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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 ・・・

2019年8月19日

Five Mountains Send-off Bonfires

On August 16th, the Gozan-no-Okuribi (五山の送り火, Bonfires on the top of five mountains in Kyoto) was conducted and safely finished. Due to the typhoon hit Kyoto on the previous day, many people were worried if it would be carried out or not, because it was an very important annual event for sending off the spirits ・・・

2019年8月15日

The 32th Second Hand Book Festival at Shinmogamo Shrine

Every year from August 11 to 16, the Shimogomo Noryo Furuhon Matsuri (下鴨納涼古本まつり, Second Hand Book Festival) is held in Tadasu no Mori (糺の森), the forest within the Shimogamo shrine (下鴨神社). The festival has become a very famous event in Kyoto where many people including overseas visitors enjoy exploring the market of more than eight ・・・

2019年8月10日

The Star Festival Event in Kyoto

It’s been very hot, but this is a part of living in Kyoto. Especially until Daimonji (大文字, gigantic bonfire on five mountains) ends, such severe weather is just a common practice for us Kyoto residents. The “Kyo-no-Tanabata (京の七夕, the Star festival in Kyoto)” is a very popular event in Kyoto in summer, and this year, ・・・