Glimpses of Japan

Nagahama is located in Shiga Prefecture, on the northeastern shore of Lake Biwa. It was my first time visiting Shiga Prefecture. I was astonished by how big Lake Biwa is, and also very interesting to learn that cultures are very different depending on which shore of the lake.  Nagahama Town around the sunset There were lots of waterways in the town Lake Biwa Nagahama preserves beautiful local sceneries with historic buildings. The town was originally developed by Hideyoshi Toyotomi, who once unified Japan in the 1500s. The central part of Nagahama has now been turned into a shopping/dining location for tourists. Some of the shops said that they had continued the business for more than several hundred years.  Toyokuni Shrine enshrines Hideyoshi Toyotomi Nagahama Castle, which Toyotomi Hideyoshi built, was once destroyed, but it's now been restored and turned into a museum for citizens and travelers.  Nagahama Castle I had so much to see in the area, and it took a whole day...

  Mt. Ibuki straddles the border of Gifu and Shiga prefectures and attracts visitors with its amazing views from the summit. Although it is 1,377 meters high, it's a relatively easy mountain to hike. Visitors can drive up to the 9th station through Ibukiyama Driveway. The shortest trail takes only 20 minutes to the summit. The driveway offers an amazing view.  Mt. Ibuki is famous for its alpine plants. Over 350 species of plants are said to inhabit the area around the summit.  The trail was well-maintained and easy to hike.  An amazing view from the summit. There was also several souvenir shops and cafes for visitors to take a rest.  Note that I could not start the hike from Mt. Ibuki's trailhead at the foot of the mountain due to heavy rains in July 2023. It made a part of trail collapse and it was still under maintenance in May 2024. (The situation was the same in February 2025) Visit the local municipality's website before planning the visit. 

Ise Jingu is one of the most important and sacred Shinto shrines in Japan. It enshrines Amaterasu Mikami, who is considered the supreme deity of Japan in Shinto belief. This means that Ise Jingu is the guardian deity of the Japanese people.  It is said that traveling was not allowed for all people in the past, and going to Ise Jingu was an exception. Traveling to Ise Jingu was a huge lifetime event for people during the Edo period; over 4.6 million people visited the shrine in six months.  I took my first trip to Ise Jingu in February 2024. It was a precious, sacred, and magical experience.  A special ceremony for National Foundation Day I visited on February 11, a national holiday called "National Foundation Day." To celebrate the foundation of Japan, Ise Jingu holds a special ceremony. I woke up early and watched the ceremony, which started at 7:00 AM. The ceremony included a parade of Shinto priests, performances of traditional musical instruments, and praying. The Shi...

 I had a chance to visit a cafe/bar called Kerun in Sakata, Yamagata. The bar is the birthplace of a cocktail called "Yukiguni." I was amazed by the flavor of the cocktail. Its tender, sweet, yet cold icy feeling reminded me of Tohoku's snowy scenery.  Yukiguni's recipe is very simple. Its ingredients are vodka, Cointreau, and lime juice, with a green cherry and sugar for the rim.  This simplicity is the reason why it became one of Japan's most famous standard cocktails. You can order Yukiguni at most bars not only in Japan but also anywhere in the world.  Keiichi Iyama, who owned the cafe/bar Kerun, created Yukiguni in 1959. He worked at the bar as a bartender until 2020, which was just a year before he passed away at 95 years old.  I really would have loved it if I could see him in person. Kerun is now run by Keiichi's son, preserving the same atmosphere and flavor that has not changed since.  Kerun https://goo.gl/maps/y3ic4NwPkYhWHLJUA A documentary film...

I visited the Japan Folk Craft Museum, Osaka (Nippon Mingeikan), located in the Banpaku Memorial Park. I've been into Japanese folk craft so much lately. I like the idea of Mingei which Soetsu Yanagi advocated. The concept of mingei (民芸), variously translated into English as "folk craft", "folk art" or "popular art", was developed from the mid-1920s in Japan by a philosopher and aesthete, Yanagi Sōetsu (1889–1961), together with a group of craftsmen, including the potters Hamada Shōji (1894–1978) and Kawai Kanjirō (1890–1966). As such, it was a conscious attempt to distinguish ordinary crafts and functional utensils (pottery, lacquerware, textiles, and so on) from "higher" forms of art – at the time much admired by people during a period when Japan was going through rapid westernisation, industrialisation, and urban growth. In some ways, therefore, mingei may be seen as a reaction to Japan's rapid modernisation processes. Mingei Wikipedia...

Having Kaga Cuisine is one of the best things to do in Kanazawa. With its history as a town, Kanazawa has many long-established restaurants and businesses, known for various luxury restaurants and Japanese confectionery shops.  Kaga Cuisine is a unique local cuisine where you can fully enjoy Kanazawa's ingredients from the mountains and the sea. I was lucky that I could get a table at Otomoro, one of the long-established Japanese luxury restaurants in Kanazawa. Otomoro is believed that it was established by a cook of the lords of the Maeda Clan, which means the tradition continues from the Edo period. I felt exceptional that I have the same dish with lords at that time.  The most basic dinner course came with nine dishes, plus rice, soup, and a dessert. That was a lot of food, and I had to ask them to put rice in a doggy bag. I was most impressed by their sashimi. It was tender, smooth, and melted instantly in my mouth. Since I had sashimi at Otomoro, I truly understood the me...

I got a chance to visit Haguro-san, one of the three sacred peaks of the Dewa Sanzan. Dewa Sanzan is the collective name for the sacred tree mountains in Yamagata Prefecture; Haguro-san, Gassan, and Yudono-san.  The Dewa Sanzan has been a training ground for followers of Haguro Shugendo, an ancient Japanese religion. It preserves its sacredness with wild mountains and special local cuisines, and rituals and festivals continue today. Visiting three mountains is said to be "a journey to reincarnate." I desperately wanted to visit all three of them at once. Unfortunately, I could only visit Haguro-san this time.  Before visiting Haguro-san, I stayed a night at Shukubo, a pilgrim lodge. It is said the proper way to visit the Dewa Sanzan is to have Shojin Ryori, traditional Buddhist cuisine. By having Shojin Ryori and staying at a shukubo, you purify yourself before entering the sacred area.  Mt. Haguro is the easiest mountain to visit among the Dewa Sanzan. After walking up a...