More glimpses of unfamiliar Japan

Coming from northern Europe, I still am delighted by the fact that gardens in Japan keep producing all year long and the ground doesn't ...

The Otafuku mask doesn't appear in any Iwami kagura dances that I know of, but it is worn by the female half of a kyogen duo. Otafuku is...

This is the manhole cover from the town of Yasugi, east of Matsue in Shimane. It shows a dancer dancing the Dojou Sukui. Doujo are small eel...

An Invitation to Kagura Hidden gem of the Traditional Japanese Performing Arts. David Petersen ISBN 978-1-84753-006-6 362pp When I first bec...

We've had freezing gale-force winds and snow flurries, so all the leaves have fallen off the trees, but here are some pics from 2 weeks ...

Gokoku shrines are considered branches of the infamous Yasukuni Shrine. "Nation Protecting Shrines" enshrine those who died for th...

Hikimi Gorge is located in the mountains of the SW corner of Shimane, near the border with Hiroshima. There are actually 2 gorges, the Upper...

Last week was the childrens kagura festival over the river in Kawado. The video shows a part of the second dance performed at kagura events,...

Chinese cabbage, or Pak Choi, is known as hakusai in Japanese, and is common in most gardens. It has been grown in it's native China for...

One of the pleasures of exploring the backcountry of Japan is discovering the unexpected, and so it was with our trip up into the mountains ...