Mount Takao is a mountain near Tokyo.

Standing 599 metres tall and located within an hour of downtown Tokyo, it is a popular hiking spot, with eight hiking courses and more than 2.5 million annual visitors. The Tama Forest Science Garden is also located at the mountain’s base.

Mount Takao is closely associated with tengu, minor kami from Japanese folklore, and the daitengu Naigubu. A Buddhist temple, Takaosan Yakuōin Yūkiji, is located on the mountain.

Visitors to Mount Takao can choose to start climbing from the base, or take a funicular or ropeway ride halfway up the mountain. The Takao Mountain Railroad operates both of these services. The system nominally has four stations—two each for the funicular and the ropeway. However, the distance between the pairs of stations is only a few dozen meters (at the base of the mountain) and approximately 150 meters (at the top of the services, which are themselves about a 30 minute scenic uphill walk from the top of Mount Takao itself), so they can essentially both be thought of as coming from and going to the same place.

Some visitors to Mount Takao bypass the Takao Mountain Railroad services entirely. Trail 1 from the base of the mountain is a somewhat arduous climb, but it is paved and leads past the top stations of both the ropeway and the funicular on the way to the summit. Trail 6 and the “Inariyama Trail” are unpaved trails that start from the base of the mountain and go all the way to the summit, but they do not pass the ropeway and funicular top stations. Some visitors to Takao ride up the mountain and then walk back down.

One end of the Tōkai Nature Trail is at Mount Takao, at the Takaosan-guchi Station. The other end is at Minoh, near Osaka.

source: wikipedia

Sensō-ji is an ancient Buddhist temple located in Asakusa. It is Tokyo’s oldest temple, and one of its most significant. Formerly associated with the Tendai sect, it became independent after World War II.

The temple is dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon, also known as Guan Yin or the Goddess of Mercy. According to legend, a statue of the Kannon was found in the Sumida River in 628 by two fishermen, the brothers Hinokuma Hamanari and Hinokuma Takenari. The chief of their village, Hajino Nakamoto, recognized the sanctity of the statue and enshrined it by remodeling his own house into a small temple in Asakusa, so that the villagers could worship the Kannon.

The first temple was built on the site in 645, which makes it the oldest temple in Tokyo. In the early years of the Tokugawa shogunate, Tokugawa Ieyasu designated Sensō-ji as tutelary temple of the Tokugawa clan.

During World War II, the temple was bombed and for the most part destroyed. It was rebuilt later and is a symbol of rebirth and peace to the Japanese people. In the courtyard there is a tree that was hit by a bomb in the air raids, it had regrown in the husk of the old tree and is a similar symbol to the temple itself.

The Mitama Matsuri, or “Festival of Lights” is held in Tokyo from July 13 to 16 in the Yasukuni shrine located near the station Kudanshita (Shinjuku Line, Hanzomon Line and Tozai Line), also accessible from the Ichigaya station soubu line ( about 10min walk)

The Yasukuni Shrine is a Shinto shrine dedicated to all the soldiers died for their country since the Meiji Restoration. It honors more than 2 million Japanese soldier souls died in imperial wars.  There is also i the war museum in this temple, and of course, each year the Mitama Matsuri is held, which is intended to appease the souls of fallen warriors since 1853.

In addition to approximately 30,000 lanterns, you will see traditional food stalls of traditional matsuri, attractions include a haunted house.  Performances of traditional dances, parades, performances of martial arts … Every night, the spirits of soldiers killed in the war receive a ceremony in order to be comforted.

The matsuri is a must see in early summer in Tokyo, during day time AND also night to see the lanterns!

Bon Odori (盆踊り), meaning simply Bon dance is a style of dancing performed during Obon. Originally a Nenbutsu folk dance to welcome the spirits of the dead, the style of celebration varies in many aspects from region to region. Each region has a local dance, as well as different music. The music can be songs specifically pertinent to the spiritual message of Obon, or local min’yo folk songs. Consequently, the Bon dance will look and sound different from region to region. Hokkaidō is known for a folk-song known as “Soran Bushi.” The song “Tokyo Ondo” takes its namesake from the capital of Japan. “Gujo Odori” in Gujō, Gifu prefecture is famous for all night dancing. “Goshu Ondo” is a folk song from Shiga prefecture. Residents of the Kansai area will recognize the famous “Kawachi ondo.” Tokushima in Shikoku is very famous for its “Awa Odori,” or “fool’s dance,” and in the far south, one can hear the “Ohara Bushi” of Kagoshima.

The way in which the dance is performed is also different in each region, though the typical Bon dance involves people lining up in a circle around a high wooden scaffold made especially for the festival called a ‘yagura’. The yagura is usually also the bandstand for the musicians and singers of the Obon music. Some dances proceed clockwise, and some dances proceed counter-clockwise around the yagura. Some dances reverse during the dance, though most do not. At times, people face the yagura and move towards and away from it. Still some dances, such as the Kagoshima Ohara dance, and the Tokushima Awa Odori, simply proceed in a straight line through the streets of the town.

The dance of a region can depict the area’s history and specialization. For example, the movements of the dance of the Tankō Bushi (the “coal mining song”) of old Miike Mine in Kyūshū show the movements of miners, i.e. digging, cart pushing, lantern hanging, etc. All dancers perform the same dance sequence in unison.

There are other ways in which a regional Bon dance can vary. Some dances involve the use of different kinds of fans, others involve the use of small towels called tenugui which may have colorful designs. Some require the use of small wooden clappers, or “kachi-kachi” during the dance. The “Hanagasa Odori” of Yamagata is performed with a straw hat that has been decorated with flowers.

The music that is played during the Bon dance is not limited to Obon music and min’yo; some modern enka hits and kids’ tunes written to the beat of the “ondo” are also used to dance to during Obon season. The “Pokémon Ondo” was used as one of the ending theme songs for the anime series in Japan.

The Bon dance tradition is said to have started in the later years of the Muromachi period as a public entertainment. In the course of time, the original religious meaning has faded, and the dance has become associated with summer.

To celebrate O-Bon in Okinawa, the eisa drum dance is performed instead.

text by wikipedia

 

The Mitama Matsuri, or “Festival of Lights” is held in Tokyo from July 13 to 16 in the Yasukuni shrine located near the station Kudanshita (Shinjuku Line, Hanzomon Line and Tozai Line), also accessible from the Ichigaya station soubu line ( about 10min walk)

The Yasukuni Shrine is a Shinto shrine dedicated to all the soldiers died for their country since the Meiji Restoration. It honors more than 2 million Japanese soldier souls died in imperial wars.  There is also i the war museum in this temple, and of course, each year the Mitama Matsuri is held, which is intended to appease the souls of fallen warriors since 1853.

In addition to approximately 30,000 lanterns, you will see traditional food stalls of traditional matsuri, attractions include a haunted house.  Performances of traditional dances, parades, performances of martial arts … Every night, the spirits of soldiers killed in the war receive a ceremony in order to be comforted.

The matsuri is a must see in early summer in Tokyo, during day time AND also night to see the lanterns!

The Mitama Matsuri, or “Festival of Lights” is held in Tokyo from July 13 to 16 in the Yasukuni shrine located near the station Kudanshita (Shinjuku Line, Hanzomon Line and Tozai Line), also accessible from the Ichigaya station soubu line ( about 10min walk)

The Yasukuni Shrine is a Shinto shrine dedicated to all the soldiers died for their country since the Meiji Restoration. It honors more than 2 million Japanese soldier souls died in imperial wars.  There is also i the war museum in this temple, and of course, each year the Mitama Matsuri is held, which is intended to appease the souls of fallen warriors since 1853.

In addition to approximately 30,000 lanterns, you will see traditional food stalls of traditional matsuri, attractions include a haunted house.  Performances of traditional dances, parades, performances of martial arts … Every night, the spirits of soldiers killed in the war receive a ceremony in order to be comforted.

The matsuri is a must see in early summer in Tokyo, during day time AND also night to see the lanterns!

The modern toilet in Japan, in English sometimes called Super Toilet, and commonly known in Japanese as Washlet (ウォシュレット Woshuretto) or as warm-water cleaning toilet seat (温水洗浄便座 onsui senjō benza) is one of the most advanced types of toilet worldwide, showing a dazzling array of features. The Toto product Washlet Zoe is listed in Guinness World Records as the world’s most sophisticated toilet with seven functions. However, as the model was introduced in 1997, it is now likely to be inferior to the latest model by Toto Neorest. The idea for the washlet came from abroad, and the first toilet seat with integrated bidet was produced in the United States in 1964. The age of the high-tech toilet in Japan started in 1980 with the introduction of the Washlet G Series by Toto, and since then the product name washlet has been used to refer to all types of Japanese high-tech toilets. As of 2002, almost half of all private homes in Japan have such a toilet, exceeding the number of households with a personal computer. While the toilet looks like a Western-style toilet at first glance, there are numerous additional features—such as blow dryer, seat heating, massage options, water jet adjustments, automatic lid opening, automatic flushing, wireless control panel, room heating and air conditioning for the room—included either as part of the toilet or in the seat. These features can be accessed by an (often wireless) control panel attached to the seat or mounted on a nearby wall.

text: wikipedia

Decoration on the street for Tanabata, the star festival, with a nice tanabata song background by little kids (1-2yrs old)

Tanabata (七夕, meaning “Evening of the seventh”) is a Japanese star festival, originating from the Chinese Qixi Festival. It celebrates the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi (represented by the stars Vega and Altair respectively). According to legend, the Milky Way separates these lovers, and they are allowed to meet only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month of the lunisolar calendar. The date of Tanabata varies by region of the country, but the first festivities begin on July 7 of the Gregorian calendar. The celebration is held at various days between July and August.

if you have some nice picture I can use here, please let me know ^_^

Kappa (河童, “river-child”), alternately called Kawatarō (川太郎?, “river-boy”) or Kawako (川子, “river-child”), are legendary creatures, a type of water sprite found in Japanese folklore. In Shintō they are considered to be one of many suijin. A hair-covered variation of a Kappa is called a Hyōsube (ひょうすべ).

Kappa are similar to Scandinavian Näkki, Germanic Neck and Scottish Kelpie in that all have been used to scare children of dangers lurking in waters.

Find more about the Kappa on wikipedia