 Most viewed - MIE 三重県 |
Kunoichi female ninja guide1982 views
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Ninja disguises1685 views
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Ninja costumes1666 views
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An altar in the Iga-ryu Ninja House.1331 views
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Lets you escape to the next room instantly, or climb up or down the ladder on the right wall.1302 views
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Pepper bombs to blind you.1230 views
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The first demo is this swinging wall.1209 views
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What would a ninja museum be without a display of shuriken?1205 views
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This is a staircase concealed as a shelf.1105 views
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Meoto-Iwa Wedded Rocks off the coast of Futami-cho, Ise city, Mie Prefecture. 夫婦岩1047 views
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Ninja swords are short and straight with no curvature.1043 views
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949 views
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Sword hidden in the floor.927 views
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Another wall door that leads to the basement tunnel.922 views
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908 views
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Now a shelf. It leads to the attic.906 views
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Ueno-shi Station has ninja dolls to greet you.895 views
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Emergency escape hatch whose lock can be quickly released with a sheet of paper.888 views
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Entrance to the basement.885 views
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Ninja swords.872 views
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Hidden floor compartment where they hid their valuables outside the house.869 views
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When you push in the end of this floor plank, it opens up to reveal a sword.854 views
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841 views
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Lock picks798 views
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Another swinging wall door.795 views
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Ninjas in the kitchen. We could not go up into the attic as we can in Koka's ninja house in Shiga.756 views
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Bamboo sticks concealing a sword.755 views
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Inside the Iga-ryu Ninja House749 views
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Inside the Iga-ryu Ninja House.747 views
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There she goes.744 views
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731 views
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Flipper-like clogs to walk through swamps729 views
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Iron claws723 views
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Nakayama Emiri, a TV personality, tries to throw shuriken.708 views
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Storefront shutter with ninja drawings.695 views
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680 views
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679 views
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674 views
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Female ninja climbing over a wall.673 views
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672 views
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Sword demo669 views
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Kitchen in Iga-ryu Ninja House.668 views
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Iga-ryu Ninja Museum 668 views
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661 views
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658 views
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653 views
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652 views
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649 views
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Juggling sickles. Having a sickle did not arouse suspicion as it was a common farming tool. But for the ninja, it was an effective weapon.647 views
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Kitchen area in Iga-ryu Ninja House.634 views
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Revolving door of Iga-ryu Ninja House 620 views
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Iga-ryu Ninja House ninja show.620 views
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Once a group gets large enough, they take you all in and a female ninja guide explains the house's ninja trickery. Admission charged. Recommended is the set of tickets that admit you to the ninja house, castle, and Danjiri Museum.617 views
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616 views
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Duel to the death.605 views
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Making medicine.604 views
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603 views
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Five-colored rice grains used for secret communication.594 views
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Shuruken takes skill to throw.594 views
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Kitchen593 views
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Ninja shop589 views
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Five-colored rice grains used for secret communication.583 views
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Cushion581 views
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576 views
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For an extra 200 yen, you can watch the ninja show right next to the ninja house.575 views
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Female ninja574 views
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Iga-ryu Ninja House is in Ueno Park which includes Iga-Ueno Castle nearby.567 views
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Thatched-roof of Iga-ryu Ninja House.565 views
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Iga-ryu Ninja House is a thatched-roof house whose roof once caught fire in the 1990s. It was rebuilt.558 views
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More secret ninja language.554 views
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Inside ninja museum which is in a former rice warehouse.553 views
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552 views
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551 views
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Ninja doll on a pole.551 views
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Throwing sickles and shuriken.541 views
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539 views
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You have to applaud once in a while.538 views
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Even ninja get thirsty.534 views
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Veranda of Iga-ryu Ninja House 524 views
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518 views
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Rope knots hung on roof eaves, etc., were also used for communication.517 views
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Iga-ryu Ninja House garden. They take you in groups, so you may have to wait a while before you can go in.511 views
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Shuriken throwing.507 views
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Everywhere you go in Iga-Ueno, you see a ninja motif.493 views
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488 views
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Iga-Ueno Ninja Festa poster487 views
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Another ninja museum.482 views
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Even the trains have a ninja (female) paint job.480 views
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The shrine is dedicated to Sarutahiko and Ukano-mitama. Sarutahiko is a god which serves as a pathfinder guide. Deities for land/sea transportation safety. 二見477 views
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Ninjas under cherry blossoms.474 views
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Where you can rent a ninja costume.467 views
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See many people wearing ninja costumes during the ninja festa.467 views
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Futami Okitama Shrine does not have a main hall (Honden) like most other shrines. It worships the Okitama Sacred Stone in the ocean beyond the Wedded Rocks. 二見興玉神社429 views
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During April and early May, they hold the annual ninja festa.416 views
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Iga-Ueno really plays up its ninja past. 414 views
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Statue of Lord Takatora Todo, who became the 11th lord of the castle in 1608. He is revered for revamping the castle and developing the castle town of Tsu. He was originally from Inugami, Shiga Pref. This statue was built in 1998.406 views
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The Wedded Rocks are part of Futami Okitama Shrine known for frog sculptures. 二見興玉神社406 views
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Ninja paint job on a train.388 views
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Tsu Castle, Ushitora turret375 views
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The Wedded Rocks are actually a type of torii gate for worshipping the Okitama Sacred Stone in the ocean.359 views
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Five ropes are being positioned and made taut.333 views
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All the while, the cheering section chants and wave streamers.330 views
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Map of Ise Jingu's Naiku Shrine. First you cross Uji Bridge.326 views
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Map of Naiku at Ise Jingu Shrine and adjacent area.325 views
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Replacing the rope for the Wedded Rocks, Mie Pref.313 views
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Wedded Rocks with a new rope. Japan has numerous other Wedded Rocks and stones, but this is by far the most famous.308 views
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The ropes are now completely cut, breaking the bond between the two rocks.296 views
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Iga-Ueno Castle is one of three major tourist attractions in the city of Iga. It is a short walk from Ueno-shi Station on the Kintetsu Iga Line.291 views
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The frog is Sarutahiko's messenger. Frog is called "kaeru" in Japanese, which is a homonym for the another word meaning "return home." If you travel a lot, pray here for a safe return. 夫婦岩282 views
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Ise Jingu Shrine's Naiku (Inner Shrine) is the main and most popular shrine at Ise. The shrine is rebuilt every 20 years and 2013 will mark the completion of the new shrine to replace the old one built in 1993.277 views
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Close up map of Naiku. An adjacent plot next the shrine is for the next rebuilding of the shrine. The current, 20-year-old Naiku shrine is on an adjacent plot of land.272 views It takes 8 years to rebuild the Naiku shrine. So 12 years from now, they will start the rebuilding process all over again. Numerous ceremonies are held for this rebuilding, but only a few of them can be seen by the public.
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Inabe Shrine, where the Oyashiro Matsuri or Ageuma festival is held on the first Sat. and Sun. of April (if it falls on the 1st and 2nd, the festival is held on the 8th and 9th) in Toin, Mie Prefecture. A 15-min. walk from Toin Station on the Sangi Line.261 views
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The job is finished.260 views
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The torii on the larger rock is quite small. The sacred rope is replaced three times a year on May 5, September 5, and at the end of December.258 views
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The rope installers return to shore.250 views
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The new ropes are strung across the two rocks. A small rope tied to the end of the large rope is used to pull the large rope up the rock.246 views
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Men carry spanking-new shimenawa ropes to the rocks.245 views
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The men begin to cut off the old rope. Those sharp sickles soon made short work of the old sacred ropes which were brought ashore in small pieces.245 views
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Ise Jingu shrine maidens look the same as any other shrine maidens. They are likely college students hired just for New Year's to sell goods.237 views
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Ueno-shi Station234 views
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5月5日、9月5日と12月下旬には夫婦岩の大注連縄の張り替え神事が行われる。これらの写真は5月5日に撮影された。231 views
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Iga-Ueno's Ueno Park includes this beautiful building called the Haisei-den (俳聖殿), a hall dedicated to Haiku poet Matsuo Basho who was from Iga-Ueno.231 views
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The ceremony attracts a large crowd.227 views
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221 views
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The shimenawa rope actually consists of five smaller ropes. They cut the ropes one by one.218 views
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The shimenawa rope bonding the Wedded Rocks is replaced three times a year. May 5, when these photos were taken, is one of the days when they replace the rope. First, they gathered at the shrine at 10 am for a 30-min. prayer ceremony.212 views
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Pieces of the old rope. Anyone could take home the pieces of old sacred rope if they wanted.207 views
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Lantern and sunset at Futami Okitama Shrine202 views
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Iga-Ueno Castle and cherry blossoms, Mie Prefecture.202 views
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The bottleneck at Naiku was this little torii which most people wanted to walk through at the top of the steps. People like me who didn't have time opted to go up the steps on the right side in no time. 201 views
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Iga-Ueno Castle and cherry blossoms, Mie Prefecture. During the Meiji Restoration, Ueno Castle's structures were dismantled as with many other castles.199 views
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196 views
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Making sure that the rope is aligned and positioned correctly.190 views
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One by one, the men carefully positioned the new sacred ropes on the two Rocks. All the while, young children and young men are chanting on the shore.188 views
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185 views
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Castle wall facing the street184 viewsWhen you walk to Tsu Castle from the bus stop, this is what you first see. It is obviously a flatland-type castle. Tsu Castle was first built in 1580 by Oda Nobukane, the younger brother of warlord Oda Nobunaga.
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Sunset at Futami Okitama Shrine. In the old days when traveling was a hazardous undertaking in Japan, pilgrims who traveled to worship at the Ise Grand Shrines prayed here for a safe return home.183 views
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The second rope is installed.183 views
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About 300-400 meters to the Naiku shrine, it got congested. It took about an hour to reach the foot of the steps going up to the shrine.183 views
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I wondered how much I should donate for this sake. I just dropped a 100 yen coin and probably got 20 yen worth of sake. At Atsuta Shrine (one of Japan's Big Three shrines) in Nagoya, they have a nice big hall where they serve hot tea and sweets for 181 viewsNothing like that here.
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180 views
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Look how small the offertory box is at Ise Jingu's Naiku. The one at Meiji Shrine in Tokyo is like half the size of a football field. Of course, Ise Jingu just doesn't have the space for it.180 views
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178 views
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176 views
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Naiku shrine and torii are in sight at the top of the steps ahead. We were told that it would take more than an hour just to get up these steps. However, we could walk up the steps quickly on the right edge of the steps.175 views
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Noted for cherry blossoms, Kyuka Park is on the site of Kuwana Castle which was occupied by Honda Tadakatsu.173 viewsAdjacent to the park is the Kuwana-juku post town on the Tokaido Road that welcomed visitors after they crossed the ocean (Shichiri-no-watashi) from Miya-juku in Aichi. Photo: Kuwana sign at Kuwana Station.
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The old rope is taken away.172 views
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171 views
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The first rope is wound around both rocks.170 views
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Moat164 views
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Ise manhole depicting Ise Jingu pilgrims. Mie Pref.164 views
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Nyutoku-mon Gate163 views
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Statue of Basho at Ueno-shi Station.163 views
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Entering Geku shrine at Ise.161 views
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Ushitora turret entrance (not open)154 views
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153 views
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Three-story Ushitora turret, reconstructed in 1958.152 viewsThis is the only significant building remaining of the castle.
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Garden in Nishinomaru151 views
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Map of Toin town, Mie. Many thanks to my friends Tomoyo and Shunji in Toin-cho for taking me to see this festival.150 views
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Todo Takatora's helmet148 views
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147 views
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Uji Bridge is made of hinoki cypress wood. The bridge columns are made of keyaki.146 views
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The narrow gauge makes the trains narrower too.140 views
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High walls prevent us from seeing the sacred shrine buildings of Naiku. Photography is not allowed inside these walls so don't try to use a long pole with a camera attached to take pictures. There are guards everywhere. 139 views
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The line's train tracks has an extra narrow gauge.137 views
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It takes 8 years to rebuild the Naiku shrine. So 12 years from now, they will start the rebuilding process all over again. Numerous ceremonies are held for this rebuilding, but only a few of them can be seen by the public.137 views
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Roof horns at Ise Jingu's Naiku.136 views
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Statue of Lord Honda Tadakatsu at Kyuka Park. 本多忠勝130 views
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Collecting coins at Taka-no-miya Shrine 多賀宮.130 views
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Ushitora turret129 views
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Look how small the offertory box is at Geku.129 views
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Ushitora turret and stone wall127 views
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Liberty Bell, exhibited at the 1939 New York World's Fair. Has 12,250 pearls and 366 diamonds. The crack is reproduced with blue pearls. Mikimoto Pearl Museum127 views
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Kyuka Park moat near Shichiri-no-watashi.126 views
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Moat125 views
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Hiroshige's woodblock print of Kuwana (43rd post town on the Tokaido) from his "Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido Road" series. People traveling by boat to Kuwana from Miya.125 views
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124 views
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Geku Outer Shrine at Ise Jingu.123 views
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123 views
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Collecting coins.123 views
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120 views
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Mikimoto's Five-Storied Pagoda (御木本五重塔). Exhibited at Sesquicentennial Exposition in Philadelphia, 1926. It has 12,760 pearls.120 views
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Samurai armor119 views
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Ise-shi Station platform upon arrival on Jan. 1, 2013. Ise Jingu's Geku Outer Shrine is a short walk from this station.119 views
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Moat118 views
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Tokaido Road in Kuwana-juku.118 views
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Ama divers at Mikimoto Pearl Museum.118 views
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Yume-dono Pavilion based on the building at Horyuji temple in Nara. 118 views
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Mikimoto Pearl Island115 views
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A short walk from Ueno Park is the Basho Oseika (芭蕉翁生家) or Basho's childhood home. Iga is the birthplace of Matsuo Basho (1644-1694), and the house where he grew up in still stands.114 views
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Ama diver sculpture in Pearl Museum, Mikimoto Pearl Island.113 views
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Foundation of the castle tower (rear)112 views
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Park fountain in the castle grounds109 views
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The festival's main event is the Ageuma (Leaping or Rising Horse) ceremony held 12 times on Sat. and six times on Sun. One of the horses to be used. The Ageuma is unique to Mie and started here at Inabe Shrine.108 views
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The end of the slope where the horse is to leap over the steep earthen wall. Cherry trees accent the steep incline. The horse gallops and full speed for about 500 meters before encountering this steep incline.105 views
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This earthen wall looks like 2 or 3 meters high. This festival is unique to Mie Prefecture. A similar and much more crowded Ageuma ceremony is held at Tado Shrine also in Mie and not far from Inabe Shrine.103 views
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The moment after this shot was taken, this baton hit my camera lens and bounced off. A kid nearby quickly picked up the dropped baton. That's okay, I let him have it. My gift to the local people.103 views
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Inside Iga Ueno Danjiri Museum.103 views
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Statue of Mikimoto Kokichi.103 views
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After a few hind-leg kicks, the horse manages to go over. When the horse goes over, it is an omen that this year's harvest will be abundant. Imagine the enormous pressure on the rider to go over the top.102 views
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Castle wall101 viewsThe stone wall is long, and the entrance to the castle grounds is on the far end, in front of the three-story Ushitora turret.
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Foundation of the castle tower101 viewsThe 5-story castle tower was destroyed in 1600 during the Battle of Sekigahara. It was never rebuilt.
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Iga-yaki ceramic statue of Basho inside the Haisei-den.101 views
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The study is a very simple, yet aesthetic and meditative-looking room.101 views
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The house is open to the public as a tourist attraction (admission 300 yen). The house was rebuilt after it being damaged by a large earthquake in 1854.101 views
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This is what the steep incline looks like from the other side. The galloping horse must manage to leap up and over the steep wall called the Agezaka (上げ坂).101 views
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My camera was fine. Nothing broken, but the edge of my lens filter had a slight dent...100 views
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Oyashiro Festival poster.100 views
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Iga Ueno Danjiri Museum100 views
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Iga-Ueno Castle and cherry blossoms, Mie Prefecture.99 views
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There are six jockeys, all local teenage boys, chosen by lottery. They have to be quite brave to undertake the Ageuma ceremony since accidents and injuries do happen. Some parents refuse to allow their sons to be chosen.99 views
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One end of the riding course.99 views
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Ise-shi Station with kadomatsu New Year's decorations.99 views
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People behind me.99 views
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A short walk from Iga-Ueno Castle and almost next to the ninja house, the Haisei-den was built in 1942 to mark the 300th anniversary of Basho's birth. 98 views
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Kitchen area with a well on the left and stoves toward the right.98 views
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Toin Station on the Sangi Railway Hokusei Line.98 views
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Hiroshige's woodblock print of Iga-Ueno from his "Famous Views of the 60 Provinces" series. The castle can be seen in the distance.98 views
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Inner stone wall97 views
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Iga-Ueno Castle was first built by Takigawa Katsutoshi, a vassal of Kitabatake Nobuaki (Oda Nobuo, Nobunaga's second son). In 1585, Tsutsui Sadatsugu took over.97 views initiated construction of Iga Ueno Castle in 1585. He was followed by Tsutsui Sadatsugu
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Top floor97 views
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Inside the castle tower is the Iga Museum of Culture and Industry. This is the first floor.97 views
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The back of the house is Basho's study called Chogetsuken (釣月軒) where he wrote the Kai-ooi (貝おほい) series of poems.97 views
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Room inside Basho's childhood home.97 views
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The Ageuma or Leaping Horse ceremony is only one of the religious ceremonies held during the Oyashiro Festival. The god of wooden architecture is one of the gods Inabe Shrine worships. Carpenters from this area built Horyuji and Todaiji in Nara.97 views
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On both sides are special spectator seating (decorated in red/white) for the shrine priests and VIPs. We did not see any riders or horses get injured this day. These photos were taken on April 5, 2009.97 views
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Torii gate at Uji Bridge. Very crowded with New Year's worshippers going for hatsumode prayers.97 views
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Foundation of the castle tower (side view)96 views
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In 1611, Todo Takatora took over Ueno Castle. Iga-Ueno Castle is also a major cherry blossom spot in early April.96 views
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Bust of Kawasaki Katsu.96 views
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The jockeys wera a colorful costume, the hanagasa hat has a different decoration (pine tree, peony, iris, etc.) for each jockey. Each jockey represents a local district in Toin town.96 views
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The horse gets stuck as its hind legs cannot push off from any surface. It kept kicking its hind legs as it desperately tried to get over the embankment and it finally did. This was the first run of the day on Sunday.96 views
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Next horse up. In the past, they spiked the horse with stimulants to make it more excited, but they discontinued that practice.96 views
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The victorious rider holds out a fan and sings a victory song. People celebrate the imminent abundant harvest.96 views
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In 1980, Ueno Castle served as a backdrop for Kurosawa Akira's movie, Kagemusha.95 views
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Men await for the horse on the incline. They help to get the horse over the top and prevent injury to the rider.95 views
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Before the festival, the six riders undergo a period of purification in the morning and evening in the river. On the day of the festival, they bathe in the river. This one is getting on the horse.95 views
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One of the tallest castle walls in Japan.94 views
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The rider looks relieved, and proud to have a lifetime memory.94 views
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The running course is quite short, maybe 100-150 meters. It cannot be too long or else the horse will get too tired to make the final leap.93 views
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They are still excavating a few areas of the castle for historical remains. I visited in April 2009.92 views
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View from atop Iga-Ueno Castle.92 views
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Stairs to the bleachers which are actually compartments of sitting areas. The bleachers line both sides of the course leading to the steep incline. 92 views
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The horse makes it over the top. On Sat., the first day of the festival, there are 12 Ageuma runs. On Sunday, the second day, there are six Ageuma runs starting at 1 pm. In the morning, they have a few practice runs, but do not try to go over the top.92 views
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This is near the start of the course where the rider gets on the horse.92 views
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92 views
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On the steps going up to Naiku shrine. This was where it got ridiculous. Literally a snail's pace.92 views
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Crossing Uji Bridge on the way back.92 views
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Oharai-machi shopping street outside Naiku entrance. Bus stop for the train stations and Geku is near here.92 views
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Stone marker for Ueno Castle located in Ueno Park. Officially called Ueno Castle and nicknamed Hakuho Castle or Iga-Ueno Castle. Noted for cherry blossoms in April and the highest castle walls in Japan.91 views
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Iga-Ueno Castle and cherry blossoms, Mie Prefecture.91 views
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