Parade festivals are often held in rural Japan. Students from elementary school to high school parade through the town dancing and playing musical instruments in groups. The school practices for these festivals and cultivates students’ sense of unity. The townspeople feel a sense of community solidarity through these events.
Sawayama-jo Castle was located on a mountain overlooking Lake Biwa. It is famous as the castle of Mitsunari Ishida, a busho (Japanese military commander) in the Sengoku period. The mountain is about 150 meters high, so it’s perfect for hiking.
＜A restaurant with the best view of Tokyo Sky Tree＞
Tokyo Sky Tree is famous as the world’s tallest autonomous steel tower. You can see the 634 meter tower anywhere in Tokyo. But this is the best restaurant you can see it. It is at a restaurant of Asakusa Sky View Hotel. This window seat is always full.
The largest lake in Japan is Lake Biwa. It is the lake in Shiga Prefecture and it is more than three times as large as the second largest lake. Shiga prefecture is attracting attention now. Because 2 big dramas are on air and both are set in Shiga prefecture. The statue in the picture is very famous as Akechi Mitsuhide who betrayed Oda Nobunaga. A drama focusing on this person is broadcast on NHK. Japanese history lovers will be fascinated by Shiga Prefecture.
Anyone who has visited Tokyo from abroad for sightseeing is probably familiar with the city tour buses with their distinctive yellow bodies. At the tour departure point, the visitors are seen off by this cute mascot. These days, due to the recession, the buzzword for travelers is “AN-KIN-TAN,” which means tours that are inexpensive, of short distance and of brief duration. Along with visits to popular sites around the Akihabara electronics shopping district, all-you-can-eat meals at local restaurants are enjoying high demand.
This statue of the SF film star “Godzilla” is made from recycled waste. Images of TOHO Studio’s famous monster can be found all around Japan. Godzilla — its name is an amalgamation of gorilla and kujira (whale) — made its first movie appearance more than 50 years ago, and still remains popular. He has become an ally of mankind and battles malignant monsters. And he’s careful not to destroy castles and other historical landmarks, so in that sense one could argue he’s even more humane than human beings.
Throughout the year, local governments are holding elections around Japan. This year a major election will be held, and some pundits are forecasting it may result in a change in the political parties in power. The campaign car in the photo is a necessary item for elections. One of the weird regulations in Japan is that politicians may not post their own platform on the Internet during the campaign. Instead, voters are bombarded by announcements from these noisy cars from morning to dusk. We need to come up with a better way.
Unaware that his master had passed away, the faithful Akita breed dog waited daily for 10 years outside of Tokyo’s Shibuya rail station until his own death. After newspapers picked up the story, the dog became a celebrity and a memorial statue was erected, which soon became one of Tokyo’s best known rendezvous points. Some hapless people seem to be waiting there almost as long as the dog did.
From around the mid-19th century the jinrikisha was developed and utilized in Japan for over 100 years. At its peak, about 200,000 were in use. Afterwards they were exported to other Asian countries. At present the vehicles are making a comeback as a means of getting around in Kyoto, Kamakura, Asakusa and other tourist sites around Japan, where the jinrikisha pullers also serve as guides. Recently models assisted by electric motors have been developed, but these strike me as really absurd.
Awaji Island is the place where Japanese gods are said to have been born in “Kojiki.” Now the island is connected to Honshu by a bridge, so you can easily go there by car. Awaji Island is rich in nature and you can see various flowers, plants and animals. When spring comes, you can enjoy the magnificent scenery of rape blossoms and tulips. It is becoming popular as a cycling road, so let’s go there when it gets warm.