Thank You For Reading My Blogs In 2016

It is December 31st, so this is the last post for this year. Thank you for reading my blogs during 2016! The photo on the right hand side was taken today. Mt. Fuji is also seeing off this year's last day with the clear sky and the crescent moon.

As I wrote in my another blog on December 30th, in Japan there is a tradition at the end of the year to eat one kind of noodle. The noodle is "Soba Noodle" which is made from buckwheat and the dish which is for December 31st is called "Toshikoshi-soba". The direct translation of it is "Noodle for passing over the year", but it is a "Noodle for New Year's Eve". Since ancient times Japanese people eat something long to wish longevity, so people eat Soba noodle at the end of a year. 

Hope you will keep reading my blogs for a long time!

A Big Sacred Circle Can Get Rid Of Bad Lucks From Your Body And Soul?

It's already December 29th, so 2016 is going to end soon! In Japanese traditional custom, we have cleansing rituals at the end of a half year and a whole year as I introduced in my previous post inJune. We can see special events/items for this custom at some of the Japanese Shinto shrines.

The photos are taken at Koyasu Shrine in Hachioji city, Tokyo (4-10-3, Myojin-cho, Hachioji City). It is one of the oldest local shrines in the area and apparently the shrine was originally build in the 8 century. Many local people love this shrine because it’s believed as a shrine that gives blessings for matchmaking, having babies, and safe births.

Now you can try annual "Cleanse Ceremony for The Year" at the shrine. A big circle made by a thick straw rope was placed in front of the shrine building and this circle is a special item to cleanse people's body and soul. When you walk through the circle three times making an "8" shape tilted 90 degree as you can see in the lower center photo, your body and soul would get cleaned.

It is said that the origin of the ritual came from a legendary episode. Long ago, when one of Japanese gods was traveling he asked one night stay at a poor man’s house. The man gave the god warm hospitality, then the god told him that he can escape from the disaster of diseases when he carries a ring made of one kind of grass. Later, he could survive from an epidemic by following the teaching. In ancient time people carried a small ring of the grass to get rid of diseases, but later it changed to the aforesaid ritual going through a big circle.

How about trying this ritual and cleansing your body and soul to prepare for coming New Year?

Now Free Wi-Fi Services Are Increasing In Japan

Until a couple years ago, for most foreign tourists visiting Japan finding free Wi-Fi outside had been a trouble, but finally the services started increasing. 

There is a free app named "TRAVEL JAPAN Wi-Fi, which provides free Wi-Fi service for only foreign tourists visiting Japan as you can see in the photos above. Also there is another service named "Japan Connected-free Wi-Fi" which is provided at shopping malls, airports, stations and inside of trains. In addition, some cities such as Hachioji City in Tokyo, started free Wi-Fi services in the downtown as you can see in the upper right hand side photo.

Why it took so long to have free Wi-Fi services in Japan after smartphones came out? Actually Japanese old types cellphones have had internet connection from the long time before smartphones and tablets came out. The internet services have been provided by cellphone companies and when people bought a cellphone with a phone number and contracted with a phone company, an email address for the cellphone and internet connection were included in the service. 

Of course these old types cellphones didn't have improved functions as good as smartphones and tablets nowadays, but all of them had a camera and a color display, then they were enough to exchange emails/photos and see simple websites of shops and companies in early days. Since the internet accesses were given through the cellphone connection Japanese people didn't have inconveniences outside.  

Even after smartphones and tablet came out, people still used the same system so that they had internet connection included in their phone-number contracts and didn't need Free WiFi services separately. However, it had been really inconvenient for visitors from foreign countries and there was a deregulation for the Japanese cellphone business. At last Free WiFi services for outside started spreading in Japan. 

I think it is interesting to see that even the circumstances of high-tech gadgets which seems like global items today are different in each country. It can be a part of cultural gap experience for your travel!

Here is information for outside Free WiFi service especially in Tokyo area!
Travel Japan WiFi
Japan Connected-free Wi-Fi
WiFi HOTSPOT GUIDE / Official Tokyo Travel Guide Go Tokyo

A Fall View Of Shingen-in Temple Where Refugee Samurai Princess Matsu Finally Found Herself At

This temple is located in Hachioji City, Tokyo. There are many Japanese maple trees (Momiji) around the temple building and they turn into beautiful red color in fall season. The ground were covered by lots of red maple leaves, golden ginkgo leaves and Japanese camellia (Sazanka) petals, so it looked like a natural potpourri spread by trees.

According to the temple's record, this Buddhism temple is the place where the refugee Samurai princess, Matsu, whom I introduced several times on last April 10th and April 28th. (Please click the date to read the previous posts). 

She was a daughter of a powerful Samurai lord who ruled Kai State (current Yamanashi prefecture) during Japanese Warring States Period (14th-15th Century). Although her father's troopers, Takeda Troopers, were famous as "The strongest troopers" at that time, after the father collapsed by a sickness the Takeda clan weakened and were defeated by other powerful Samurai lord. 

Princess Matsu managed herself to escape from the downfall of the clan, and reached Hachioji at the end of a long runaway trip over mountains. Later she established her own temple as I introduced in my previous posts, but apparently this "Shingen-in Temple" was the first place she arrived at and became a nun with a help of monks at the temple.

Actually "Shingen" is her father's name. Even though the written Chinese characters (Kabji) are different, it is a completely same pronunciation. After fearful runaway trip, she found a temple with her father's name. Maybe, that was one of the reasons she became a nun here? Anyway, it was hundreds years ago, and now the temple stands quietly surrounded by beautiful trees.

Were Historical Shoguns During Samurai Era Powerful Enough To Be Able To Do Anything As They Wish?

I wrote about a Samurai princess whose family was ruined during the Japanese Warring States period in my previous post on November 24th. Her name is "Kenshoin", and in her later years she was entrusted a illegitimate child of the second Shogun of Tokugawa Shogunate period. 

"Kenshoin" wasn't a relative of Tokugawa Shogun family at all. Tokugawa family was even one of the enemies who ruined her family at the end of the Japanese Warring States period. Then why she was offered such an important task?

After the Japanese Warring States period ended, a couple of powerful Samurai lord became the top of military power and ruled Japan, yet they could't hand down their position to their sons, so their domination periods ended with one generation. Finally, in 1603, Ieyasu Tokugawa (1542-1616) became the first Shogun and established a stable Shogunate government which continued until 1867. Thus "Shogun" position was technically the most powerful position of the country and the ruler of Japan during Tokugawa Shogunate period. 

However, it seems like even "Shogun" had something they couldn't control. You might think "Shogun" was like an autocrat who had all power to rule the country and many wives as he lived in a huge castle. Partially it was true, "Shogun" was the top of Samurai and lived in magnificent Edo Castle which is now lost and became Emperor's Palace, also they could have many concubines beside their formal wife. However, they weren't absolute rulers since they also had to follow many rules and needed to get permissions to do what they want.

Apparently, the second Shogun loved a lower positioned woman and he wanted to make her his concubine, but it wasn't approved by his formal wife who came from a very powerful family. So he hid the girlfriend even after she had a baby. Although the baby was truly Shogun's son, the second shogun thought it wasn't safe enough to raise him in Edo Castle. Therefore the shogun picked up a lady who didn't have any connection to Shogun's family nor vassals, to entrust his secret baby and the mother. That was the "Kenshoin" whose family had been ruined many years ago. 

Later the shogun secretly gave the son to one of the minor Samurai lord as his hair. The domain of the lord was small area called "Takato-han" in current Nagano prefecture. Surprisingly the son never acted as Shogun's son even though it was a tacit understanding among the upper class. He even refused to use the family name of "Tokugawa" which was Shogun's name and kept his adoptive father's family name. With his modest behavior, he was loved by his half brother who was the third Shogun.

Actually, a popular landmarks in Tokyo, "Shijuku Gyoen National Garden" is a former property of the "Takato-han". It is now one of the biggest green area in the center of Tokyo same as Emperor's Palace which is the former property of his brother, the third Shogun. You can visit both gardens within a day!