Author: Benkei

The Yabusame Horseback Archery Festival which boasts an 800 year tradition was held at the Omuro Sengen Jinja Shrine in the Shimoyoshida district, the city of Fujiyoshida, in Yamanashi Prefecture on September 19, 2023. Unlike other Yabusame festivals which are meant as samurai skill training, in this Yabusame Festival, a fortune is ritually told based on the horses’ hoof prints (https://fujiyoshida.net/event/155, https://www.yamanashi-kankou.jp/fujiyoshida/event/yabusame.html).

Shimoyoshida Station and Honcho Street, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, 9/19/2023

Omuro Sengen Jinja Shrine and Its Mikoshi Shrine, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, 9/19/2023

Yabusame Horseback Archery, Omuro Sengen Jinja Shrine, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, 9/19/2023

Purification of the ground and Fortune Telling Ritual, Yabusame Horseback Archery Festival, Omuro Sengen Jinja Shrine, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, 9/19/2023

One of the Jazz At Mountain Temple series featuring The Swing’n Melrose and FEELING JAZZ ORCHESTRA was held at the Nagasaka Community Center on September 17, 2023.

The Swing’n Melrose: Akiko Nakajima (piano and vocal), CHIEMI (vocal), Masashi Yamaguchi (bass) and Hideo Yamazaki (drums), https://www.facebook.com/groups/1386494028425776

The Swing’n Melrose, Nagasaka Community Center, Nagasaka, Hokuto, Yamanashi, 9/17/2023

FEELING JAZZ ORCHESTRA is a big band based in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, https://www.facebook.com/fjo.kofu/

FEELING JAZZ ORCHESTRA, Nagasaka Community Center, Nagasaka, Hokuto, Yamanashi, 9/17/2023

Kawaguchi Asama Shrine was established in 865 in order to bring Mount Fuji’s volcanic eruptions under control. It has been known for its huge seven cedar trees which are said that they are about 1200 years old. (https://asamajinja.or.jp/; https://www.yamanashi-kankou.jp/english/discover/kawaguchi-asama-shrine.html). Also, please refer to the article on Japanese Swordsmanship, 2017/2/11 (EXPERIENCE YAMANASHI AND MORE https://etsuo.tokyo/).

Itchiku Kubota has been known for his Tsujigahana-dyeing technique for the kimono. Most of his works are displayed at the Itchiku Kubota Art Museum in the town of Fujikawaguchiko in Yamanashi Prefecture (https://www.itchiku-museum.com/en.pdf).

Itchiku Kubota Art Museum, Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi, 9/14/2023

Grapevines and Koshu grapes (Vitis vinifera), Ichinomiya, Fuefuki, Yamanashi, 9/07/2023

Acorns of the sawtooth oak (Quercus acutissima) and Chestnuts (Castanea cerenata), Michibata-ridge, Yamanashi-shi, Yamanashi, 9/07/2023

Yamanakako Hana-no-miyako (flower palace) Park is located 1,000 meters above sea level near Lake Yamanakako overlooking Mount Fuji in the village of Yamanakako in Yamanashi Prefecture. You can enjoy several species of flowers from April through October in the fields of a 30,000ha area. There is a huge greenhouse where warm season plants, orchids and some other tropical species are grown throughout the year.

Lake Yamanakako, Yamanakako-village, Yamanashi, 8/28/2023

Yamanakako Hana-no-Miyako Flower Park, Yamanakako-village, Yamanashi, 8/28/2023

The Akeno Sunflower Festival 2023 was held in the fields of the Akeno area in Hokuto, Yamanashi Prefecture during 7/22 to 8/20, 2023.

Common Hybrid Sunflowers (Helianthus annus) and Sunfinity Sunflowers (Helianthus interspecific), Akeno, Hokuto, Yamanashi, 8/23/2023

Ripening Apples, Akeno, Hokuto, Yamanashi, 8/23/2023

The Aokigahara Woodland is formed on the Aokigahara lava flow that was created by the eruption of Mount Nagao and other volcanoes located next to Mount Fuji. Over the course of a thousand and two hundred years, the vegetation on the lava flow has gradually progressed and the woodland which spans an area of 3,000 hectares has eventually been formed; however, the sedimentary soil in the woodland is shallow (about 10cm), therefore trees cannot grow beyond a certain height.

Lake Sai Bat Cave is located at the end of the Aokigahara Woodland. There are Japanese hemlock, Nikko fir, Japanese cypress, Japanese oaks, various types of Japanese maples and other tall and mid height trees. The floor of the woodland is rather dark even in daytime and it is covered with lichens, mosses and ferns. The dominant species are mosses.

Aokigahara Woodland, Mosses and Lichens, Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi, 8/18/2023

Vois Vert Trio, consisting of three members: Seizo Azuma (piano), Akihiro Miura (violin) and Ryoichi Fujimori (cello), held an afternoon concert named Yatsugatake Concert at the Yatsugatake Yamabiko Hall, in the city of Hokuto, in Yamanashi Prefecture, on August 16, 2023. They played four pieces composed by Franz Peter Schubert. The trio holds a similar concert on August 16 annually. The Yatsugatake Yamabiko Hall has been known for its good acoustics.

(https://www.azuma-seizo-fan-club.com/cont1/main.html; https://akihiro-miura.com/; https://vc-fujimori.com/)

(https://www.city.hokuto.yamanashi.jp/life/maps/list/yamabiko/)

Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) flowers, Yatsugatake Yamabiko Hall, Takane-town, Hokuto-city, Yamanashi, 8/16, 2023

A walking tour on Arakura Fuji Sengen Shrine and the Shimoyoshida Nishiura district (Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture) was conducted on August 11, 2023. The guests were a family of five from Los Angels, CA, USA. This is a very popular tour (Refer to the articles on August 3 and 4, 2023).

The road to Arakur Sengen Shrine and the Five-Storied Pagoda, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, 8/11/2023

Tsukinoe bookstore and M2 restaurant, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, 8/11/2023