Wabi Sabi signage

The Japanese aesthetic concept of wabi-sabi has associations with impermanence and transition, expressed well I think by the action of the weather on metal signs, when the figurative begins to transform to the abstract.

Bridal attire rental service, Hamada.

A sign warning of pedestrians crossing. I think. (or a company making lower-body prosthetics)

Beware of children on the road

Corporate Oil

A business school in Masuda.

Clear enough.

Isonokami Shrine, Tenri.

Isonokami Shrine is located in the hills east of Tenri, Nara Prefecture. In the early days of the Yamato State it was a center of power as at least 2 emperors lived in the vicinity, and 2 princes hid here during the succession disputes that occurred after every death of an Emperor.

It was the treasure house of the Mononobe clan, one of the king-making powerful families, along with the Soga, Nakatomi, etc, whose support determined which prince became Emperor. Often described as Armorers or Imperial Guards, the Mononobe looked after ritual/political "treasures", many of which were swords.

The main kami of the shrine is Futsunomitama, a divine sword used by the mythical first emperor Jimmu. Another sword, the Shichishito, in the shrines treasury was made in 369 by the King of Paekche and given to the Yamato. Legend has it that the sword used by Susano to slay Orochi is also stored here. Amenohiboko, according to the ancient Yamato myths was a prince from Korea who settled in Japan. He brought with him ten "treasures" that are also thought to be stored at isonokami.

There is a secondary shrine to Izumo Takeo here that unusually for a secondary shrine is on higher ground than the main shrine leading some historians to suggest that maybe the Izumo shrine was here first.

Isonokami is at the northern end of the famous Yamanobe no michi, the oldest road in Japanese recorded history, and the shrine is a good starting point to walk the patyh south to Sakurai.

Kyoto Solstice

Kyoto Solstice
2001
acrylic on paper
36cms x 36 cms

Aimi Town Tottori Persimmons & Haniwa

Aimi Town Tottori

Aimi Town, located west of Mount Daisen in Tottori, became subsumed under Nambu Town a few years ago. The local draincover shows persimmons and a haniwa. The area is known for its large type of persimmon, and one of the highlights of the local matsuri is a persimon-seed spitting competition.

Haniwa are clay figures that were placed around large tombs, and this area of Tottori has a large number of smaller kofun (burial mounds), indicating that this was quite an important political center in ancient times.

Many of the myths and stories connected with Okuninushi are set in this part of the country. At one shrine a a large rock is revered that legend has killed Okuninushi. Apparently he had 80 brothers (or step-brothers) known as the Yasogami, and they were constantly trying to do Okuninushi harm. In this story they told Okuninushi to wait at this spot while they went up the mountain to drive down a wild boar. They then heated a large rock until it was red hot and rolled it down the mountain. Okuninushi, somehow seeing a large red boulder as a wild boar, grabbed the rock and was of course burned to death. Not to worry though as his mother interceded with the kami and had him brought back to life.

Further stories of ancient times links another shrine with one of the early mythical emperors, and at a shrine to this emperor there are some wonderful carved reliefs on the shrine buildings.

I saw this rather incongruous pairing at a nearby temple that had hundreds of memorials to dead children.

Colorful Koi

For the past week or two the Koi have been erected throughout Japan in anticipation of Children's Day on May 5th. The koi are erected by families with sons as the koi represent strength and endurance.

Just upstream from us the town of Sakurae strings 2 lines of koi across the river at the site of the years most important matsuri, the Suijin Matsuri, which is held on May 5th.

Most koi though can be found in small groups flying from poles outside peoples houses.

To underscore that it's really Boy's Day, not Children's Day, some people put up banners with the koi,or sometimes instead of the koi. The banners display famous warriors and warlords. This one has Ieyasu, Hideyoshi, and Nobunaga, among others.

Typical Japanese Landscape 19

Most Japanese have lived along the coasts or on the plains, but there have always been some who lived deep in the mountains. The above shot is near Yasaka in Iwami. Iwami has no plains, so more people have traditionally lived in the mountains, but the number is decreasing.

This shot is from central Shikoku.

The people I have met while walking in the mountains have always been a little friendlier than most Japanese. Maybe I'm projecting, but they also seem to be a little more independant.

April harvest. Takenoko, bamboo shoots

It's takenoko season!! The shoots of new Giant Bamboo are now poking up from the ground and free food is to be had for the taking.

The best time to harvest is early morning following a rain. Look for shoots no more than a few centimetres in height. Any bigger and they are too tough.

Dig out the soil around the shoots down about 10 cms and cut. Most Japanese use a Japanese pick which has a sharp blade on one side, but I used a small hatchet with no trouble. The above photo is about 20 minutes worth of work.

Strip away the outer layers and trim the base and tips.

Preparation should be done as soon after harvesting as possible as the shoots quickly become tough and bitter. Before cooking the shoots need some preparation. Most people boil the shoots in water with nuka (rice bran) and a few red peppers, though if you can't easily get rice bran then boiling the shoots and changing the water twice works as well to remove the acridity.

Once drained and washed the shoot can now be cooked. Takenoko can be made into pickles, takenoko gohan, rice cooked with bamboo shoots, is also popular, but a good way is to boil the shoots in a mixture of water, soy sauce, sake, and fish stock.

My favorite way to use them is in Thai curry,.... a little to spicy for most japanese. Tonights supper.... made with eggplants, tomatoes and peppers out of the freezer from last years garden. There is no doubt that the tastiest food is free food!!!

NTT Docomo, Chugoku Head Office

Located in Nishi-ku, Hiroshima City, these are the regional offices for NTT Docomo.

I've been unable to find out who the architect is, but I have seen other NTT buildings with similar stylistic elements, so I suspect it is part of a cookie-cutter corporate design.

Passed by there twice, and on each occasion was able to take a few snaps that pleased me.

Gozamai The mat dance Izumo Kagura

Gozamai The mat dance Izumo Kagura

I have only ever seen this dance twice, and both times it was by the Ichiyama Kagura Group at an Omoto Kagura performance.

The dance is performed by a single dancer, and begins with the rolled-up mat in one hand and bells in the other. Later the mat is unfurled and the dancer steps backwards and forwards through it then wraps himself in it and spins around. As the dance progresses the pace increases.

The dance originates from Sada Shrine up in Izumo, where the dance is performed once a year as part of replacing of the mats in the shrine.

Sada Shrine, one of the 3 most important shrines in Izumo before the ascendency of Izumo Taisha in the late Heian Period, is the home of Izumo kagura, one of 3 or 4 styles of kagura in Japan. It is generally believed that Iwami Kagura is derived from Izumo kagura.

Jitensha. Japanese bicycles in groups.

The Japanese bicycle can sometimes be seen alone, but more often they will be found in groups. Rental bicycles will often be found in pairs, and it is suspected that romance is the cause.

Actually many tourist towns have bicycles to rent and they are a great way to get around. The above pair who spotted in Hagi, Yamaguchi Prefecture, a particularly good place for cycling as the tourist sites are scattered over the whole town.

These rental bikes in Iwami Ginzan, Japan's newest World heritage Site, come with matching umbrellas, though it is now against the law to cycle while holding an umbrella.

Foreigners riding bicycles will often be stopped by the police. This is not racial profiling, simply responding to common sense as foreigners are the main cause of crime in Japan! These rental bikes in Taisha Town, Izumo, are clearly marked with large numbers therefore informing the police that they are probably ridden by tourists and therefore don't need to be stopped and checked,... just watched carefully. *(see note below)

It is commonly believed that japanese bicycles sleep standing up, but as this photo shows they will lay down and take a nap sometimes when in the safety of the group.

Most Japanese bicycles do though sleep standing up, and bicycle capsule hotels can be found at most railway stations.

However, if you want to see really huge herds of japanese bicycles, the place to go is any large shopping mall.

* note: ... sarcasm on my part. The crime rate among foreigners in Japan is slightly less than the crime rate for japanese, but the perception among Japanese, fueled by media, police, and government, is that it is much higher. I conducted an informal survey among Japanese aquaintances and they guessed a foreign crime rate of between 60% to 25%. The actual rate is 2%.