NARA

Farewell to Japan -Kimono I purchased and brought home.

Wilhelmine modeling kimono in hotel in Nara.
Nara is about 25 miles south of Kyoto and is older than the sister city. Beginning in 710, for 74 years Nara (then called Heijo) was capital of Japan.

The Big Buddha measuring 16.2m in height and weighs 452 tons.

Gold Spiral in Nara Park

Kasugataisha Temple has 3000 lanterns

Wilhelmine standing in front of more lanterns at Kasugataisha Temple

Kofukuji Temple is famous for its five storied Pagoda (165 ft. high) built in 1426. In the 8th century Kifukuji Temple had almost 2300 buildings. Fire after fire leveled them and now the Pagoda and four haus are left.

Todai-ji is the largest wooden building and its idol one of the largest bronze images of Buddha in the world.

Nara park is a woodsy expanse of hugh Japanese cedars, oaks and cypress trees. More than 1000 tame deer (called divine essengers) wander about the park during the day. At dusk, the call of a trumpet summons them to return to their pens.

Oyster Beds

At the age of 32, Kokichi Mikimoto decided to research into the possibility of creating cultured 'pearls,' an accomplishment, considered beyond any man's ingenuity and capabilities in his time. During the years that followed, he met many difficulties which had to be solved before his dream finally materialized in the production of the world's first cultured pearl on July 11, 1893. We visited Pearl Island, the spot where Mikimoto first succeeded in creating a cultured pearl.

Mikimoto developed the cultured pearl by artificially stimulating oysters by inserting an irritant (a grain of sand) inside oyster, causing it to secrete the nacre of which cultured pearls are formed. The irritant sand comes from the Missouri River near St. Louis Mo.

Pearl beds

The seeded oysters are placed in cages and suspended from bamboo rafts. The pearls are harvested six months to seven years later.

The 'Ama' women divers collect 60% ot the total marine products including the 'pearl' oysters, abalone, lobster and seaweed.

Wilhelmne as a 'Ama' Diver

The 'Ama' Women diving for oysters.

Food

I ate with chopsticks all the time spent in Japan- I got pretty good and even enjoyed most of the food.

Traveling in Japan

Tea Bushes

I learned to like the 'green' tea that the Japanese drink even before it became popular here in the U.S.

Everywhere we went while traveling in Japan, we saw Cherry Trees and Plum Trees in bloom.

Wilhelmine standing in front of Cherry Tree at Temple.

More Cherry Trees

Rice Field

More rice fields

Rice is a stable food in Japan. Every meal is served with rice.

Cedar Trees

Plum Festival

This is 'Saki,' Rice Wine, a very poplular drink at Festivals and gatherings.

Plum orchard contains many varieties and a wide range of colors.I think the plum blossoms are just as pretty as the cherry blossoms. I brought home a silk screen of plum blossoms painted by a local artist which hangs on the wall in our apartment.

The Zuishin-in Temple is an Imperial Temple in southwestern Yamashina. The Temple holds its 'Hanezu Odori Festival' on March 30th when the Plum Blossoms are in full bloom.

Japanese Muscians playing at the Plum Blossom Festival.

Haezu O Dori is a sacred dance which has been passed on in the Yamashina district. It depicts comically the love life of Onono-Komachi, a poetress, who was extremely popular among the court nobles for her beauty & intelligence.

I thought this young Japanese woman was so pretty, I asked to take her picture. She was at the Festival.

The dress in Japan was about 50/50 % when I was there - as you can see here with the Japanese girl in cultural dress and the boy in western wear.

Temples

Japanese women resting inside the Zuishin-in Temple


Many of the older Japanese still dress in traditional kimonas. In Tyoko and the bigger cities the people dress more Western.

Zuishin-in Temple -This temple is a Shingon Buddhist Sect headquarter.

Purification rites is required before entering the temples.

Keyomizu - Dera Temple - Built on stilts

Japanese write prayers on wood and hang here. The Temple Priest collect and pray.

Golden Pavillon -Kinkaky-Ji Temple

The Japanese get special merit for visiting all the temples . When school is out, the children visit the temples the same as our children visit our museums

Ryokan or Motel

Wall covering at Ryokan (Motel)

Entrance to Ryokan

Wilhelmine in Kimono and robe provided by Ryokan. After checking into our room at the Ryokan, the innkeeper came to our room and brought tea and conducted business. The Kimono and robe, towel and toothbrush were provided and laid out when our futon was put out for sleeping. Tea was always outside out door in the morning.

Himeji Castle

Picnic area on the grounds in front of Himeji Castle
I3bought tea and the best Persimmon I ever ate and joined the crowd here for a bit of relaxation.

Wilhelmine in front of Himeji Castle
Himejo known as the 'White Heron' is twin to the Neuschwantein Castle known as the 'White Swan,' located in Bavaria, southern Germany.

When building a castle, one must consider the importance of using the natural resources of the vicinity and the proper placement of the buildings. According to geography, castles may be classified into three types: mountain castles, hill castles, and plains castle. Himeji Castle is a hill castle. The five-storied main donjon together with the three smaller donjons - one on the east, on on the west, and one on the northwest forms a magnificent shape which gives the effect , from any viewpoint of a lovely white heron ready to fly into the blue sky.

Sumari, Movieland, Tyoto

Ninja, a Stunt man in the movie Sumari

Ninja, a stunt man in the movie, Sumari

Wilhelmine sitting in rickshaw at movieland, Kyoto

Wilhelmine with Sumari actor

Kyoto is the birthplace of the Japanese movie industry. Movieland itself is a 30,000 sq. meter open set located inside Toei's studios in Uzumasa on the west side of Kyoto.

This was the same as touring the screen sets in Hollywood, California- very interesting.

Sightseeing, Japan

Pachinko gambling, a popular passtime

A store window showing traditonal & modern wedding gown

A mailbox
Japan is so different from the U.S.A. in so many ways. These pictures show a few of the ways.

Another way that caught my attention was the truck playing music - for us, it indicates the ice cream man - for them , it is the hot sweet potato .The Japanese people love them and I must admit I enjoyed them also. Yet another difference, was those things the Japanese wanted to get rid of they take to the corner of the street and put in a pile (called a Gomer pile) and they are picked up by what we would call a Second hand store, for resale. I found three beautiful bowls in the 'Gomer Pile.' They had been dicarded because they were an uneven set and were thought to be unlucky.