Why not joining Japanese local festival, wearing Happi uniform ?
For those who love Japanese Festivals, and are not satisfied with just watching, this would be a perfect opportunity !

H.I.S. Experience Japan Co., Ltd. is going to conduct the tour supported by parties concerned in Saitam prefecture, which is placed next to Tokyo.

Date: November 2nd Sunday
Destination: Hanno Festival in Hanno Saitama Prefecture
Price: \Free　 (discount price: regular price is \8.800)
Highlights: Pulling the festival float wearing Japanese happi coat.
*present! a Japanese washcloth.(Mameshibori Tenugui)
Fixed number: 10 *up to 10 customers are accepted.
Application deadline: October 31st 20:00

You can join in the festival not only watching but also pulling the float in happi coat with other local Japanese.
We are sorry but Japanese people can participate in this tour only with a foreign acquaintance.

When you want to know more information about this tour, check this page at our website.

Please introduce this tour to your friends.

You can apply by e-mail. info@his-exp.jp
Please let us know your following information.
1 Full names of all participants
2 Mobile phone number
3 Nationality
4 Gender
5 PC e-mail address

We　will send you the confirmation slip after 9pm 31st Oct.

Sincerely

H.I.S. Experience Japan Co., Ltd.
President Katsura Nonoyama
Sumitomo Fudosan Shinjuku Oak tower 26F
6-8-1, Nishi-Shinjuku-ku
Tokyou Japan 163-6026
Tel: 03-5322-8966 Fax: 03-5322-8944
http://www.hisexperience.jp
http://truejapan.jp

Close UP!!!

It”s so beautiful!

You can see the beautiful flowers, but also join some events.
And you can take a free bus that go the rounds of festival area.
You may be grateful for the benefits which nature of Ota has bestowed upon people!

“festival” million of Phlox subulata
*area* Yoshizawa-cho Ota-shi, Gunma
*tel* 0276-47-1840
*session* 5 Apl.-11 May. 2008′
*time* 9:00-17:00
*Access* Take a car, nearest new expressway exit
*web* http://www.city.ota.gunma.jp/gyosei/0072a/006/hana/top.html

 There is Asahara Shrine in the Ojiya-shi, Niigata katagai-cho.
An autumn festival called the katagai Festival is performed every year here for .10 day on September 9, and the fireworks mean dedication to this Asahara Shrine and I load the celebration such as the eighty-eighth birthdays, a deceased memorial service memorial service, health prayer with each thought on the birth of the child, an adult / the sixtieth birthday and fry fireworks.

As for four shakus coin, a diameter lets a large flower of 800 meters bloom in the night sky of sky 800 meters.
The weight of the ball seems to have 420kg, too.

 Monument of cylinder of fireworks
Four-shaku gem

【At the time of bad weather】Heavy rain decisive action 
【A place】  Katagai-cho Asahara Shrine back 
【Traffic】  It is 15 minutes from Kanetsu Expressway Ojiya IC by bus for Nagaoka via the katagai from JR Ojiya Station for 片貝二之町Getting off
On foot 10 minutes for 30 minutes 

【A traffic memo】Because there are few parking lots, it is the use by shuttle bus

For bookworms and antiquity hunters , this will truly be heaven … there are thousands of books and you will surely find something of your taste!!  The festival lasts until 1st of November so you really better hurry!! Have a nice explore !!

 How to get to Jimbocho Station :

Toei Shinjuku Line , Hanzomon Line and Toei Mita Line to Metro Station Jimbocho.

Parade is the highlight of this festival, and they walk through busy city-centre area to amuse local people.

What’s special about Festival in Hakata is, that it is cherished by locals, including children.

This year is 1250 th anniversary for Kushida Shrine, which is the local shinto shrine for Hakata merchants.

It is natural that it is hot in the summer of Kyoto, but it is also terribly hot this year. I did not want to go out in daytime because too hot. However, the heat is at least better in the night than the daytime. Therefore, I went out to Gojo-zaka Toki (Pottery) Matsuri Festival that had been gone on until 11 PM for enjoying the evening cool.

Gojo-zaka Toki Matsuri Festival is held at Gojo-zaka slope (between Kawabata street and Higashioji street of Gojo street) near Kiyomizu-dera temple on 7th-10th August every year. It is a huge outdoor earthenware and ceramic fair of the nationwide. Really, it is a grand festival of Wakamiya Hachimangu Shrine and Touki-jinjya shrine where sacred to the god of pottery. About 500 stalls are opened, and there are entertainments like a parade of a portable shrine, so it crowds with a lot of people.

There was a stall that sold various earthenwares of 200 yen uniform price, though there was a shop that displayed an expensive Kiyomizu ware (Kyo ware) of 10,000 yen or more, too. The Kiyomizu ware and the pottery which had been brought together from the local regions were sold by 20-30 % discounts of the market price. I found a signboard of the Bizen ware, the Arita ware, the Hagi ware, the Sigaraki ware, the Tokoname ware, and the Mino pottery. And, I saw also the name of a place;
Sapporo, Noto, Nakatsugawa, and Yatugatake. There were young creator’s works, too.

I was able to see various potteries with the feature.

The Kiyomizu ware (Kyo ware) is generic names of pottery where all earthenware and the porcelain made in Kyoto are included. The feature of Kiyomizu ware is difficult to say in a word. It is said that it depends on the following reasons. One reason is that because potteries had been produced for the order of “Kuge (the court noble)” and “Chajin (the expert in the tea ceremony)” for a long time, the techniques of the same number as the number of potters had been made. For example, there are a lot of the techniques from the well-baked earthenware of the earth color to the vivid color porcelain. And the porcelain where the pattern is drawn with blue dyestuff is called “Some-tsuke”.

Another reason is to match the mud (the raw material) with which it bought in some regions for purpose because it cannot be gotten in Kyoto, and to have used it. If daring to say, the lightness and a comfortable using because of handmade are features of the Kiyomizu ware. The hand-written appearance of solidity and the design that seems to be Kyoto might be its feature also.

In Wakamiya Hachimangu Shrine that was on the way of Gojo-zaka slope, I found the Mikoshi (a portable shrine) that was paraded around there on August 8. It was an unusual Mikoshi with which pottery dishes were decorated. And, the big offertory box (a huge jar)! Of course it was made from pottery.

It is also said that the Toki Matsuri Festival has been started for the sake of the people who come to “Rokudo-Mairi” in Rokudo-chinno-ji Temple in the north of Gojo-zaka slope. “Rokudo-Mairi” is an event that the people worship at a temple and invite ancestor’s spirits of the dead into the house on 7th-10th August before Bon Festival. The sounds of which visitors toll a bell echo throughout the temple. It is one of the customary events of summer of Kyoto.

How about going to Toki Matsuri Festival and Rokudo-Mairi to enjoying the evening cool of hot Kyoto in summer?

The viewpoint of Gion Matsuri might be beauty of the Yamaboko (floats). Because the Yamaboko of Gion Matsuri wears the adornment it is gorgeous and with the history, it is called, “Moving museum”. 32 Yamabokos are assembled here and there for “Yamaboko Junko (the parading of decorated floats)” on July 17 that is the event of the main of Gion Matsuri. To build up of hoko (hoko means float also) is called “hoko-tate”, and it takes 4 days to assemble big hoko from July 10.
4 hokos are assembled at Shijo-dori Street that is the main street of Kyoto. I had taken in the photograph an appearance with which Naginata boko called the oldest creation (having been created in 1441) was assembled every night.

The day before:
Shijo-dori Street on July 9 which was the day before of building-up the hoko was not different from usual. The position in which Naginata boko stands is usually a bus stop.

The first day:
The first day when “hoko-tate” had been done was rain. When I visited at about 7 PM, its foundation already had been built and had been covered with a blue plastic sheet to protect from rain.

The second day:
“Shingi” that had a naginata (a pole sword) on the tip had been fixed to the hoko. The length of bamboo Shingi is 20 meters and the height of the entire Naginata boko is about 25 meters from ground to tip. Though I was not able to see the work scenery this time, the hoko is assembled with every workman’s hand by the technique of the tradition “nawa-garami (nawa means rope)” that use no nail. The rope had been firmly regularly bound in a completed foundation part. The passerby also was gazing to a splendid “nawa-garami” work. Next time, I want to see the work scenery of “nawa-garami” by all means in daytime.

The third day:
The decoration of the hoko had ended, and the hoko already was completed. The decorated carpets are the replicas of the carpet of the 18th century. Regrettably, I didn’t see well because the carpets were covered with the plastic sheets in preparation for rain. It seemed that “hiki-hajime” was done on the afternoon of this day on schedule. In “hiki-hajime”, the musical accompanists who dressed up like that day of the parade board the hoko with the leaders, and the town folk try pulling it. Visitors also can join the pulling.

The fourth day:
The Japanese lanterns had been lighting up when I visited in the evening, and the musical accompanist were playing “Gion musical accompaniment” on the upper of the hoko. Sales of customary “yakuyoke-chimaki” and “tenugui (Japanese washcloth)” had been already started, and a festive mood has run high.

Yoiyoiyoiyama
The photograph below is an appearance of “Yoiyoiyoiyama” that is three days ago of “Yamaboko Junko (parading of decorated floats)”. Many people were walking in the Shijo-dori street who had become a pedestrian precinct around five o’clock of the evening. Unfortunately, it was intermittent rain.

Yoiyama
Then, it was “Yoiyama” which is the eve of parading of decorated floats. “Yoiyama” is a day when Kyoto is the liveliest for one year. The young and old man and woman gather around the Yamaboko.

After “Yamaboko Junko”
The hoko begin to be dismantled the next day of “Yamaboko Junko” that is the main event of Gion Matsuri. Yamabokos disappear after two days.

The photographs are an appearance of the second day in dismantlement work of Niwatori hoko.

When “Yamaboko Junko” of Gion Matsuri ends, the rainy season of Kyoto ends, though the end of the rainy season of this year was slow. The cicada begins to chirp all together, and the real summer of Kyoto starts.

From July 1st to July 15th is the hottest season of Hakata, the traditional merchant town of Fukuoka.
It’s the season of Gion Yamakasa Festival.

It’s related to Shintoism.
Hakata merchants are protected by Kamisama (`God’ in Shintoism, existing in every natural things, such as tree, land, fire, mountain, sky, etc.).

They show special respect by praying in Kushida Shrine, the local shrine of Hakata, whici has 1,250 years of history.

Here in Yamakasa festival, Kamisama is invited into each Yama.
On July 15th, people carry these Yamas, which means, people bring Kamisamas.

Yama (the carriage) in Kawabata Shopping mall.

During the festival season, for 15 days, Yama (festival carriage) are displayed here and there in Hakata town.
They are made by Hakata Doll makers, with deep respect and care, every year.
After festival, they are broken into pieces, which represents Hakata spirit.

Yama in Solaria Plaza, in the shopping district Tenjin.

Yama in front of Hakata Station.

Now I will introduce another Hakata thing…FOOD!!

If you know, Hakata is a food paradice, that’s another main reason people love to live in Hakata!
Even Tokyo people envy us for good food !

This is Motsu-Nabe.
Motsu is made of pork offal, and Motsu-Nabe is a a hot pot filled with motsu and vegetables (cabbage, garlic chives.
It’s very healthy and warms you up.

After eating up motsu and vegetables, you can put Champon noodles in the pot.
It’s very delicious!

This is a menu written in Japanese.
Doesn’t it look very local and warm?

EVENT GUIDE

Why not join Yamakasa? Hakata local will guide you !

See Get together to see Hakata Gion Yamakasa!!!