Summer Festivals: July 23, 2023

Now, it is summer festival season.

I joined two festivals during my walk on July 23.

A local community festival was held at Rokusho Shurine in Setagaya City.

They played Kagura dances.

I saw a lion dance (top photo) and an old man’s dance.

There were many visitors, including kids, in the site.

Open-air stalls were arranged.

I also visited a samba festival at Kyodo railway station.

Many samba teams danced in a public square as well as on the roads.

 

Flowers and plants in hot summer: July 13-23, 2023

 

Japan has an extremely hot summer (again) this year.

The temperature in Tokyo went up over 35 degrees in many days in July.

 

Unusual weather caused territorial heavy rain and other natural disasters in some parts of Japan. The heavy rain disasters in Akita district (in Tohoku area) were especially serious.

I have my walks in the evening this month as it is too hot to walk in the daytime.

I found various summer flowers during my walks.

Sunflowers were open in many places.

Hundreds of sunflowers were open in Roka Park in Setagaya city. (See also top and 2nd photos)

 

This photo was taken in a walking path.

 

Aquatic grasses covered a pond in Hibiya Park, central Tokyo.

 

The leaves of the trees had turned to deep green when I visited Hanegi Park on July 23. Cicadas were singing loudly. (see also the 3rd photo)

 

 

 

 

Unosumai & Otsuchi in Sanriku: June 10-11, 2023 (off Tokyo)

I visited the Sanriku coastal areas again. The areas were severely hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami disasters in 2011. I often visited there in the 2010s, but it was my first visit after the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

Unosumai area in Kamaishi City was seriously damaged by tsunami. While more than 500 boys, girls and kids of elementary and junior-high schools successfully evacuated from the waves, many people stayed in a shelter in the central town were killed. Lands were widely washed out.

The levels of the lands have been raised and new residential areas have been developed. New buildings of junior-high and elementary schools have been built on a hill.

The photo shows a scene in 2016. Many things have changed. 

The pine trees in Nebama beach survived the disaster. (See the 3rd photo) I stayed at a hotel there.

 

A rugby stadium was developed in 2018 in the site where elementary and junior-high schools once stood. The stadium was used in the rugby world cup in 2019. (See also the 2nd photo)

 

A huge water gate was complete in 2021. (See also the top photo)

 

Tsunami memorial and other related facilities were open in 2019.

The Sanriku Railway Rias Line fully reopened in 2020. (See the 4th photo)

Still, there remain many questions and challenges. Decrease of population does not stop. There are some criticisms against a policy to make huge infrastructure building a priority.

I also visited Otsuchi Town in the northern neighboring town of Unosumai.

A town hall was hit by tsunami and 28 people were killed. The ruin of the hall had been preserved till 2019. Then, it was demolished.

 

The photo shows the scene in June in 2018. The hall still remained.

Only the sculptures of Jizo, guardian of child deity, and some information boards are now in the place.

More than 12 years have passed since the disaster. I got many new questions in my visit this time.

 

Morioka: June 10-11, 2023 (Off Tokyo)

 

I visited Morioka City in Iwate Prefecture for the firest time in four years.

I regularly visited the region before the Covid-19 pandemic. People’s activities were restricted in Japan from 2020 to 2022 to prevent infection. Now, restrictions are left and people enjoy more travels.

 

I found many tourists in Morioka City. The New York Times in February included Morioka in a list of 52 places to go around the world in 2023. The attractiveness of a Japan’s local city was focused in the article.

The City welcomed the tourists. I found a Sansa-Odori (dance) preformance played in fromt of the railway station.

 

They had Chagu Chagu Umakko, a parade of around 100 horses, on June 10. The event continues from long ago to show people’s thankfulness for their horses. The horses are decorated with beautiful cloths. They walk about 14km from Takizawa City to Morioka.(See also the top photo, 2nd and 3rd photos) 

The event was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of the Covid-19.

I watched the parade at Asahi Bridge near JR Morioka station. The bridge is over Kitakami River.

Various people --politicians, men and women, and kids – were on the horses.

 Many people gathered to see the events.

 

I walked the bank of Kitakami River. It is about 200km from the mouth of the river to Morioka. We used to find many salmon arriving from the sea, in autumn. Now, it is seldom.

Mt. Iwate (Iwate-san) is behind the river.

 

There are many spots related to Kenji Miyazawa, the country’s famous novelist, in Zaimokucho area near Kiytakami River. He published one of his most famous works from a company in the area. It is now a shop/café.

 There is a statue of Kenji Miyazawa in the Ihatov Street. Kenji included his dream for Utopia in “Ihatov” when he created the word.

The old Morioka castle is now turned to a park.

 

Many cultural facilities, including a museum for Kenji and Takuboku Ishikawa, another famous poet born in Iwate, are in the area.

 

A restaurant of Wanko Soba, Morioka’s special noodle, attracted many tourists. It serves guests tens of (or hundreds of) small noodle bowls.

 

Koshu Kaido Walk (9) Torisawa (21-22/44)-Shimo-Hatsukari(28/44): May 5, 2023

I walked the 3^rd day of mu Koshu Kaido Walk in spring 2023. Today’s course was from Torisawa (upper and lower Torisawas, 21^st and 22^nd shukuba station from Tokyo’s Nihonbashi) to Shimo-Hatsukari, the 28^th station. The walk was about 12 km.

 

There remain some Edo period-style houses in Kami (upper) Torisawa.

 

The road went through mountainous areas and I arrived in Saruhashi, the 23^rd shukuba station.

 

There is a famous Saruhashi Bridge in the in the area. It is an arch bridge over a deep valley of Katsura (Sagami) River. It was originally built in the mid-18^th century. It was rebuilt keeping the design of the original bridge in 1984. (See also the top photo)

 

It attracts many tourists. I found many visitors there. 

Saruhashi shukuba station is now a business and shopping areas.

 

I moved to Komahashi, the 24^th shukuba station. There is a hydroelectric power plant of Tokyo Electric Company in the area. (See also the 4th photo)

 

I moved westward and found a rocky mountain. There stood Iwadonoyama Castle in the middle age. The castle’s master betrayed Takeda Katsuyori, ruler of Kai (Yamanashi) prefecture in the late 16^th century and the Takeda family perished.

 

I could see beautiful scene of Mr. Fuji from a place near Otsuki, the 25^th shukuba station. (See also the 2nd photo)

The scene of Katsura River (upper part of Sagami River) was so beautiful in this area. (See the 3rd photo)

 

Otsuki City is running a campaign of Momotaro, a famous Japanese fairy tale character. They insist that Otsuki is a home of Momotaro legend. I found many campaign designs.

 

I moved through Shimo-Hanasaki, the 26^th station. An old main inn remains at Shimo-Hanasaki.

 

I moved into the area of Kami-Hanasaki, the 27th station. 

I found a facility to provide maintenance services for the Chuo Express Highway in Kami-Hanasaki area. There were many special vehicles parking in the site. (See the 4th photo)

 

The Koshu Kaido goes west along Sasago River, a branch of Katsura River (Katsura River is called Sagami River in the lower part).

 

I arrived in Shimo-Hatsukari, the 28^th station. It is 100 km from Tokyo’s Nihonbashi.