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2018年3月3日

Sachinoi, a Well at Kyoto Gyoen National Garden

If you take some time to explore Kyoto Gyoen, you will come across many sites of historical importance. Among them, a monument which reads “Sachinoi” has an interesting history. It is a well named after the Emperor Meiji (明治天皇). The current location of Sachinoi well was originally within the premises of the Emperor Meiji’s grandparents’ ・・・

2018年3月2日

Honmaru Yaguramon Gate at Nijo Castle

There are many culturally and historically important gate constructions at Nijo (二条) caslte. Among them, Homaru Yaguramon* (本丸櫓門) gate, a national important cultural property of Japan, is the most valuable one since it’s the only survivor of big fires occurred many times in Kyoto. *Yugura means turrets at castles in Japanese. Even in the Edo ・・・

2018年3月2日

Hina Dolls Now Displayed at Oike Bettei Branch

Hinamatsuri (おひなさん, 雛祭り, Girls’ Doll festival, a Japanese tradition to celebrate and pray for the health of girls in the family) is coming soon. When I was a child, my parents used to celebrate the event with traditional dishes unique to Hinamatsuri in Kyoto, such as Barazushi (ばら寿司, a type of sushi with a variety ・・・

2018年3月2日

Spring is Here – Tsukushi (Young stem of Horsetail)

I’m always excited around this time of year. It’s the time hints of spring can be found everywhere. If you walk around in Kyoto, you will notice that spring is drawing near at your footsteps. Tsukushi (土筆) is the stem of an edible herbaceous perennial plant called Equisetum arvense, commonly known as the field horsetail. ・・・

2018年3月2日

White Plum Blossoms at Kyoto Gyoen National Garden

It’s getting to be the season for plum flower viewing. Today, Hanami (花見) usually means cherry blossom viewing. However, in the Nara period, people loved plum flowers a lot. The custom of plum flower viewing was brought from China by Kentoshi (Japanese envoy to Tang Dynasty China). We can find many Waka (和歌, tanka poetry) ・・・