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Shigaraki, Shiga
Why are the balls of “Pottery Raccoon Dog Statue” of Shigaraki ware so big? Let me introduce eight hidden meanings of the raccoon dog statue! Shigaraki is an area located in the western part of Koka City, the southernmost part of Shiga Prefecture. The west of Koka City is neighboring Kyoto and the south is neighboring the Iga City of Mie Prefecture. During the Nara period (mid 8th century), Emperor Shomu placed the capital in Shigaraki for only 3 years. Shigaraki is also famous for its teas (Asamiya tea) and potteries (Shigaraki ware). “Asamiya tea” is one of the oldest tea of Japan which has been cultivated for over 1,200 […]
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Sendai Castle
If you visit Sendai, you definitely want to see the equestrian statue of Masamune Date at the Sendai Castle ruins. It is an image of a one-eyed dragon, but it does not have an eyepatch. What does that mean? Sendai Castle, located in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, was built by Masamune Date, the 17th head of the Date family and the first lord of the Sendai domain. Honmaru (main enclosure) was completed in 1602. Although the castle tower base was built, it is said that the castle tower was not built in order to avoid Ieyasu Tokugawa’s caution. Sendai Castle is located on Mt. Aoba, so it is affectionately called […]
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Naruto whirlpools
The world’s largest “Naruto whirlpools” that look through the glass 45m above from the sea is so thrilling! My legs were unconsciously frozen with fear of falling the glass! Naruto Strait is a 1.3-km strait between Awaji Island in Hyogo Prefecture and Oge Island in Tokushima Prefecture. Naruto Strait is very famous for its whirlpools and is said to be one of the world’s three major tidal currents, along with the “Strait of Messina” in Italy and the “Seymour Narrows” in the United States. Mechanism of whirlpools in the Naruto Strait The whirlpools in the Naruto Strait are related to the tidal currents caused by the ebb and flow of […]
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Kurobe Dam
I’ll tell you the secret to seeing a rainbow for sure at the very famous sightseeing water discharge of the Kurobe Dam, which will make even people who are not interested in dams into dam lovers. Kurobe Dam is a dedicated hydroelectric dam built on the Kurobe River, which flows through the town of Tateyama in Toyama Prefecture. It is also called the Kuroyon Dam because it supplies water to the Kurobe River No.4(“yon” in Japanese) Power Plant of Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc. The sightseeing water discharge, which has become a tourist attraction at the Kurobe Dam, is held from late June to mid-October every year, from 6:30 am […]
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Nushima Island (birthplace of Japan)
Nushima Island in Hyogo Prefecture is the birthplace of Japan! In the age of the gods, Izanagi and Izanami made the most of the Japanese Archipelago on this island! Nushima Island is a small island with about 10km of the circumference. It is located 4.6km south of the southern tip of Awaji Island (Minami Awaji City, Hyogo Prefecture). There is a regular liner from the Habu fishing harbor in Awaji Island and you can go to Nushima Island in 10 minutes. When seeing this island from the sky, you can see the shape of the island is like a Magatama (comma-shaped beads, one of the three Sacred Treasures symbolizing the […]
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The Legend of Tenaga Ashinaga in Mt. Chokai
When you visit the foot of Mt. Chokai, do not forget the story of “Tenaga Ashinaga,” a supernatural monster in Japanese folklore. Mt. Chokai (elevation 2236m) is an independent mountain located on the border of Yamagata Prefecture and Akita Prefecture. The beautiful scenery of Mt. Chokai is selected as one of 100 famous mountains in Japan and 100 landscapes of Japan. Mt. Chokai is called “Dewa Fuji.” This is because the beautiful snowy appearance resembles Mt. Fuji. The foothills of this magnificent mountain extend to the sea. Mt. Chokai influences a lot on the people who live around the foot of the mountain. People believe that a god called “Omonoimino […]
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Chirihama Nagisa Driveway
Get exhilarating feeling by driving on the beach! I ran “Chirihama Nagisa Driveway” in Ishikawa Prefecture! Located on the west side of the base of the Noto Peninsula, the Chirihama Coast, which is about 8km from Hodatsushimizu Town to Hakui City in Ishikawa Prefecture, is the only sandy beach in Japan where all vehicles such as cars, buses, bikes, and bicycles can run along the beach. It is famous as “Chirihama Nagisa Driveway”. Because the sand on Chirihama Coast is even and smaller than the usual so when it absorbs water it will firmly tightened and automobile can run without sinking on the beach. However, even at such Chirihama Coast, […]
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Kurobe Gorge
Let’s check the highlights before getting on Trokko in Kurobe Gorge! I will introduce 8 popular spots along the Kurobe Gorge Railway line. Kurobe gorge is the Hida Mountains (commonly known as North Alps) that across 4 prefectures of Toyama, Gifu, Nagano and Niigata. Among them, Kurobe gorge is the most precipitous large V-shaped valley in Japan which flow from the middle to the upper stream of Kurobe river to the east of Toyama prefecture, In Kurobe gorge, Torokko (the trolley train) is running. “Trokko” is a freight car that carries soils and stones from construction sites and English truck is its word origin. Kurobe Gorge Railway Trokko in Kurobe […]
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Aizu Wakamatsu Tsuruga Castle
“Oh! The castle is on fire!” Why did the Byakkotai, White Tiger Unit, misunderstand that Tsuruga Castle was burning? “Tsuruga Castle” in Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, is a unique castle with Castle tower of a red roofing tile. Its official name is “Wakamatsu Castle”, but people of Aizu call it “Tsuruga Castle”. Tsuruga Castle was first built in 1384 by the Ashina family as Kurokawa Castle. In 1589, Date Masamune ruled Aizu by defeating Ashina, but the following year, Aizu confiscated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. And Gamo Ujisato, who was Oda Nobunaga’s son-in-law ruled that land. Gamo Ujisato significantly renovated Kurokawa Castle, renamed it as “Tsuruga Castle”, and named the place […]
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Japanese mythology”Hare of Inaba” that is passed down along the Hakuto Coast
Hakuto Coast in Tottori Prefecture, where appeared in the story of Japanese mythology “Hare of Inaba” is the birthplace of the first love story of Japan! Hakuto Coast in Tottori Prefecture, where has beautiful white sands, is the shore where the Japanese myth “Hare of Inaba” was set. Hakuto Coast is part of the Tottori Sand Dunes, also selected as one of the “100 best beach of Japan”. In the offshore of Hakuto Coast, there is Oki Island where white hare has inhabited. The shore reefs continue from Oki Island to Hakuto Coast is compared to group of sharks that the hare have stepped and crossed to the coast in […]
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Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture, model location for Kenji Miyazawa’s “Night on the Galactic Railroad”
Welcome to the world of Kenji Miyazawa! I will introduce the spots that were the model of “Night on the Galactic Railroad”! From Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture. Kenji Miyazawa is a writer of children’s story who represents Japan. He is from Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture and in Hanamaki City, there are many spots related to one of his representative work “Night on the Galactic Railroad”. It is said that the model of Galactic Railroad was a “Iwate Light Railway” which is a railroad company used to be in Iwate Prefecture. Iwate Light Railway traveled the line corresponds to the later Kamiishi Line of JR East. The elementary school that Giovanni […]
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About the sculptures of Nikko Toshogu Shrine
Monkey, cat, sparrow, elephant, eagle, tiger, lion, kylin, dragon … The world heritage “Nikko Toshogu” is a zoo of sculptures! “Nikko Toshogu Shrine”, located in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, is a shrine dedicated to Ieyasu Tokugawa, and it was built in 1617 based on the will of Ieyasu Tokugawa, the first shogun of the Edo Shogunate. Most of today’s shrines were rebuilt from 1634 to 1636 by the third shogun, Iemitsu Tokugawa. In the ground of the shrine, there are 55 shrine pavilions including 8 national treasures and 34 important cultural heritages and there are many highlights such as building designs and sculptures with vivid colors. In 1999, it was registered […]