Sunday, May 18, 2025

I Go To Taketomi Island In Okinawa

 

Taketomi Island can be reached by boat from Ishigaki Island in less than 30 minutes.
The Island is part of Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park, established in 1972 and is known for its "traditional Okinawan" houses, stone walls, and sandy streets.


People place pairs of shisa on their rooftops or flanking the gates to their houses, with the left shisa traditionally having a closed mouth, the right one an open mouth.

The open mouth shisa traditionally wards off evil spirits, and the closed mouth shisa keeps good spirits in.














The island is circular with a village in the center.


Sunday, May 11, 2025

I Go To Mt. Fuji World Heritage Centre and Wakutama Pond


There was a shallow natural spring-fed water basin in front of the Centre.
The basin reflected the cone-shaped Exhibition Building inverted.
It created a mirror image of the shape of Mt. Fuji,







Pictures of Wakutama Pond follow.


Wakutamaike Pond is a spring located within the grounds of Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha Shrine. 
It is designated as a special natural monument by the government and is also one of the best waters.




Sunday, May 4, 2025

I Go To Kushimoto Town, Wakayama


Kushimoto Town is located in the southernmost point of Japan's main island at the southernmost tip of Kii Peninsula.
Parts of the coastal area of the town are within the limits of the Yoshino-Kumano National Park and include the Hashiguiiwa Rocks, which are a National Natural Monument.





 Kushimoto Ohashi Bridge
The island of Kii Oshima is located on the east side of the city, and is connected by the Kushimoto Ohashi Bridge,

Sunday, April 27, 2025

I Go To Miho no Matsubara

Mt. Fuji From Miho no Matsubara Culture & Creativity Center

Miho no Matsubara or Pine grove at Miho is a scenic area on the Miho Peninsula in Shimizu Ward of Shizuoka City.
Its seven-kilometre seashore is lined with pine trees. It is the location of the legend upon which the Noh drama Hagoromo is based.
It was designated as a National Places of Scenic Beauty of Japan in 1922.
In 2013 the pine groves were added to the World Heritage List as part of the Fujisan Cultural Site.











Sunday, April 20, 2025

I Go To The Ise Shrine

The Uji Bridge



The Ise Shrine located in Ise, Mie Prefecture of Japan, is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the solar goddess Amaterasu Omikami and the grain goddess Toyouke-hime.

Ise Shrine is a shrine complex composed of many Shinto shrines centered on two main shrines, Naikū and Gekū.









The Main Shrine, Naikū