 Most viewed - SHIGA 滋賀県 |
Jizo-do temple houses a Jizo statue. Originally built by the Ogaki Castle lord Ishikawa Hyuga 石川日向守 in the Edo Period after he recovered from illness. The temple holds the Jizo-bon festival in Aug. 地蔵堂75 views
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Samegai Kominkan Community Center75 views
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The third of Samegai's famous Three Spring Waters. This one is called Saigyo-sui, named after the famous poet. 西行水75 views
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Approach to Doganji (also called Kogenji) Temple. 10-min. walk from JR Takatsuki Station. 渡岸寺観音堂（向源寺）MAP75 views
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Quadruple with cox going to the start line.75 views
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Bridge to Kiyotaki Jinja Shrine75 views
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Posters for aerobics teams made by local school children.75 views
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シモツケソウ75 views
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Summit75 views
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Ibukiyama gondola station and lilies75 views
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Shiga Prefectural Gym in Otsu75 views
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Fujiwara Takamichi 75 views
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Ray Schafer for free throw.75 views
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Bobby Nash75 views
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Ogoto Port75 views
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Keihan Keishin Line train coming from Kyoto.75 views
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Magnee (official mascot looking like a Lake Biwa catfish) and two cheerleaders greet fans entering the gym.75 views
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Half-time show75 views
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Tip-off for the tiebreaker.75 views
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Bridge in the middle of the pond leading to a stone lantern.75 views
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Where the frozen surface meets the non-frozen part.75 views
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GumQ performs during pregame activities.75 views
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National anthem of Japan75 views
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Ryan Rourke75 views
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Gauntlet of cutout players on the way to the court.75 views
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Ryan Rourke, forward75 views
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DEFENSE!75 views
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Sorry, I can't remember the names of all the cheerleaders...75 views
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These were all boys dancing, and they dance while facing backward. This dancer was skilled even with the long gown in the way of his feet.75 views
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Only nine people know how to create these fantastic balancing decorations. They purify themselves in Takatoki River (bathe naked) before taking 3 months to make the lofty decorations in total secrecy. This is the Nihozan float (丹宝山). 75 views
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The procession leaves the shrine.75 views
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Following the procession, the floats are then pulled along.75 views
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Notice the teacups and bowls and sword. They are intricately connected somehow. The kanji characters for "Chushingura" is in a frame lined with teacups at the bottom of the photo. 忠臣蔵の討ち入り場面75 views
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Most were boys, but a few were real girls. This is yet another great spectacle of the festival.75 views
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The Nishihama mikoshi on its way to Kaizuten Shrine.75 views
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Some local people come out to watch.75 views
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On the west side of Makino Station, you can visit Makino Highland. I went by bicycle.75 views
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Sitting in the front were the shrine priest, in red, and the man in black who was the chairman of the local neighborhood board 自治会長. The ceremony started at 12:30 pm.75 views
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The two local boys (age 14 and 15) arrive for the sushi-cutting ceremony.75 views
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The Sushikiri ceremony was over after about an hour. Then was the Naginata procession.75 views
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Biwako Ohashi Bridge as seen from Pieri Moriyama.75 views
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On the balcony of Pieri Moriyama.75 views
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Three mikoshi and two children's mikoshi are placed in front of the shrine to be blessed.75 views
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Ozu Wakamiya Jinja Shrine torii. 小津若宮神社75 views
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Goats too. Putting golf range even. For more info call 0748-57-1311 (in Japanese).75 views
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Stone monument commemorating Suginoki Shrine as the birthplace as the Naginata Matsuri festival. 薙刀踊り発祥の宮（石碑） 杉之木神社75 views
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One spring from which the temple got its name. Zensuiji means Efficacious Water Temple.75 views
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Sign points the way to Zensuiji.75 views
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This is in early April.75 views
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After the prayer, they pull the float to its place within the shrine.75 views
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Tamachi-Katamachi75 views
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A detour on the old Tokaido road.75 views
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Way to Shintokuji temple. 真徳寺75 views
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Old Tokaido Road in Minakuchi75 views
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View from Hieda Shrine.75 views
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The Seta are is also accessible by bus.75 views
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You can see yakko-furi men in samurai processions such as daimyo gyoretsu festivals reenacting the sankin kotai procession.75 views
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Men dressed as mountain ascetic priests (yamabushi).75 views
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The young drummers performed very well.75 views
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Again they spread the mats on the ground and did the seated drumming again. They did everything twice.75 views
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The road around the mountain is decorated with lanterns on the occasion of Hinade Shrine's sumo festival on Sept. 21, 2009.75 views
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Large torii in the middle of an intersection. It belongs to Hinade Shrine which is on Mt. Hinade.75 views
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Map of Mt. Hinade. There are short hiking trails on this low mountain.75 views
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Magnee, Shiga Lakestars' official mascot.75 views
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As both teams warm up on the court, the cheerleaders teach the crowd how to cheer during the game.75 views
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Lakes is the nickname for the Lakestars.75 views
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Team huddle before tip-off.75 views
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Mike Hall #2375 views
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Mike Hall #2375 views
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Chris75 views
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Shiga Lakestars cheerleaders in their other outfit.75 views
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Lakes boosters75 views
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Mike Hall #2375 views
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Bobby Nash #3375 views
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The trail is heavily wooded, and sometimes there is a clear area where you can see the scenery.75 views
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Head coach Robert Pierce chats with an ardent fan in a wheelchair.75 views
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Luke Zellar #40 for a free throw.75 views
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Chris Schlatter #475 views
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Horikawa Ryuichi #8 looking for someone.75 views
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Gary passing to Bobby.75 views
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Luke Zellar on a free throw and Coach Pierce looks on.75 views
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Old Kinomoto Station75 views
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Inside old Kinomoto Station, apparently used as an occasional exhibition space.75 views
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I attended the 3 pm show which was the only show when famous singer Hashi Yukio would appear and sing with the mascot characters. Admission was 1,000 yen. ゆるキャラ大集合75 views
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Some talking between Hashi and Miura. (The woman is the MC.)75 views
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Shiga Lakestars75 views
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Introduction of Tokyo Apache players as they make a grand entrance on stage as the curtain lifted.75 views
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Tokyo Apache players' traditional huddle75 views
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Practice shot75 views
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Ray Schafer takes it down.75 views
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Joho goes for 3 points.75 views
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Gary Hamilton75 views
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Mikey and Rasheed75 views
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Chris Schlatter75 views
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Basketball court at Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium. Not a sellout crowd. Tokyo Apache has been doing poorly this season without Joe Bryant as head coach.75 views
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Mikey Marshall75 views
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Tourist Site Clean Campaign75 views
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Samurai wives75 views
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Banners with the crest of the Ii clan.75 views
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All that gravel can make it quite dusty.75 views
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Ayame taiko girls.75 views
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The Ayame taiko girls turn back for the last time and head for the shrine.75 views
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About Tagi Shrine. The shrine was established to protect the area from flooding by two nearby rivers. Thus it is near the river.75 views
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Bull statue75 views
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Tagi Jinja actually consists of two shrines. One is this Tagi Daimyojin-no-Miya Shrine mainly dedicated to a god called Haya-akitsu-Hiko-no-Mikoto (速秋津比古之命) and Haya-akitsu-Hime-no-Mikoto (速秋津比 之命). 龍樹大明神宮75 views
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Besides the two baton twirlers at the front, there are these boys who play the drums and bell. They just danced across the baba once and stopped.75 views
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It's a real frenzy. I managed to pick up a plastic flower.75 views
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The Shichikawa Matsuri is held on the same day as the Omizo Matsuri in neighboring Omi-Takashima. So I saw the Omizo Matsuri in the morning, then rushed over to see this festival.75 views
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Toyoki-iri-Hiko-no-Mikoto was the son of Emperor Sujin, the 10th emperor of Japan. Portable shrine is stored in the Haiden Hall during the festival.75 views
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The boys walk back again.75 views
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Passing by the elementary school. The stone marker indicates the way to Hiyoshi Jinja.75 views
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The procession arrived at the east end of Seta-no-Karahashi Bridge at about 5:15 pm.75 views
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Even though this is one of Otsu's Big Three Festivals (others are Sanno-sai and Otsu Matsuri), the crowd watching was surprisingly sparse. 75 views
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They do a few maneuvers with the main mikoshi.75 views
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Carrying the main mikoshi to the boat.75 views
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The fireworks barge can be seen on the distance.75 views
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The Juzan hikiyama float is hauled toward the shrine exit.75 views
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They stop to offload the boys.75 views
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The taiko drum procession is headed by this large banner saying, "Ibuki-yama Hono Taiko Odori" which means Ibuki-yama Taiko Drum Offertory Dance.75 views
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The taiko drummers include a good number of grade school boys who practiced hard during the summer for this festival.75 views
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A few taiko processions arrive and marched around.75 views
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Now we see a large torch on fire. I noticed the flying embers falling on Taneya, but no problem.75 views
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Watching this festival made me think how wonderful and miraculous this thing called fire is. We worship and need it, even though it can very destructive.75 views
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Ibuki-do on the right. Fukusuke (福助) is based on an actual person who was a shop clerk at the Kameya moxa shop. He had a large head and big ears and was honest, friendly, and a hard worker.75 views
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Next to Isame no Shimizu is a statue of Yamato Takeru.75 views
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Hiroshige's print of Samegai-juku in his Kisokaido series.75 views
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Trying the tea.75 views
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The back of her kimono obi sash has a design featuring rowing geisha.75 views
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"Ganbaro" means, "do your best and don't give up." This is the slogan for people affected by the earthquake and tsunami which occurred in northern Japan.75 views
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Chikubushima island in the background with Mt. Ibuki, Shiga's highest mountain (in Maibara), on the right.75 views
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Mt. Hiei affords great views of southern Lake Biwa. Enryakuji was founded by the priest Saicho to protect Kyoto from the demons of the northeast.75 views
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A priest explains the concepts behind the practice of meditating. Enryakuji is also part of a World Heritage Site called ''Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto."75 views
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Group in front of Konpon Chudo Hall, a National Treasure and Enryakuji's main worship hall and largest building.75 views
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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.75 views
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Food Court.75 views
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Azaleas in spring.75 views
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Drawings of the three Azai sisters by local children exhibited in Heiwado in Nagahama.75 views
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On May 5, on the Sekku Matsuri, they opened the inner part of the shrine and so I went and got a closeup look at the Honden Hall.75 views
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This mikoshi went to Higashi Honden.75 views
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Steps to the Hondo main hall of Kannonji temple.75 views
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Tokaido Road: Tsuchiyama (Koka)75 views
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Tokaido Road: Kusatsu75 views
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Mt. Ibuki at the top.75 views
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The old Ohmi Railways Maibara Station. Torn down in 2007. It was slightly apart from the old Maibara Station. Now it's closer to Maibara Station.75 views
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Ookaminoki in Japanese. オオカメノキ（大亀の木、学名： Viburnum furcatum)75 views
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Model of Odani Castle.75 views
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Exhibits about the Battle of Anegawa River.75 views
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Kinomoto expo pavilion. 戦国大河きのもと館75 views
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The Awa Odori dancers also danced great in the wind. (Watch my video.)75 views
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The giant kite is replaced every three years. The previous giant kite is displayed in the museum, while the current giant kite is flown on the last Sunday in May near Echigawa River.75 views
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Giant kite displayed until 2004.75 views
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Kite from the USA, obviously.75 views
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After writing their wishes, kids paste their wishing stickers on the kite.75 views
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I was waiting for this. Sacred dances by shrine maidens who looked to be high school girls.75 views
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Boarding the gondola lift. This was in summer.75 views
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Going up Mt. Ibuki on the gondola.75 views
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Notogawa Station, East side75 views
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Dinner at a restaurant in the Otsu Station building.75 views
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The Shiga Prefectural Government Building is designated as a Tangible Cultural Property (登録有形文化財) in summer 2014. Designed by Sato Koichi. 建築家の佐藤功一氏が設計しました。75 views
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Entrance to Nagahama Castle History Museum. Small admission charged.75 views
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The main exhibits mainly show agricultural machinery (tractors, etc.) and marine engines.75 views
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Auditorium75 views
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The central buildings are encircled by a circular moat lined with cherry trees.75 views
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The moat comes complete with ducks. The university has a duck club that takes care of the ducks.75 views
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At the exchange program office, flags of some of USP's partner universities adorn the wall.75 views
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About Kiwada Shrine.75 views
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Hiyoshi Taisha's waterfront torii as seen from the lake.75 views
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Video of Jamie and Megan Thompson singing "Lake Biwa Rowing Song" at Spo-Rec Shiga on Oct. 18, 2008 at Kibogaoka Park in Yasu, Shiga Prefecture.75 viewsThe performance was part of the side entertainment on the opening day of the sports festival. The MC is Chiho Ono, radio personality at e-radio (FM Shiga) which organized this stage entertainment.
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It was sweet to return to Imazu to sing. It had been 11 years (2006) since we did this.75 views
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