Open-air doll display seen to lure more tourists to old castle town in southwestern Japan

February 26, 2017

Open-air doll display seen to lure more tourists to old castle town in southwestern Japan

The small open-air theater for "hina" dolls became a playground for kids on the fine weekend in late February.
The theater was actually a flight of stone steps toward up to Kuromon Gate, the publicly designated cultural asset, to the Akizuki Castle ruins in Asakura City, Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan.
The event was timed to coincide with the traditional Hima Matsuri festival for the Girls Day of March 3.
The hina doll display in Akizuki started in 2016 as an off-season event to attract more tourists to the old castle town.
Big collections of hina dolls are displayed as attractions at many tourist spots across the country around this time of the year.
This kind of event has become less rarer than before, but open-air exhibitions of hina dolls cannot be seen everywhere.
"We have this year a total of 250 hina dolls, contributed by 60 families in Asakura City, " an organizer said at the display site.

The dolls stand on a red carpet put on the stone steps, and on both sides of the carpet are big paper cranes, to be lit as illuminations at night.
"We place the dolls on the carpet and take them back every day, but we do not bring them out when rainfall is expected."

The hina doll display was organized as a part of the "Hina Meguri" tour in Akizuki, in which tourists can collect stamps at 18 places, mainly restaurants and shops, while strolling around the castle ruins.
When they collect seven stamps on the form, they can have souvenirs by lottery.
Asakura is a largely rural, calm town, but it boasts of being geographically close to major cities, such as Fukuoka, the most populous city in Kyushu, southwestern Japan.
"We have a lot of tourists here in Akizuki in the cherry blossom viewing season around April and in the autumn colored leaves season, but we want to have more tourists to Akizuki in other seasons, too, in order to help boost the town as a whole," the organizer said.

Small Shinto shrine draws worshipers on increase of aging-related eye diseases in Japan

January 25, 2017

Small Shinto shrine draws worshipers on increase of aging-related eye diseases in Japan

Westerners who visited Japan toward the end of the self-isolation era under the Tokugawa shogunate regime in the middle of the 19th century found that lots of Japanese have eye trouble. A Dutch navy surgeon, J.C.L. Pompe van Meerdervoort, attributed the phenomenon to erroneous methods of treatment used on many patients. Pompe educated many Japanese medical students during his five years of stay in Japan in the 1850s.
Advanced modern skills of ophthalmology introduced from Western countries with the start of the Meiji era made it possible for Japanese eye doctors to cure difficult eye diseases.
The level of Japanese oculists continued to be enhanced further since then. But Japanese eye doctors have come to see an increase in aging-related eye diseases, such as cataract and glaucoma, following the aging of society in recent decades.
The small Shinto shrine, located in Tanushimaru Town in the southern part of Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan, is named after Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, the mythical god of the moon who is believed to provide divine favors to those who have eye trouble.
Rites for the deity are held three times a year, on the 23rd day of January, May and September. "Tsukuyomi Shrine is so small that few worshipers are seen on ordinary days, and if you go in a car, you should be careful because there is no space for parking. This is a recommendation I got from a friend of mine, a resident of Tanushimaru, when I asked him how the shrine is," said a worshiper, who is in his 60s. He visited the shrine for the first time, because he had a cataract operation on the right eye last year, he said.
On the day of rite in January, the shrine compound was filled with dozens of worshipers, mostly elderly, in a festive mood. Ten or so stalls carrying fast foods and sweets were set up on approaches to the hall of worship.
The worshipers were seen receiving lucky charms and sacred sake after making money offerings to the deity.
Tsukuyomi, the moon god, is said to save those who have eye diseases, because he was born from the right eye of God Izanagi, said a leader of a local residents' group who was on hand to greet worshipers.
Izanagi is one of the most important deities in the Japanese myth along with his wife deity, Izanami. It is said that various deities were born from Izanagi's body when he purified himself in the river after returning from a dreadful trip to the land of the dead.

As the waves of the clouds grow in the heavenly sea, the moon ship is seen rowing to hide itself in the glittering starry forest. 
(A personal translation)

This is a waka poem made by Kakinomoto Hitomaro, the poet who made a great contribution to the Japanese waka poetry in the seventh century.
The timing of the rite day at Tsukuyomi Shrine is related to the Edo-period practice in which people gathered regularly at night to pray to the moon of the 23rd day, which rises around midnight.
The life span of Japanese is getting longer and longer, and the average life span of Japanese women has grown to 87 years old. But the life of the eyes should be about 70 years at best, an expert says.
Tsukuyomi Shrine in Tanushimaru, a largely rural community, is one of about 10 Shinto shrines named after the moon god. The mythical deity appears to be telling Japanese that they should be more careful about the health of the eyes in today's stressful daily life.

Japan's 5th largest city lures young families with neat, compact living environment

December 22, 2016 

Japan's 5th largest city lures young families with neat, compact living environment

The park is located amid the fashionable Tenjin district, one of the most bustling areas in Fukuoka City, Kyushu, southwestern Japan, but it used to be a haunt of homeless people with unsafe dark spots here and there. Local business owners and people got together to improve the environment around the park with the help of researchers and designers, and their years of efforts contributed to fully redeveloping it as a comfortable urban park in 2012.
Kego Park becomes a small illuminated amusement world in the winter time. Visitors enjoy skating and watching various events and shows.
Kids and their mothers and fathers can also enjoy riding on a colorfully decorated electric train.
Operating the train ride is a team of five young male and female attendants wearing the Santa Claus costume. "We don't have many customers on weekdays, but we are busy all the time every weekend," said one attendant. Charges for the 5-minute ride are 300 yen for kids 5 years old or older and 200 yen for younger kids, with no charge for toddlers.
"We have to run the train almost uninterruptedly during our service on weekend. Our young passengers sometimes don't like to get off after finishing the ride, and they ask their parents to let them ride more," he said smilingly.
The Kego Park project is a success model of refurbishment in Tenjin in the heart of Fukuoka, as the city's population has grown continuously in recent years. City officials proudly announced in February this year that Fukuoka became Japan's fifth biggest city in 2015, with its population growing 5 percent in the past decade to 1,538,000.
Fukuoka, the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, follows Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya and Sapporo in that order.
The influx of new citizens from around the city is attributed to various reasons, but people familiar with the situation equally cite Fukuoka's compactness as a city.
Despite its big size, the city has various urban systems and facilities available within an easy reach. Among them are an airport, a subway network, a ball park with a dome, a succor stadium, a bay side amusement area and a scenic seashore. Business areas which accommodate public offices and other buildings and shopping areas are geographically close to each other.
Because many brand businesses have offices and shops in Fukuoka, items and goods newly released in Tokyo quickly become available in the city.
The neat, compact living environment makes Fukuoka even more attractive to young men and women, including those with children.
Fukuoka's population growth is quite unusual at a time when Japan's society is aging due to a declining birthrate. Its expansion is not an entirely welcome phenomenon, some experts say. Actually, not a few citizens are said to be unenthusiastic about its population growth.
The city's prosperity comes along with years of population decreases in many other parts of Kyushu. Observers also say many big commercial projects in the city center are led by outside capital businesses, noting these projects will not necessarily contribute to boosting the local economy.
Kego Park is called Tenjin Hikari (light) Square in the winter time, from late November to early January. The facilities and services to be provided during the period are managed by the "We Love Tenjin Council," a group of businesses operating in the Tenjin district.
The illuminated train runs from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weekend. "Our job is tough but exciting, We can see many kids and parents, and it's fun," said the train attendant.

Spread of bird flu reports alarms bird watchers in Japan

November, 28, 2016

Spread of bird flu reports alarms bird watchers in Japan

Bird watching is one of pleasures for Japanese, particularly around this time of the year. About 500 to 600 species of birds migrate to Japan or stop over in Japan on their way further down to the south from late autumn to winter. Their habitats can be found at marches, lakes and elsewhere. Their annual visits delight the eyes of bird watchers, but they are getting a little nervous about changes in the environment around their habitats.

One of their concerns is avian influenza cases reported in Japan almost every year. Big colonies of hooded cranes in Izumi, Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, attract many bird watchers every year toward winter, but highly pathogenic bird flu viruses were detected from samples taken around their habitats in the middle of November.
This was followed by reports of bird flu cases involving poultry in Aomori and Niigata prefectures, both in the northern part of Japan. The cases have forced affected farms to kill almost 300,000 chickens and ducks.
This year's bird flu scare began with reports of a wide-spread avian epidemic which occurred in South Korea, located north of Japan, early in November. The incident in South Korea eventually led to the killing of 2 million birds of poultry at over 40 places across the country.
In a dam lake and an adjacent reservoir in Asakura, Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan, about 40 kinds of birds can be seen, among them mallards, teals and other migrating ducks.
The one can find plates showing the habits of wild birds living in the area placed on a promenade around the dam lake.
There have been no reports of avian influenza cases with wild birds or poultry in Fukuoka this year.
The situation in areas with avian colonies, such as Izumi, or at big poultry farms is regularly monitored. This is why any bird flu viruses can be found quickly in such areas, said a bird watcher who is familiar with the environment around the lake.
"Should habitats of migratory birds and poultry farms in other areas monitored carefully and systematically, more bird flu cases would be found," he said.

The Lake of Ohmi. Plovers drifting on evening waves right there! When you chirp, my heart languishes, and my memories in the old days come to me.
(A personal translation)

This is a waka poem made by Kakinomoto Hitomaro, a great poet who was active in the 7th century. Called a "saint" in Japan's waka poetry tradition from the ancient times, he lived a mysterious life.
Birds migrating to Japan, summer birds and winter birds, have entertained Japanese over centuries, impressing them with signs of the transition of the four seasons.
The habits of some wild birds in Japan are said to be changing in recent years.
A few birds earlier believed to be migrating are seen almost throughout the year in many parts of Japan.
Bird watchers have come to realize that it will be even more important to monitor the ecology of wild birds in Japan in order to keep signs of irregularities from affecting the environment for their habitats.

Lantern display decorates autumn shrine rite in mountain village in southwestern Japan

October 29, 2016

Lantern display decorates autumn shrine rite in mountain village in southwestern Japan


The centuries-old Shinto shrine is located in a usually quiet area behind a main street in Toho Village, Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan, but its autumn rite attracts many worshipers, with thousands of bamboo and paper dedicatory lanterns placed.
The Sentohmyo lanterns, as offerings to the shrine, were set up on an alley near the main gate and on both sides of the stairs leading up to the hall of worship.
The autumn festival at Takagi Shrine, the place where the guardian deity of the village's Koishiwara district is enshrined, features a "kagura" sacred dancing, performed at the old wooden hall of worship.
The Koishiwara kagura dancing was restored by a group of villagers in the 1980s after a hiatus of 80 years. Performed by about 10 kagura dancers, the rite was quietly watched by about 50 spectators for over an hour into the night at this year's festival late in October, as the temperature fell close to 10 degrees centigrade.
The night's rite included 10 programs, led by a performance by a female dancer holding a sakaki branch and a bunch of bells designed to purify the shrine hall and all worshipers who gathered there the day.

Worshipers were impressed by a fantastic atmosphere created with the clusters of bamboo and paper lanterns when they pass by the "gardens of lights" toward the performance stage.
Candles for the dedicatory lanterns were kept lit by members of an organizer group, mainly young villagers.
A young mother, accompanied with her daughter, was seen carefully inserting new small candles into holes of some bamboo lanterns. "We come here from time to time to check the candles about to die,"she said.

Further enlivening the festival
was a drum performance by a group of local children.
The night's performance was played by 14 kids, aged from four to nine and clad in blue happi coats, in front of dozens of people.
The Yamabiko (echoes) drum company has been active for about 20 years, said a man who serves as an instructor.
"Our kids have practiced since the summer holidays to perform at community events and for this shrine festival," the man said.
Toho Village, a largely mountainous region, was born with the merger of Koishiwara and the neighboring district of Hoshuyama in 2005. Koishiwara is famous as a traditional pottery producing area.
The village's population initially came to about 3,000, but it has fallen to around 2,300 this year.
As is the case with many other small municipalities across Japan, the village is doing all it can to keep the population from declining further.
Young villagers were seen happily welcoming worshipers and spectators at the festival site, hoping their endeavor to preserve a series of traditional events will help improve the difficulties facing the village.

Local officials, residents in Fukuoka trying to adapt "yatai" food business to new social trends

September 29, 2016


Local officials, residents in Fukuoka trying to adapt "yatai" food business to new social trends

A food service using "yatai" mobile stalls by vendors in Fukuoka, southwestern Japan, has become a part of the city's food culture over years. Local officials and interested citizens pin hopes on the yatai business as the city's tourist asset, expecting it will help further enliven the city, but the food business is faced with a variety of problems, particularly allegedly poor hygiene, obstacles to traffic on the sidewalk and account-related oomplaints. Allegations also have indicated links with some crime syndicate members.
Fukuoka, the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, the biggest in the southwestern Japan region of Kyushu, came up with an ordinance in 2013 requiring yatai vendors to follow proper ways to maintain hygiene, clearly put up menu and price lists and observe regulations on business hours.
The current style of yatai food services in Fukuoka dates back to the years just after the end of the Pacific War. Yatai vendors in the city served junk foods like noodles and grilled chicken mainly for laborers working at ports and people in amusement areas at that time, but after that, they expanded their business among salaried workers and other ordinary people, on the strength of cheap prices and user friendliness.
In recent years, many tourists are seen enjoying their time at yatai stalls on busy streets in riverside and office areas.
Yatai stalls in Fukuoka can be found in three districts, Tenjin, Nakasu-Haruyoshi and Nagahama.
Tenjin, in the heart of Fukuoka, hosts many shopping and office buildings. When it begins to get dark, yatai vendors start fabricating their shops at designated locations, usually in front of bank offices, clinics and big stores. Passers-by carefully get through beside yatai stalls, while yatai fans stand in line before famous yatai stalls.
As of 2014, about 120 yatai vendors were operating in Fukuoka at designated locations. This represented about 40 percent of such yatai vendors across Japan.
In line with the new ordinance, the city is attracting applications for newly opening yatai stalls from interested citizens. The city plans to select 28 new yatai vendors, hoping to see better, more attractive styles of yatai business to be proposed. A briefing session held  in the middle of September for prospective applicants is said to have attracted over 170 people, including some foreigners living in the city. Successful applicants will be announced in late December after examinations and interviews.
The acceptance of applications has become possible because part of the existing vendors will give up their licenses for difficulties in continuing under the new rules. New licensees will enter the market in April, as yatai fans and supporters are eagerly waiting to see their menus and styles.

"Vegetable Day" draws renewed attention amid decline in vegetable intake in Japan

August 30, 2016


"Vegetable Day" draws renewed attention amid decline in vegetable intake in Japan

Japanese are one of the most health-conscious peoples in the world and they are trying to eat more vegetables to be healthier. They believe their vegetable consumption is actually on the increase. but statistics show a quite different picture.
The 31st day of August is "Vegetable Day" in Japan. This is a kind of a play on words in the Japanese language. The day was so designated by nine grocery and food traders' associations in 1983.
This had been relatively less known until a few years ago when major food distributors and food makers began to promote the day in a campaign to encourage consumers to eat more vegetables, fresh or processed. A similar campaign was launched by the Japan Vegetable Sommelier Association last year.
Japanese people's eating habit has been largely westernized in the past decades. Their intake of meats and oil and fat foods has been on a steady increase, while their vegetable consumption has been declining over the past 20 years.
The per-capita vegetable intake comes only to 277 grams a day, falling far below the government-set target of 350 grams.
Japanese consumers have become more aware of the importance of vegetables for their health. The intake of greenish and yellow vegetables is widely recommended, because they contain important pigments and nutriments. Related recipes and meals are available for health-conscious consumers. Meanwhile, more than 50,000 people are qualified to be Vegetable Sommeliers.
The consumption of greenish and yellow vegetables is holding level, but overall vegetable consumption has been on a decline, due in part to wide fluctuations in vegetable prices.
This causes vegetables to appear to consumers to be comparatively expensive and this leads to the decline in overall vegetable consumption, despite the quite opposite general belief.
A study by a national health and nutrition research institute suggests that the lower the family income is, the smaller their vegetable intake is. This phenomenon is said to be pronounced for males.
This theory, if true, can be taken to suggest it is only natural for Japanese to consume less vegetables, at a time when income is declining for many families.
Imported foods are becoming more available than ever, but 80 pct of fresh vegetables consumed in Japan are domestic products.
Japanese vegetable farmers and distributors as well as government people are all out to increase vegetable consumption in Japan, their efforts are expected to become important for Japan to achieve a healthier society in the years to come.