Experience climbing 519 stone steps surrounded by cedar trees to reach the shrine and view a 1200-year-old sacred cedar tree and a traditional water wheel, immersing yourself in a forest.
Himuro Shrine is situated on the southern side of Mount Kushigata at an elevation of about 1,000 meters.
Haru no Nanakusa (In Japanese) translates to the Seven Herbs of Spring, which are edible plants eaten in a rice porridge (Nanakusa-gayu) on January 7th for good health, symbolizing new life and bringing color to the winter table. The individual herbs are Seri (Japanese parsley), Nazuna (shepherd’s purse), Gogyo (cudweed/jersey cudweed), Hakobera (chickweed), Hotokenoza (henbit deadnettle), Suzuna (turnip greens), and Suzushiro (daikon radish greens).
Nanakusa no sekku is one of the long-standing Japanese customs. The day of January 7 is called Jinjitsu (Human Day) and one of the five seasonal festivals (In Japanese go-sekku) that were integrated into the Japanese Imperial calendar over 1,000 years ago. Sekku is the term given meaning special day of observancen. The custom is to ensure good health and to ward off away evil spirits in the coming new year.
Mount Ishiwari is located in the village of Yamanakako in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. Ishiwari Shrine is situated at the 8th waypoint of Mount Ishiwari. First, you have to climb 403 steps to reach the trail leading to the shrine. The summit of Mount Ishiwari is 1,413 meters (approximately 4,636 feet) above sea level, and that of Mount Hirao is 1,318 meters (4324 feet) above sea level.
Ameya Yokocho, commonly known as “Ameyoko,” is a shopping district in Ueno, Tokyo, Japan with its bustling, old-Tokyo atmosphere, diverse and discounted goods, and wide variety of street food and international cuisine. It provides an energetic and authentic experience of local Japanese commercial culture that contrasts with the more modern parts of Tokyo.
Ueno Tosho Shrine is a Shinto shrine built in 1627 to commemorate Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate in the Edo period. The existing shrine building was rebuilt by the third Shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu, the grandson of Ieyasu in 1651. The architectural style of the shrine is “gongen-zukuri,” a representative architectural style of the Edo period. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishi-no-ma-zukuri
There are a lot of copper and stone lanterns at Ueno Tosho Shrine. They represent loyalty, spiritual guidance, and offerings of light (dōmyō kuyō) from feudal lords (daimyo) to honor Tokugawa Ieyasu, symbolizing their devotion. Even though they’re no longer lit, they serve as grand historical markers of the Edo period’s power and faith. About 250 lanterns were donated from all over Japan by various daimyo, who competed to see who could offer the most magnificent contribution. There are 48 copper lanterns and about 200 stone lanterns at Ueno Tosho Shrine.
Mount Kuno Tosho Shrine, Nikko Tosho Shrine, Ueno Tosho Shrine, these three shrines are all dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was deified after his death with the name Tōshō Daigongen. Their respective positions are as follows:
Mount Kuno Tosho Shrine: The original burial place. Ieyasu requested in his will that he be buried on Mount Kuno immediately after his death in 1616 to become the guardian deity of peace for Japan. It is the oldest Toshogu shrine and a National Treasure.
Nikko Tosho Shrine: The final resting place and grand monument. Ieyasu’s grandson, the third shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu, relocated his grandfather’s spirit (and possibly remains, according to some interpretations) from Mount Kuno to Nikko in 1617.
Ueno Tosho Shrine: A branch shrine for Edo residents. Founded in 1627, it served as a place of worship for the people of Edo who could not make the journey to Nikko.
Yuzu (Citrus × junos) is a citrus fruit and plant in the family Rutaceae of Chinese origin. Yuzu has been been grown mainly in Kochi Prefecture in Japan.
An exhibition titled Challengers of “Japanese Painting”: Their Struggles and Pursuits has been held at the Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art in the city of Kofu in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan from December 6, 2025 through February 1, 2026. The paintings shown below are those photographing was permitted.
A Church in the Night 1912-14 by Kawasaki Shoko and Early Summer at the Bay 1919 by Anayama Shodo, Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art, Kofu, Yamanashi, 12/18/2025
Utsukushi-gahara 1938 by Mochizuki Shunko and Scenery of the Riverside District 1931 by Yamada Shingo, Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art, Kofu, Yamanashi, 12/18/2025
Martins 1939-40 by Kondo Kennen and Karma (Deed) 1980 by Saigusa Shigeo, Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art, Kofu, Yamanashi, 12/18/2025
Ichijo-Modori-bashi Bridge 1925 by Kondo Koiciro and Mother and Child 1966 by Nomura Seiroku, Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art, Kofu, Yamanashi, 12/19/2025
From Challengers of “Japanese Painting”: Their Struggles and Pursuits at the Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art
