Gain deeper insight into Japanese culture

Koyo viewing on Mount Takao

, ,

“Koyo” is the Japanese word for leaves color change, during the Autumn. Trees, mainly Mapple trees and Ginko change their color from green to yellow, orange, red and make a spectacular view.
All forested mountains become tourists hot spots for autumn color viewing . It doesn’t happen everywhere at the same time though – it occurs over more than two months across Japan.
It starts usually in late September at high altitudes of mountain areas, where temperatures are cooler, and on the northern island of Hokkaido then descends down to the plain areas towards south of Japan.
Mount Takao (599m) is one of the closest natural recreation areas to central Tokyo and late November the mountain becomes one of Tokyo’s most popular koyo spot. Takaosan (Mount Takao) and the surrounding mountain areas also offer attractive hiking opportunities with many well marked hiking trails. It is also the home to an attractive Buddhist temple-Yakuoin.

Join us on a day tour. Contact us for info.

Heading to Fuji Rock Festival 2016

The Fuji Rock Festival, Japan’s biggest outdoor music festivals is held every year in the mountains of northern Japan at Naeba Ski Resort on the last weekend in July (July 22 – 24).
Every summer this gigantic musical event whose success never fails despite the emergence of many competing festivals in Japan attracts 150,000 people for three days and three nights.
The festival, with an eclectic lineup attracts both young crowd and some in their forties and fifties. It was created by an event promoter, Masahiro Hidaka, inspired by the British festival Glastonbury.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers will headline the 20th-anniversary edition of Fuji Rock alongside more than 150 international and local artists performing over seven main stages, such as Beck, Sigur Ros, Courtney Barnett, Ben Harper… and DJs like Groove Patrol, Ken Ishii.
Tickets are already on sale Fuji Rock Festival
There are plenty of ways to access the festival and get accommodation there, but we can help you to do so. Contact us.

Ai ni Kotaeru White Day – Answer Love on White Day

,

Valentine’s Day is celebrated on two different dates in Japan, Valentine’s Day and White Day (Howaito dē). The first is for men, the second for women and they do not offer cards but chocolate instead. These two days are only for commercial purposes and chocolates companies make more than half of their annual sales during these two events.
On White Day (March 14) men are supposed to give return gifts to women who gifted them chocolates on Valentine’s Day. If they received Giri-choco “courtesy chocolate”, they give white chocolates, while if they received Honmei-choco “true feeling chocolate”, men offer lingerie (preferably white) or jewellery instead, but has to be “sanbai gaeshi” or “triple return“. The gift that man will offer must be at least triple what he received.
For teenagers, the young do not offer chocolate to their valentine, but a white ribbon. If the girl tied it to her hair or her wrist, this confirms that the feelings are mutual and that she is his valentine.
No worry if you are single, the Black Day, next month on April 14, you will all gather together and eat Jajangmyeon or black noodles…but in Korea.

Katsuura Big Hina Matsuri – Dolls Festival

,

There are plenty exhibitions of traditional dolls throughout Japan, but Katsuura Hina Matsuri in Chiba is by far the biggest Hina dolls display in Japan.
The Doll’s Festival is celebrated on March 3 and its origin dates back to the Heian period (794-1185). It was thought that the dolls were able to absorb the misfortune of men. At that time, the lords were offering dolls representing little girls to the imperial family, especially the princesses, to free them from their misfortunes. It was a  Shinto ritual purification.
Now democratized, all Japanese girls put on their best display dolls representing the Emperor, Empress and the court, and invite their friends to admire them, drinking tea and eating cakes. For the occasion, they wear a long-sleeved kimono and receive gifts from their parents and their friends. During the day, they go with their parents to the local shrine to pray the gods.

Access: https://goo.gl/ijy894

Yuyake Koyake Song – Children finishing school

Yuyake koyake (Sunrise, Sunset) is a popular children song composed by Shin Kusakawa (1893-1948) who worked as a music teacher. All over Japan, every evening at 5 p.m., this music is loudly played for 20/30 seconds and then stops. The song is used as a signal meaning that Japanese children finish school and go home.

Here is the song lyric:
夕焼け 小焼けで 日（ひ）が暮（く）れて
山（やま）のお寺（てら）の 鐘（かね）がなる
おててつないで みなかえろう 烏（からす）と いっしょに かえりましょう
子供（こども）が かえった あとからは
まるい大（おお）きな お月（つき）さま
小鳥（ことり）が夢（ゆめ）を 見（み）るころは 空（そら）には きらきら 金（きん）の星（ほし）

The sunset is the end of the day,
the bell from the mountain temple rings
hand by hand let’s go back home together with the crows.
After the children are back at home
a big and round moon shines,
when the birds dream, the brightness from the stars fills the sky.

This one from Higashi Shinjuku in Tokyo.