Please Join Us at “Hojo Ujiteru Festival”!

Want to become a Samurai warrior for a day?　

Dress up as a Samurai and join our Samurai parade!

“Hojo Ujiteru Festival” is one of the annual local festivals in Hachioji City, Tokyo. Hojo Ujiteru was a historical Samurai lord in the 16^th century who ruled Hachioji area, and people can participate in the parade wearing Samurai outfits at the festival.

Date: October 22nd　(Sunday)　　　　　　　　　

Time: 10:00am-4:00pm

Location: Moto-hachioji area, Hachioji City, Tokyo

No Charge for Participation

☆Applications must be received by October 15th

Please apply via e-mails from my contact page

All applicants’ names and e-mail addresses are necessary to apply.

Contact: Yuko Takayama

 If you want to participate in the festival, or have any questions, please contact us via e-mail. We will provide you with the Samurai outfit. 

About Hojo Ujiteru:

Hojo Ujiteru was a Samurai lord during Japanese Warring States Period. Hojos were one of the major Samurai lord family at that time and Ujiteru was the third son of the head of Hojos. His main castle was set up in Hachioji and His territory extended to current Saitama prefecture at its peak. In the 1580s, he moved to Hachioji Castle which was newly built on Mt.Fukasawa (near the current Takao town, Hachioji city) because the location was naturally impregnable. However, a few years later it fell on a single day and Ujiteru was died in 1590

Do you know “Rice Paddy Art (Tanbo Art)”?

 “Rice Paddy Art (Tanbo Art)” is an activity that started recently where people create a design on actual rice paddies. There are many kinds of rice with naturally different colored leaves and the ears. “Rice Paddy Art (Tanbo Art)” takes advantage of the differences in plant colors to create a design, so it’s a design made by plants.

The art takes a long time to complete, because people need to plant many different types of rice seedlings following a blueprint in spring, and wait until fall. When all the plants are fully grown with ears, the intended design become clear.

The photos were taken in Hachioji City, Tokyo. This year is the 100^th anniversary of Hachioji’s municipal system and many activities and events are being held. Takatsuki area in the city is the largest rice producing area in Hachioji and planned to make a “Rice Paddy Art (Tanbo Art)” for the celebration.

The design shows “A rabbit on the full moon”, because the town name “Takatsuki” contains a Japanese word “Tsuki (moon)”, and ancient people in Japan believed that rabbits are living on the moon.

The town people used more than ten different types of rice and it’s amazing to see the variety of colors that different rice plants have! You can enjoy the view until the end of this month before their harvest. The grains harvested from the various colors of rice will be used for public school lunch in the city.

It is the best time now to see the “Rice Paddy Art (Tanbo Art)” in Takatsuki Town! In addition, around the  “Rice Paddy Art (Tanbo Art)”, you can enjoy seeing a traditional view of rice producing area even though it is inside of Tokyo!

[WHEN]　From September 16^th to 30^th , 2017

[WHERE] Takatsuki, Hachioji City　
There is a temporary tower for the “Rice Paddy Art” and you can see it from the parking below.

[PARKING］There are two parking lots to see the “Rice Paddy Art (Tanbo Art)”. The one is besides Takatsyki Community Center and the other is riverside area. 

Annual Hachioji Matsuri (Hachioji Festival) Is Coming Soon!

Annual Hachioji Festival will be held between August 4th (Friday) and 6th (Sunday)! It is one of the major traditional festivals in Tokyo area which people can enjoy watching Mikoshi (portable shrines) and Dashi (decorated festival carts), typical traditional Japanese festival items.

In Hachioji Festival, usually about 20 Dashi carts march along the National Road 20. Moreover, the oldest Dashi cart in Hachioji which was build in Samurai era is going to be displayed after 30 years storage. It was repaired as one of the projects for 100th anniversary of Hachioji City this year.

Please look at the photo of Dashi carts displaying the names of the neighborhood communities. None of them look the same. They also vie for people’s attention with their festival music and performances on their Dashi carts. Watching the competition of Dashi carts is definitely one of the biggest attractions of the festival! 

How about coming to see which design you like the best? 

People Enjoy Seeing Samurai Performance at Mejiro-dai Festival In Hachioji City

July and August are actually neighborhood festival months in Japan. In residential areas, traditionally people organize neighborhood communities in every several blocks called "Chonai-kai". These "Chonai-kai" communities usually manage local activities such as festivals, and public space clean-up in the community, and share information. 

In Mejiro-dai area in Hachioji City, people hold a neighborhood festival called Mejiro-dai Festival in every summer. Food stalls are prepared by local shops and restaurants, and Mikoshi (portable shrine) parade and performances by local people take place at the festival.  In addition to the typical festival types of performances, people have a Samurai performance as shown in the photo.

The people showing the performance are members of a local NPO group at Hachioji Castle Ruins, which is one of the major historical site of the Warring States period in Tokyo. They have Samurai performances at various events and sometimes hold workshops such as "Handmade Samurai armor" for kids.

Their armors are all handmade. Each person in the Samurai group made their own armor. Due to limitations on maerial availability and usability, various types of material were used to make armor such as plastic, aluminum and steel plates for the body of armor, and leather, cloth, strings and old kimono for the accessories. 

For example, the person's armor show in the lower photos is made of steel. He said that it took about a year to complete it and as you can see in the photos he used lots of small steel plates and small steel rings to assemble his armor. Since he wanted to have a very real one he tried to make it in the same way Samurai armors were made in old times. The chain mail for the arms are made of small steel rings and he connected them one by one. Apparently the total weight of this armor is 30 kg (about 66 lb).

Of course most people in the group chose lighter types of material to be able to walk and move easily. However it sounds interesting to be able to experience the real heaviness of a Samurai armor. He can feel how tough the real Samurai soldiers were in old times. That would be cool!

This year, in 2017, the Mejiro-day Festival will be held on July 15th and 16th.

How Would Geisha Ladies Look Like At Parties?

These are photos of a Japanese Sake Tasting Event held in Hachioji city. I have been introducing Hachioji Geisha at outside events, but originally their work places were mostly inside of buildings, specifically parties serving alcohol drinks. Since the event had a kind of party style, their usual parties maybe look similar to this event.

The Event was held at a long-established Kappo-restaurant, which is one types of the expensive Japanese cuisine restaurants (unfortunately this nice old building was already torn down for not meeting the requirments for current building regulations). Until 2014, it was an annual open event at the restaurant and anyone could make a reservation and join in with the entrance fee (12,000 yen, which is about $120).

The fee included Sake tasting (as much as you want), a Japanese cuisine course dinner, and Geisha service. Soon after people took their seats, the event was started and Hachioji Geishas came in. They sang songs, played traditional instruments, and showed traditional Japanese dance as they walked around to pour Japanese sake and to talk to people.

Needles to say, Geisha's service is not limited to men, but woman can also have a great time at parties with Geishas. The word "Geisha" means "entertainers", thus they are professional "Party Entertainers" specifically working for private parties. Though their culture would be a little different in each area or even in each district, they have their own styles. When Hachioji Geishas talk to male guests they call the guests "master", and when talk to female guests, they call older guests "big sister" and younger guests "little sister", so they don't have to ask guests' names, and basically that's one of Geishas' style to ensure that guests feel easy and relaxed at their private parties. 

What's more, the style helps Geishas to keep their clients' secrets even when they attend at a meeting between major politicians. In fact during the early days of Japan's modern times, many of important political meetings took place at expensive Japanese cuisine restaurants with Geishas. They were trusted to protect the confidentiality of their clients.

A Good Chance To See Traditional Festival Stuff in Hachioji

This weekend (July 8th and 9th), the 16th annual Hachioji Summer Market (Natsu-no-Fubutsu Ichi) is being held near JR Hachioji Station. 

Along the Nishi-Hoshasen You Road (laid out from the north exit of JR Hachioji Station ) you can stroll around the Asagao-Ichi (Morning Glory Market) to see stalls selling traditional style wind chimes and local goodies. 

There are more traditional old-days style festival stalls selling goods or food which comes with some entertainment aspect. The entertainment can be fishing small balloons floating on a big tank of water, scooping gold fish from a big fish tank. At traditional candy stalls, people can ask for a candy made into any shape they want as shown in the upper right hand side photo. In addition, traditional paper-cutting stalls, where people can request any designs, are poplar among little kids.

Hachioji is one of the few towns that still have Geisha and you can see Hachioji Geishas selling morning glory planters at the Asagao Ichi (The Morning Glory Market). It can be a good opportunity to take photos of Geisha ladies and talk to them. Last year, even Geisha shows were held at this event. Traditional dance and traditional games for Geisha parties were showcased. (I introduced a short movie of Geisha's dance recorded at this event last year. To see the post, please click here!)

The annual Hachioji Summer Market a nice local seasonal event!

Sakura (Cherry Blossoms) Is Not The Only Flower To Enjoy In This Season!

Now it is the best time for “Hanami (Flower Viewings)”! The most popular and famous flower for “Hanami (Flower Viewings)” would be “Sakura (Cherry Blossoms)” in Japan, but there are more spring flowers to enjoy!

Imakuma Shrine is one of the Shinto shrines located in Hachioji City, and it is known for beautiful one kind of Azalea flowers called "Mitsuba-tsutsuji". The photo above was taken last week, on April 12^th and about 60-70% of the Azalea trees were blooming. So it would be more beautiful this week. What's more you can enjoy a casual hiking starting from this shrine. you can enjoy the view of Azalea flowers blooming beside the shrine on the way of the hiking trail.

In addition, this shrine keeps a ritual dance called “Shishimai (Lion Dance)”. Shishimai is a common traditional Japanese performance taking place at festivals and new year celebration time, but the style of the dance kept at this shrine is unique. It is said that the origin of the ritual dance goes back to 14^th century and it has been performed to pray for a good harvest and expel evils. If you are interested in the ritual dance you can see it at the last Sunday in August every year.

You can reach Imakuma Shrine by bus from Hachioji Station (JR Chuo-line and Keio-line), or Musashi-itsukaichi Station (JR Itsukaichi-line). Take Nishi-tokyo bus from either station and get off at Imakuma Tozan-guchi. From the bus stop to the shrine takes 20-25 minutes on foot. 

Where Would Be Nice To Go To Enjoy Cherry Blossoms Viewings?

April would be the best month to enjoy cherry blossoms (Sakura ) in Tokyo area. There are various kinds of Sakura and each kind become in full bloom with different timing. So we can enjoy Sakura for about a month. 

There are so many famous spots for Sakura viewing, but most places in the center of Tokyo are very crowded. As you can see in the photo below, people who went out for enjoying Sakura sometimes feel as if they came out to see just a crowd of people. Therefore I always recommend to go to suburb areas of Tokyo for Sakura viewings. 

Even inside of Tokyo there are cities considered as suburb areas and also country-side areas. Tokyo is a prefecture mainly consists of 23 wards, 26 cities, 3 towns and 1 village. The 23 wards are usually considered as the center of Tokyo, so people often ask as "Is it inside of 23 wards?" to see if it is located in the urban area. The rest of the areas written as 26 cities, 3 towns and 1 village are called "Tama Area" which came from the old name of the area, and these are considered as residential area and countryside of  Tokyo.

26 cities of "Tama Area" would be convenient places to enjoy Sakura quietly. You can reach the areas mostly in an hour from the center of Tokyo, and won't see too much crowd in Sakura spots. If you don't mind to spent more time on trains and buses, the 3 towns and a village would also be wonderful places to enjoy Sakura and nature without crowds. What's more, in "Tama Area" you can also enjoy a wild type of cherry blossoms called Yama-zakura in mountains.

The photos above are all taken in Hachioji City which is one of the 26 cities. As you can see in the photos, you can find many kinds of Sakura almost every where all over Japan since a lot of places such as local parks, streets, riversides and schools. Hope you can find wonderful Sakura spots without a crowd in Tokyo!

Do You Know There Is A Ghibuli Studio Movie Based On Modern History Of West Tokyo?

Studio Ghibuli is a famous Japanese animation company which is now well-known internationally. Many of their movies are showing beautiful nature which the directors referred to views in Japan. What's more, West Tokyo area was used as the settings for some of them. To be specific, the movie “Pom Poko (1994, directed by Isao Takahata)” was created based on the modern history of Tama area of West Tokyo. 

During Japanese high-rate economic growth time in 1960s, There was a big project of housing development came up on a part of Tama area which spreading over Hachioji City, Tama City and Machida City partially. It was to cope with the population growth in the center of Tokyo at that time. The land was originally a typical semi-natural area called “Satoyama” that has a good mix of farm fields and nature.

The movie "Pom Poko" is about animals living in the forest, specifically Japanese raccoon dogs (Tanuki), and how they tried to fight against the human being's large-scale development. The idea of using the animal came from the fact that people in old times believed Japanese raccoon dogs and foxes had some magical power to change themselves into other shapes. It's a really good movie to see the situations at that time and think back to city developments include mass constructions. Worth to watch!

The housing area developed with the project was named "Tama New-town". The name got faded in these years, but the area is still one of the major residential areas in Tokyo. 

Inside of the "Tama New-town" area, there is a local park called Nagaike Park located between Horinouchi Station and Minami Osawa Station in Hachioji City. The park includes a couple of ponds and thickets that are reminiscent of the area before the mass housing development in 1960s.

Actually, the Nature Center at the park has some original paintings of the movie and a stuffed Japanese raccoon dog (Tanuki) as you can see in the photos above. The paintings are displayed whenever there are no special exhibits. You can enjoy the beautiful works drawing views of “Satoyama”, old-fashioned semi-nature area, there!

The Sun Sometimes Enjoys Mt.Fuji's Slope At Sunset!

From Hachioji City, Tokyo, this phenomenon can be seen few days after "Diamond Fuji" which I introduced on January 9th!

'Diamond Fuji' Requires Perfect Weather

"Diamond Fuji" is a well-known phenomenon in Japan. It is caused by the sun goes down right top of Mt.Fuji at sunset. When it reaches on the top, the sun sparkles like a diamond. Of course it depends on the weather and it can be seen only with very clear sky.

In Hachioji City, Tokyo, "Diamond Fuji" is available in many places between December and January. One of the most popular spots to see it would be the top of Mt.Takao, but you can try to watch it from the downtown, too.

Since this phenomenon requires a perfect weather condition, it is not easy to get a good chance to take photos. This year I tried to record a video of it, but there were thin clouds around Fuji although it looked like a good enough weather, then the sun light was breaking up when it goes down onto the top of Fuji.

If I succeeded it, the view should have been like the photo below. I luckily got a good chance to take the photo several years ago. I hope I can have a perfect condition and succeed to record it next year!

A Special Exhibition About Princess Matsu Was Held During The New Year Celebration

During the first week after New Year, a special exhibition about "Samurai Princess Matsu" was held at Shinshoin Temple in Hachioji City, Tokyo. I kept introducing about Princess Matsu on my website since last April. As I wrote in my previous post on April 10th and April 28th in 2016, she is a daughter of a very powerful Samurai Lord during Japanese Warring States Period in 16th Century.

Since last year, 2016, was the 400th Anniversary of her death, a special festival was held in the April and an old image of her, which was carved in about 1715 and was treasured at Shinsoin Temple, was carried out from the temple building and made a round trip as a parade to Shingenin Temple where Princess Matsu became the Buddhist nun after her family was destroyed.

The image had not been open to the public until last year, so a lot of people came to the 400th Anniversary Festival to see her image. Then, the Shinshoin Temple decided to exhibit the image again during the New Year's celebration this year.

The image was created after about 100 years after her death, but it is said that the image tells her appearance well. When I visited there, there were still New Year's decoration at the temple gate and a small Shinto shrine on the temple ground had Traditional New Year's offering rice cake inside. In the front room many photos of the 400th Anniversary Festival were displayed, then in the inner room the image of Princess Matsu was sitting quietly as you can see in the photos on the lower row above.

The size of the image was almost actual size of human being and the eyes were made of glass which gives her eyes a real sparkle. Her face had a peaceful look mixed with grace and dignity. Many local people were visiting there and putting the palm of their hands together in prayer. In the room there were many historical materials related to her such as her father's portraits, letters addressed to her, and her portrait painted in modern times. It seemed as if Princess Matsu has been sitting there surrounded by her belongings and watching over Hachioji all the time for these four hundred years.

Apparently the temple people are now thinking about having the same kind of exhibition next year during New Year's celebration. Let's hope we can have a chance to meet her again!

How About Asking A Robot To Tell Your Luck For 2017?

The left-hand side photo and the movie above are showing a "Omikuji vending machine" that can be found in Japanese temples and shrines. I wrote about  "Hatsu-moude (The First Visit for Prayer)" yesterday on this blog. When people visit a shrine or a temple for "Hatsu-moude", many of them like to try "Omikuji". "Omikuji" is lottery-style traditional fortune-telling papers. When you pick up a piece of folded paper from a box or a tray at a temple/shrine, there is a message from Japanese gods regarding your luck.  

It is a very common and fun activity that costs only a few hundred-yen (1 or 2 dollars), so many people try it when they visit a shrine or a temple especially for "Hatsu-moude". Usually you can buy "Omikuji" at booths of shrines and temples as same as their lucky charms, but in these days some shrines and temples have installed "Omikuji vending machines" as you can see in the left hand side photo and movie.

In the "Omikuji vending machines", actually a small robot will pick up a fortune-telling paper for you after you insert coins to the machine.  The robot is representing traditional "Shishi-mai (Shishi-dance)" style. "Shishi-mai" is a traditional Japanese custom, which you can see in the right hand side photo, to give a blessing to people. A person wears a imaginary creature, Shishi's mask, and play the role at festivals and new year celebrations. Shishi dances and sometimes bite people. It is said that if you are bitten on your head by Shishi, you would stay healthy for the year. Shishi can bring good health to people.

For the "Omikuji vending machines", Shishi-robots bite an Omikuji paper and bring it to you. However it can be a bad luck because "Omikuji" papers usually contain "big luck, luck, small luck and bad luck. When you try Omikuji vending machines, hope the Shishi-robot brings a good luck to you!

The photos and movies were taken at Ueno Kanei-ji temple Kiyomizu-kannon-do in Taito-ku Tokyo, and Koyasu Shrine in Hachioji city Tokyo.

Happy New Year! Did You Already Make A Wish For This Year?

A Happy New Year!!
Traditionally, in the beginning of a year Japanese people visit a Shinto shrine or a Buddhism temple to make a wish for the New Year as a resolution for the year. It is called "Hatsu-moude" and it means "The First Visit for Prayer". 

It might sounds funny, but for this "Hatsu-moude (The First Visit for Prayer) ", most Japanese don't care if they go to a Shinto shrine or a Buddhism temple. I guess it is an act of traditional customs rather than religious visit. People just pick up one place where they want to visit.

There are many major shrines and temples which are popular as tourist spots. These places are packed with people for "Hatsu-moude (The First Visit for Prayer) " every year. It would be fun to visit one of these famous places as an New Year's event, but also visiting a local small shrine or temple is nice for a quiet peaceful New Year's celebration. 

For this year I visited a small local shrine located in Takao-town, Hachioji-city, Tokyo. On January 2nd, shrine maiden's dance performances and a special kind of traditional flute performance took place at the shrine and people in the neighborhood enjoyed them as they visited for "Hatsu-moude (The First Visit for Prayer) ". The photos above are showing the performances and one of the Shinto priests there. 

Hope you will enjoy reading my blogs and seeing many places and things in Japan in this year!