Nakasendo Walk (6) Kumagaya-Fukaya-Okabe: Sept. 21, 2015

We have the “Silver Week” holidays at this season. I resumed my Nakasendo Walk after an intermission of about three years (I concentrated in my Tokaido walk in this period).

Today’s walk was from Kumagaya, the 8^th shukuba station from Nihonbashi, through Fukaya, the 9^th station, to Okabe. All places are in Saitama Prefecture.

Kumagaya is the biggest city in the northern part of Saitama. It is historically famous for Kumagaya Naozane, a samurai warload in the 11^th century. His statue (on a horse) stands in front of the JR Kumagaya Station.

The rugby football is popular in the city. It plans to host matches in the Rugby World Cup to be held in Japan in 2019. The PR board also stands before the station.

Nakasendo goes through the Yagihashi department store in the center of the city (see the top photo). The traditional buildings were all burnt out in air raids in the World War 2. The department store were built on Nakasendo and the store kept spaces for the Road.

I saw the fields of rice and other agricultural products along Nakasendo as I walked out of the central Kumagaya. The rice was just before the harvest. The power transmission towers stand in the fields. I found birds there. (2nd photo from the top).

I moved into Fukaya City. The city produces various agricultural products. It’s Welsh onion is known as “Fukaya Negi”. The city’s gross agricultural production is the largest in Saitama Prefecture.

I found many fields growing Welsh onion, broccoli, cucumber and other vagitables.

There is a row of gingko trees along Nakasendo before it arrives to FUkaya shukuba station.

There remains the building of the main guest house in the shukuba station. An old sake brewery with a brick-made chimney and other old buildings are also preserved.

I found the wholesale and retail stores of rice as I passed Fukaya station. The PR sign of the special coupon to vitalize the local economy, called “chiiki shinkou ken” was displayed in front of a store. The design of the sign was a combination of Fukacchan, the city’s mascot character, and Shibusawa Ei-ichi, the nation’s famous entrepreneur and business leader in the Meiji period who was born in Fukaya.

There are places to make and sell Japanese pickles, too. I saw old large barrels in a garden of a farmer’s house.

It is more than 80 kilometers from Tokyo.

Autumn Festival @Kitazawa Hachiman Shrine: Sept. 5, 2015

Now, it is autumn. The daytime is getting shorter and the leaves of the trees began to fall. The schools resumed.

I visited the Kitazawa Hachiman Shrine in Shimokitazawa, Setagaya ward. The autumn festival was held.

Many local people gathered. Some of them were in traditional happi and yukata costume.

They played dance and other performances in a stage.

There were many open-air stalls and kid enjoyed tasting cheap sweets.

The autumn festivals continue till late November in many shrines in Tokyo.

Tokaido Walk Book： August 30, 2015

A book on my Tokaido Walk was published today.

The title is “Let’s walk Tokaido, watch Japan’s local areas, and talk about the country”.

「東海道を歩こう　地域を見よう　日本を語ろう」

It is written in Japanese language.

The book includes:

- About 200 photos of Tokaido (about 500 kilometers from Tokyo to Kyoto)

- Essays on Japanese history, culture and society observed in Tokaido

- Information on 53 shukuba stations

The book is available for purchase at Amazon and other online bookshops.

The 2nd photo is with a belly band.

Late summer @Setagaya: August 23, 2015

It is still hot, but the season is turning from summer to autumn. The day is getting shorter and the leaves of the trees began to fall.

I walked around Setagaya ward, western Tokyo.

Many people enjoyed their times in the walking paths.

There was s baseball tournament held in the Hanegi Park. Boys played hard in the games and the parents watched them. The summer vacation will end shortly.

Cicadas made sound everywhere. 

Sparrows and other birds flew around. I also found butterflies and dragonflies.

Many typhoons are being created in the tropical area in the Pacific Ocean at the season. Some typhoons hit Japan and dome give influence on the weather even when they do not directly hit the country (We have rainy or windy days). The weather is also moving into the autumn mode.

Dubai: August 8, 2015

I am astonished with the number of skyscrapers every time I visit Dubai. It was my first visit in eight years (except the transits in the airport) and I found much more buildings than before.

The 828 meter-high (160 floors) Burj Khalifar is the tallest building in the world. It opened in 2010. I visited there for the first time.

The observatory is in the 124 and 125floors. The elevator brought us in about 60 minutes.

I found the modern buildings developed in the desert. All the developments have been achieved in last 50 years.

The Dubai Mall is open under the Buri Khalifar tower. It has a huge aquarium inside.

New business and commercial district have been developed in this five to 10 years. The district near Dubai Marina is an example. 

A monorail system has been built in the artificial Palm island.

New metro has been introduced. It was clean and easy to use.

Tourist enjoyed suntan and swimming in the beach near Burj Al Arab, the seven star hotel.

Traditional dhow ships stayed in the Dubai creek. The bring things to/from Iran, Somalia and other nations.

Construction works were carried out everywhere.

It was 2009, the following year of the world financial crisis, when the “Dubai shock” shook the world. There rose a question on the future development of the city. Now, it looked that the emirate had been back on the growth path.

The function as a regional hub seems to be bigger than before.

By the way, it was hot -- 51 degrees!

Cyprus: August 5-7, 2015

It took about two hours by plane from Greece to Cyprus. Geographically, it is nearer to the Middle East (Syria, Egypt etc.) than to Europe. The country is however a member of the European Union.

It had a financial crisis in 2012 and 2013. The economy started to recover, with the help of the EU, and it recorded the first positive growth in the first quarter (January- March) in 2015 after the crisis.

I only visited Nicosia and some other places and it was hard to find the aftermath of the crisis.

The highway from Larnaka Airport to Nicosia was well developed. The number of the automobiles was relatively small.

It was so hot. The temperature went up over 40 degrees. It was extraordinary for the country.

Nicosia has been divided into two parts since 1974. The southern part of the island is ruled by Greek residence while the northern part is inhabited by Turk people. Nicosia is the last divided capital in the world.

I walked along the border in southern Nicosia. The roads were blocked by barriers. (see also the top photo).

I found the “Berlin Wall No.2” café at the side of the border. 

I also found a design in the caps of sewage holes which symbolized the divided city. (see also the 2nd photo from the top).

There is a check point through which we can go up and down between the southern part and the northern part of the city. 

Each Greek and Turk administration has its gate. The left picture is Turkey-side gate.

There is a space which is managed by the U.N. between the two gates. 

The border is called the “Green Line”, which runs through not only Nicosia but also the whole island. The total length is about 300 kilometers. About 800 U.N. soldiers guard the line.

The atmosphere of the two parts was quite different.

The shopping streets in the southern part of Nicosia are modern. They were full of foreign tourists. Historic place such as Byzantine Museum were well arranged.

I found many mosques in the northern Nicosia. 

The streets and the shops looked older than those in the southern part.

I also visited mountainous area in the central part of the island. 

Many villages are trying to attract people with “agro tourism”. 

They sell local products.
The landscape was beautiful.

Greece (2) Acropolis, islands and other must-see places: August 2-4, 2015

It is needless to say that Greece has many attractive places for tourists. I really enjoyed my walks in the country.

Acropolis is the highlight of the sightseeing in Athens. The Parthenon, the masterpiece of the ancient Greek civilization and a symbolic birthplace of the western civilization, stands on the hill. I was strongly impressed.

The old Dionysos theater was at the foot of the hill. Other temples and gates remained. The sky was blue and the temperature was high. I walked around the hill in the shower of the cicada sounds.

I got good information of the Acropolis as well as the ancient Greece at the new Acropolis Museum, which opened in 2009.

I also visited the Agora, the market and the citizen’s gathering place in the ancient times. It is near the Acropolis. It was interesting for me to imagine that Socrates and other philosophers made speeches here.

There are many ancient buildings in the city. The Hadrian’s gate and the Temple of the Olympians Zeus are examples.

The Parliament stood in front of the Syntagma Square. People gathered there to see the exchange of the guards is performed in every hour.

The Plaka district remains old atmosphere. I enjoyed window shopping and the tea there.

I also joined a cruising tour in the Aegean Sea and visit three islands, the Hydra, the Poros and the Egina. The sea was beautiful and the towns were lovely.

People do not use automobiles in the Hydra island. They instead use donkeys and horses there. (see the photo 2nd from the top).

The Poros island locates near the Peloponnese peninsula. Wind power generators were placed on the mountain top.