More glimpses of unfamiliar Japan

  Early May, 2013, and I start day 6 of my walk along the Kannon pilgrimage in the former province of Iwami, the Iwami Mandala Kannon. The l...

  I begin the second leg of my walk up the Gonokawa River to its source from my home. I live on the other bank to the one I am walking up. M...

Last week while across the river heading to pick up some firewood I was surprised to see some villagers from the little hamlet in a proc...

Not only was Thursday Childrens Day and the Kawado Childrens Matsuri, but also the annual Kawado Suijin Matsuri. Following the ceremony in ...

Probably the first thing you notice at Tanzan Shrine is the rather unusual 13-story pagoda. Pagodas are of course Buddhist, and this was a t...

Mine-Ji is an ancient mountain temple looking down on Unnan Town in the Okuizumo district south of Lake Shinji. I previously posted on th...

The procession reaches the riverbank where two boats are waiting to ferry the mikoshi upstream. One boat carries the young men with the bamb...

Most years on May 5th we cross over the river to the Suijin Matsuri in Kawado. This year we went instead to our local Suijin Matsuri in Tan...