Category: Uncategorized

Chinese New Year 2024 starts on Febuary 10. According to Chinese astrology, 2024 is the year of the Green Wood Dragon.  This years’ Spring Festival holiday is held from Feburuary 10 through 17 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_New_Year). In the traditional Chinese calendar, a year is divided into 24 solar terms and the first term is known as lichun in Chinese and risshun in Japanese (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lichun). Therefore, in the calendar, the first day of spring is lichun or risshun. Risshun in 2024 in the lunisolar calendar was February 4 in Japan.

Setsubun (literally meaning “seasonal division”) is the day before the first day of spring, risshun, in the traditional calendar in Japan. Winter ends on the day of setsubun. Setsubun in 2024 was February 3 in Japan. Some rituals are held on the day to drive away evil spirits and welcome good fortune. One common ritual is “bean throwing.” People throw roasted soybeans out from the front door of their homes or shrines while shouting “Devils out! Fortune in!” You need to roast soybeans to kill off all evil spirits. If you use live soybeans, they might grow buds, implying something bud things might happen to you.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Setsubun; https://www.seattle.us.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/2021_Setsubun.html

Another ritual is the eating of the “lucky direction sushi roll” The sushi roll is composed of seven ingredients considered to be lucky. The ritual consists of eating the uncut entire roll without speaking while facing the direction considered to be auspicious that year (east-northeast in 2024), determined by the Chinese zodiac.

(in Japanese) https://www.maff.go.jp/j/keikaku/syokubunka/k_ryouri/search_menu/menu/39_13_osaka.html; https://www.maff.go.jp/j/keikaku/syokubunka/culture/wagohan/articles/2301/spe13_04.html

Flowers and fruit of Japanese allspice (Chimonanthus praecox), Furoen Garden, Kofu-city, Yamanashi, 02/09/2024

Japanese Apricot Kankobai (Prunus mume), Furoen Garden, Kofu-city, Yamanashi, 02/09/2024

Japanese Apricot Tojibai (Prunus mume), Furoen Garden, Kofu-city, Yamanashi, 02/09/2024

Japanese Apricot Benitoji (Prunus mume), Furoen Garden, Kofu-city, Yamanashi, 02/09/2024

Japanese Apricot Benichidori (Prunus mume), Furoen Garden, Kofu-city, Yamanashi, 02/09/2024

Japanese Apricot Tamabotan (Prunus mume), Furoen Garden, Kofu-city, Yamanashi, 02/09/2024

Japanese Apricot Osakazuki (Prunus mume), Furoen Garden, Kofu-city, Yamanashi, 02/09/2024

Heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica), Furoen Garden, Kofu-city, Yamanashi, 02/09/2024

Japanese Apricot Shrine, Furoen Garden, Kofu-city, Yamanashi, 02/09/2024

Kai Zenkoji (Zenko Temple) is a Buddhist temple belonging to the Jodo Shu (Pure Land Sect) Buddhism and located in the city of Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, in Japan.

https://www.yamanashi-kankou.jp/english/recover/kai-zenkoji-temple.html; https://kofu-tourism.com/en/see-and-do/17

https://factsanddetails.com/japan/cat16/sub182/item587.html: https://jodo.or.jp/en/; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C5%8Ddo-sh%C5%AB

Kai Zenko Temple with a welcome calico cat, Kofu-city, Yamanashi, 02/09/2024

Also, please visit the article “Zenko Temple” on October 2023. Zenko Temple is located in Nagano-city, Nagano Prefecture.

Views from Fujiyama Twin Terrace from the Shindo Pass in winter. Also, please refer to the article on November 22, 2023.

Lake Yamanaka, Lake Kawaguchi and Mount Fuji from Fujiyama Twin Terrace, Ashigawa-town, Fuefuki-city, Yamanashi, 01/29/2024

Japanese alder (Alnus japonica) and Nikko fir (Abies homolepis), On the way to Fujiyama Twin Terrace, Ashigawa-town, Fuefuki-city, Yamanashi, 01/29/2024

Chinaberry (Melia azedarach) is a member of the Mahogany family (Meliaceae) and is known as “China Tree” and “Pride of India.” Chinaberry is a round, deciduous shade tree with fragrant lilac flowers. It is native to India, China, and the Himalayas. Chinaberry trees are commonly planted in parks, public gardens, stream banks and along footpaths or roadsides in Japan. The fruit, seeds and leaves of the Chinaberry tree are poisonous to humans.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melia_azedarach; https://sites.redlands.edu/trees/species-accounts/chinaberry/; https://www.pharm.or.jp/flowers/post_16.html; https://www.japic.or.jp/garden/index.php?mod=detail&id=145; https://www.takeda.co.jp/kyoto/area/plantno259.html

Fruit of the Chinaberry Trees, Bank of the Arakawa River, Kofu-city, Yamanashi, 01/22/2024

The collection of the Jomon pottery excavated from the Imojiya Ruins in the city of Minami (south)-Alps in Yamanashi Prefecture has been displayed in the Folklore Museum of Minami Alps-city until the end of January 2024. The Jomon pottery is a type of ancient earthenware pottery which was made during the Jomon period in Japan. Jomon means rope-patterned in Japanese and describes the patterns that are pressed into the clay. The earthenware pottery crafted during the Jomon period is generally considered to be the oldest pottery in Japan and among the oldest in the world.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C5%8Dmon_pottery; https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/jomo/hd_jomo.htm

Goddes of Childbirth ”La Vie”, The Folklore Museum of Minami Alps-city, Minami-Alps, Yamanashi, 01/20/2024

The Folklore Museum of Minami Alps-city, Minami-Alps, Yamanashi, 01/20/2024

The Folklore Museum of Minami Alps-city, Minami-Alps, Yamanashi, 01/20/2024

There is some snow on the mountain, Mount Kaikoma, Kofu-city, Yamanashi, 01/17/2024

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Kaikoma

The Festival of Seven Herbs is the long-standing Japanese custom of eating seven-herb rice porridge on January 7. The custom originated in China during the Tang dynasty, and it was introduced to Japan in the Nara period. The custom seems to have been practiced popularly in the Edo period. Seven herbs are water dropwort (Oenanthe javanica), shepherd’s purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris), cudweed (Pseudognaphalium affine), chickweed (Stellaria media), nipplewort (Lapsana communis), turnip (Brassica rapa) and Japanese radish (Raphanus sativus).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanakusa-no-sekku; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jinjitsu; https://www.foodinjapan.org/japan/nanakusa-gayu

https://www-kodama–foods-co-jp.translate.goog/sihan/nanakusa?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=ja&_x_tr_pto=wapp

Mount Iwadono is located in the Nigioka-machi (town) district, the city of Otsuki, in Yamanashi Prefecture. Because of the proximity to JR Otsuki Station, it is a popular hiking destination. However, the Hatakura trail is the only one which reaches the top of the mountain right now. The other two trails, the Kowaze trail and the Iwadono trail, are closed due to rockfall. It takes about 20 minutes from Otsuki Station to the entrance of the Maruyama Park on foot, another 20 minutes to the Hatakura trailhead and about 40 minutes to reach the top of Mount Iwadono. The height of Mount Iwadono is 634 meters above sea level and it is the same height as Tokyo Skytree. However, the difference in elevation of Mount Iwadono and Otsuki Station (elevation: 358m) is 276 meters; therefore, it is not very hard to climb it. You can enjoy unobstructed views of Mount Fuji from there.

https://www.yamanashi-kankou.jp/english/discover/mount-iwadono.html; https://otsuki-kanko.info/blog/view/28097

Views from Mount Iwadono, Nigioka-town, Otsuki-city, Yamanashi, 01/05/2024

A limestone cave, the stone house of the ogre, where the ogre of Mount Iwadono was imagined to live, Nigioka-town, Otsuki-city, Yamanashi, 01/05/2024

Happy New Year! This is the year of the dragon in the Chinese zodiac (though China starts its zodiac from January 29). The Chinese zodiac is represented by 12 animals, the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. The dragon is the fifth and the only imaginal animal in the 12 zodiac animals. It seems that the inclusion of the dragon in the Chinese zodiac is rooted in Chinese mythology and cultural symbolism.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_(zodiac); https://depts.washington.edu/triolive/quest/2007/TTQ07030/dragon.html;

Dragon Dharma doll by Arai Darumaya, Kofu, Yamanashi, 01/01/2024

https://arai-darumaya.com/