 Most viewed - IBARAKI 茨城県 |
Hotel gift shop.28 views
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Hotel gift shop had this noren curtain with Rokkakudo design.28 views
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Itsuura Kanko Hotel Honkan lobby.28 views
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Different parts of the residence are connected by enclosed corridors.28 views
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Entrance lobby of Kimura Buzan home. The wooden sign says "Buzan Residence." 武山邸28 views
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Tokonoma of another guest room. Many of the materials are quite rare and valuable today.28 views
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One of the most elegant Japanese-style hotels I've ever seen. Precious artwork everywhere. It's like staying in an art museum.28 views
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The bow has this shed for the portable shrine to be loaded on. Festival was designated as a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property (重要無形民俗文化財) in 2017.28 views
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The boat rests on wooden pallets called "soroban." It is dragged on a bed of soroban pallets.28 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.28 views
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Removing in the boat railingsbefore people boarded.28 views
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After being paraded around town all morning, the portable shrine arrives near the boat.28 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.28 views
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Turning the boat 90 degrees.28 views
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JR Otsuko Station platform.28 views
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Kikuchi's pottery.27 views
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Our table for lunch in the main room of Arigatee.27 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.27 views
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An-chan on a cup of sake.27 views
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Karinto manju.27 views
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However, the 12 whalers were instead held captive by the local samurai. They were tied to plum trees or confined to caves. More British ships arrived seeking the release of the prisoners.27 viewsAlso, the Mito Clan also brought in neighboring clans like the Taira Clan as reinforcement for a potential battle. Cannons were pointed at each other, but a conflict was averted by giving the whalers the water and food that sent them along their way away from Japan. In return, the whalers gave guns, spears, felt, gold, and silver as payment and had to promise not to approach Japan again.
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Hanazono Shrine (花園神社) is in the scenic Hanazono Gorge in the mountainous interior of the city. It's not related to Hanazono Shrine in Shinjuku, Tokyo, but it's related to Hie Shrine in Akasaka.27 viewsIt belongs to the same family of Shinto shrines worshipping the mountain deity Sanno (山王) headquartered at Hiyoshi Taisha Shrine at the foot of Mt. Hiei in Shiga Prefecture.
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About the pregnant tree. This tree's male partner and due date are unknown.27 views
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Torii27 views
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Hanazono Shrine priest.27 views
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Walking to the famous cedar tree.27 views
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About the cedar tree.27 views
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In the hotel lobby, Hina Matsuri dolls displayed for Girl's Day in early March.27 views
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Another part of the Taikan house. Very aesthetic.27 views
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This is a typical room in the hotel's modern tower. Twin beds.27 views
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Typical room in the hotel's modern tower. 27 views
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Sushi. Tuna, shrimp, ika squid, hotate scallop.27 views
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Next morning, breakfast in a large banquet hall.27 views
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View of Rokkakudo from the hotel's modern tower.27 views
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Relax here with a view.27 views
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Corner room.27 views
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A smaller guest room.27 views
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Large and private corner guest room inside Kimura Buzan home. It costs about ¥18,000 per person per night to stay here.27 views
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White ropes to pull the boat on the road.27 views
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Boat is 15 meters long, 4 meters wide, and weighs 5 tons. It becomes 2 tons heavier when the portable shrine (1 ton) and crew and musicians board.27 views
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The festival started to be held every 5 years from 1975. The boat has to be repaired after each festival and the money could not be secured more often than every 5 years.27 viewsThe boat is normally displayed at a fishing museum named Yo-soro (よう・そろー) in Kita-Ibaraki.
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This was the first Ofune Matsuri to be held in the new era of Reiwa.27 views
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Boat musicians and crew board the boat via ladder.27 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.27 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.27 views
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27 views
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They turn the boat by dragging the stern of the boat. They had a rope tied to the rear part of the boat.27 views
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JR Otsuko Station has its entrance modeled after the Rokkakudo Pavilion on the Izura Coast.27 views
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JR Otsuko Station platform.27 views
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From one clump of clay, I made all these pieces. Oh yeah, it's easy. Anybody can do it. It costs a few thousand yen per piece to color and fire. It is sent to us later.26 views
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Kiln is in a another small building.26 views
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Former farmhouse converted into an artist's studio and gallery called "Arigatee" (pronounced "Ariga-tay" ありがてえ). It means "thankful" (arigatai) in the local dialect. It's also named after the former owner 26 views
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Pottery by our teacher, Kikuchi Hidetoshi and wife Mie.26 views
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Kikuchi Hidetoshi and wife Mie.26 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. 26 views
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Covering only one eye.26 views
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Rare cedar with three trunks.26 views
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Main corridor inside Yokoyama Taikan Memorial Hall.26 views
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Outside the living room, a moon-viewing deck.26 views
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The Taikan house also has a small outdoor hot spring bath.26 views
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Beautiful tokonoma and painting.26 views
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Taikan's residence is great for groups up to 22 people. It's a residence separate from the main hotel building so there's lots of privacy. Rates are very reasonable too. It was awesome to stay here.26 views
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Typical room in the hotel's modern tower. This is the living room.26 views
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Biwa lute-shaped dish.26 views
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Buzan's beautiful tea ceremony room.26 views
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The okami-san posing in another guest room of the Buzan residence. 26 views
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Most boat musicians are local kids.26 views
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26 views
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When dragging the boat, the men have to run over the wooden pallets and take care not to trip and fall.26 views
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Pallets are ready for the next drag.26 views
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26 views
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The boat is tilted to one side when it is dragged. It creates less friction and makes it easier to drag.26 views
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Getting ready for the rest of the straight route.26 views
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This corner is the most crowded spot. Many people leave after seeing this corner turn.26 views
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Romon Gate25 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.25 views
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The portable shrine is loaded on the boat.25 views
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25 views
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Manhole in Koga, Ibaraki Prefecture showing fireworks and river.22 views
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Standing by for sunset.9 views
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The balloons inflated quite quickly.7 views
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The "Balloon Glow" event at Koga Kubo Park in Jan. 2023 was colorful and impressive even when the balloons did not fly. Free event, mainly local crowds.7 viewsThis was actually a 2022 Christmas Eve event, but it was postponed twice due to bad weather or strong winds. Finally held on Jan. 22, 2023.
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Kubo Park's grassy lawn where four hot-air balloons were placed, rolled out flat on a blue tarp over the grass. 芝生広場6 views
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JR Koga Station west exit.6 views
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JR Koga Station has a shopping mall named VAL.6 views
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Koga Kubo Park has Gosho-numa Pond. 5 views
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Map of Koga Kubo Park. Large park noted for peach blossoms from late March to early April. Also has irises and lotus in summer. 古河公方公園5 views
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Fujimi-zuka Hill 富士見塚5 views
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Burner is lit every so often to maintain the hot air.5 views
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This is how it looks when they are dark.5 views
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JR Koga Station east entrance sculpture.5 views
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JR Koga Station platform. About 73 min. by train from central Tokyo.5 views
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JR Koga Station platform.5 views
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Koga Kubo Park opened on March 24, 1975. It's quite a large park.4 views
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Pheasant bird cage. 鳥小屋4 views
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Food trucks for the balloon glow event.4 views
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Inflating the hot-air balloon.4 views
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The MC came up to the crowd and asked people to give the word to light up the balloons.4 views
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When it got dark enough, all four balloons lit up their balloons simultaneously numerous times during the one-hour event.4 views
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The balloon lights up only when the burner is shooting a flame under it. The flame illuminates the entire balloon. 4 views
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This photo was taken during the several seconds when the burners of all four balloons were flaming into the balloons at the same time.4 views
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All four balloons lit up at the same time many times during the one-hour balloon glow event. They played J-pop music in the background.4 views
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Crowd-pleasing event.4 views
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JR Koga Station (Tohoku Main Line or Utsunomiya Line) is the closet train station to Kubo park.4 views
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JR Koga Station4 views
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There were free shuttle buses from Koga Station (west exit) going to and from the park.4 views
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Free shuttle buses from Koga Station going to and from the park. This is the Kubo Park parking lot. The return bus is also here.4 views
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JR Koga Station information center (closed).4 views
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JR Koga Station east entrance.4 views
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Inflating the balloon.3 views
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Hot-air balloons are vulnerable to strong winds. See how the balloon can sway in strong winds.3 views
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They started blowing flames into the balloon.3 views
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JR Koga Station turnstile.3 views
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Shuttle bus schedule from JR Koga Station to Kubo Park.3 views
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JR Koga Station has a shopping mall named VAL.3 views
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