 Image search results - "fisa" |
June 9, 2011 (Day 6): Nagahama Port at around 8 am. This was the only day I accompanied the rowers on a motorboat to take pictures and videos.
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Leaving Nagahama Port at around 8:30 am. Photos you see here are only part of the total number of photos I gave to Seta Rowing Club for distribution.
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These blue boat landing decks are portable and were brought here by truck.
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Leaving Nagahama.
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Lead boat
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Rowing past Nagahama Dome, a sports and event complex.
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Rowing off Maibara in northern Shiga. The tall white tower belongs to an elevator manufacturer for testing their elevators. Maibara is best known for Mt. Ibuki and Shiga's one and only shinkansen bullet train station.
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Rowing to Hikone.
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Rowing past Hikone View Hotel and the Japan Center for Michigan Universities or JCMU (green roof).
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JCMU is an educational facility for college students mainly from Michigan to study in Japan. Shiga and the US state of Michigan are sister states. Many cities in Shiga have sister-city ties with cities in Michigan.
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Approaching Matsubara Beach in Hikone.
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Matsubara Beach in Hikone, a rest stop.
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Matsubara Beach in Hikone, a rest stop.
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In summer, Matsubara Beach is popular with swimmers and a fireworks display offshore sees huge crowds filling the beach.
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Leaving Matsubara Beach in Hikone.
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Rowing past Hikone Castle atop a hill.
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Heading for Takeshima, a small island about 6.5 km off Hikone.
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Masaki "Follow Me" Unose on the lead boat going to Takeshima island.
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Takeshima is a small island with only Nichiren Buddhist temple and the priest's family living on the island. Accessible by boat from Hikone, Shiga Prefecture.
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The island is noted for its giant stone monument inscribed with the prayer words "Namu Myo-horenge-kyo" from the Lotus Sutra.
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Takeshima means "Island of Many Views" because it looks dramatically different from different angles.
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Approaching Satsuma Beach, the final stop for the day.
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Approaching Satsuma Beach.
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Satsuma Beach in Hikone.
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Hot rowers in a cool Lake Biwa.
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Shabu-shabu lunch in Hikone with Omi beef. People had questions about how to eat the food. Cook the meat, vegetables, and udon noodles in the little shabu-shabu pot of boiling water, then dip into the sauce. One sauce for the meat, another for the udon.
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After lunch, the group visited Hikone Castle and Genkyuen Garden. Hikone Castle is famous for cherry blossoms and Hiko-nyan (see next photo).
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Watching Hiko-nyan, Hikone Castle's official mascot which is wildly popular. He performs daily inside Hikone Castle Museum. He is a white cat with a samurai helmet.
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Steep stairs inside Hikone Castle tower.
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Top floor of Hikone Castle tower. Hikone Castle's last lord was Ii Naosuke, the Chief Minister of the Tokugawa samurai government. He was the one who agreed to open Japan to the USA in 1858 after Commodore Perry visited.
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My video of the the group rowing from Nagahama to Hikone (Satsuma) on June 9, 2011.
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June 10, 2011 (Day 7): Satsuma Beach in Hikone. Someone camped here overnight to watch over the boats.
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Preparing to leave Satsuma Beach.
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Leaving Satsuma Beach.
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