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Persimmon trees, originally coming from the huge basin of the Yangtze River in China, have long been improved in Japan to harvest sweeter fruits, kaki.  A kaki is recognized as one of a common fruit in Japan like an apples, orange and peach.  It’s typical autumn scenery in Japan that many persimmon trees with kaki fruits are seen here and there in the countryside.  A kaki is not commonly sold at a fruit shop, but is picked off by themselves from the branch of the nearby persimmon trees in the country side.  Japan introduced it to European countries in 1789, then to North America in 1870.  Since then, Japanese term kaki has been used instead of their native terms even in Europe and America.  The main producing countries are China, South Korea and Japan, totally counting  to 90 percent of glovel production.  Like grapes and figs, kaki is also dried as a preserved food.  This is a vestige from an earlier time, when Japanese people’s calorie intake was not enough in winter.  Dried kaki was a good supplement in those years. http://tour-guide-japan.jp/

Yame City lying in the south of Fukuoka Prefecture, where is the middle reaches of two big rivers, has enjoyed prosperity thanks to the agricultural products from fertile farmland.  About 300 Kofun ancient burial mounds built in the 6 th  century were found in the vicinity. This signifies the presence of a big local forces independent from the central government in the present time Nara Prefecture.  Actually, they rose a full-scale rebellion called Iwai-no-Ran against the then Emperor in the ancient time.  In the Edo period, the 17 th  to 19 th  century, thereafter, they started to cultivate rice, green tea, fruits, flowers and the likes.  The locals could enjoy economic prosperity from the harvest and handicraft manufacturing making the most of the agricultural products.  The main handicrafts are washi (Japanese paper), kasuri(cloth with splashed patterns), chochin (paper lantern), butsudan (Buddhist family altar) and matcha (powdered tea).  The traditional wooden buildings for domestic industry as well as wholesalers for these handicrafts stand side by side in the old quarter in the city as shown in the photos.  Some of them are converted into restaurants and hotels leaving their original exterior. http://tour-guide-japan.jp/

This lift bridge was built for the Saga Line running between Saga Station and Setaka Station in Fukuoka Prefecture.  Because it spans the mouth of the Chikugo River, one of Japan’s largest rivers, the bridge was designed so that its central section could move up and down to avoid obstructing the passage of large ships.  When the Saga Line was abolished in 1987, the authorities were going to dismantle it though, they made the final decision to preserve the bridge as a walkway in response to the locals’ opinion.  This oldest lift bridge existing in Japan, 507 meters long, was designated as a national important cultural asset in 2003.  The railway tracks were removed and there are no big ships coming and going under the bridge any longer, but the lift is still moved up and down every 30 minutes for sightseers.  http://tour-guide-japan.jp/

The location of this art museum is where Katsushika Hokusai, a towering figure in the world of Ukiyo-e woodblock prints, spent most of his life from the 18 th  to the 19 th century.  Known all over the world by the masterpiece in the second photo, his numerous artworks had a significant influence on the Impressionist painters in Europe.  Such as Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas and Gustave Moreau adopted adventurous perspective for their own basic composition.  Compared to the oil paintings in Europe before Impressionism in the 19 th  century, those works of Impressionism are very popular among Japanese people because there is remarkable similarity between Ukiyo-e and their works.  It is also said that the major Impressionists were enthusiastic collectors of Ukiyo-e.  This art museum focuses on the artworks of Hokusai and the number of the collections reaches over 1,000 works.  The uniquely designed building in the first photo is by Sejima Kazuyo, a famous architect in Japan. As the elevation around here is almost zero meters, the storage for the precious masterpieces is located above the second floor of the building just in case of flooding. http://tour-guide-japan.jp/

Miidera Buddhist Temple and nearby Enryakuji Buddhist Temple came into conflict with each other over the originator of the Tendai sect Buddhism in the first half of the 13 th  century.  Benkei, a strong and combative Buddhist monk of Enryakuji Temple, commanded many monk soldiers to attack Miidera and burnt down most buildings of it. Having to do with this legend, a merchant who sold sweet rice-cake to the visitors appeared in the grounds of the temple advertising that you would be strong like Benkei with this sweet rice cake.  Since then, in the 17 th  century, the sweet rice-cake has become the well-known specialty of the temple.  The rice-cake was sold at an arbor named *Ema-do as shown in the second photo in the second half of the 19 th century.  *Ema-do is a small hall to display many votive wooden tablets painted with a picture of a horse, presented as a prayer. However, it is sold at a teahouse as shown in the third photo now.  The Ema-do was designated as an important cultural asset recently.     I tried this rice-cake with a cup of green tea at the teahouse.  It was good, but I’ve not felt to be strong like Benkei yet. http://tour-guide-japan.jp/

This bridge was named after the place names of both ends of the bridge, KIYOsumi and nakaSU, at that time.  As a symbolic work of rebuilding and rehabilitation after the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923, the bridge was constructed together with Eitai Bridge 1 kilometer downstream from here.  It was elaborately designed putting importance on seismic resistance so that it can be durable against future massive quakes.  The steel materials for battleships were chosen for that reason.  As for design, it was with reference to Deutzer Bridge, a suspension bridge in Cologne, Germany.  Kiyosu Bridge, 186 meters long and 22 meters wide, was designated as an important cultural asset together with Eitai Bridge rebuilt in 1926 and Kachidoki Bridge built in 1940, both of which also span the Sumida. They are all beautifully lit up in the night as shown in the photo. http://tour-guide-japan.jp/

According to the history book of the temple, it originated from when the monks built a small temple by a pine tree with graceful branches beside springs.　The springs still exists by the Honden main building of the temple, and the pine tree, 2 meters in trunk circumference and 10 meters high, stands extending branches for about 20 meters in the four cardinal directions. It’s said that the entire view of the pine looks like a dragon as shown in the first photo.  The tree is supposed to be 500 years old, which is one of the oldest pine trees in Tokyo.  The people in Edo, present time Tokyo, began to worship the temple in the 18 th  century, thus the main approach gradually became bustling.  As for now, the 200-meter-long main approach, lined with many old shops such as restaurants, souvenir stores and sweet parlors, leads to the temple as shown in the second photo.  After the Meiji period, when Japan’s modernization started, the temple was repeatedly depicted as a scene of novels and films.  Since, it is a nationally well-known temple now. http://tour-guide-japan.jp/

Shinto festivals are held mainly in spring and autumn in Japan.  These festivals are to pray for a good harvest or to give thanks for the harvest.  Mikoshi is used for these festivals.  It is believed that a Shinto spirit, usually existing in the main building of a Shinto shrine, temporarily moves to a Mikoshi during a festival.  The locals parade through the streets in the neighborhood shouldering a Mikoshi with a Shinto spirit on, to entertain the spirit while spreading divine favor over there.  Generally speaking, there are two types of Mikoshi, one of which is shouldered and the other one is with wheels to be pulled.  The details of the Mikoshi are different from place to place and the number of them belonging to a Shinto shrine also ranges from one to many.  Even in the heart of big cities like Tokyo and Osaka, a Mikoshi parading on the streets can be seen as shown in the photo.  Japan’s old tradition still remains here and there in the urban areas. http://tour-guide-japan.jp/

Lake Biwa, with an area of 669 square kilometers, perimeter of 235 kilometers, maximum depth of 103 meters and water reserves of 28 cubic kilometers, is Japan’s largest lake by a decisive lead.  About 450 rivers and streams flow into the lake from surrounding mountains and hills, and just one river, the Yodo, flows out from the southern tip of the lake.  The Yodo runs for 75 kilometers through Kyoto Prefecture and Osaka City toward Osaka Bay.  About 40 ponds connected with narrow waterway were found along the lakeshore, but about 15 ponds have disappeared by reclamation work since the end of the Second World War.  A residence of an emperor was set up in Otsu, lying along the southern shore of the lake, in the 7 th century, then Kyoto, just 10 kilometers west of Otsu, became a capital city of Japan in the 8 th  century, in addition Osaka, just 55 kilometers south of Kyoto, prospered as the largest commercial city in Japan in early-modern times.  Thus, the lake was depicted so often from olden times in poetry, novels, paintings and performing arts as a leading picturesque scenery in the country.  In this connection, a famous Japanese saying “Isogaba Maware”, meaning “More haste, less speed”, stems from a verse in the 16 th century depicting the water route of the lake.  When people traveled to Kyoto, it was usually faster to use a boat crossing the lake.  But once a strong wind hit the lake, the boat service was necessarily suspended.  In this case, it was faster to take a longer land route along the lakeshore instead. http://tour-guide-japan.jp/

Japan produced many kinds of warplanes until the end of the Second World War, though GHQ for the Allied Powers strictly banned it after the war.  GHQ also prohibited aircraft-related study at universities in Japan.  After Japan’s sovereignty was recovered in 1951, a national project for Japan-made passenger airplanes was established.  Many technical experts focusing on warplanes before and during the war were summoned for the project.  YS-11 was the fruit of the project and the maiden flight of it was in 1962.  Being designed too stoutly since it was planned by the former engineers for warplanes, the body was heavier and the cost was higher than other passenger airplanes in the world.  But thanks to its good performance of short takeoff and landing, 182 planes were sold for the route between small cities in Japan as well as in developing countries.  On the other hand, as the cost reduction effort reached to the very limit, it was driven into the end of production in 1982.  Only three YS-11 are flying now as spy planes of the Air Self-Defense Force of Japan.  The photo shows a static preservation of YS-11 in the Tokorozawa Aviation Memorial Park, the old site of Japan’s first airport in 1911, in Saitama Prefecture. http://tour-guide-japan.jp/

Old Kudan-Kaikan was built by the association of reservists of Japan as a commemorative project for the enthronement of the Emperor Hirohito, a grandfather of the present Emperor Naruhito, in 1928.  Completed in 1934, it mainly was used for the military training and accommodation for the army reserves till the end of the Second World War.  After the war, it was confiscated by GHQ for their accommodation under the name of Army Hall.  Returned to Japan, thereafter, it was rent to Japan War-Bereaved Association for free of charge and was operated by them as a hotel ceremonial hall.  Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 unfortunately hit Tokyo involving many casualties attending a ceremony held in this building.  This tragedy triggered the reconstruction plan of building.  The building, with a unique façade called Teikan-Style peculiar to Japan at that time, is one of the architectural masterpieces in the country, so they elaborately designed the reconstruction plan leaving the original exterior walls as much as possible.  The new building substantially is a modern building but it looks like the old one. http://tour-guide-japan.jp/

The historic Matsuda-ya Hotel, established in 1675, stands in Yuda Onsen hot springs in the heart of Yamaguchi City, the prefectural capital of Yamaguchi Prefecture.  Yamaguchi City used to be the government office of the Choshu domain in the second half of feudal years, so it became the most important meeting place to plan the strategy to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate.  Because the Choshu domain, present time Yamaguchi Prefecture, formed an alliance with the Satsuma domain, present time Kagoshima Prefecture, to cope with the Tokugawa feudal government in the 19 th century.  Hence, they finally sat the major seats like prime minister and other ministries of the Meiji new government.  They frequently gathered at Matsuda-ya secretly, so there are many traces of them around this hotel.  The Japanese garden in the first photo originally was a dry landscape garden though, it was totally redesigned by Ogawa Jihei the 7 th , a well-known master landscape gardener in Kyoto, under the felp of Yamagata Aritomo, a prime minister from the Choshu domain.  Yamagata, having excellent gardening idea, is said to have given Ogawa helpful advice about Japanese garden. The second photo shows the hut in the garden named Nanshu-tei, which was used for a meeting place with Saigo Takamori, Okubo Toshimichi and Kido Koin, who are from the Satsuma domain and the Choshu domain.  They are well-known political heroes in Japan in the 19 th  century. http://tour-guide-japan.jp