers such as the fully blooming akebono azaleas. Some sections require using ropes to advance.

Traditional Performing Arts of Gokasecho, Miyazaki Prefecture — Usu-daiko Dance The Usu-daiko dance performed at the autumn grand festival of Gion Shrine was once offered on the lunar calendar date of September 9, so it is also called the "kunchi dance," and it has been passed down for more than 400 years. It is said to have begun when members of the defeated Taira clan, driven from Kyoto and wandering in exile, reached the mountain hamlet of Shiiba on their way to safety and, while remembering the glittering capital, danced in the village of Kuraoka. The dance shows a poised, dignified movement within its grace, evoking the hearts of people from the capital, and it is offered each year at Gion Shrine’s autumn festival. <Legendary Events>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the first year of Bunji (1185), near the end of the Genpei conflicts, remnants of the Taira clan who were defeated at the Battle of Dan-no-ura fled into the interior to evade the Genji pursuit. They reached the village of Kuraoka and, on their way to Mt. Shiiba, left the weak, women, and children in the mountains near Kuraoka Hakki because of the steep, treacherous roads. In Genkyu 2, the Kamakura shogunate did not ease its pursuit of the Taira remnants and ordered Nasu Daihachiro Munenaga to hunt down the clan that had fled into the Kyushu Mountains. Receiving the order, Nasu Daihachiro's party entered Kuraoka intending to head for Shiiba, and finding the Taira fugitives in Kuraoka lacking the will to fight, they staged a dance of shared company to comfort them after the long journey, setting aside the victors' arrogance to show compassion for the defeated. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The dance described above became the foundation of the Kuraoka Usu-daiko dance, which, after cycles of prosperity and decline and several relocations over the ages, is said to have survived in its present form. Dancing to the beat of drums and bells, performers display dignified movements within an overall elegance. In recent years, the Gion Shrine Usu-daiko Dance Preservation Society, with the cooperation of children from Gokase Nature School and local parishioners, has carried on the dance. Schedule for the Usu-daiko dance: every year on October 9.

Traditional Performing Arts of Gokasecho, Miyazaki Prefecture: Kuraoka Staff Technique The Kuraoka staff tradition follows the Ōkuruma school, said to be a martial art founded by Marume Kurando (one of the four greats of the Shinkage tradition) from the Higo Sagara domain. Also called Shinkage Ōkuruma Musō-ryū, documents show the earliest mention of Kuraoka in the early Edo period. After that, the art passed through Mamimahara and Omae in Shiiba Village before returning to practitioners in Kuraoka at the local end of the line. Kuraoka staff techniques use two kinds of staff: the long staff, 6 shaku 2 sun (about 188 cm), and the short staff, 3 shaku (about 91 cm). The forms are basically defensive. There are over thirty paired forms, including long staff versus short staff and staff versus sword. Forms that employ the sword are commonly called shiraha (white-blade). The Kuraoka Staff Preservation Society offers a shiraha dedication at the summer grand festival of Gion Shrine and provides instruction to students at Kuraoka Junior High School.

Traditional Performing Arts of Gokasecho, Miyazaki Prefecture: Murono Yoi Kagura The Murono Yoi Kagura at Mikasho Shrine is said to have been handed down during the Meiji era from the Iwato Kagura lineage, specifically the Kuwanouchi Shrine Kagura and the Furudono Shrine Kagura. The sake-straining dance has become a merry performance portraying a farming couple. In the mid-Meiji period, Minosuke Kai, the first head of the Murono district, brought kagura from Furudono to the Konpira-yama festival, central to the Murono and Akatani districts, and passed it down to the present day. The tradition once died out, but it was reformed when kagura was requested for the Tsuhana Tunnel breakthrough ceremony in 1972 (Showa 47). Murono Yoi Kagura schedule: the second Saturday in December

[Miyazaki Prefecture Gokasecho Traditional Performing Arts] Kuraoka Gion Kagura Kuraoka Gion Kagura is a kagura preserved at Kuraoka’s Gion Shrine. Its origins are said to trace back to dances performed in the broad courtyard of the ancient Kogamure Shrine recorded in the Engishiki. In Genryaku 2 / Juei 4 (1185), after the Heike clan’s defeat at the Battle of Dan-no-ura, members of the Heike fled through the Kyushu mountains and reached Kuraoka, then pressed further into the remote mountains toward Shiiba. At that time, court entertainments and sacred music from Kyoto—gigaku, gagaku—and Ise-style kagura that the Heike brought with them blended into the existing local kagura, and over time this fusion developed into a distinctive form. The kagura’s sound is said to have been shaped by a drum made from the trunk of a walnut tree grown in the hidden recesses of Mt. Shiraiwa, stretched with deerhide taken from the remote mountains and bound at both ends with hemp twine; a flute made from bamboo with holes bored in it; and graceful, capital-style rhythms and hand clapping. These elements combined into the unique musical pulse of the Kuraoka kagura. In July 2023, the Kuraoka Gion Kagura Preservation Society revived this ancient kagura drum. Kuraoka Gion Kagura schedule: mid-July (Gion Shrine), early October (Gion Shrine), mid-November (Amanatsu Shrine)

Miyazaki Prefecture Gokasecho Traditional Performing Arts: Kuwanouchi Shrine Kagura Kuwanouchi Kagura is believed to have begun in the early Meiji era. A surviving costume is dated Meiji 3, and the shrine’s relocation to Habu in the same year suggests the kagura started around that time. The masks used are mainly the hannya mask, more frequently employed than in other kagura, and the performance is characterized by a faster tempo. The whole community works together to pass the tradition to future generations, putting great effort into training successors. In spring and autumn, the kagura is offered at the Kuwanouchi Shrine grand festival. In January, a night-long kagura dedication prays for a bountiful harvest and the well-being of residents. Kuwanouchi Shrine Night Kagura Schedule…Every year on the second Saturday of January

[Miyazaki Prefecture Gokasecho Traditional Performing Arts] Furutono Shrine Kagura During the Muromachi period, local jinkagura and Iwato kagura were offered together here for rites, but through several revivals Ise kagura became blended in, producing a slower-tempo (roku-choshi) kagura that continues to the present day. The origin of this kagura is the “Amano-Iwato Opening,” and it was performed to pray for a bountiful harvest and household safety. From Taisho 6 (1917) it also included prayers to calm fires; today it additionally includes traffic safety prayers, and a night kagura festival is held every January. Furutono Shrine night kagura schedule…mid-January

Traditional Performing Art of Gokasecho, Miyazaki Prefecture: Ara-Odori (UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage) The Ara-Odori of Gokase is a style of elegant festival dance that was designated a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property on January 8, 1987 (prefectural designation: May 15, 1962). In February 2021, a group of 41 nationwide “furyu odori” (elegant festival dances), including Gokase’s Ara-Odori, was selected as a candidate for inscription on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list. A nomination dossier was submitted to UNESCO in March of the same year, and the dances were officially inscribed on November 30, 2022. “Furyu odori” embodies the spirit of flamboyance and eye-catching elegance. Performers wear elaborate costumes and carry decorative props as they dance to songs and the sound of flutes, drums, and small gongs. Across Japan, 42 furyu odori entries (covering 25 prefectures and 43 municipalities) are designated National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Properties. In Miyazaki Prefecture, Gokase’s Ara-Odori is the only designated example. These dances carry prayers from local communities for protection from calamities, memorials for the dead, prosperous harvests, and rain. Villagers of all ages take part during festivals and annual events. Each locality’s history and natural environment are reflected in its performance, and the dances serve as a vital source of community energy. The Ara-Odori of Gokase is said to have begun in the Tensho era (1573–1592) when Sakamoto Iga no Kami Masayuki, lord of Sakamoto Castle (upstream of the Mikasho River), started the dance to raise his troops’ morale before going to war. Later, in the Keicho era (1596–1615), his grandson Sakamoto Yamashiro no Kami Nyudo Kyukaku established a ritual code for offering the dance to the guardian deity Futakami Daimyojin (now Mikasho Shrine). At that time, it is said that a successor from the temple called shinbochi oversaw funerary rites, and a monkey kept at the temple was also made to join the dance. One theory holds that the dance originated in Sakamoto, in Ōmi Province (modern Shiga Prefecture). However, the Nisshu Takachiho Kokon Jiran-ki (collected in Volume 4 of the Hyuga Local Historical Materials) records that descendants of Sasaki Rokkaku Takayori from Ōmi fled to Takachiho and served the Mitai clan; their descendants later took the names Saho, Sakamoto, and Masaki. The Sakamoto mentioned here is not the Sakamoto of Sakamoto Castle but the Sakamoto from Mukoyama to Kanegase, a separate lineage with its own origins distinct from the Minamoto, Oogami, or Fujiwara clans. Ara-Odori schedule: every year on the fourth Sunday of September

[Gokasecho, Miyazaki Prefecture Tourist Spot] Myoken Shrine Founded about 1,100 years ago in the 11th year of Jōgan (870) during the reign of Emperor Seiwa, it has been venerated as a water deity. The spring water emerging from a limestone cave layer on Mount Gion and flowing into a corner of Myoken Shrine is called “Four Hundred Million-Year Drop: Myoken Sacred Water.” It has long been known as the sacred nursing water and was selected as one of the 100 Famous Waters of the Heisei era. Autumn festival: early November

Miyazaki Prefecture Gokasecho Tourist Spot: The starry sky of Gokasecho According to the International Dark-Sky Association, Gokasecho has a Class 2 night sky. You can see many stars with the naked eye throughout the town. They are especially clear on clear winter nights. Some locations can be dangerous at night, so caution is necessary. Gokase Nature School holds occasional "Star Parties" where astronomy enthusiasts from inside and outside the town gather.