Gokayama Suganuma village
Myozenji temple
Snow comes at Gassho village in Winter 2017, late December
‘shirakawa-go’ カテゴリーのアーカイブ
2017.12Winter at Gassho village
2017年12月27日 水曜日Shirakawago tour guide on November 16th,2016
2016年11月17日 木曜日
I showed Shirakawago UNESCO World Heritage Site to my guests from USA on November 16th,2016. Autumn colors are in their best season.
A bolo tie ( loop tie ) tip made by Laquerware craftsman
2015年10月14日 水曜日
A lacquerware craftsman, Sadaike made a bolo tie tip for me. The design of the bolo tie is Gassho farmhouse in Shirakawago, UNESCO world heritage site. Sadaike says Shiro-Urushi, which is literally means white lacquer is used to make the bolo tie. It’s so meticulous and beautiful. I am sure to wear this bolo tie when I provide tour guide service in Shirakawago and Gokayama. These villages are designated as UNESCO world heritage site.
April in Shirakawago village
2015年5月1日 金曜日
Picture of manhole at Shirakawa-go village
“Deaibashi” suspension bridge
The Shogawa river flows along the valleys of Gassho villages
Fog covers the Shirakawago village in April.
My costume for a tour guide
2014年5月9日 金曜日
My fellow licensed tour guide and I stood at the oveservation deck of Shirakawago village 0n April 29,2014. I wore a red cap and a red jacket. Red color is very much helpful for overseas cutomers to find me in the crowded mass.
Shirakawa-go Doburoku festival
2013年10月18日 金曜日
Shirakawa-go Doburoku festival takes place annually at three different Hachiman shrines in Shirakawa village. Shirakawa Hachiman Shrine festival is the biggest among them, and is held on October 14th and 15th. Hatogoya Hachiman Shrine festival is held on October 16th and 17th. Iijima Hachiman Shrine festival is held on October 18th and 19th. The itinerary of the festival is as follows. 9:00am; Festval ceremony at the shrinestakes place. Procession strolls along the village streets. Lion dance is performed. 3:30pm; Doburoku sake starts to be served to visitors. 7:00pm; Lion dance performance is dedicated to the shrine. 8:00pm; Local folk dance is dedicated to the shrine.
Stalls in the shrine precincts sell Takoyaki food and so on.
Festival flags and gasshio houses.
Festival procession beside a harvested rice paddy field.
Shrine priest on a rickshaw.
Mikoshi, a portable shrine
A blue ogre and a red ogre are believed to protect villagers from a devil.
Children perform dance.
Festival procession goes on near Wada house.
Tochi-mochi rice cake, a souvenir of a local sweet
2012年12月1日 土曜日Tochinoki is translated into English as Japanese horse chestnut Aesculus. Aesculus seeds were traditionally eaten by the Jomon people. The Jomon people lived in Japan about 4 millennia ago until 300 AD. Aesculus seeds become edible after complicated processing of leaching. The seeds have acrid taste and can’t be eaten without processing.
I found crushed seeds in bags being soaked in a running water at Shirakawago village on September 29 and November 8.
A high degree of technique such as soaking the seeds in a running water and boiling them in a water mixed with ash is needed to extract bitter taste. Tochinoki seeds saved people from famine during the Edo and early Meiji period. There are many places which have the name related to Tochi throughout Japan. Tochinomi is used as an ingredient for Tochinomi-senbei, Tochinomi rice cracker and Tochi-mochi, Tochimochi rice cake.
Tochinomi is rich in starch and bigger than acorn, and was regarded as the seeds for longevity. Tochinoki seeds are reviewed as a nutritious ingredient at a time when people are eating to their hearts’ content.
Water-filled Paddy fields in Shirakawago
2012年5月15日 火曜日
Paddy fields are filled with water, ready for rice planting. Mountains over there are snow-capped Mt. Hakusan, one of the three sacred mountains in Japan, which is about 2,700 meters high, and the source of the Sho river. The Sho river runs west of the village, and supply abundant water for a paddy field. Green, water, snow and a paddy field produce a beautiful scenery once a year.
Shirakawago in Spring
2011年4月22日 金曜日
Kandake farmhouse and the remaining snow.
Nagaseke farmhouse in the bright spring sunlight.
Gassho farmhouses and Kamakura, a melting snow hut.
Remaining snow and Gassho farmhouses.
Rethatching Gassho houses.
Empty suspension bridge. Foreign tourists should not miss this golden opportunity for sightseeing. This region is safe and secure far away from massive quake damaged region.
Early Spring in Shirakawa-go
2011年2月26日 土曜日
The sun warms roofs of Gassho farmhouses. Rising vapor will guide you to a world of fantasy.
Steam rises violently from a roof.
Snow remains on a rooftop.
Inside the third floor of a Gassho farmhouse.
Straw ropes and Neso are used to tie up lumbers to form roofs. Neso is a local word for Mansaku, witch hazel.
Mansaku is hammered and soaked in water for about 3 months to make it soft. It becomes stiff when it gets dried.
25 m-long ceder lumber is used to reinforce a roof as a brace.
Pointed lumbers to support about 100 ton thatched roof are keys for an earthquake-resistant structure.