Two treasures

One is the traditional festival

春日若宮おん祭り（The festival of Kasuga-Wakamiya-Shrine)was held from December15 to 18 this year,too. This festival continues for 877 years. The highlight of the festival is on the 17th. The Divine of Kasuga-Wakamiya-Shrine leave the usual palace at 0:00a.m. on the 17th and come in the tentative palace. The grass stage is made in front of the tentative palace.
Many people in old day's costumes start to parade at the noon and after that   People devote their traditional dance performance on the grass stage to show the Divine till around 11:00p.m. They dance many kind of Japanese traditional dances. This is the festival of the oldest performing arts in Japan.
If  you'd like, please watch the last year's blog about the parade, click here.
I left there around at 9:00p.m. in the middle of the performance  last year. So to watch that sequel I went there around at 8:00p.m.this year.

                                                                      納曽利（nasori)

                                        A dancer who is dancing in front of the tentative palace

                                                                          貴徳(kitoku)

                                                                 蘭陵王（ranryo-ou)

The upper  is a photo of the dance 「細男」( seino-o)                           ( taken last year)
Mr.上司（kamitukasa) who succeeds the dance 「細男」（seino-o) contributed to a newspaper.
According to him, when the Emperor Zinmu captured Shiragi in Korean peninsula long ago, 磯良（isora) who lives in the sea came to the beach. Shells were sticking to his face. He was ashamed it and hided his face with his sleeve. Dancers of　「 細男」　dance,hiding their faces with their sleeves,too. This gesture originates from 磯良. But this dance is wrapped in mystery and it's unique in Japanese performing arts history.
The dance 「細男」has been coming down under the conservation of Kasuga-Grand-Shrine.
This dance has been succeeded by four families from old. Two of them ceased and one of them didn't have man's successor and only the 上司 family remained.This dance is succeeded by mouth and there is not a sheet of music.
When Mr.上司is dancing 「細男」,he has a moment that he couldn't realize the era he is living. But he feels responsibility and joy of coming down the tradition.

Immediately after these dance performances, about 11p.m. shinto priests took out the offerings from the tentative palace and then put out the light suddenly. People take back The Divine the usual palace in the dark, making procession. A shinto priest at the head of the procession wafts the nice scent. I heard it's 神香（God's scent). About thirty priests wearing masks and taking sakaki trees each stick tight together, surrounding around the Divine. They follow,giving low voice,U.........
 And maiden in the service of a shinto shrine, Japanese instrument orchestra, and people follow. The usual place is in the deep dark forest. They walk in the black as pitch. They are not permitted to turn on the light or take photos. There are very solemn and mysterious atmosphere.
I wanted to follow them but I saw off them there as I can't catch the last train.

 priests take out the offerings from the tentative palace

Another is nature

志摩（shima) peninsula has the saw-toothed coastline and about small many islands,too. Many rafts for cultured pearls float in the calm bays. This place is known with pearl production,ise-lobster,abalone,oyster or fresh fish,etc. A lot of tourist,kids must have flood around some beaches here in Summer but now very quiet.
It takes about two hours from Nara city by a limited express.
We enjoyed hot spa,therapy by seawater. We took sea muddy body pack. It's warm and comfortable.
Also we enjoyed to see the stripe of Jupiter, Pleiades etc, through a big telescope in the hotel. Look at the night sky. Jupiter is shining big near the Orion now.
In addition, many shooting stars from around Gemini was supposed to appear on that night.As the moon wasn't in the sky or our room has a large window was standing on the hill, we could watch many shooting stars from our room, sitting chairs or lying on the bed.
                                                         farm of nori(laver)

Ama(professional woman diver) is feeding fish in a aquarium. She usually pick shellfish, ise-lobster, seaweed etc, in the sea without wearing diving tools.

 

                       Thank you for reading my blog for this year.

  I wish you all a peaceful and happy Christmas     and New Year! 


                        This post is linked Our World Tuesday

Hue in Autumn

Autumn is leaving and Winter is coming. Leaves are showing us its last shining. Their crimson is most beautiful in recent years, I heard.
As I was a bit busy in November, I couldn't post . So let me  put some expression of the early Autumn, Autumn after harvest and the late Autumn.

1 .稲淵（Inabuchi), the famous area for terraced paddy fields.
    When I came here in spring, those fields had water after the rice planting . Many tadpole were      harboring. And now I felt blessing to the rich harvest.

 

 

 After reaping, they are hung to dry. Lately this scene is decreasing. 

  

 

 

 

 I heard the contest of scarecrow was held here before. Some scarecrow were remained. But if I come across them in the night, I am scared them.

 

 

 

 

 

A farmer are burning chaff or something over there. When I was child, I used to smell the chaff burning in the Autumn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.  I came across a heavy growth of Water hyacinth in 橿原市（Kashihara city ）in  early autumn. They were shining in the light of sunset. I heard they were planted by pupils of a elementary  school.                   

 

 

 

 

 

3. Around 琵琶湖　（the　Lake Biwa ）in the late  Autumn. 

The avenue of Metasequoia at Makino-Picland in west side of the lake Biwa.

Astringent persimmon were hung under the eaves. They will be sweet in the winter. 

 

 

 The belfry

 

 

鶏足寺（keisokuji-temple)is at northeast of the lake Biwa. Plenty of fallen leaves turn the ground of this temple into a red carpet. Though usually here is so quiet temple,  many people visit here during this season of colored leaves. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The garden of  彦根城（Hikone castle) in east side of the lake Biwa.  

 

 

 Would you like a cup of green tea under this parasol in this garden,watching colored leaves or the castle etc?