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There was a festival conducted in the center of Fukui City.
While I was working the other day, I heard some cheerful voice and music
from outside the window at the office. The voice and music sounded so exciting and it was full of energy, and it made me smile.
In the morning of the festival, I could tell that it would be an extremely hot day because even it was only 9 or 10 in the morning, the sunshine was already strong. There were many people out working on closing the streets for events of the festival and setting up the stages for these events.
And in the afternoon, many visitors started coming out for the festival. Some of them were on line buying drinks and/or foods in front of hotels, restaurants and/or food stands which created festive atmosphere.
Moreover, I started seeing many people with “Yukata (informal cotton Kimono)” or colorful costumes walking around the city. Also police cars were parked and many police officers were standing on several corners of the city.
This is such an unusual scene for the city.
Some people, especially visitors from overseas might have thought that something must have happened.
Actually, there was “Yosakoi” dance festival which was about to be started soon.
The “Taihei” is located on Hamamachi Street, where is a short walk from our headquarters. Hamamachi Street used to be a high-class Japanese restaurant district in Meiji Period, so there are still several historic ones there.
Among them, “Taihei” is one which you can go to relatively casually.
When you want to eat delicious Japanese food and seasonal sashimi with friends,
you should choose “Taihei”. It’s a deal.
Everything is so delicious, and they have many kinds of sake so you may drink too much.
Inside the restaurant, it looks like Kyoto machiya (traditional town house) style and there is a nice tiny garden, which fills with nostalgic and comfortable atmosphere. Maybe that’s because “Taihei” is popular among women as well.
“Taihei” is a true choice that you would take friends from other prefectures
or your clients.
Chef’s choice dinner is 6,000 yen. (reservation required)
They also provide a lunch menu. (H.S)
Sashimi on a beautiful plate.
Iwagaki (oyster) is seasonal food in summer. You can hardly eat it at home.
Grated lotus dumpling with starchy sauce. It tastes good.
I enjoyed sake from Wakasa region, Fukui in a cool-looking glass.
Inside the restaurant. They have changed the sliding doors to reedy ones for summer properly.
When I went to a department store in Fukui City the other day,
suddenly a sentimental folk song was coming and a line of a folk dance appeared.
According to announcement in the store, they were dancers from a famous festival
“Owara Kaze-no-Bon”, which is held in Yatsuo, Toyama City from September 1st to 3rd
every year,
and they came for promoting the festival.
Even in the busy department store,
the dancers were bending their steps dancing slowly
along to the music.
Their yukata (cotton kimono for summer) is simple but beautiful with the vivid red color.
Not only the graceful dance but also the musical accompaniment by shamisen and kokyu
(Japanese stringed instruments) is the greatest appeal of the “Owara Kaze-no-Bon”.
“Owara Kaze-no-Bon” is one of traditional events which I would like to see one day
but visitors pour into the small mountainous area every year, so it’s very difficult
even to book a hotel there.
Maybe it's better to participate in a bus tour to visit the festival. (H.S)
It has still been very hot in Fukui and I am sick of the heat now. The good news is that the season of autumn mountain is coming soon which means that it will be cooler soon.
Last October, I went on hiking to Mt. Akausagi, where is located between Fukui and Ishikawa Prefectures. The autumn leaves I saw on the mountain were amazing. Right before the season of autumn mountain, I decided to divide a video I took at the mountain into three clips.
This is a breakaway broadcasting without description and it is pretty long but please enjoy watching the autumn leaves as if you are actually walking on the mountain. First of the three is one third of the video of that hiking day. Although many of the members of a hiking group whom I went on with were in their 70’s, I was amazed by how good walkers they were. （T.S）
We have just bought a wearable camera, “GoPro Hero4”, which we had been willing to have for a long time. One of our co-workers mentioned to us that she was going to see
“Mikuni Fireworks Display” so I asked her to take the camera and film the fireworks display.
The Mikuni Fireworks Display is conducted at Mikuni Sunset Beach in Mikuni Town,
Fukui Prefecture on August 11th, every year. Water fireworks is renowned for the gorgeous splendor of the display.
（T.S）
In Kyoto City, where is said to be the symbol of Japanese culture, The Kyoto State Guest House was built in 2005, for the purpose of welcoming cordially distinguished guests from abroad and deepening the understanding of Japanese history, tradition and culture.
And it has been opened to the public from this year.
The building adopts half-hipped roofs and the style of a tea-ceremony house.
Also, it is surrounded by a traditional mud wall with a roof. So it is dignified Japanese style. Traditional skills such as tea ceremony house carpenter, plasterer, gardening and cutting gold leaf are utilized.That is to say, it is filled with the seasoned artistry of Kyoto artisans.
Then again, they are far from ornate and so natural that you may not notice in passing by.
For example, when you open a sliding door, the wooden frame’s grain matches beautifully another one’s pattern.
In the garden, there is only one cherry tree. Although cherry blossoms are symbol of Japanese spring, its role is as a part of the appearance of the garden.
I have heard that Prime Minister of Austria who stayed before was gazing the garden insatiately alone.
The application for the opening to the public for August and September was already closed.
As for after October, they will announce it soon. Please check their website below. (H.S)
One of the highlights of the Japanese summer is fireworks.
Have you ever seen Japanese fireworks displays?
Have you ever heard people shouting “Tamaya” and/or “Kagiya” to the fireworks?
Do you know what “Tamaya” and “Kagiya” are?
Tamaya and Kagiya are the family names of two of Japan’s most famous and historical pyrotchnicians who played important role in the development of fireworks in Japan
during the Edo Period (1603-1867).
Tamaya was an apprentice to Kagiya at the beginning.
Tamaya branched off from the Kagiya and started competing with Kagiya.
They both were great so that viewers shouted their names to praise them.
However, Tamaya accidently caused a firework fire in 1843 which destroyed a good deal of the city. The fire was considered as a serious crime in the Edo Period.
As a result of the fire,
Tamaya was kicked out of the city and had to discontinue their business.
After that, their business was no longer continued by Tamaya,
it has been continued from several people outside of their family.
Nowadays, Mr. Nakajima from Yachiyo City in Chiba Prefecture runs Tamaya.
(it is now called “Ganso Tamaya”. *available only in Japanese)
with the 15th generation head continuing to preserve the tradition.
Akiko Amano is the 15th-generation director and she is the first female head of a pryotechnist family stretching back three and a half centuries. She is now in charge of 100 pyrotechnicians.
When you look at Japanese fireworks next time, how about shouting
“Kagiya” and/or “Tamaya”?
I would like to share a video of “sironekomilk”,
“HD 1080p fireworks Japan beautiful in the world/”
I went to see the film “Shin Godzilla” the other day.
When it finished, it made me feel like “ Hang on, Japan!”
In the film, there was a line “ Japan tried hard to rise up by scrap and build.”
It brought a lump to my throat.
And, as I saw people devote all their time to each work in the film,
I reconsidered that this is the country of Japan.
Throughout the film, it includes a diversity of messages without imposing.
It is left to what feel about to each audience.
It has excellent sense of casting, and Kanji Tsuda from Fukui Prefecture
also enthusiastically performs.
If you have time, why don’t you go to see the film?
It is more than just a monster film. (H.S)
People who were born and live in Fukui Prefecture must have seen the Shakudani stone by your side for granted. The stone is slight pale blue and it changes to dark blue if you run water over it.
Previously, I myself have never been taken notice of the stone.
But the other day, while at plumbing work by its contractor in my backyard, an old Shakudani steppingstone appeared in the soil. So I wondered why my predecessor buried the stone, whether they just wanted to dispose it, and I became curious about the stone itself as well suddenly.
Shakudani stones are hardened ashes fell and settled by volcanic blast in ancient times and were taken around Mt. Asuwa mainly in Fukui City, but not any longer. According to records, the stones appeared in history of Fukui already 1,500 years ago, and they were used for stone Buddhist images or art objects as they were tractable.
Especially, the most important use perhaps was castle stones, I suppose.
And, Fukui Castle Ruins’ Shakudani stones still remain as shown in the photos below. (H.S)
※Fukui Castle
was built in 1606 by Hideyasu Yuki and it was burned down in 1669.
While doing Yoga, steady your breath by breathing easily and deeply.
Stretch your body and make it relax, as like you are a jelly fish.
Stay in a pose to develop the inner muscle
and increase muscle strength.
Yoga is effective for
improving your postures,
keeping yourself in shape,
enhancing your beauty,
reducing shoulder and neck stiffness,
maintaining your physical health,
keeping your mind healthy
and everything between.
I would like to introduce the video, “MARA'S LESSON2” (vanaphofficial)
which shows you how to do an easy and relaxing Yoga that you can do at home.
Do you know the origin of Yoga?
The beginning of Yoga was in the Indus valley civilization in India,
about 4,000 - 5,000 years ago.
Do you know how many poses are there in Yoga?
There are 84 million poses!
This fact is written in *“Gheranda Samhita” (the Yoga primal scripts)
and it says that is because there are 84 million of creatures living in this world.
There are many different styles of Yoga. I would like to introduce the major ones.
Hata,
Slow movement
Beginner level
Ashtanga
Poses at a moderately fast pace
Vinyasa, Flow
The most well known one
Not as fast as Ashtanga
Recommendable for the people who want to strengthen their muscles.
Power
Similar to Vinyasa and Flow
Usually the room temperature of the Yoga space is kept as warm as 35 degrees Celsius.
Yin Yoga
There are almost no standing poses in this type Yoga.
Stays in one pose for more than 5 minutes.
Restorative
Bolster, block, blankets and everything othre prop in between are used in this type of Yoga.
Kundalini Yoga
It is physical, mental, and spiritual one.
Meditation is an important element of every types of Yoga,
but this style has the strongest of it.
As I mentioned earlier, there are so many more types of Yoga than listed above.
You will find the one which will suit you.
Summer time is time for us to be active.
Let's maintain our health by doing Yoga.
T.F
*“Gheranda Samhita (Sanskrit gheraṇḍasaṁhitā घेरंडसंहिता ) meaning “Gheranda's collection” is one of the three classic texts of hatha yoga (the other two being the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and the Shiva Samhita). It is a late 17th-century text and is considered to be the most encyclopedic of the three classic texts on hatha yoga.
Gheranda Samhita is a manual of yoga taught by Gheranda to Chanda Kapali. Unlike other hatha yoga texts, the Gheranda Samhita speaks of a sevenfold yoga:
1. Shatkarma for purification
2. Asana for strengthening
3. Mudra for steadying
4. Pratyahara for calming
5. Pranayama for lightness
6. Dhyana for perception
7. Samādhi for isolation”
・Gheranda Samhita. Last modified on April 9, 2015, at 2:29. In Wikipedia.
Retrieved March 9, 2016.
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gheranda_Samhita
Recently, I had the chance to listen to a talk by Kazufumi Miyazawa, a former member of
THE BOOM well known for the popular song "Shimauta",
and I knew about the project.
He said that its big hit led to more people come to like Okinawan music, on the other hand,
the sales of sanhin
increased, and ebony wood, material for its neck(it is called kuruchi in Okinawa) had cut with no plan. So now there are few ebony wood in
Okinawa.
Therefore, supporters including Miyazawa who agree with the thought that they would like to fill up Okinawa with ebony wood 100 years later,
launched the project in 2012.
Ebony wood takes 100 years to grow, and they are aiming to plant and grow the trees in Yomitan Village first.
Admiring the ebony wood grows little by little every year, they sing and drink there.
Also, they do hope that their grandchildren's grandchildren will play sanshin made from the ebony wood grown sometime in the future. They they are mowing grass and working hard even
in hot weather. (H.S)
The originator Kazufumi Miyazawa(right), and the head of the supporters Daiichi Hirata(left),
who has another name "Southern island poet" and
has been active in a variety of fields.
(From Facebook page of the project)
Recently, I visited the pottery studio of Kazunobu Maeda, who is an Echizen-yaki pottery artist, to take photographs. There, I found a parental swallow conveying food busily and its baby birds waiting for it, which is not to say that I found them usual under the eaves, they were inside the studio.
It seems like an ordinary scene to Mr. Maeda who is working everyday there.
Mr. Maeda, making pottery diligently very close to the swallows.
The waterfall is located deep in a side road away from the main road in Ikeda Town, Fukui Prefecture, Japan. As you come near to the waterfall, you can find it makes a roaring sound
made by the powerful falling water. It was chosen as one of the best 100 waterfalls in Japan,
which is the only one in Fukui Prefecture.
Usually waterfalls have legends, and also about
the waterfall like many others, it is said that an ascetic monk called Ryusobou
used to live nearby, and a dragon used to live in the waterfall basin and climb
into the sky going up the waterfall.
Indeed, it is a mysterious and secluded spot. It's nice to have a passing thought about a legend at such a cool waterfall in the hot summer,
isn't it? It seems to be beautiful in autumn also, when the leaves change color.
On the way to the waterfall, there is a narrow section so please drive with care.
You can park on the road just before the waterfall and there is another parking space
after passing it. (H.S)
The contrast between lush green of the trees and the waterfall which water flow freely is beautiful.
As you go down a few stairs, the waterfall basin is right there. I touched the water and it was cold and
so refreshing!
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the symbol of Ikeda is this "Kazura(Vine) Bridge" . I hear that it is a little scary to cross it.
Flowers by the roadside near the Kazura Bridge. I feel immediately at ease. As I was walking around Ikeda, I felt nostalgic somehow. Maybe it's because original scenery of Japan still remains there.
