Tokyo beautiful@ －Fun, Amazing : Obon, One of Japanese traditional event which mean...

Tokyo beautiful@ －Fun, Amazing : Obon, One of Japanese traditional event which mean...: In Japan, there are s lot of traditinal event. Obon is one of that. To welcome back our ancestors, you should get ready decorations. Abo...

Obon, One of Japanese traditional event which meaning welcoming dead ancestors

In Japan, there are s lot of traditinal event. Obon is one of that.
To welcome back our ancestors, you should get ready decorations.
Above picture is some of that. Ancestors come to on the seat and 2 days stay there.
They come there by riding cucumber horse, and go back by eggplant cow. As descendants, we burn branch on the plate beside entrance. Dead ancestor get notice smoke which their descendants fire. And trail that to right home.
The seat means on the water. Dead people can't come back on the ground. They usually live in heaven, we call there, higan, means that world. So to meet them and stay this world, we ready place, Nakasora. Nakasora means the middle of living world and heaven. The seat is made by using water grass.

Each vegetables has also meanings.  In these kind of event, temple and shrine, we use five color.
White, red, blue, purple, yellow. This is basic one. All color have meanings.

In this Obon's decolation,　White is peach, red is water melon, yellow is grape, purple is eggplant.
And blue is cucumber. Old days, Japanese people said blue which color was green. This weird calling is still remain in traffic signal. When I was a kid, my mom told me when a traffic signal turns blue, we could start walking. But there isn't any color of blue in traffic signal as all country alike.
I was confusing! Hahaha.

An ogre means fire. Fire should be put right side, and flower should be put lest side. In this decoration, instead of real flower, I put a paper which has flower print.

After two days stay, they go back to heaven. And we used to all Obon decorations  ｓhed into the river. People believed   over the sea, there is a heaven.

Talking of me, I ate watermelon which was used above decoration. I washed it with salt to cleanse before eating.

It was soooo delicious.

Tokyo beautiful@ －Fun, Amazing : cafe and Onsen and Antique shop in Tokyo-

Tokyo beautiful@ －Fun, Amazing : cafe and Onsen and Antique shop in Tokyo-: Surrounded by woods, river, and Onsen-hot spring. This is Iwakura onsen in Ome, Tokyo. Japanese style hotel in Iwakura onsen. In myt...

cafe and Onsen and Antique shop in Tokyo-

Surrounded by woods, river, and Onsen-hot spring. This is Iwakura onsen in Ome, Tokyo.

Japanese style hotel in Iwakura onsen.

In myth era, a famous man, Yamato Takeru visited here to cure his injured.

I went there last week to have teatime with friends. But before that, I have been there to enjoy lunch and bath.

The cafe I went last week is named Cafe Yuba. In front of it, there is a pond. The cafe has balcony, so could enjoy food or teatime outside with seeing pond and hearing bird's sounds.

Cafe's door and stone statue close by.

Iwakura onsen has some hotel. If you want, you could only enjoy lunch and bath without staying all night.

Inside of cafe and cake and tea.

Thins area is next to Saitama prefecture. Within 15 minutes driving, you could get to Moomin Park  

Moomin family's house and Moomin's lake house in the park, 

We can go into Moomin family's house which has small furniture for Moomins.

After teatime, we headed to go there, but on the way, we glanced at the　signboard which was written here is an antique shop.

Left above:The shop's outside, Left below: many Buddha statues are there.
Right: these are stuffed turtle which used to be put in pharmrcy

It's small, but amazing things in it!!!!

Big statues, big bases, paintings, furniture, and so on.

Not only Japanese things.

It's like a museum. Since this area is countryside, just driving is very fun.
Breath natural air, feel green.

Spend the time there where the old legend still left.

Kanda Myoujin- Kanda shrine at Kanda ―ward off bad luck

Ｎａgoshi no Harai means  the ceremony about warding off bad luck in June and December in shrine. It's famous in Kyoto and Osaka erea. But some shrine do in Tokyo.

I went Kanda Myoujin, one of the big shrine in Tokyo at the end of June.

　Above: left-the gate of shine, middle-statue of Daikoku, kind of God, Right-water fall in shine
Below:the old cafe next to the gate and showcase.

There is a big ring made from straw which people could walk through into there.

Above-left;the main gate of shrine,right:the well where you wash
Below:inside of shrine,and right side of shrine. 

Each time you visit shrine, you should wash your hands and swipe mouth at the well.

Then there is a big straw ring.. At first you should stand at the middle of it, and then start to walk like 8. You should begin your walking from lest side ring.

The straw ring is named Chino-wa.

Left and right to the middle is the one term. Three term you should keep on walking.

I guess there are many people who do same as you. If you don't know how to do, just fallow them! Haha!

This is the ceremony for health throughout summer to autumn.

I'm not a believer of Shinto, Japanese old religion, but like almost Japanese people like, I believe  something spiritual in nature. Japanese people traditionally believe there are Gods in nature.

This ceremony is kind of that. The change of season, people tend to lose their physical condition.
So Nagoshi no harai includes hope to spend the days in healthy.

Nagoshi mieans spending summer. Na is the word which shortened Nastu, summer.

Goshi means Kos, spend.  No means of, Harai is that go off, brow off.

I just heard there is a Japanese sweat that the people who did it eat after this ceremony.

Minastuki is the name of it.

If you are interested, take a look a link showed.

The white parts means ice, Azuki, Japanese sweat beans are on the top.

Azuki is believed to ward off bad luck.

This is that people has kept doing from myth era.

If you want to go, please check this link. Next time is in December.

It's ok not join is, just take pictures.