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Near Ochanomizu Station is Yushima Seido, a Confucian temple.29 views
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Roof ornament29 views
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Inside Yushima Seido main hall29 views
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Hijiri-bashi Bridge goes to Ochanomizu Station and Holy Resurrection Cathedral (Nicholai-do). See album here.29 views
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In late Sept., Shinagawa holds the annual Shukuba Festival highlighted by a small parade of people wearing Edo Period costumes (江戸風俗行列). 29 views
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This is the Honorary Shinagawa Police Chief for the day, voice actress and impersonator Ayano Fukuda (福田彩乃).29 views
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On Oct. 12, the annual Oeshiki Festival (お会式) was held at Ikegami Honmonji temple. It commemorates the anniversary of Nichiren's death. He died here in 1282.29 views
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Following the firemen's standards are musicians. The drummers are the most prominent. They beat handheld, fan-shaped taiko drums (called uchiwa daiko). Amazing how loud these little flat drums can be.29 views
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Ikegami Honmonji taiko drummers.29 views
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Late June 2016 was the 50th anniversary of The Beatles' historic concerts at the Budokan in Tokyo. They arrived Haneda Airport on June 29, 1966 and played five 30-min. concerts at the Budokan from June 30 to July 2, 1966.29 viewsA total of 50,000 out of 200,000 applicants got tickets. The Beatles were the first rock band to play at the Budokan, normally reserved for martial arts like judo. There was a big debate over allowing the Beatles to play at such a "sacred venue."
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The exhibition had a few rooms.29 views
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During their stay in Tokyo, the Beatles were basically imprisoned in their hotel. But they managed to sneak out once or twice.29 views
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Photo background with you can pretend you're crossing Abbey Road and take a picture.29 views
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Beatles entering Budokan.29 views
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A company replicated the design of the JAL happi coats the Beatles wore. They were selling them at the exhibition so I bought one for ¥6500.29 views
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The happi coats are not sold by JAL. The maker licensed it from JAL.29 views
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Autographed Beatles photo29 views
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Subway train simulator. Takes practice to stop at the correct position at the station.29 views
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Chiyoda Line subway train simulator.29 views
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Different types of Shield boring machines.29 views
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Old and new subway signs. Now the subway lines and stations are coded for people who cannot remember the Japanese names.29 views
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Museum gift shop29 views
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B1 class steam locomotive – No. 529 views
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Inside "Kegon" Deluxe Romance Car, 1720 series "DRC" electric multiple unit car.29 views
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Cab of Inside "Kegon" Deluxe Romance Car, 1720 series "DRC" electric multiple unit car.29 views
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Made by Fuji Motors and Nissan in 1951.29 views
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With Sumida River nearby, a rowing exhibit.29 views
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Baden Station29 views
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Street below as seen by Godzilla.29 views
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Robot Restaurant29 views
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Robot Restaurant29 views
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Sculpture in front of JR Tottori Station.29 views
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During the year end, Shan shan matsuri dancers greet people returning home.29 views
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Covered arcade in front of Tottori Station29 views
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Entrance to Asa Mori Clan Residence.29 views
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Shoka-sonjuku school lecture room.29 views
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Happy New Year 201829 views
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Shoin to be executed. (The museum does not show the decapitation.)29 views
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Grave of Tsuneko Irwin second wife of Robert Walker Irwin Jr. and her son John.29 views
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But there are outdoor sculptures.29 views
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Lafcadio Hearn relief. Photography was not allowed inside the memorial museum.29 views
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As part of the annual Nagahama Shusse Matsuri festival held on the second Sat. of Oct., a matchlock gun demonstration (長浜火縄銃大会) is held at Nagahama Castle during 13:30 a.m.–12 p.m. 29 viewsNagahama Castle is near JR Nagahama Station (West side) on the Hokuriku Line. Short ride from JR Maibara Station.
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Nagahama also holds an outdoor kimono garden party in the afternoon with several hundred young women in kimono descending on this provincial city. (長浜きもの大園遊会)29 viewsThe kimono women first had to register at Ekimachi Terrace in front of JR Nagahama Station (West side) on the Hokuriku Line. Short ride from JR Maibara Station.
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Hikiyama float was also displayed near the museum.29 views
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Event schedule.29 views
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Local duo ~Lefa~ performing at Daitsuji Temple.29 views
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Ginza Station on the Ginza subway line.29 views
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Ginza 4-chome intersection with Wako on the left and Mitsukoshi Dept. store on the right.29 views
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Ginza 4-chome intersection with Mitsukoshi Dept. store at night.29 views
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Ginza 4-chome intersection with Wako.29 views
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The new Sony building in Ginza.29 views
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Closing off the road to traffic for "pedestrian's paradise."29 views
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Yamano Music Store29 views
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Mikimoto Pearls29 views
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Ginza Matsuya Dept. Store.29 views
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Ginza Apple Store.29 views
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Ginza Apple Store.29 views
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Citibank in Ginza.29 views
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To Yurakucho/Hibiya on the right.29 views
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Nikon used cameras at Sukibayashi.29 views
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Yurakucho Mullion has movie theaters and shops.29 views
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Yuraku Concourse29 views
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Walk uphill to the castle.29 views
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Impressive stone work.29 views
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In front of the castle tower is this deep well named Toyo-iwa-no-i. 豊磐の井29 views
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Deep well (50 meters) named Toyo-iwa-no-i. 豊磐の井29 views
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When the castle tower was being reconstructed, they found over 500 of these unconventional stones originally from gravestones, stone lanterns, and even Buddha stone statues. (転用石)29 views
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JR Fukuchiyama Station is the gateway to northern Kyoto Prefecture. It is a terminal station for Kyoto Tango Railway, the dominant train network in this area. 29 viewsFrom Fukuchiyama, you can get to Maizuru, Miyazu, Amanohashidate, and even Toyooka in Hyogo Prefecture. The JR San'in Line also stops at Fukuchiyama.
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Setsubun oni.29 views
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Kawara roof oni ornaments. Oni-gawara.29 views
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About Ine's Important Traditional Townscape Preservation District.29 views
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A great way to see Ine is by boat (called "sea taxi"). Small boats offer 30-min tours for only ¥1,000 per person. This boat was the "Kameshima Maru" (亀島丸) operated by Toshikazu Yamada. He pointed out the boat houses and location29 viewsThere's no cruise schedule so you can just call and set a time for a cruise. There must be at least two people for a cruise to depart. http://kameshimamaru.server-shared.com/index.html
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Seagulls expect to be fed by boat tourists. We even got free bird food. But I feared the droppings on me or my cameras. Luckily I came out clean.29 views
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Roof tile ornament of Ebisu, god of fishing.29 views
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Their main sake brand is called "Kyo-no-Haru" (京の春).29 views
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Turtle pond.29 viewshttp://www.konpirasan.com/
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Very noisy and very fast-moving. One employee monitors several looms.29 views
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Seal of approval on chirimen fabric. Although Yoshimura Shouten is mainly a wholesaler, they also sell fabrics to individuals.29 viewshttp://yoshimura-shouten.jp/
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Since the ryokan celebrates the Showa Period (implied by the name "Shorenkan"), he aimed to make the bath have a Showa/Taisho Period feel. 29 viewsIt was a tough job because they had to haul everything in and out manually. No accessible road so they had to roll the wooden barrel tub to the building manually (it couldn’t be rectangular). This bath was built during June to Oct. 2003.
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Ema prayer tablet.29 views
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Benzaiten shrine for the goddess of music and water.29 views
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Kobe Luminarie finally in sight. Everybody was amazed and thrilled as we got closer and closer...29 views
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Kobe Luminarie's Frontone (フロントーネ) in Dec. 2018.29 views
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Souvenir booth29 views
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Booth promoting Rugby World Cup in 2019. Kobe is one of the venues.29 views
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Kimono shop.29 views
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Tobacco shop selling cigarettes. This kind of shop will likely become obsolete in Japan.29 views
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Caban Street also had this place to repair or clean your bag.29 views
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Tuna display in the small exhibition room in Block 7.29 views
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Hand signals to indicate numbers at auctions.29 views
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On a street corner near Toyosu Station is where 7-11's first store in Japan opened in 1974. It's still operating here in the same building. 29 viewsToyosu is quite a new, modern town. Lots of construction still going on. It's turning out quite well.
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Small cat figurines for sale.29 views
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Hankai Line tram at Sumiyoshi Torii-mae stop in front of Sumiyoshi Taisha. 阪堺線 住吉鳥居前停留場29 views
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About Otori Taisha in English, Korean, and Chinese.29 views
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I've noticed piles of trash at large Osaka shrines.29 views
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Omikuji29 views
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Otori shopping arcade.29 views
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Otori shopping arcade, but the shops were closed on New Year's Day.29 views
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The marathon's lead and end police cars.29 views
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The runners start walking to the start line.29 views
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And they are off!! Good luck to them all!!29 views
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Macharia NDIRANGU (left) and Albert KORIR.29 views
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NHK TV truck tracking the top Japanese runners.29 views
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Local pottery called Izura Tenshin-yaki started about 25 years ago by the local Chamber of Commerce. Clay called "gairome" (蛙目) found locally is used. 29 viewsThe clay is found in this area under the coal deposits. They collect the clay already exposed on the ground (no digging). This type of clay contains quartz, but the large quartz pieces are removed for pottery.
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We visited his modest studio for a hands-on pottery lesson. First he demonstrated what we have to do. He made it look so quick and easy. 土の夢陶房 (菊池 秀利・美恵)29 views
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The miso soybean paste in the tonjiru pork miso soup was made by Sumi-chan, a "miso meijin" (味噌名人) or expert miso cook. 29 views
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Our lunch at Arigatee. Chicken drumstick, vegetables, rice, and tonjiru (pork and vegetables) soup.29 views
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Glass Studio Silica with a glass sculpture of monkfish.29 views
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Gallery Salamat Po. "Salamat Po" means "Thank you" in Tagalog. (ぎゃらりー さらま・ぽ) (ぎゃらりー さらま・ぽ)29 views
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Strawberry daifuku is a specialty of Kita-Ibaraki. Made with locally-grown strawberries. Ibaraki is also a major producer of melons in Japan.29 views
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Karinto manju.29 views
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At Tengokoro, you can make your own dorayaki with azuki bean paste. The shallow ladle contains the perfect amount of batter to make one pancake. 29 views
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Akatsukien onsen minshuku dining room where we had monkfish hot pot. ¥14,000/night including dobujiru. 民宿 暁園29 views
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It's the city's grandest festival and very unique because this boat is pulled on city streets instead of sailing on the water. 29 views
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Display of all the fishes caught in Kita-Ibaraki.29 views
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Minshuku Uohiko uses natural hot spring for the bath.29 views
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Romon Gate29 views
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Romon Gate29 views
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Ema prayer tablet29 views
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Walking to the famous cedar tree.29 views
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Rare cedar with three trunks.29 views
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Rare cedar with three trunks.29 views
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In the hotel lobby: Kita-Ibaraki's official mascots, An-chan and Kou-chan. Together, they are "Ankou" which means "monkfish," or angler fish that is the city's most famous delicacy. 29 viewsAn-chan is a fisherman, and Kou-chan is a monkfish.
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Itsuura Kanko Hotel is quite unique and historical because it renovated the artist residences of Nihonga painters Yokoyama Taikan and Kimura Buzan and uses them as part of the hotel where guests can stay. 29 viewsWe actually stayed in the Yokoyama Taikan residence here. (横山大観記念館 特別室)
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Entrance foyer of Yokoyama Taikan Memorial Hall where we stayed. Great private lodging for groups up to 22 people.29 views
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Statue of Yokoyama Taikan (横山大観), a very famous Japanese Nihonga painter. Taikan was born in Mito, the capital of Ibaraki. (横山大観)29 views
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This is a typical room in the hotel's modern tower. Twin beds.29 views
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View of Rokkakudo from the hotel's modern tower.29 views
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Itsuura Kanko Hotel Honkan lobby.29 views
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Different parts of the residence are connected by enclosed corridors.29 views
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Elegant transom with a pine tree carving.29 views
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Tokonoma of another guest room. Many of the materials are quite rare and valuable today.29 views
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Corner room.29 views
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Manhole card for Hikone's manhole.29 views
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Manhole card for Hikone's manhole. Shows Hiko-nyan.29 views
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My video of Kita-Ibaraki's Ofune Matsuri boat festival.29 views
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The festival used to be held by local fishermen, Now held by Hitachi-Otsu Ofune Matsuri Preservation Society (常陸大津の御船祭保存会) with most of the men being fishermen or their descendants.29 views
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The boat rests on wooden pallets called "soroban." It is dragged on a bed of soroban pallets.29 views
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The festival participants belong to different fishermen's groups indicated by their shirt. They are from a group called Fudo-maru.29 views
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Boat crew waiting for the portable shrine to be loaded on the boat, which then becomes a "sacred boat."29 views
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After being paraded around town all morning, the portable shrine arrives near the boat.29 views
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Boat is pulled by a 200-meter white rope, 7 cm thick. About 200 to 300 people pull the boat.29 views
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There are men on both sides of the boat who rock the boat before the drag. When the boat moves, they hang on to the boat.29 views
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After the drag, they pick up the pallets and lay them in front of the boat on the road ahead.29 views
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The boat hull has small center ridges that keep it standing upright. It's also designed not to topple over when rocked.29 views
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Three shrine priests are among the 40 people onboard. It's pretty rough to be rocked often. Motion sickness is possible.29 views
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Turning the boat 90 degrees.29 views
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Shuttle bus back to JR Otsuko Station. Shuttle bus stop was near the start point a few hundred meters from the corner.29 views
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Mt. Fuji at sunset. Narusawa, Yamanashi Prefecture.29 views
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Mt. Fuji at sunset in autumn. Narusawa, Yamanashi Prefecture.29 views
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Mino Station ticket office.29 views
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Built in 1769, the Ota-juku Waki-Honjin was a backup VIP lodge in addition to the Honjin. It has this udatsu roof firewall in Ota-juku, Gifu Prefecture. The Ota Waki-Honjin retains much of its original Edo Period exterior. 29 viewsPart of the house is open to the public.
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Ota-juku, Minokamo, Gifu.29 views
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In 2018, the Saio princess was portrayed by 26-year-old Nakaho Yuri (中保 友里) from Tsu, Mie. She was selected from among 27 applicants. It was her fourth time to apply for this honor and was finally selected. 29 viewsIt's confusing that she's called the 34th Saio at the 36th Saio Matsuri. It's because the festival didn't have a Saio from the 1st festival. She served well.
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Chirihama Nagisa Driveway in Hakui, Ishikawa is Japan's only beach where motor vehicles are permitted to run as a public thoroughfare. It extends for about 8 km. 29 viewsIt goes parallel to another highway inland, so this beach road is more for tourists. Note that this beach may be closed to traffic in bad weather.
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Senmaida in Shiroyone, Wajima is one of Japan's most famous terraced rice paddies. It's in a remote location (10 km from central Wajima), but very picturesque with the ocean (Sea of Japan) right below it. 29 viewsSenmaida literally means "One-thousand rice terraces."
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Otaru Maru at Kutsugata Port in Rishiri. 沓形港 おたる丸29 views
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Old Ishigaki Airport terminal for JTA, Arrivals. No jet bridges.29 views
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Aisho Town Museum.29 views
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Manhole in Ibigawa, Gifu.29 views
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Boat named "Benten" going to Chikubushima.29 views
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Large picture windows.29 views
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Chikubushima (竹生島) is a small, sacred island dominated by a temple/shrine complex called Hogonji (宝厳寺) perched on this fairly steep slope. 29 viewsThe temple/shrine's construction was ordered by the emperor in 724 when he proclaimed that Chikubushima was a sacred place for the goddess Benzaiten (弁才天). The temple was to bring national peace, bountiful harvests, and prosperity to all. A priest named Gyoki (僧行基) then proceeded to build the temple with Benzaiten as the principal object of worship.
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Corridor facing the Funa-roka.29 views
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Decorative wooden support assemblages called tokyo (枓栱) or dougong. They are now illuminated to show off the vibrant colors.29 views
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Kannon-do ceiling and transom carvings. Absolutely brilliant colors.29 views
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Kannon-do Hall roof corner with a tokyo assemblage. So much eye candy in this building. 29 views
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Before photo of the statue of Pindola Bharadvaja and the nearby wall with flower carvings. (See the next photo after the restoration.)29 views
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Karamon Gate door.29 views
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Behind the Karamon Gate.29 views
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It looks new because it was magnificently restored (including the roof) after six years of meticulous work completed in March 2020. Finally came to see it. I was not disappointed. It's jaw-dropping beautiful.29 views
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It's the entrance of the temple's Kannon-do Hall that worships Kannon. The gate features the karahafu roof gable shaped like a hump, commonly found on important traditional buildings such as temples and castles.29 views
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