Northern Ireland (Belfast, Londonderry): Oct. 14-15, 2018

The status and situation of Northern Ireland are complicated. It belongs to the U.K., but its tie with the southern part of the island (Ireland Republic) is historically strong. Catholic people prefer the land to be united with Ireland while Protestant people want a unity with the U.K.

They had serious conflicts from the 1960s to 1990s. More than 3000 people were killed in Northern Ireland and other parts of the U.K. The conflicts ceased in 1998 with the Good Friday Agreement. Now, people freely move across the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland Republic.

U.K.’s decision to leave EU, or Brexit, has cast a new shadow. If a stricter border control is reintroduced, people’s lives would be more inconvenient. It may awaken people questions on their identities and on the U.K.- Northern Ireland relations.

I found that people were spending peaceful lives in Belfast. They enjoyed shopping and lunch at the St. Geroge’s market in central Belfast when I visited there on Sunday. 

I also saw young people enjoying their times in the Victoria Square Shopping Mall in the city center.　

There are many facilities, including the Titanic Belfast exhibition, in the harbor area; I found many tourists there.

The scenes were different in the western part of the city. There remains a huge wall which was built in the days of conflicts to divide opposing people. Protestants lived (and now live) in the northern part of the wall while Catholics lived (live) in the south. 

Various murals were drawn on the wall. Tourists visit there and write their messages (such as “peace”) on the wall. (see also the 2nd and 3rd photos)

However, hostile feelings still remain in both sides. I visited a monument in the Shankill Road, a bloc north from the wall, where Protestant people live. The monument was built by a private group. I saw a message in the monument saying “IRA-Sinn Fein-ISIS no difference.” Another massage accused former PM Blair, who realized the peace agreement, as worst PM.

I visited another monument in the southern side of the wall. They commemorate the victims of the conflicts in the Catholic side. I found a message which asserted: Northern Ireland is still ruled by the U.K.

There is a gate between the two sides. They can close the road anytime when it is necessary.

There are, of course, messages for peace. John Lennon’s “Imagine” plays an important role here. (See the 4th photo) 

Looking at various scenes, I reaffirmed difficulty and complexity of issue. I sincerely hoped that Brexit would not create a new mess.

I also visited Derry (Londonderry), about 100 kilometers west from Belfast.

The city is famous for its “Bloody Sunday” or “Bogside Massacre” incident on January 30 in 1972. 14 Catholic people were killed by the forces from the U.K. Former PM Cameron admitted the responsibility of the U.K. government on the incident in 2010.

There are many murals in the Rossville St. and surrounding Bogside areas. (See also the 5th photo)

14 victims are drawn in a mural.

The “Free Derry” message was first drawn on the wall of a house to encourage the civil right movements in the early 1970s. It is now preserved. (See also the top photo)

The gas bombs were shot by the government army from the hilltop into the Bogside areas in the 1970s. The scene was later drawn in a mural.

I talked with a guide of a walking tour. He was nine years old　when he experiences Bloody Sunday.

I found a bus connecting Derry direct to Dublin International Airport. The economy and life of Northern Ireland and Ireland Republic are closely connected.

Dublin: Oct. 12-14, 2018

I visited Dublin for the first time in about 25 years. The city has dramatically changed.

Historical places attract tourists as they did more than two decades ago.

The Trinity Collage is one of the must-see places in Dublin’s old town. Johnathan Swift, Oscar Wild and many other famous figures graduated this university. Its library and The Book of Kells are especially famous. I found many tourists making a queue in the rain.

The Temple Bar Street, near the River Liffey, has been the busiest amusement and drinking area for centuries. The area has been renovated in the last two or three decades.

Ireland has experienced remarkable economic developments since the 1990s. Many leading financial institutes as well as IT giants opened their offices, including their European headquarters, in Ireland. Many of such offices locate in the newly-developed harbor areas.

Google opened its new offices in 2016. About 7000 people are reported to be working in the offices.

Facebook’s HQ is a huge building. (See the top photo)

Citi group’s office stands along the River Liffey. Jeanie Johnston Tall Ship, which transported 2500 Irish people from here to the U.S. in the mid-19^th century is placed in front of Citi’s office.

More than 1 million people died of starvation between 1845 and 1852 when Ireland had the potato famine. Statues of famine people are placed along the river. (See also the 2nd photo)

Messages are displayed in the curtains behind the monument. They include: “Poverty is not natural, it is man-made” and “Leave no one behind.” (See the 3rd photo)

The Emigration museum, not the immigration museum, was open in 2016 near the monument. In the time when anti-immigration is popular in the U.S. and many other European countries, Ireland’s moves to focus on emigration and sympathy for poor people are impressive.

Autumn Festivals and Events@ Gotokuji, Hanegi Park: Oct. 7, 2018

The season is turning to autumn in Tokyo. The leaves began to fall. Days are getting shorter.

There are many autumn festivals and events – big ones and small ones – held in various areas in Tokyo this season.

I visited Gotokuji, a town around an Odakyu Line station, where I met across a small festival. 

It featured the foods and culture of Okinawa.

Why Okinawa? It is because a student dormitory of Okinawa is in the area.

Student girls welcome visitors at an open-air stall.

Local people as well as their dogs enjoyed the festival.

In Hanegi Park near Odakyu’s Umegaoka station, a flea market and other related events were held.

Autumn Festivals and Lives in Miyako, Yamada in Iwate: Sept 16-17, 2018

I made my regular visit to Iwate Prefecture. This time, I stayed in Miyako City and Yamada Town to see their autumn festivals as well as current situations.

I joined Miyako's festival in the evening of  Sept. 16.

Teams from local communities and groups of traditional paraded in the city.

A group of Minamikawame district (local community) performed Sansa-Odori dance. The members included many young people.

A carrier with a sail canvas moved around. 

A dram performance was played by a group of Yamaguchi-daiko (dram). Strong sounds spread around the streets. (See the 4th photo from the top)

another team performed a dance with big flags.

Local people as well as visitors enjoyed the festival.

I joined Yamada Town's festival the following day (Sept 17).

The portable shrines or mikoshi are carried from a shrine to another shrine in the festival. Boats are used to move them. Fish boats join the ceremony and compose a sea parade in the port. 

The mikoshi was just landed when I arrived at the port. (See also the top photo)

Various groups performed traditional arts in the town.

In addition to their regular plays, they hold special performances for specific people who make donations for them.

We asked a team of Daikagura to play a lion dance for us. (See also the 3rd photo) 

We also asked a team of Tiger Dance a performance. (See also the 2nd photo)

It was impressive that many young people joined the festivals, both as players and visitors, in Miyako and Yamada. I also felt strong ties of the people in the local communities.

It is often said that the festivals and traditional performing arts played important roles in the process of recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami disasters in March 2011. I reaffirmed the idea.

In addition to the festivals, I visited Taro district in Miyako City. It was my first visit in four years. Taro is famous for its huge seawalls, which were destroyed by the tsunami disasters in 2011.

Reconstructions have been advanced. New residential areas have been developed on the hills. 

New roads, shops, a baseball stadium and other facilities have been developed in the central parts of the district.

New seawalls are being constructed.

Still there remains a question on the future developments of the district. It is similar in most quake-hit areas in Tohoku.

I experienced a cruising in the Yamada Bay. There are many cultivation rafts of oysters and scallops in the bay

A raft is about 12x4 meter large. It takes two to three years to grow oysters. (See also the 5th photo)

The rafts were all washed away in 2011, when they had tsunami disasters. Now, they have about 2,000 rafts.

Hiraizumi, Iwate: Sept. 15, 2018

I  visited Hiraizumi in Iwate Prefecture, an old town with history of Tohoku district.

Tohoku was an outlying region of Japan for long time. The power of the central government sometimes reached there and sometimes retreated before the middle age.

In the late 11th century, Oushu Fujiwara family established a regime around Hiraizumi. A unique culture flourished here for about 100 years.

There were many episodes in the Fujiwara period. Minamoto Yoshitsune, one of Japan's most popular heroes, tragically died here. Sympathy for him has been shared by Japanese people for centuries. The Fujiwara family perished in  the late 12 century as the rule of the Kamakura shogunate government reached here.

Chuson-ji Temple was developed by Fujiwara Kiyohira, the first ruler of the dynasty’s 100-year triumph.

The temple is famous for its Konjikido, or golden hall (small building). It was made in 1124 by Fujiwara Kiyohira. The hall is 5.5 x 5.5 meters large and worships Buddha Tathagata and other forms of Buddha. The hall is covered with gold.

A larger building, in photo, was built later to cover the hall and to protect it from rains and winds. (See also the top photo). It was prohibited to take a picture of the golden hall. Visit the temple's HP to see Konjikido's photo.

http://www.chusonji.or.jp/guide/precincts/konjikido.html

There are many other temple buildings, including the main hall, in Chusnji.

I walked up a slope to approach the Golden hall and other buildings. (See also the 3rd photo from the top)

Fujiwara Kiyohira developed the temple to console the spirits of the people who were killed in the battles.

Motsuji Temple was redeveloped by Fujiwara Motohira, Kiyohira’s son, and Fujiwara Hidehira, Motohira’s son. Its garden is famous.

Minamoto Yoshitsune was under Fujiwara family’s protection. He was later attacked by the family, as it received strong pressure from the Kamakura government, and was forced to kill himself. His monument is on a hill.

We can see a good view of the region from there. (See the 2nd photo from the top)

Matsuo Basho, a famous haiku poet, visited here 500 years later and made a famous haiku.

The summer grass,

'Tis all thats left,

Of Ancient warriors' dream.

It was translated by Nitobe Inazo, a famous educator in the Meiji period.

Basho's monuments are in many places in the town. A statue in Chusonji-temple is one of them.

The site of administration offices of Fujiwara Family is now a park.

Chusonji, Motsuji and other places were registered as the World Heritages in 2011. Many tourists, including foreigners, visit here.

The audio guide was excellent. People can listen to the explanations of the places in 7 languages as they touch the numbers (or pictures) in the user guide with a pen. I found that the rental cycle system and other facilities were also well developed.