Atami City, Japan, Japan Tourism, Shinto Shrines, Shizuoka Prefecture, Tourism

Kinomiya Shrine (木宮神社) in Atami City!

April 22, 2016 dragonlife Leave a comment

Kinomiya Shrine/木宮神社 i Atami City is a bit of a long but pleasant walk from the JR station, but it is certainly worthwhile the effort as it includes a first in the whole of Japan!

The torii/sacred entrance is actually the entrance to a main and many small shrines due to the size and the age of the site!

Large and fairly new ishidourou/stone lantern!

Its companion!

The first hand-washing stone basin with its dragon water spout!

It is actually a roofed basin leading to the first shrine on the left just past the main entrance!

Walk under a series of torii donated by local worshipers!

The lead to a small shrine dedicated to Inari, the Goddess of Agriculture1

Inari shrine are easily identifiable for their fox guardians!

These two foxes are quite ancient and unusual in the fact that they copy some lion guardians with a paw either resting n a sphere or a younger animal!

The shrine with its rice straw garland and money offerings box!

You can see the drum and other festival paraphernalia locked onside!

Proceeding to the main shrine!

Donated stone lanterns!

An ancient hand-washing stone basin!

The main shrine!

Imposing closed-maw lion guard wit a paw resting on the back of a lion cub!

Its open-maw companion with a paw resting on a sphere!!

The “haiden”/worshiper hall!

Double roof pinion!

A very rich shrine considering the great repair!

The festival drum!

Intricate architecture!

The board announcing Kinomiya Shrine’s main attraction!

Now, what’s that enormous tree?

It has its own shrine/altar!

Now, how old can it be?

The oldest Camphor tree in Japan!
No less than 2,000 years of age!
Incidentally “camphor tree” is “Kusu no ki/楠” in Japanese!
As for this particular tree Japan has given it the titlle of “Oo kusu/大楠/Great Camphor Tree”!
Actually tis “cavity” is venerated as a symbol of fertility!

Majestic!

A fully grown man can stand inside the cavity!

Water running down from nearby mountains!

How people could join hands around it?

Take your time as there is still plenty more to discover!

Walking away from the camphor tree you will its lion guardians!

The other “komainu/狛犬?lion guard”!

The torii leading to a smaller but far older shrine!

“Benzaiten shrine/弁財天神社”!

A highly venerated stone!

Even a pond with Japanese carps!

A comparatively small but very important “O Mikoshi/御神輿/Portable Shrine”!

Its name is “Gohouren/御鳳/”Great Phoenix”!
It is carried into the nearby sea every year on the 16th of July!

Check this Japanese Gohouren Website for some great pictures!

Good-bye, Kinomiya shrine!

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rre.Cuisine, Francescannotwrite, My White Kitchen, Foodhoe, Chucks Eats, Things that Fizz & Stuff, Five Euro Food by Charles,Red Shallot Kitchen by Priscilla,With a Glass, Nami | Just One Cookbook, Peach Farm Studio, Clumsyfingers by Xethia, PepperBento, Hapabento, Kitchen Cow, Lunch In A Box, Susan at Arkonlite, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Bento Lunch Blog (German), Adventures In Bento, Anna The Red’s Bento Factory, Ohayo Bento,

Must-see tasting websites:

-Sake: Ichi For The Michi by Rebekah Wilson-Lye in Tokyo, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Another Pint, Please!, Beering In Good Mind: All about Craft Beer in Kansai by Nevitt Reagan!
ABRACADABREW, Magical Craftbeer from Japan
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Green Tea, Japan, Japan Tourism, Japanese Gastronomy, Japanese Parks, Shizuoka Prefecture, Tourism, Wagashi Cakes

Green Tea and Wagashi Cakes at Momijiyama Japanese Garden in Sumpu Park in Shizuoka City!

April 18, 2016 dragonlife 1 Comment

Service: Very friendly and attentive
Equipment & Facilities: Impeccable cleanliness. Washroom outside the Garden inside Sumpu Park (equipped for physically-impaired visitors)
Prices: very reasonable
Strong points: top-class local tea. Beautiful wagashi. Splendid Japanese park.English pamphlet available. English-speaking staff.
Entirely non-smoking

If you visit Sumpu Park in the center of Shizuoka City you ought to visit one place secluded inside for a true Japanese experience: Momijiyama Japanese Garden and its tearoom!

If you come to the right time of the year you will be welcomed by flowering cherry trees!

Once past the entrance where you can book tea and wagashi cake at the tea room walk along the wooden platform to reach the inner Japanese garden.

The general view of the park, an ever-changing landscapes according to the seasons!

Beautiful pond with Japanese carps!

Take your time and walk around!

Plenty of flowering trees along the seasons!

This part of the garden was design to represent Mount Fuji looming over green tea fields!

The tea room!

Water well!

A look at the “engawa/surrounding hall” on the right of the tea room!

Inside view!
You are invited inside as soon as a seat is available and upon producing your ticket you will be served either sencha tea or macha tea with a wagashi Japanese cake.

You can put your bag under the table!

I personally asked macha tea!

My Wagashi Japanese cake represented a rape flower and plant!

Good news for vegans and vegetarians!

The macha was served in beautiful bowls!
Mine was decorated with wisteria!

Some of my friends had ordered sencha sets!

With a different type of wagashi Japanese cake!

We were all served houji cha before leaving!

A peaceful corner!

Check the tea selection on sale!

Take your time to enjoy the park before leaving!

MOMIJIYAMA JAPANESE GARDEN IN SUMPU PARK, SHIZUOKA CITY

Access (inside Sumpu Park):
5 minutes on foot from Shin-Shizuoka Station on the Shizutetsu Railway Line
10 minutes on foot from JR Shizuoka Station
15 minutes by car from Shizuoka Interchange on the Tomei expressway
Shizuoka City is one hour by Shinkansen Bullet Train from Tokyo and two hours from Kyoto

Opening hours: 09:00~16:30
Closed on Mondays (if Monday is a National Holiday, open on Monday and closed on Tuesday).
Closed from December 29th to January 3rd
Check admission fees at entrance
Interpretation services by citizen volunteers are available on reservation in several languages. For further details contact the Parks and Green Areas Division of City Hall at (054) 221-1121 or the Tea Room Office at (054) 251-0016

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Japan, Japan Tourism, Manhole covers, Shizuoka Prefecture, Tourism

Manhole Covers in Shizuoka Prefecture 40: New Commemorative Fire Hydrant Manhole Cover 2nd Type in Shizuoka City!

April 15, 2016 dragonlife Leave a comment

On February 5th in 2015 I had reported on a new Commemorative Fire Hydrant Manhole Cover being installed in Various locations in Shizuoka City to mark the 400th Anniversary of Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu’ss Death.

Read more about the above manhole cover HERE

Now, yesterday I noticed apparently the same cover because it seemed brand new!

It is located along the Shichiken Cho Street at an intersection not far from Isetan Department Store!
I soon found why I was intrigued: it was a different cover!

The new cover!

In the upper left quarter a falcon (Tokugawa Ieyasu was passionate about falconry!) had replaced the Kanji character “水”for “water”!
The shape of the clouds has also been amended.

The text inside the scrolls had been written black on white (instead of white on black) with a different sentence meaning “Shizuoka City which was loved by Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu”. Actually the city was called “Fuchu” before he retired there in 1607 when he changed its name to “Sumpu”. It became “Shizuoka City” only during the beginning of the Meiji Era!

In the lower right quarter the date “2017” has been replaced with two eggplants!
Shizuoka City, more precisely Shimizu City before it was merged as Shimizu Ku, is famous for a local eggplant called “折戸なす/orito nasu” taht Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu was very fond of!
Moreover five pine trees have been lft out the six original ones!

As for the bottom left quarter it has basically been left untouched!

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Festivals, Japan, Japan Fesivals, Japan Tourism, Kanaya Tea Festival, Shizuoka Prefecture, Tourism

Kanaya Tea Festival 2016!

April 14, 2016 dragonlife Leave a comment

At last, after a two-year interval, I could enjoy the Tea Festival in Kanaya, Shimada City, although my visit was definitely too short to my taste. In 2018, I will definitely stay there at least a full day and a full night!

Ladies’ power!

This year I almost reached Kanaya too early, but it gave me time to appreciate that the city and its inhabitants are trying their best every two years!
Let me at least introduce their event in pictures!

THE GROUPS & THE CLANS!

Taking pictures is an embarrassment of choices, especially considering the universal goodwill and fun-loving spirit!
The rick is probably to sort your pictures according to themes!

An orange chariot rider team!

The city is basically divided into 6 traditional precincts dating back to Edo Era and each has its own festival chariots manned and introduced by teams residing in their respective areas!

The third precinct “guard”!

A white and violet chariot rider team!

A motley chariot handler team!

The 6th Precinct “Guard”!

The younger generation “Guard”!

THE CHARIOTS!

The Chariots, called “Yatai”, is the main event and performed twice, once at noon and another time after dark!

Each chariot carried its own drummers and flutists encouraging the handlers and riders!

Each chariot was ridden by comparatively light men whose role was toe encourage the handlers!

Naturally the same vocal and whistling encouragements amplified when two chariots got near to each other!

And all the while the drummers keep drumming, drumming and drumming!

All chariots seem to barely be able to pass under the telephone cables!

Actually they had more trouble avoiding the traffic lights than each other!

Handlers kept smiling all the time!
For all their fierce faces, fights are extremely rare between handlers of different chariots.
Even when it happens especially at night when everyone tends to imbibe as well, older organizers are very quick to handle any troublemakers without the help of policemen who are practically unseen!

There was still a long day to come and participants were obviously saving some energy!

Actually most were looking forward to the night when their hand lanterns would be lit!

Move, move!

The wheels are actually heavy wood logs that turn slowly and handlers need to push the chariots forward or sideways with long poles while more handlers were pulling the vehicles with heavy ropes!

All in good humor!

THE FACES!

All participants have two years to prepare themselves and some @faces@ are really worth photographing!
I actually know the gentleman above who is a truck driver!

These two are actually senior cadres in the festival!

Flaming guy!

Mother and son!

Always extremely happy to pose, especially with cute foreign ladies!

The beauties and the beasts?

THE “TEA LADIES/CHA MUSUME”!

But the Kanaya Tea Festival is known all over Japan for all the ladies of whatever age parading as the “Cha Musume/Tea Ladies”!

All the members of the so-called “weak gender” are local!

No age limit!

Some of them are even carried along!

No less than a thousand of them!

See you again in 2018, but at night!

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Aoi Brewing, Craft Beer, Japan Craft beer, Shizuoka Prefecture

Shizuoka Craft Beer: Aoi Brewing-Shisui (2016 version)

April 13, 2016 dragonlife Leave a comment

Koudai Fukuyama/福山康大さん, at Aoi Brewing in Shizuoka City, has come up with his 2016 version of “Shisui”!

It is presently served at AOI BEER STAND, Beer Junkies Motel and BEER GARAGE, so you had better hurry as this is a limited brew!

Served on tap
Barley, Wheat, Maris Otter malt (England), Pilsner malt (Germany), Munich nalt (Germany), Wheat malt (Germany), Magnum hop (Germany), Simcom hop (USA), Cascade hop (USA), Centinear hop (USA), American Ale yeast/Wyeast 1056 (USA), 水飴/Mizuame/sugared water.
Unfiltered
Natural carbonation
Dry hopping
Acohol/ABV: 5.1 degrees
IBU: 20
Starting sugar level: 11.9 Degrees P, Finishing sugar level: 2.3 degrees P
Production: 450 l
Bubbles: longish head, very fine bubbles, creamy, white color
Color: light orange
Aroma: dry and assertive. Citruses.
Taste: light, dry and fruity attack
Oranges, biscuits.
Lingers long enough for true tasting before departing with dry oranges with pleasant acidity.
Varies little with food but for a drier note.

Overall: A craft beer without an overwhelming aroma, light enough and an easy taste!
A craft beer for all seasons!
Even better than last year’s first version!
Suggested pairings: salads, cold meats.

Beer Junkie MOTEL

420-0035 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Shichiken Cho, 11-5, IMAKKOKO Bldg. 1F
Tel.: 054-253-6558
Opening hours: 17:00~25:00, 17:00~26:00 (Saturday), 15:00~22:00 (Sunday)
Closed on Tuesday
Parties welcome
FACEBOOK

BEER GARAGE

Aoi Brewing Co.,Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Miyagasaki Chyo, 30
Tel.: 054-294-8911
Opening hours: 17:00~23:00 (Monday~Friday), 15:00~23:00 (Saturday), 15:00~22:00 (Sunday)
Closed on Tuesdays
COD, Cash On Delivery only for all orders.
MAP
FACEBOOK

AOI BEER STAND
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Miyuki Cho, 4-6, Den bill, 1F
Tel.: 054-260-5203
Opening hours: 11:00~23:00
Credit cards OK
FACEBOOK

Some Aoi beers are also available at Aoi Brewery’s restaurant in Shizuoka City, namely

GROWSTOCK

420-0852 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Koyamachi Naka Building, 5F
Tel.: 054-293-9331
Opening hours: 17:00~25:00 (Mon.~Thurs.), 17:00~27:00 (Fri & Sat.), 17:00~24:00 (Sun.)
Parties welcome (reserve!)
Credit Cards OK
FACEBOOK

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Fukui Prefecture, One Cup sake, sake, Sake Brewery

Fukui Sake Tasting: One Cup Series 3): Uno Brewery-Daiginjo Ichi No Tani

April 7, 2016 dragonlife Leave a comment

The other day a good friend of mine, Doctor Michitomo Kawahito brought me st of three one cup sake from Fukui Prefecture!

The set out of it package!

The third tasting: Daiginjo “Ichi no Tani” by Uno Brewery!

Rice: Yamada Nishiki
Rice milled down to 40%
Alcohol: 15~16 degrees
Bottled in March 2016

Clarity: very clear
Color: transparent
Body: fluid
Aroma: dry and fruity. Plums, oranges
Taste: dry and fruity attack.
Extremely complex: melon, faint custard, notes of white flowers, banana, pears, lychees, apricots, mirabelle.
Lingers for a while before departing on a slightly drier note with more fruit/oranges and almonds.
Gets drier with food with more dry oranges.

Overall: very elegant, actually extravagant for a one-cup sake!
Ever-changing sake that will keep you on your toes and looking forward to the next sip!
A sake to be enjoyed on its own!
The perfect souvenir!

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Gotemba City, Japan, Japan Tourism, Shinto Shrines, Shizuoka Prefecture, Tourism

Niihashi Sengen Shrine (新橋神社) in Gotemba City!

April 7, 2016 dragonlife 1 Comment

The other day I had the occasion to spend a day in Gotemba City and took the opportunity to visit its main Shinto Shrine, namely Niihashi Sengen Shrine/新橋浅間神社!

It is a big shrine indeed with the full regalia, including these ancient stone lanterns at the very entrance marked by the first torii gate!

A long (by Shizuoka standards) stone-paved lane leads to the shrine!

The second toriii gate!

The first pair of komainu/lion guards is pretty ancient!

It has its forepaw settled atop a young lion, a bit unusual although I have found a few such in Shizuoka Prefecture!

What is unusual is that his companion also has a paw rested atop a younger lion guard!

I wonder why someone has put a shell on both pedestals?

The place even has a small pond with sacred carps!

The roofed hand washing stone basin!

Complete with a dragon water spout!

Another small shrine behind the stone basin!

Quite a few cherry trees were stating blooming inside the shrine grounds!

The haiden/shrine for the worshipers!

Usually this type of building is used either as a stage for the shrine festival or as a storeroom for portable shrines!

The closed-mouth lion guard!

With its forepaw atop a young lion guard!

Its open-mouthed companion!

But with its paw resting upon a sphere!
I’ve already noticed that same lion guards combination at an old shrine in Shizuoka City, but it a bit unusual!