Not Harajuku!!

Harajuku is a neighbourhood of Tokyo renowned for it's young Japanese cosplayers who hang out there. It has become one of the "must see" sights for tourists to Japan. I've never actually been to Harajuku. Never actually been to Tokyo. It is my intention to never visit Tokyo.

Anyway, it may look like these photos were taken in Harajuku, but in fact they were taken on Iwaijima, a tiny island of 500 souls off the south coast of Yamaguchi. And these boys are not cosplayers, but participants in a sacred ritual that dates back more than 1,100 years!

They are part of the crew of huge rowing boats that sail out to sea to meet and guide 3 boats that have come from Kyushu, bringing Shinto priests to the island for a week of ceremony and matsuri that occurs every 5 years.

Just got back from a fantastic 2 days there,... took 500 photos,... experienced some wonderful hospitality...... will post more later.....

Another post with video

Bon Odori

The population of the village has doubled in the past few days. This is O Bon, somewhat similar to the Mexican Day of the Dead, the time that the spirits of the ancestors return to their earthly homes. There is a mass exodus from the cities as children, and grandchildren, return to their home villages. Gravestones have been washed and cleaned, and in our village a matsuri is held.

There are food stalls, games, and of course. kagura. First off the kids performed a couple of dances, then it was time for the village group to dance.

The Ebisu dance is always popular at matsuri's, as he throws bucketfulls of candy out to the kids in the audience.

And of course the Yamata no Orichi dance where Susano battles the eight-headed serpent.

But the main event of the night is the Bon Odori. Every region has their own version of the dance, but it usually involves the villagers dancing in a circle around a central platform that holds the drummer and singers.

Kannon Falls

When we have visitors and it's hot, instead of heading to the beach to cool off we usually head to a waterfall. There are a lot of waterfalls in our area, and the highest, and also the most accessible is Kannon Falls.

Located up a small valley that runs down to the Gonokawa river at the village of Shikaga, the falls are about 400 metres up a pleasant path that follows the stream dappled in the sunlight filtering through the trees. The falls are more than 50 meters high, and end in a largish pool that is waist-deep in the middle.

It's a popular place in the summer and there are usually several families there, splashing, picnicing, and fishing, though no locals come here after dark as long ago a woman climbed to the top of the falls and committed suicide by jumping, so it is believed her ghost haunts the area.

The falls are named for Kannon, the Japanese name for the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy, and there is a small shrine to her near the base of the falls. Note the figure of the Virgin Mary in the bottom right. In parts of east Asia, and among Japan's "hidden christians", Kannon was equated with the virgin mary, allowing them to appear to be worshipping the buddhist Goddess, but secretly worshiping Mary.

Typical Japanese landscape 4

For most of the year dawn finds Japan's steep valleys filled with mist.
This photo was taken on an early morning hike in the hills above Ichiyama village

Shrines in Temples ?

In contemporary Japan there is a hard distinction between shrines and temples. Shrines are shinto, and temples are buddhist. This distinction came about when the government "seperated" the buddhas and the kamis in the late 19th Century.

In my opinion it was a bit like trying to unscramble eggs, as for most of Japanese history the religious practises were a hybrid of various local cults mixed in with buddhism, daoism, confucianism, and other influences from Korea and even India.

All these photos are from 2 buddhist temples in Miyoshi, Hiroshima. The top photos shows a small Inari shrine. The second photo is intriguing, anbd I haven't been able to find out anything about the figure, but the gohei (wand with paper streamer) indicates this is a shinto shrine.

As buddhism was adopted by the ruling families in central Japan they used it to extend their control over the whole of Japan. As buddhism became more commonplace, temples were built next to shinto shrines so that the buddhist priests could pray for the kami and lead them to enlightenment. Later, shrines were built inside the grounds of the temples and the kami used to protect the temples. The first record of this latter type of shrine-temple was here in Miyoshi.

Grand Toit (inside part 2)

The inside of Shimane Arts center in Masuda, known as Grand Toit, has always fascinated me each time I visit.

The floors and walls are of highly-polished wood, so that with the changes in light due to the passing of the seasons, the time of day, and the weather, create an everchanging display of reflections.

More inside Grand Toit

Outside Grand Toit

August harvest

This month the Kabocha are getting ripe. Introduced by the Portugese in the 16th Century from Cambodia, its is the commonest member of the squash family in Japan. My riverside garden has unused land on 3 sides, so I plant kabocha along the edges and let it spread into the waste land. Wild boars and monkeys like the young fruit, but neither go down to the riverside gardens.

Known as Tomorokoshi in Japanese, the yellow sweetcorn is the only kind of maize grown in Japan. My first year here I grew a crop of Navajo blue corn, and probably will return to it for next year. It was probably introduced in the late 18th Century. Roasted corn ears are a popular matsuri food. Japan is the world's largest importer of corn for animal feed.

Zuccini (or courgette) has given me problems for years. An orange bug has destroyed my crops each year. This year I grew the plants under net until the rainy season passed, and so far so good, I'm harvesting. You can find zuccini in the supermarket, but its not very common. No-one else in my village grows it.

And this is what it is all about!!!
Fresh, 100% organic ratatouille,.....garlic, onion, green pepper, zuccini. eggplant, and tomatoes..... everything except the olive oil came out of my garden!

Japanese Ogre / Demon mask

This is a fairly standard Oni mask in the Iwami Kagura tradition, though I did lengthen the beard a little and black out the teeth a la hanya mask.

Kagura Mask Index

Kumi, Dogo, Oki Islands

This mainhole cover from the village of Kumi on the north coast of Dogo, the largest of the Oki Islands, features fish and seals.
I must admit we didn't see any seals while we were there, in fact I don't think I've seen any seals at all in Japan.

There is a lot of spectacular cliffs and coastal scenery all over the Oki Islands, and one of the more famous formations near Kumi is Candle Rock.

The Oki Islands are a great place for a relaxing getaway. There are no cities, no factories, only fishing and farming, and a relaxed way of life.

More from the Oki Islands

Grand Toit (Inside.)

The Shimane Arts Center, known as "Grand Toit" was designed by Naito Hiroshi and opened in 2005. Located in Masuda, at the western end of Iwami, the building is built around a courtyard with a shallow reflecting pool. There is probably a correct architectural name for such a feature, but I don't know it.

Pictures of the outside of the building can be seen here

The reflections of the buildings tiles with the tiles under the water makes for some interesting effects.

At night a whole new universe of reflections comes alive!