Blog

2019年10月2日

Autumn Scenery in Kyoto

It’s still hot everyday, but I found some hints of autumn when I took a walk the other day. When I want to chill out, I visit the Sagano (嵯峨野) district. I saw rich rice plants were bending their head and swaying in the breeze. Along the path in the rice field, red Higanbana (彼岸花, ・・・

2019年9月29日

A Statue of Sir Matsudaira Katamori

Around 1860, at the time of Bakumatu (幕末, the closing days of the Tokugawa Shogunate), the public security in Kyoto was very unstable due to the rise of the Sonno Joi (尊王攘夷, extreme imperialism and exclusionism) sect in Kyoto. In order to regain the security, Sir Matusdaira Katamori (松平容保), the lord of the Aizu (会津) ・・・

2019年9月18日

Moon Viewing at Daikakuji Temple

Ever since the old times and even today, Japanese people has been enchanted by the beauty of the moon. Especially, the moon in the mid-autumn is called as Chushu no Meigetu (中秋の名月), and loved by everybody. The other day, the Chushu no Meigetu viewing event was held at Daikakiji (大覚寺) temple in the Saga (嵯峨) ・・・

2019年9月11日

Hagi Flowers at Nashinoki Jinja Shrine

It’s already September, yet unusually hot. Here in Kyoto, everybody including me is somewhat fed up with this severe hot and humid weather. However, the other day, I happened to find a sign of autumn in town. I visited Nashinoki Jinja (梨の木神社) shrine near Kyoto Gosho (京都御所, Kyoto Imperial Palace), founded in order to commemorate ・・・

2019年8月24日

Ariheito, a Type of Traditional Candy

Confectioneries in Kyoto has been uniquely developed in harmony with the long history and the rich cultures in town. In the end of the Muromachi (室町) period, people from Portugal introduced a varieties of sweets, such as castilla (カステラ), Konpeito (金平糖, coloured small sugar candy), Ariheito (有平糖, decorative sugar candy) and Keiran-somen (鶏卵素麺, noodle-like candy ・・・