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Mt. Shizugatake has a bald patch where the lookout point is for tourists. Accessible by chair lift on the other side of the mountain.25 views
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Lake Yogo is also called "Mirror Lake" for its mirror reflections.25 views
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Lake Yogo cherry blossom trees in late May.25 views
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Entrance to the long hiking trail to Mt. Shizugatake.25 views
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Long hiking trail to Mt. Shizugatake.25 views
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From Mt. Shizugatake, a short downhill trail to Lake Yogo.25 views
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Lake Yogo green with algae in late Sept.25 views
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JR Yogo Station.25 views
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Mt. Io, Hokkaido. You can get quite close to the sulphur vents.25 views
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Some wild monkeys on the mountain road.25 views
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Soka's manhole depicts Hyakutai-bashi (百代橋) and Soka-Matsubara pine trees in Soka, Saitama. "Hyakutai" (Eternity) comes from Basho's Oku-no-Hosomichi poetry collection.25 views
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Closeup of a picture made with 126,840 colored toothpicks.25 views
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Manhole in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture.25 views
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The tall building is Otsu Prince Hotel. Japan's Prince Hotel chain has Shiga roots as the company founder was from Shiga.24 views
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Staff directing rowers to the small canal leading to the Seta Rowing Club.24 views
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Modern Dance Company, Seagull24 views
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One unique thing about Tobu Museum is that there are basement windows where you can see the train wheels stop at Higashi Mukojima Station.24 views
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Nikko Tramway 200 series tramcar - No. 203, built in 1950 and retired in 2001.24 views
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Inside train ticket booth24 views
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Rest area on upper floor.24 views
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Rest space24 views
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German castle24 views
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Godzilla's roaring schedule.24 views
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Godzilla roaring and spewing smoke and fire from the mouth.24 views
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Mile Marker Zero24 views
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Sample track.24 views
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Terumoto's humiliation angered the Mori Clan and Choshu domain which eventually helped to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate in the 19th century.24 views
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Bridge to Hagi Castle. National Historic Site.24 views
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About Hagi Castle.24 views
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Views from Hagi Castle's main tenshu tower foundation.24 views
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Mud wall of Toida Masuda residence.24 views
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Model of Hagi Castle in front of Higashi-Hagi Station.24 views
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Hagi Station turnstile.24 views
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Yoshida's poem.24 views
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Yoshida Shoin was confined here in 1855 after being arrested for trying to stowaway on Perry's ship.24 views
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Adjacent to Shoin Shrine is Shomon Shrine that worships the students of Yoshida Shoin. 松門神社24 views
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Wishes on a pine tree.24 views
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Yoshida Shoin with his brother and father.24 views
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Commodore Perry's troops.24 views
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Shoin imprisoned.24 views
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Adachi Museum of Art garden, Shimane Prefecture.24 views
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Ginza Station on the Ginza subway line.24 views
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Ginza subway line. This train has a retro design based on the original subway.24 views
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Ginza subway line. This train has a retro design based on the original subway.24 views
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Modern Ginza subway line. 24 views
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Ginza Station exit.24 views
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Ginza 4-chome intersection with Wako.24 views
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Cylindrical San'ai building.24 views
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Cylindrical San'ai building.24 views
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The new Sony building in Ginza.24 views
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Closing off the road to traffic for "pedestrian's paradise."24 views
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Ginza Mitsukoshi Dept. Store's lion statue is a popular meeting place.24 views
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One time the lion statues was gone, so they put a large photo of it in its place.24 views
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Cats posing.24 views
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Road toward Higashi Ginza.24 views
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Ginza also has many vintage camera shops.24 views
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Ginza used camera shop.24 views
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Mikimoto Pearls24 views
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Mikimoto Pearls24 views
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Ginza Matsuya Dept. Store.24 views
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Ginza Matsuya Dept. Store.24 views
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Ginza Matsuya Dept. Store.24 views
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Road toward where Matsuzakaya Dept. Store used to be.24 views
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The old Matsuzakaya Dept. Store.24 views
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To Yurakucho/Hibiya.24 views
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Where the old Hankyu Dept. Store was. Replaced by Tokyu Plaza Ginza.24 views
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Sculpture by Okamoto Taro at Sukiyabashi.24 views
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Truck hit an overhead barrier at Sukiyabashi.24 views
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Yurakucho Mullion i24 views
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Yurakucho Mullion at night.24 views
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Shinkansen near Yurakucho24 views
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Yuraku Concourse24 views
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Building that caught fire being repaired.24 views
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In 2014, this building on the left in Yurakucho right next to the Shinkansen tracks caught fire.24 views
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Apologies for the fire. Luckily the fire did not affect the Shinkansen train.24 views
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Entrance to the site. 15-min. walk from JR Torahime Station.24 views
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Food stalls.24 views
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The tower is 333 meters high, with two observatories. The lower one, called the Main Deck, is 150 meters high. The higher one, the Top Deck, is 250 meters up.24 views
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Lobby24 views
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Indoor bathing area.24 views
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Dinner started with this.24 views
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Breakfast24 viewsShorenkan Yoshinoya Map: https://goo.gl/maps/hAHehEVDsft
http://taiza.jp/en/
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Information desk in Block 7's exhibition room. Lots of questions from foreigners to staff who couldn't really speak English.24 views
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Block 6 has this small entrance to the restaurant section.24 views
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Only this coffee shop was not crowded. So we gave up having a sushi lunch at Toyosu Market. 24 viewsThere are plans to build larger restaurant facilities in buildings adjacent to the market. However, they won't open until 2023.
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Block 6's upper floor has a section of shops called Uogashi Yokocho Market. (This section is not indicated on the official map.) 24 viewsThese are small shops catering mainly to market workers. They also sell to the public. However, by 2:00 pm most of the stores were closing.
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Cutlery shop in Uogashi Yokocho Market.24 views
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Lastly, this is the fruit and vegetable market, Block 5.24 views
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The observation corridor for tourists inside the fruit and vegetable market. Lots of windows, but they don't show much.24 views
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Each observation window was color-coded and named after a fruit or vegetable. A nice touch.24 views
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Not much of a view though.24 views
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Not much action in the fruit and vegetable market since it was in the afternoon.24 views
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The vegetable market's biggest item is cabbage, then daikon.24 views
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Inside the Yurikamome Line train. Since we couldn't eat sushi at Toyosu Market, we took the train to Toyosu Station two stops away and had a late lunch there instead.24 views
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Getting closer the shrine on the left.24 views
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No wonder it took so long to get to the shrine. The praying area is quite narrow.24 views
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This is Otori Taisha's regular-size ema prayer tablet for the Year of the Boar 2019.24 views
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Otori Taisha's ema prayer tablet for the white bird.24 views
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Tree roots.24 views
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Otori Danjiri Matsuri is held in Oct. Similar to the one in Kishiwada.24 views
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The Biwako Marathon or Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon is held annually in March in Otsu. It starts (at 12:30 pm) and finishes at Ojiyama Stadium in central Otsu, near Otsu Shiyakusho-mae Station on the Keihan Ishiyama-Sakamoto Line. 24 viewsKnown as one of Japan'a major marathons for top male runners, the Lake Biwa Marathin's 42.195 km course goes along the lake shore and Seta River. The terrain is mostly flat. Before the start of the marathon, there are PR booths near the stadium entrance.
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PR for Expo 2025 in candidate city Osaka. (Osaka won the bid to host Expo 2025.)24 views
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Police motorcycles for the marathon.24 views
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Ojiyama Stadium in Otsu.24 views
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Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon runners start running after Otsu Mayor Naomi Koshi (in red on the far right) fires the starting pistol at 12:30 pm.24 views
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About 90 min. later, I went to the Lake Biwa Canal here to watch the runners again. This is a few km before the finish.24 views
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Bus to pick up runners.24 views
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Lead police car.24 views
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One hour and 49 min. has passed, according to the official timekeeper.24 views
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The leaders were two Kenyans, Macharia NDIRANGU (left) and Albert KORIR at Lake Biwa Canal a few km before the finish.24 viewsNo. 8 Jake Robertson (New Zealand) is close behind.
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The last marathon runner followed by the tailing police car and staff vehicles. I later watched the marathon on my video recorder.24 views
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Pickup van for runners.24 views
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Zama Giant Kite Odako Festival is held annually on May 4 and 5 along the Sagami River from 10 am to 4 pm. They fly the giant kite a few times each day depending on the wind. 24 viewsNearest train station is Sobudaimae Station on the Odakyu Line. They have shuttle buses between the train station and festival site.
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The site is a riverside park. They fly the giant kite a few times each day depending on the wind. Photos were taken on May 5, 2019.24 views
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The seats have a random mosaic design in shades of green, brown, and white. It makes it look like there are spectators even when the seats are empty.24 views
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At the halfway line from the Back Stand's Tier 2 concourse with a long row of guys on the bottom edge.24 views
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Mt. Fuji at sunset. Narusawa, Yamanashi Prefecture.24 views
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For smaller crowds, Saitama Super Arena can be adjusted to have only two tiers of seats.24 views
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Introducing the players.24 views
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Shuzenji Onsen is a compact hot spring town with pleasant walking paths, foot baths, and natural scenery. It's 2.5 km from Shuzenji Station which has a tourist information office.24 viewsFrom Shuzenji Station, you can rent a bicycle and ride to Shuzenji Onsen for a day trip. We started our walk from near Yasuragi Bridge in Nov. 滝下橋
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Pilgrimage groups formed among neighborhoods and occupations and they sent delegations to Oyama every year to pray on the group's behalf. It took 2 to 3 days to walk from Edo/Tokyo.24 viewsMt. Oyama became a destination for fun besides religion. Along the Koma-sando, you can see these many stone monuments and plaques engraved with the names of pilgrims and pilgrimage groups who worshipped on Oyama. Lots of names everywhere on this mountain.
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About Roben Falls where ascetic Buddhist Priest Roben first bathed and founded Oyama-dera Temple in 755. Roben also had a hand in founding the famous Todaiji Temple in Nara that houses the giant Buddha and Ishiyama-dera Temple in Otsu, Shiga..24 views
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Way to the Takigi Noh venue.24 views
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Way to Oyama Afuri Shrine's Noh stage at the Shamukyoku shrine office. 社務局24 views
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Entrance of the sacred fire that was created in the Haiden in the early morning.24 views
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Before it got dark, some people dressed as samurai arrived near the Noh stage with sacred fire torches.24 views
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Torches near the Noh stage were also lit. Noh started on Mt. Oyama 300 years ago when the shogun ordered the conflicting religious groups on the mountain to work together to stage a Noh play twice a year. 24 viewsThis was to prevent fighting from breaking out on the mountain. Priests in those days were armed and warrior-like. The strategy worked as Oyama's Shintoists, Buddhists, and ascetic priests made peace and worked together to perform Noh in the Kanze School.
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The Noh tradition on Oyama was disrupted due to the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 and World War II, but it was resurrected in the 1980s.24 viewsThe background trees were also beautifully illuminated. Also notice the small torches. Starting at 4 pm, four plays including a dance and kyogen were performed. Ended at 7:30 pm. They also had a beautiful bilingual (Japanese and English) program explaining much about the Oyama, Afuri Shrine, and Noh.
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In 2018, the child Saio princess was portrayed by 10-year-old Nishimura Manami (西村 まなみ) from Meiwa. She was selected by lot from a number of girls. Not all Saio princesses were adults, some were a child. 子供斎王24 views
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Ranryo-o court dance originally came from China and was a warrior hero dance. (舞樂蘭陵王).24 views
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Posing with top-ranking court ladies called the Naishi (内侍) working at the Saiku Palace. They have fancy umbrella bearers called furyu-gasa. 風流傘24 views
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Posing with the Emperor's Messenger who is the highest ranking person in the procession. (Konoe Tsukai). 近衛使24 views
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The actual road where the Saio princess traveled to Ise Grand Shrines. Called "Kodai Ise-do" (Ancient Ise Road). 古代伊勢道24 views
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Kano-juku was the 53rd station or lodging/post town of the Nakasendo Road. Hiroshige's print of Kanō-juku was part of The Sixty-nine Stations of the Kiso Kaidō series. Kano Castle can be seen. 24 viewsShort walk south of JR Gifu Station.
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After the festival is over, be sure to visit the Saiku Historical Museum nearby. See this album.24 views
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Ukiyoe print of Roben Falls used by Oyama pilgrims to purify themselves. Notice the long wooden swords.24 views
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Old Tokaido Road in Seki-juku. Picturesque.24 views
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Ōnaruto Bridge and Naruto whirlpool.24 views
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Kafuka Port 香深港24 views
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Beachside road on Rebun's east coast. The best way to tour Rebun is by rental car or a local tour.24 views
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Watching the sunset on Rebun.24 views
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Mariyudu Falls on Urauchi River. About 20 meters wide and 16-meter drop in total. One of Japan's 100 Famous Waterfalls. マリゥドゥの滝24 views*People can no longer come this close to the falls. There were people who slipped and fell in, so the closeup path is blocked.
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This is the old Ishigaki Airport before it closed in March 2013 and was replaced by the new and current airport slightly north of this old airport.24 views
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At the old Ishigaki Airport, inside the JTA passenger waiting area at the boarding gate.24 views
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Taking off at the old Ishigaki Airport.24 views
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Near JR Kinshicho Station (JR Sobu Line), Kinshi Park is a neighborhood oasis especially during cherry blossom season with 162 cherry blossom trees. 24 views
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Cherry blossoms in Kinshi Park (near JR Kinshicho Station in Sumida-ku) and Tokyo Skytree.24 views
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Statue of Shaka Nyorai in the Kyozo.24 views
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Saimyoji's autumn highlight is its stunning path to the temple.24 views
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11-faced Kannon statue24 views
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Nitenmon Gate has small waraji straw sandals. Coins stuck in the sandals.24 views
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About the Niten gods guarding the gate.24 views
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Saimyoji Temple Hondo hall (National Treasure)24 views
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Saimyoji Temple Hondo hall (National Treasure)24 views
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Saimyoji Temple Hondo hall (National Treasure)24 views
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