First visit at Meiji Jingu Camera: canon eos40d Lens: TAMRON XR Di II We also do Twitter and Instagram, so please follow us! Both have an account ID etuko_photos!!

From the snowy Meiji Jingu Shrine. Camera: canon eos40d Lens: TAMRON XR Di II We also do Twitter and Instagram, so please follow us! Both have an account ID etuko_photos!!

I usually visit my hometown for the first time, but when I went to the Himeji Manto Festival, an event that has been going on since 1978, I was surprised by the number of lanterns. Since tripods are prohibited, I took a picture so as not to disturb the worshippers.

I usually visit my hometown for the first time, but when I went to the Himeji Manto Festival, an event that has been going on since 1978, I was surprised by the number of lanterns. Since tripods are prohibited, I took a hand-held photo so as not to disturb the worshippers.

I usually visit my hometown for the first time, but when I went to the Himeji Manto Festival, an event that has been going on since 1978, I was surprised by the number of lanterns. Since tripods are prohibited, I took a hand-held photo so as not to disturb the worshippers.

I usually visit my hometown for the first time, but when I went to the Himeji Manto Festival, an event that has been going on since 1978, I was surprised by the number of lanterns. Since tripods are prohibited, I took a hand-held photo so as not to disturb the worshippers.

I usually visit my hometown for the first time, but when I went to the Himeji Manto Festival, an event that has been going on since 1978, I was surprised by the number of lanterns. Since tripods are prohibited, I took a hand-held photo so as not to disturb the worshippers.

"New Year's Day to God" First visit to Kasuga Shrine

"The End of the Flame Dance" Demon of Dazaifu Tenmangu 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.

"Fire and smoke scorched the demon" Demon of Dazaifu Tenmangu 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.

"The Great Fan of the Smoker" Demon of Dazaifu Tenmangu 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.

"One Heart" Demon of Dazaifu Tenmangu 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.

"Go to Taiko Bridge" Demon of Dazaifu Tenmangu 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.

"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.

Demon chase ceremony event in Inami Town, Hyogo Prefecture Spark soot covers your head and sometimes burns and the camera is covered in soot. I released the shutter at the right time with the settings that matched the strobe of the surrounding side.

Demon chase ceremony event in Inami Town, Hyogo Prefecture It is a small local festival held on February 9th and 10th every year, but everyone is desperate to catch the sparks thrown by the mochi and demons. And my daughter cried when she saw this demon.

Demon chase ceremony event in Inami Town, Hyogo Prefecture It's a small local festival, but everyone is desperate to catch the sparks thrown by the rice cakes and demons.

Meiji Jingu shrine during snowfall

Funabashi Daijingu

Japan Events: First Visit, Funabashi Daijingu Shrine

"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.

Wanted to do Hatsumode this year but didn't want to go anywhere crowded, so I decided to go out to Saitama and find a small shrine to visit. Ended up at this tiny shrine in Nishi-Omiya called Fukuda Inari Shrine (福田稲荷神社). It was super small and not a single person was there so it was like we had the whole place to ourselves. There was no real path leading up to the shrine so we had to walk through a plot of land that wasn't being used but it ended up being a really cool place. The approach to the shrine was really mysterious and once you get past the second torii gate you can see a bamboo forest surrounding the whole area. It was really neat as I couldn't see any bamboo from the outside and didn't really know what to expect when I visited. The shrine itself looks almost deserted but somehow still well maintained. I wanted to go inside to look at the pictures better but obviously I can't so I just admired them from afar. The temizuya/chozuya (or at least I think it was that, maybe this would be considered a chozubachi?) didn't have a ladle to wash your hands but maybe it has to do with corona. Anyways, it was a really nice little shrine and is a great place if you're looking for a mini adventure outside of Tokyo. Or if you want to do Hatsumode and avoid the crowds completely lol. Also, happy new year!

It is a torii gate of Kaniso in Ibaraki Prefecture. I am grateful for the morning sun here, so please go there. It is very beautiful.

Went to Hachioji over the weekend and had a blast exploring the area. We were able to check out the Musashi Imperial Mausoleum (Emperor Taisho and Emperor Showa's Burial Sites), eat some amazing food at a restaurant called "Gonsuke" (ごん助) and a bunch of other stuff. The Musashi Imperial Mausoleum was really amazing, it reminded me a lot of Meiji Jingu Shrine with the wide gravel paths through the forest, although I have a feeling this forest is natural and not man-made. Also the burial mounds seemed really traditional and reminded me of the burial mounds from the Kofun Period. The restaurant Gonsuke was so incredible. They had all sorts of different course menus and it was my first time trying boar meat too lol. I haven't had game meat in a long time so it was really cool getting to try it again and cook it over an irori (I think it's an irori) with actual coals. Can't wait to go back and explore the area again more. I'd love to hike up Mt. Takao and see everything else the area has to offer. Beautiful city