Image search results - "mizuho" |
Mieji-juku was the 55th lodging town on the old Nakasendo Road connecting Edo (Tokyo) and Kyoto through an inland route.It is in a rural area with hardly any local people to guide tourists. Only a few tourist map signboards like this one indicate the major sights.
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Mieji became an official shukuba town on the Nakasendo in 1637. It was named after Mieji Temple that worshipped an eleven-face Kannon statue.
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Mieji-juku is near Mieji Station on the Tarumi Line that starts here at JR Ogaki Station (Tokaido Line). From Ogaki to Mieji Station, it takes only 12 min. However, trains are infrequent. Once an hour or less.
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Mieji Station on the Tarumi Line (Tarumi Railway). Unmanned station. 樽見鉄道樽見線 美江寺駅
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Mieji Station platform on the Tarumi Line.
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Check the train schedule for your train back to Ogaki (left column) from Mieji Station on the Tarumi Line.
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Mieji Station platform on the Tarumi Line.
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From Mieji Station, walk this way south.
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Intersection with a street map board.
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Old Nakasendo Road in Mieji-juku. It's a very quiet place to walk around. Hardly any people. No shops, no local museums. But a few homes were selling persimmons on their front yard.
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The first major sight in Mieji-juku is Mie Shrine and Mieji Kannon Temple. 美江神社
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This is where the original Kosatsu official bulletin board was located outside Mie Shrine. A replica is within the shrine grounds.
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Entrance to Mie Shrine and Mieji Kannon Temple at the corner of the road. 美江神社
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Mieji-juku info board in front of Mie Shrine.
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Map of Mieji-juku.
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Sign indicating the heart of Mieji-juku.
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Mie Shrine grounds.
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Mie Shrine prayer hall. 美江神社
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Inside Mie Shrine prayer hall. 美江神社
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Next to Mie Shrine is Mieji Kanzeon-do Hall. 観世音堂
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Mie Shrine also has this Mieji-juku stone monument.
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About Mieji-juku in Japanese.
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Akiba Shrine is also here. 秋葉神社
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Akiba Shrine
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Also at Mie Shrine is this replica of Mieji-juku's Kosatsu official bulletin board. 高札
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Replica of Mieji-juku's Kosatsu official bulletin board. 高札
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AboutMieji-juku's Kosatsu official bulletin board. 高札
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Turn the corner here.
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Site of Mieji-juku's Honjin (VIP lodging). The building no longer exists. This was Mieji-juku's highest elevation at only 10 meters. 本陣跡
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Site of Mieji-juku's Honjin (VIP lodging).
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Site of a local school. There's also the site of Mieji Castle nearby, but it is inaccessible (private property it seems).
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Turn right here.
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Stone marker showing the way to Ogaki and Akasaka-juku.
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Looks like a rest place for travelers. Not a bus stop.
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Map of Mieji-juku sights.
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Walk further to see the small Kannon-do Hall.
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In Mieji-juku, a roadside Thousand-Arm Kanzeon-do Hall. 美江寺宿 千手観世音堂
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Thousand-Arm Kannon inside the Kanzeon-do Hall in Mieji-juku. 美江寺宿 千手観世音堂
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Fancy stone lantern next to Kanzeon-do Hall in Mieji-juku.
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Kanzeon-do Hall in Mieji-juku. 美江寺宿 千手観世音堂
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Next to Kanzeon-do Hall is Saikawa River depicted in Hiroshige's woodblock print. 犀川
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Hiroshige's woodblock print for Mieji-juku showing Saikawa River and two farmers giving directions to a priest. It was a low-lying area near three rivers and prone to flooding. 犀川
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This is the spot depicted by Hiroshige's woodblock print of Mieji-juku. Saikawa River.
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Mizuho is a major producer of Fuyu-gaki persimmons.
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Bust stop at Mieji Station. Buses very infrequent.
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Back to Mieji Station.
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At Mieji Station, train back to Ogaki. These rural train lines are struggling financially, so support them by riding their trains.
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Mizuho, a small town in western Tokyo, holds its annual Hina Matsuri Doll Festival called Mizuho no Tsurushi Kazari, or Hanging Decorations of Mizuho from mid-February to March 3.
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The venue is an old Japanese house called Koshinkan (耕心館), originally built in the late Edo Period by a rich farmer. Later it was occupied by a shoyu maker (soy sauce) and then a silk grower. It's now owned and used by Mizuho as an event space.
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Koshinkan is a 20-min. walk from JR Hakonegasaki Station. I rented a bicycle for 200 yen at the train station and rode to Koshinkan. Selling local products outside Koshinkan during Hina Matsuri.
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Koshinkan's events.
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Koshinkan's main building houses a restaurant, gallery spaces, and a small performance space on the 2nd floor for small concerts, etc. It has been beautifully renovated.
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A small storehouse, converted into an office, is attached to the main building.
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Koshinkan has this separate kura storehouse housing a hina doll display.
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About the storehouse.
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Inside the kura storehouse, gorgeous hina doll display. Besides the dolls, there is kimono and more stuff on the side walls (not pictured). Notice the snakes in the foreground.
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Kimono decoration on the left wall inside the kura.
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Kimono Mt. Fuji decoration on the right wall inside the kura.
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Hina dolls inside the kura storehouse.
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Kimono complements the hina dolls.
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Snake created with kimono obi material. 2013 is the Year of the Snake.
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Snake created with kimono obi material. 2013 is the Year of the Snake.
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Smaller decorations on the floor.
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Cicada
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Snakes
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Miniature daruma
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Koshinkan also has a small garden.
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Well at Koshinkan
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About the well at Koshinkan.
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Little flowers
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Bird house
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Hina dolls at the entrance of the Koshinkan's main building. Free admission.
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The first exhibition space has these hina decorations.
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Hina decorations at Koshinkan. Koshinkan's main building has two exhibition rooms filled with hina dolls and hanging decorations.
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Snakes for 2013, Year of the Snake.
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The other exhibition space on the 1st floor is bigger, with more dolls and hanging decorations.
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Top-tier Hina dolls at Koshinkan, Mizuho, Tokyo.
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There are ten ladies who volunteer to make these hanging decorations every year by hand at their own expense. They add many new dolls each year to this hina doll display.
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This hina doll exhibit started eight years ago, so there were eight years worth of hina dolls and hanging decorations today. Every year, the number of decorations increases.
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The ladies, who love their hometown of Mizuho, decided to make these hina decorations a symbol of their unknown town.
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Closeup of hanging decorations. Popular are the Oriental zodiac animals. But they also have other stuff like goldfish, birds, etc. They are made to pray for the safety, healthy growth, and good marriage of girls (usually the oldest daughter).
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Monkey
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Horse
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Goldfish
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Rabbits
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Little dolls of tea pickers. Mizuho produces Sayama tea.
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These dolls were made this past year.
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On the second floor there was a quilt exhibition by Morgan Hill, California, Mizuho's sister city.
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Quilt exhibition on the 2nd floor of the Koshinkan in Mizuho, Tokyo, by Morgan Hill, California, Mizuho's sister city.
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Quilts from Morgan Hill, California were forwarded to people in Tohoku.
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