Held each year during a three day period with its peak on April 19th and 20th, the Hida Furukawa Matsuri is not only an national treasure since it has been designated as Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property by the government, but also an amazing festival (Matsuri) strong in color […]
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Fujiwara Heritage Park, also known in Japanese as Esashi Fujiwara no Sato, is smart little theme park built as a Heian period city and located in the heart of Iwate in Oshu City, also the birthplace of Kiyohira, the first lord of the Oshu-Fujiwara clan […]
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Originally built in 1928, the Uwakome Museum, or in English: Rice Museum, was actually Seiyo’s largest school. With a unique design, this 109m long school features one of Japan’s longest corridors. Entirely built of wood, and no longer capable of coping with modern school standards […]
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The Uwa Museum of Folk Tools in Seiyo is the definition of how looks can be deceiving. Located just in front the Kaimei School you will find a tiny little government building which hides in its annex building a treasure of artifacts and tools, known as the Uwa Museum […]
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Taking place in Goshogarawa between August 4th and 8th, the Goshagaware Tachineputa features some massive 23m tall and 19-ton parade floats that roam around the tiny little streets of Goshogawara with dancers all cheering and shouting “Yattemare! Yattemare!” […]
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Being of Uchiko’s prosperous past, including many natural wax manufacturing industries, Uchiko is still home, beside its Natural Wax Museum, of the latest Natural Wax candle Specialist with the Omori Candle Shop. Belonging to the Omori family with Mr. Taro Omori (6th generation craftsman) and his son, Ryotaro Omori […]
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The Aomori Nebuta is a Japanese fire festival held annually between August 2nd and 7th in Aomori city featuring over twenty nebutas or massive lantern floats based on kabuki or mythical stories. The Aomori Nebuta Festival is thought to have originated from the Tanabata festival, but its real roots […]
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Located in the heart of Ehime prefecture and within Ozu’s city management, Oyabu gorge is the definition of a natural wonder. Discovered only recently in 1876 during the Meiji period, the hot spring of Oyabu only became famous during the Taisho period which roughly corresponds to the first quarter […]
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Every year, the lovely city of Uchiko in Ehime holds a unique kite festival where amateurs and schools of the Uchiko area come and show off their skills. The winner here will be the person who was able to let his kite fly as high as possible. [...]
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While the difference may be subtle for us foreigners, sento and onsen are two different ways to enjoy Japanese bath culture. Simply put onsen means hot spring with hot natural water, while a sento is a paid public bath with heating boilers and dates back to as early as […]
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Boshu uchiwa, hand-made rigid fans originating from Chiba, take various forms. The standard round-shaped type; the “egg type,” which features a unique, smooth curve; and a long-shafted type, which allows the wielder to see the design move when it’s spun with the palms of the hands.
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The Sanshing, a three string guitar or banjo, is an Okinawan musical instrument and precursor to the more popular Shamisen. Unlike Shamisen however, Sanshing are traditionally made of bamboo and covered with the skin of the Burmese or reticulated python. Sanshin is by far my favorite Japanese music styles. […]
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