Yakushima, Kagoshima Taking a side road off the path leading to Shiratani Unsuikyo Gorge, you'll find yourself in a sacred place: Ushidoko Shrine. Every spring and autumn, a pilgrimage to Mount Miyanoura takes place, and in the past, because women were forbidden from participating, the women of the village would greet the men returning from the pilgrimage at Ushidoko Shrine. The two moss-covered Nio statues (guardian deities) are designated as historical sites by Yakushima

Hakodate, Hokkaido The Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse is a commercial complex consisting of four facilities, which were built after renovating an old red brick warehouse built in 1909.

Hakodate, Hokkaido Rokkatei is a famous pastry shop started in Obihiro, Hokkaido founded in 1933. It is a chain, and I visited one near Goryoukaku, Sapporo. There is a cafe inside the stor. https://rokkatei.us/pages/about

Hokkaido, Hakodate 2/1/2024 Fort Goryokaku (五稜郭, Goryōkaku) is a massive, star-shaped, Western-style citadel, which was built in the last years of the Edo Period (1603-1868) for the defense of Hakodate against the imperialist threat posed by the Western powers. A few years later, the fort became the site of a civil war between an army of the shogunate and the superior troops of the newly established Meiji government . After the fort had lost its military importance, it was

Hakodate, Hokkaido My first visit to Hokkaido (2/1/2024) The northern peoples, rooted in the northern climate, have their own traditional and unique culture. Among the few northern people materials in the world, those formerly held at Hakodate Museum and those collected by Baba Osamu and Kodama Sakuzaemon, Hakodate-born authorities in anthropology, archaeology, and ethnology, are widely known both in Japan and abroad as masterpieces that tell the story of northern culture. Ba

Ise, Mie 1/31/2024 This is a ritual to purify the chief priest and other priests and musicians prior to the Niinamesai festival in February. https://www.isejingu.or.jp/ritual/annual/

Ise shi, Mie ken Ise udon is a type of thick, soft wheat noodle from Ise, Japan, known for being served in a rich, dark soy sauce-based broth . It is a local specialty of Mie Prefecture and is often topped with green onions and sometimes egg yolks for a simple yet flavorful dish that became popular with travelers visiting the Ise Grand Shrine.  Stopped by one near Okage Yokocho next to Ise Jingu. https://en.ise-kanko.jp/focus/iseudon/

Mie ken, Ise shi 古殿地（Kodenchi) さざれ石、たから石 (Sazare ishi, Takara ishi) 佐瑠女(さるめ)神社（Sarume jinja) Sarutahiko Shrine is dedicated to Sarutahiko...