Currently, under the name of reconstruction assistance for the Japan Earthquake 2011, “Fuji Matsuri”, the Wisteria Festival has been held around Rengeji-ike pond in Fujieda. As I love wisterias very much, I visited Rengeji-ike Park a few days ago to see how lovely they were blooming this year.
It was a beautiful day. On standing by the pond, I could catch the scent of some flowers. Expectation made me hurry to walk around. First came azaleas into sight. Yae-zakura cherry blossoms were showing their best and the pathway was dressed with various kind of flowers ( actually I’m not familiar with flowers ＾＾；). Flying carps above the pond were swimming pleasantly in the air. The wind was still rather cold but all colors of spring made me feel warm in my heart.

In 10 minutes or so, I found a lodge that sells some chips and drinks, or where you can eat soba or udon noodle. I stepped in it to have a bit early lunch. Lots of visitors were already there having their lunch, chatting with friends. I took Tempura Soba noodle which cost only ￥480. Good lunch for me in taste and cost.＾＾

After lunch, I started walking again along the pond. Soon, the hero of the day appeared. Yes, Japanese wisteria ! As you can find the word “Fuji” ( Japanese word for wisteria ) in the name of the city “Fujieda”, wisteria is the symbol of Fujieda City. Most of the people in Shizuoka would imagine Fuji color from Fujieda City, or Fujieda City from Fuji color.
The general blossoming condition on that day was about 40%, I would say. Still, in the sunlit part, they seemed to have fully bloomed and I could take good pictures this year, too ! According to Fujieda City Tourist Association, wisterias around Rengeji-Ike Park would become its best around this weekend. That is, it’s best during Golden Week ( Japanese long holiday ) ! I love wisterias. I like the purple color. Deep and soft, something beyond expression. The sweet scent is really something ! I felt as if I had embraced by a fragrant angel in a cozy air. I sat on a bench, having a quiet time. Soft breeze passed through me as if to wash every bad thing away from me.

By the way, during the festival, until May 5, you can buy wisteria ice-creams at the hdqrs booth by the pond. I bought one. Lovely purple and slight wisteria flavor. I don’t think I need to tell you how it tasted, right ?＾＾ ￥150 each. They told me that all ice-cream had been sold out last weekend. Go for it to taste the-only-one !

Rengeji-ike pond is 1.5km around. Maybe you can tour around it in 30 minutes at most. You can enjoy flowers through the year, like, in spring, it begins with Sakura cherry blossoms, Wisterias, Azaleas, Irises, and Hydrangeas, fascinating us all the time with various faces.
If this trip is not enough for you, just as I did, why don’t you hike the hill behind the pond ? I’ll introduce the hiking trail in the next report.

Have a good day !

Rengeji-ike Park
Access from Fujieda Sta ： 20 minutes by #2 bus to “Rengeji-ike Koen Iriguchi” and 5 minutes walk.
Admission ： Free
※ Fuji Matsuri ( Wisteria Festival ), held until May 5

“Shizuoka Guide” is our official English blog website for events & sightseeing. Always with you ! ＾＾

Days pass as if nothing happened. Facing all matters and vestiges about the earthquake and tsunami, we are walking in Japan again to make a new life. Time to weep for old days has finished. Something new is what is longed for these days.
So, today, I introduce a new recreation facility opening today ! It’s called “Juku no Mori” ( literally means “A forest with the trees and the sky” ) and we were invited the private preview the other day. I tell you about it.

Juku-no Mori is located at the foot of Mt. Fuji, in Gotemba. Though we were supposed to be astonished by the overwhelming sight of Mt. Fuji behind the main building “Visitor Center”, unfortunately, due to the hazy weather, it was hiding in the clouds.

Screen Image from the top of Mt.Fuji ＾＾；

We stepped in it after a few moments. Spacious room. Souvenir shopping area including local vegetables and self-defense military goods came first on the ground floor. Stairs to the second floor. We went up. There was a café on the left and internet booths on the left. The front was covered with glass and a large garden was seen behind it. We were led to the “Tenku Theatre” where we could study the history of Mt. Fuji. We saw lots of panels and materials explaining it with the help of monitors or voice announcements. A large diorama explains how Mt. Fuji changes by the season with projected colors and the huge screen shows various faces of Mt. Fuji. You can listen to it in English, Chinese or Korean if you ask for it.

The winter landscape around Mt.Fuji

The summer landscape around Mt.Fuji

After we looked around the visitor center, we walked in the garden. It was very refreshing for us to stroll around in the air of Mt. Fuji. A chopper appeared in our sight. Because this facility is mostly administered by Gotemba City and partly the self-defense force ? Lava holes were definitely something to see. The spacious lawn square and the broad dome are where you can sit and have lunch, they said. Events are also to be scheduled there. We walked through the Sakura promenade with lots of cherry blossom trees along it. “Park Golf” is not ready yet. It’s going to be opened in autumn, 2012.

Otainai-onsen Health Center

After you enjoy all of them, refresh yourself in onsen hot-spring. Otainai-onsen Health Center is on your way back to the visitor center !

TV coverage recently often says, “reboot Japan through tourism industries”. I really think so. I hope hundreds of thousands of people enjoy at Juku-no Mori.

Have a good day !

Juku-no Mori
Access from Gotemba Station ：20 minutes to the bus stop “Otainai-onsen”
Admission ： Free
Tenku Theatre Museum ： ￥300 for adults
Open Hours ： 9:00 – 17:00 ※ Closed every Tuesday

Otainai-onsen Health Center
Admission ： ￥500 for adults／￥300 for children ( 3 hours, weekday )
￥700 for adults／￥400 for children ( 3 hours, weekend )
Open Hours ： 10:00 – 21:00 ※ Closed every Tuesday

“Shizuoka Guide” is our official English blog website for events & sightseeing. Always with you ! ＾＾

Green Tea season has begun. I guess everyone in Japan already knows AKB48, a group of Moe girl singers, but also here in Shizuoka, a new group was just newly formed the other day. That is “CHA88”. As AKB stands for Akiba or Akihabara, CHA also has profound meanings ! Cha literally means “Tea” in Japanese but this is not only that ! “C” is the initial letter of “Communication”, ”H” of “Hospitality”, and ”A” of Association”. And as 48 says the number of the member, 88 means something. Have you ever heard of “Hachiju-hachi-ya”, 88 nights for green tea plantation ? I ever talked about “Risshun”, the beginning day of spring, remember ? They pick up green tea leaves on and around the 88th day counting from Risshun, which is considered as the best season for green tea in flavor and nutritional value. New tea leaves are picked, in warmer climate, from around mid-April or late April but I’ll bet you like “Hachiju-hachi-ya” better than that. It’s totally different !
Of course, CHA88 consists of 88 members, from late 10s to 70s. They wear aprons and Maid costumes. Slightly Moe, aren’t they ?＾＾；

Now, as for CHA88 activities, they are going to various spots in and outside Shizuoka for PR of Shizuoka green tea. You can find them in such places as roadside stations in Shizuoka, Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport, Ocha-no Sato, and Hamanako Garden Park almost every day. Or on weekends and holidays, you can see them at Hamamatsu Sta., Kakegawa Sta., Shizuoka Sta., Shin-Fuji Sta., and Mishima Sta. They are also meant to appear at various event spots to serve visitors nice and good Shizuoka green tea ! You may see them even in Tokyo or Nagoya. If you’ve got any chance to find them, please feel free to say “Hi” kindly to them. They may not understand English, I’m sure they will smile you back !

By the way, the 88th day from Risshun this year falls on May 2 this year. According to that, a small event is to be held called “Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport “Wind Road” Walking”. It is to take a refreshing walk from JR Kanaya to the airport, 8.8km set up for 88th day. On your way along the course, there are 8 tea spots prepared where you can enjoy various new green tea of Shizuoka. You can also have a small gift after walking. No competition. Keep walking at your own pace. Participation fee is ￥500. Any inquiries, please contact us from here.

Have a good day !

“Shizuoka Guide” is our official English blog website for events & sightseeing. Always with you ! ＾＾

After “Reisai”, the annual ceremony in Kunozan Tosho-gu Shrine, I visited “Miho-no Matsubara” to see the “Hagoromo-no Matsu” pine-tree. There were only a few visitors seen despite Sunday due to, maybe, the earthquake and tsunami.
Now, here is a legendary story about this tree. Actually, I know 2 stories about it.
Once upon a time, a beautiful houri came down to Miho beach. She put her plumage ( Hagoromo ) on a pine tree and enjoyed herself bathing in the sea. Then a fisherman came to the tree and took the plumage out of it. She walked to the man and begged him for it saying “I can’t go back to the upper world without it”. The plumage was so beautiful that he couldn’t give it up. Finally, he said. “If you perform a dance of the heaven, I’ll let you have it”. She did as told and went back to her world.

New Hagoromo no Matsu

Old Hagoromo no Matsu

The other story is more fishy and humanly.
Once upon a time, a beautiful houri came down to Miho beach. She put her plumage on a pine tree and enjoyed herself bathing in the sea. Then a fisherman came to the tree and took the plumage out of it. She walked to the man and said, “I can’t go back to the upper world without it”. He fell in love with her at a glance and answered. “Only if you become my wife, I may get it back to you”. She followed his word but the fisherman would not return the houri to her for fear that she might escape. One day, while the man was away from home, she sneaked in the room and took it back from him, and finally, she could reach up to her world.

Now, which legend do you think is more realistic ? Anyway, the pine-tree “Hagoromo no Matsu” has been standing on Miho beach for about 650 years and, by reason of aging too much, another pine tree took it over for the next generation last year. Now the old tree has been preserved carefully under the special observation for recovery.

Miho-no Matsubara is also known as one of the best spots for Mt. Fuji. When I was there, it was hazy outside and I could barely see it, to my regret. On a fine day, you will find the view as in the right picture. Walking along the coast, actually 1 hour or so, you can find Miho Swimming Beach, Miho Aquarium, Natural History Museum, and the training ground of Shimizu S-Pulse of J League, the professional soccer team ! I’ll introduce them before summer.

Have a good day !

Miho-no Matsubara ( Hagoromo-no Matsu )
Access from JR Shimizu Station ： 20 minutes by Shizutetsu Bus Miho Yamanote Line to the bus stop “Hagoromo-no Matsu Iriguchi” and 15 minutes walk.
Admission ： Free

“Shizuoka Guide” is our official English blog website for events & sightseeing. Always with you ! ＾＾

Recently, Japan has become settled in a sense. Now, we can tell the whole picture of the earthquake and tsunami and know what to do and care for, or how to live under these conditions. Though radioactive matter is still a big problem, some annual events are being held discreetly to keep our cultures and histories.
On April 17, 1616, Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of Edo Shogunate, passed away in Sumpu Castle. His body was buried in Mt. Kuno and enshrined as Tosho Daigongen by his will saying “My body is to be buried in Mt, Kuno, the funeral in Edo, and after one year, transfer my body to Nikko to become a guardian of Kanto Area”.

Now, “Tosho” is the god-name of Tokugawa Ieyasu, as called Kunozan Tosho-gu, or Nikko Tosho-gu, which literally means “Lighting in the east”, indicating the east part of Japan, that is, Kanto area including Edo is under his blessing. Or, if his word construed as “Lighting to the east”, because Edo is to the east of Suruga ( Shizuoka ), his soul might be in Shizuoka to see warmly the way his son or grandson administers this country.

By the way, on the anniversary of his death, a formal ceremony “Reisai” is to be held in Kunozan Toshogu Shrine every year. “Reisai” is regarded as the most important event for shrines. And you know what ? Yesterday was the day for it ! I visited Kunozan Toshogu Shrine of the National Treasure and saw the whole ceremony. I don’t explain about Kunozan Toshogu Shrine much this time because I’ve ever written about it twice. Please refer to the report on Jan 21, 2011 and one on Apr 23, 2010.

I didn’t take Nihondaira Ropeway this time to walk up the 1159 stairs to the shrine. It was a little bit physically hard for me but spiritually refreshing for its panoramic view.
At around 10:30, all attendees assembled around the main hall. The ceremony started solemnly with the sound of Shinto flute and a shout of Shinto priest, which continued for 15 minutes or so, followed by “Shunki-no Mai” dance by a priestess in gorgeous costume, praying for the world peace. After the Mai dance, Shinto ritual began. There came the 18th descendant of Tokugawa Ieyasu in a historical costume. 300 spectators around. He had the very image of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Modest and decent. I can’t actually explain what is to what but all his demeanors somehow made me feel the air of Ieyasu.

After the Shinto rituals of 1.5 hours, at around 12:00, we all walked up to the place of his original grave-site to pray for him to rest in peace. And there, all attendees took some commemorative pictures with Mr, Tokugawa and all ceremony of 2 hours came to an end. It was very fun to me to feel our culture in a historical spot like Kunozan Toshogu Shrine. Such kind of annual ceremonies are held in many shrines. Anyone can join it. If you’ve got interested, please inquire us.

Have a good day !

“Shizuoka Guide” is our official English blog website for events & sightseeing. Always with you ! ＾＾