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Shamisen Lesson11 views
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Hatago inn reception desk where you pay your bill. 旅籠屋11 views
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Try this simple carrier used to carry travelers over steep passes. 峠の茶屋11 views
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About Koyama Castle. The reconstructed castle is a local museum.11 views
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Niseko Annupuri 11 views
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Bihoro Pass wooden marker at the scenic point. 美幌峠の標柱11 views
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Lake Akan at sunset.11 views
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Akanko Ainu Kotan gift shop.11 views
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Ainu home (no longer here) was also in the Ainu village. 阿寒湖アイヌコタン11 views
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The ocean seen from the JR Nemuro Line going to Kushiro.11 views
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Shintoku Ski Grounds as seen from the train in autumn. The building is the ski lodge where you buy lift tickets, etc.11 viewsNear JR Shintoku Station (JR Nemuro Line).
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In 1887, a railway was built from Mt. Io to Shibecha, 41 km away. It was Hokkaido's second railway to be built after the railway between Sapporo and Otaru.11 views
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Back to the visitor's center.11 views
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Wakoto Peninsula has this free outdoor hot spring bath on the lake shore. Open to both men and women, most bathers wear a swimsuit.11 views
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For the most part, the trail has signage in both Japanese and English. We soon got to some greenery called Horinouchi Ryokuchi green belt. There's this fork in the trail. Go left to see the shell mound in Horinouchi Kaizuka Park.11 views
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Hardened shell rocks from the ocean 150,000 years ago displayed in Horinouchi Kaizuka Park. These are not shells discarded by humans. 堀之内貝塚公園11 views
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The other museum in the park is the Ichikawa Archaeology Museum displaying shell mound remains as old as 3,000 years (Jomon Period). Pottery & human remains found here are also exhibited. Good to have this museum next to the shell mound. 市川考古11 views
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Follow the sign.11 views
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Junsai-ike Pond じゅん菜池11 views
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じゅん菜池11 views
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Ceiling and bell.11 views
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Poetry Monument for So Sakon's poem. 宗 左近11 views
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Shien-soja (紫烟草舎).11 views
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Good number of seats inside Yamazaki Plaza Ichikawa, the coffee shop and bakery operated by Yamazaki Baking.11 views
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Niomon Gate at the top of the steps, Guhoji's front gate. The two columns house a pair of Nio kings considered to be the protectors of the temple. 仁王門11 views
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In spring, Guhoji's 400-year-old weeping cherry blossom tree is famous. 伏姫桜11 views
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The mound has these alphabetized markers to indicate where the shells are. They form a horseshoe shape (or U shape) on the mound.11 views
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Another Monchicchi monument with seven smaller Monchicchi. These Monchicchi monuments are a good spot to meetup with friends at Shin-Koiwa Station. モンチッチ この指とまれ像11 views
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Escalator handrail decorated with Monchicchi. Way to the Skydeck Tatsumi walkway to the Tohoku Open Space Area (Tohoku Hiroba) bus stops near the train station.11 views
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Skydeck Tatsumi pedestrian walkway to the bus stops is decorated with Monchicchi. スカイデッキたつみ 11 views
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Monchicchi Zone's centerpiece monument great for selfies. Meet the Monchicchi family. On January 26, 2004, the boy and girl Moncchichi got married on Moncchichi’s 30th anniversary. 11 views
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Boy Monchicchi on the roof.11 views
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The new Monchicchi Zone is adorned with Sekiguchi doll statues.11 views
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Playground equipment with a Monchicchi silhouette on the ground.11 views
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Tonami Tulip Park has 3 million tulips and 300 varieties. They occupy 7,000 sq. meters, equivalent to three pro baseball fields.11 views
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Old map of Tonami Tulip Park. There are also other areas with tulips. From Tonami Station, 15-min. walk. Free shuttle buses also available.11 views
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JR Shin-Koiwa Station north entrance (kitaguchi).11 views
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Go upstairs to the upper floors.11 views
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View from the top floor of Matsumae Castle's main tower. The castle grounds have 10,000 sakura trees, making it one of Japan's Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots. 日本さくら名所100選11 views
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Statue of Chiyonoyama.11 views
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After retiring, Chiyonofuji took over Kokonoe sumo stable from former Yokozuna Kitanofuji.11 views
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The video screen showed noted sumo matches such as between Chiyonofuji and Kitanoumi.11 viewsKitanoumi also has an impressive sumo museum near Lake Toya in Hokkaido: https://photoguide.jp/pix/thumbnails.php?album=664
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Sugar cane on Amami Oshima.11 views
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Passing by Amami Oshima Airport.11 views
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Lookout deck at Cape Ayamaru shows a beautiful aqua-blue ocean.11 views
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Lookout deck at Cape Ayamaru shows a beautiful blue ocean beyond the coral reef.11 views
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Entrance to Amami Resort Basyayamamura, a resort hotel and restaurant on the southern shore of the northern part of the island. Short drive from the airport.11 views
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On Amami-Oshima, Kagoshima, Amami Resort Basyayama-mura beach had pumice that came from an undersea volcano (Fukutoku-Okanoba) erupting near the Ogasawara islands (way south of Tokyo).11 views
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Someone had recently raked or cleaned up the pumice.11 views
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Tropical flora on Amami-Oshima.11 views
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Scenic coast on Amami-Oshima island, Kagoshima, Japan.11 views
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Ixora "Super King"11 views
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Amami-Oshima coastal view.11 views
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Runway landing lights in the ocean.11 views
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Amami no Sato's Exhibition Hall includes a reconstructed local home. 11 views
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Oshima tsumugi is a local fabric woven from white silk and dyed. Oshima (Ooshima) Tsumugimura is a small textile factory where you can see how they weave and dye the tsumugi fabric. They also sell tsumugi fabrics as kimono, handkerchiefs, etc.11 views
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He is dyeing Oshima tsumugi silk fabric in mud. The fabric color becomes black. Amami-Oshima island, Kagoshima.11 views
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White hibiscus11 views
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Lots of greenery along the way up the mountains.11 views
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Nice mountain views on Yakushima.11 views
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Yakusugi Land tourist hike to see old cedar trees (and stumps) on Yakushima island, Kagoshima.11 views
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Souvenirs made of Yakusugi cedar.11 views
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Near Mukojima Hyakkaen Garden are seven shrines for the Sumidagawa Seven Gods of Good Fortune (Sumidagawa Shichi-fukujin 隅田川七福神めぐり). This is a map of the seven shrines.11 views
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Shirahige Bridge looks the same since 1931.11 views
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Shirahige Bridge11 views
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From Dokkyodaigakumae Station's east exit, walk on this main road to Soka-Matsubara. Short walk.11 views
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Monument indicating Soka-Matsubara as a Scenic Place on the Oku-no-Hosomichi path.11 views
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From Hyakutai-bashi Bridge, I first walked north along Soka-Matsubara.11 views
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Matsuo Basho monument at Soka-Matsubara.11 views
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Soka Matsubara pine trees may have been originally planted as early as 1683 by government official Ina Tada'atsu (伊奈忠篤) in the Fudaba Park area where there was a river boat dock.11 views
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Green pines against the blue sky are therapeutic for the eyes.11 views
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Ayase River looking south. 綾瀬川11 views
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Starting to backtrack to Hyakutai Bridge and proceed to the southern end of the pine trees.11 views
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The pine tree path is popular among joggers and for walks.11 views
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Southern view from Hyakutai Bridge.11 views
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Monument for the Japanese bush clover planted by the late Donald Keene. Flowers not in season in Feb. Donald Keene was a renown professor of Japanese studies (especially literature) at Columbia University in New York. ドナルド・キーン記念植樹11 views
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Monument for the Japanese bush clover planted by the late Donald Keene. 11 views
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Donald Keene wrote the inscribed sentence: "Place of Scenic Beauty: Soka Matsubara - Scenic Place Along Oku-no-Hosomichi"11 viewsDonald Keene was a renown professor of Japanese studies (especially literature) at Columbia University in New York. Keene is revered in Soka for helping with local activities related to Oku-no-Hosomichi.
He also famously became a Japanese citizen and spent the last years of his life living in Japan.
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Soka's claim to fame is this pine tree path's inclusion as a Scenic Place along the Oku-no-Hosomichi travel route taken by famous Haiku poet Basho.11 viewsMonument includes a map of Basho's Oku-no-Hosomichi travel route. He started from Fukagawa, Tokyo, visited Soka, went up north to Sendai, Sakata (Yamagata), and proceeded back along the Sea of Japan, Niigata, Kanazawa, Tsuruga, and ended at Ogaki, Gifu. All the places he visited on this epic journey has monuments or statues celebrating Basho.
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Matsubara Ayasegawa Park is a large park with cherry blossoms.11 views
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Soka-Matsubara pine trees and Ayasegawa River.11 views
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Walking further south along Soka-Matsubara.11 views
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Directions and distances.11 views
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Bicycle slope decorated with these picture tiles.11 views
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Nikko Kaido Road monument near Yatate Bridge. The monument is in the shape of Saitama Prefecture indicating Soka-Matsubara on Nikko Kaido is one of Japan's 100 Best Roads. 日本の道百選の顕彰碑11 views
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Nikko Kaido Road monument. Nikko Kaido was one of the five main roads from Edo (Tokyo) during the Edo Period (17th to 19h centuries). Nikko was important for having the splendid mausoleum for Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa shogun.11 views
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Statue of Matsuo Basho in Fudaba-kashi Park on the southern end of Soka-Matsubara. Statue was built in 1989 to mark the 300th anniversary of Basho's Oku-no-Hosomichi journey in 1689. Built with donations.11 views
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Old map of Soka-juku post town.11 views
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Spiral steps up the wooden watchtower.11 views
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Bridge to Osen Park.11 views
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Soka senbei rice cracker birthplace monument in Osen Park, Soka, Saitama. Soka was a rice-growing area and farmers first made rice crackers as a snack. 11 viewsThey were later sold to travelers when Soka-juku was established and became a cottage industry. They also used soy sauce from Noda. 草加せんべい発祥の地の碑
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About Tofukuji Temple Hondo main hall wood carvings. 11 views
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Tofukuji's bell tower dragon wood carvings. 11 views
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About Tofukuji's bell tower.11 views
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Scale model of the Okawa Honjin lodge in Soka-juku.11 views
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A few implements from the Okawa Honjin lodge.11 views
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Factory equipment11 views
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Senbei production equipment.11 views
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On the 2nd floor, Hinamatsuri Girl's Day dolls.11 views
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Former classroom used as a meeting room.11 views
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Movie actor from Soka named Okawa Heihachiro (1905–1971) (aka Henry Okawa) who made it to Hollywood. He was in "The Bridge on the River Kwai" movie. 大川 平八郎11 views
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The balloons inflated quite quickly.11 views
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JR Koga Station (Tohoku Main Line or Utsunomiya Line) is the closet train station to Kubo park.11 views
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There were free shuttle buses from Koga Station (west exit) going to and from the park.11 views
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JR Koga Station has a shopping mall named VAL.11 views
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JR Koga Station has a shopping mall named VAL.11 views
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Kamagaya Hachiman Shrine grounds has many tree stumps.11 views
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Don't know why the land has been cleared of trees.11 views
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Hokusō Line Shin-Kamagaya Station 新鎌ヶ谷駅11 views
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Lake Tega Water Park 11 views
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View of Lake Teganuma from Mizu no Yakata (Water Pavilion) lookout tower.11 views
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View of Lake Teganuma from Mizu no Yakata (Water Pavilion) lookout tower.11 views
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Second floor of Mizu no Yakata is where you can rest.11 views
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The park was mostly closed due to renovations..11 views
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Lake Tega Park's most scenic area. 手賀沼公演11 views
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Lake Teganuma 11 views
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JR Kashiwa Station East exit. 11 views
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JR Kashiwa Station East exit area.11 views
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About Mito Kaido Road. Kashiwa was on the Mito Kaido, but not a post town.11 views
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It was Coming of Age Day, so young adults wore kimono.11 views
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Tobu Line (Urban Park Line or Noda Line) Kashiwa Station turnstile.11 views
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JR Kashiwa Station turnstile.11 views
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The station's name translates as "Nagareyama goshawk forest." It was a nod to Nagareyama's forest being a habitat for the endangered northern goshawk (ōtaka).11 views
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Nagareyama-Otakanomori Shopping Center is connected to the train station with a pedestrian walkway.11 views
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Nagareyama Otakanomori Station Tobu Urban Park Line turnstile.11 views
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Nagareyama Otakanomori Station platform on the Tsukuba Express.11 views
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Mound A tumulus (A号墳) at Saginuma Castle Park has a small torii.11 views
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Mound B and stone coffin hut.11 views
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Pieces of haniwa sculptures were dug up and the park has two replicated Naniwa statues. One human and one horse. Unknown what the original haniwa actually looked like.11 views
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Weeping cherry trees.11 views
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The burial mounds have stones along the perimeter.11 views
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JR Tsudanuma Station south exit. JR津田沼駅11 views
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JR Tsudanuma Station 11 views
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JR Tsudanuma Station north exit.11 views
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Leaving JR Tsudanuma Station north exit.11 views
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From JR Tsudanuma Station north exit, a short walk to Shin-Tsudanuma Station on the Shin-Keisei Line. 新津田沼駅11 views
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Keisei-Tsudanuma Station platform. 京成津田沼駅11 views
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At Kushiro City Red-Crowned Crane Natural Park, we also saw a baby crane, about a month old. (Born in mid-May 2022.) Here he/she is with dad and mom11 views
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Baby cranes grow very quickly. Left one is 39 days old, middle is 5 days old. They reach adult size in 3 months. Their brown feathers also turn black and white.11 views
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Adult males, fully grown on the left and 6 months old on the right still with brown feathers.11 views
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These Somei-Yoshino "America" cherry blossoms are right behind the park's Visitors' Center. The America trees stretch along Shin-Shibakawa River for a few hundred meters, one of the park's major cherry blossom clusters.11 views
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Yokozuna Terunofuji performing the dohyo-iri ring-entering ceremony. 照ノ富士11 views
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Yokozuna Terunofuji returns to his dressing room.11 views
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Milk-flavored gelato. So yummy! Eat it quickly because it melts super fast. Other flavors include matcha, strawberry, and chocolate. Comes in a cone or cup.11 views
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On the left is the shed for adult cows. 成牛舎11 views
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Odawara Castle is the city symbol and former residence of the Hojo Clan. Short walk from Odawara Station (JR and Odakyu Lines).11 views
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Child ninja11 views
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Child ninja were giving out small souvenirs to the kids.11 views
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Child samurai. 少年少女武者隊11 views
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Child samurai with bayonets. 少年少女武者隊 小田原市子ども会連絡協議会11 views
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Members of the local media.11 views
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Start of the samurai entourage for the first Odawara Hojo lord, Hōjō Sōun. Played by international students at LIBERTY Odawara Japanese School. LIBERTY小田原日本語学校11 views
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Samurai group from Kamakura for Hōjō Ujitoki, Tamanawa Castle lord. 玉縄城主 北条氏時隊 鎌倉市玉縄城址まちづくり会議11 views
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Hōjō Choko (Gen'an), second and youngest son of Hōjō Sōun. Played by people from International University of Health and Welfare. 北条長綱隊 国際医療福祉大学11 views
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The third Odawara Castle lord, Hojo Ujiyasu played by a woman. 三代北条氏康隊11 views
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Tsukui Castle lord, Naito Yasuyuki. 津久井城主 内藤康行11 views
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Ladies in waiting for Lord Hojo Ujiyasu's wife Zuikei-in. 旭丘高校11 views
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Entourage for the fourth Odawara Castle lord, Hojo Ujimasa. 北条氏政隊 旭丘高校11 views
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Entourage for the fourth Odawara Castle lord, Hojo Ujimasa. 北条氏政隊 旭丘高校11 views
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The fourth Odawara Castle lord, Hojo Ujimasa played by well-known actor Takashima Masanobu. 四代氏政 (高嶋政伸)11 views
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Hachigata Castle Matchlock Gun Battalion. 11 views
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End of the samurai parade. 11 views
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Tourist shopping complex near the station, crowded.11 views
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Leading the parade was a brass band by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Music Corps.11 views
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Parade's starting point was here at Sumiyoshi Bridge at a corner of Odawara Castle. Crowded with people. They first had a short ceremony with the "Ei-ei-oohh" cheer. The parade also returned here at the end.11 views
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Two Hakone geisha. They both sing. Odawara is the gateway to Hakone. 箱根芸者夢路11 views
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Start of the samurai entourage for the first Odawara Hojo lord, Hōjō Sōun. Played by international students at LIBERTY Odawara Japanese School. LIBERTY小田原日本語学校11 views
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Inside Saitama Nature Study Center with nature exhibits.11 views
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Northern goshawk, juvenile.11 views
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Evergreen tree named Castanopsis. Leaves are green on the top, but brown on the underside. Produces acorns. スダジイ（すだ椎 Castanopsis sieboldii subsp. sieboldii）11 views
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Zushi was developed as a seaside resort from the 1960s. Celebrities who had homes here include Shintaro Ishihara, novelist and former Tokyo governor. 11 views
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View of Zushi Beach from the hillside.11 views
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Coastal road along Zushi beach.11 views
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Sengan Pine tree on a craggy rock on Morito Coast. Part of Morito Daimyojin Shrine in Hayama, Kanagawa. 千貫松11 views
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Entrance to Morito Daimyojin Shrine on the Morito Coast. 森戸大明神11 views
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Denny's restaurant (Hayama-Morito Branch) on the coast. Nice ocean views. Sadly, it closed on Jan. 31, 2019 due to salt damage and the aging building. It opened in Aug. 1991. デニーズ葉山森戸店 1029-4 Horiuchi, Hayama, Miura District, Kanaga11 views
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Shin-nase Fishing Port 真名瀬漁港11 views
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The garden is also illuminated at night, and you might even see fireflies if you're lucky. 11 views
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Cloakroom to store coats, bags, etc., for free.11 views
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The entrance lobby has digital audio guides for rent (not essential).11 views
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Slytherin Common Room11 views
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Centaurs are guardians of the Forbidden Forest. Facial features are more horse-like than human. 11 views
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Dementors (evil beings) also fly around in the Forbidden Forest.11 views
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Photo op: In the Backlot, pose inside the Flying Car11 views
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Living room filled with Hogwarts school acceptance letters (delivered by owls) addressed to Harry.11 views
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The hilarious and finger-biting Monster Book of Monsters.11 views
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Owls for sale at Diagon Alley.11 views
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Enhance to Studio Shop, the world’s largest Harry Potter gift shop. 11 views
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Hogwarts robes.11 views
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Mice, food for owls.11 views
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Okegawa holds an annual autumn festival called Okegawa Shimin Matsuri (桶川市民まつり) on Nov. 3 (national holiday) when they reenact Princess Kazunomiya's procession traveling through Okegawa-juku.11 viewsThe procession includes women holding safflowers and these chigo festival children.
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The most famous VIP to stay in Okegawa was an emperor's daughter named Princess Kazunomiya (1846–1877) when she was traveling from Kyoto to Tokyo to marry shogun Tokugawa Iemochi.11 viewsShe lodged in Okegawa on Nov. 13, 1861 and her entourage numbered over 30,000. 皇女和宮行列
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The procession route is on the old Nakasendo Road (closed to traffic) starting at 1:30 pm at Okegawa Elementary School. Here's Princess Kazunomiya's banner in front of her palanquin.11 views
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Princess Kazunomiya's palanquin in the procession during the Okegawa Shimin Matsuri (桶川市民まつり) on Nov. 3 (national holiday).. Her real palanquin had no wheels and she was carried by hand. 皇女和宮行列11 views
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Charatsunai scenic point チャラツナイ展望台11 views
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From Charatsunai scenic point11 views
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Explanatory panel.11 views
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