Kimono experience

Hello everyone!! It's mana from Kyoto Hana Hostel :) In Japan, Spring is the season for starting and ending of School, work and so on. One of my friend Jiulia had just graduated from the Japanese language school this spring and she was going back to Italy. Before she leaves Japan, we went to try Kimono(traditional cloths) together to make a memorable day:)

There are couple of places that you can rental kimono and professional kimono dresser does dress you up perfectly and you can even go for a walk around town!! Isn't it such a exciting experience?

Julia chose purple flowered fabric and purple outer (this is only for winter) , she also got a hair done with the pretty hair accessory. She was so CUTE!

I picked up white kimono and Pink outer which i have never tried:)

Then we headed to the area where the old narrow streets are one of the characteristic of Kyoto(sightseeing spot).

We enjoyed to take a lot of pictures. Even the other tourists at the area (who we never know) was taking picture of us in Kimono. we were very embarrassed...

* The man between us is Tony(from Switzerland), He is my share-house mate at J-Stay. He always holds party at our place and entertain people:) We are very good friends!!

It was definitely memorable day for us, especially for Jiulia.
I hope she will do the best in Italiy!!

See you again!
MATANE!

Lunch Box

What kind of lunch box do you have?

A plastic one with a cute Disney's character or a stainless steel one that have contained sweet memories of childhood ?

A rubber gasket of my black plastic lunch box got black stains, it's not a mold but something came from the lid of the lunch box, it looks like a panda's figure and make me think a part of plastic melting....

Am I eating a plastic ?

A few weeks after I had found the stains my wife gave me a wooden lunch box. It's called Magewappa, a traditional craftwork that has been made for about four hundred years in Odate city (Akita prefecture), which is located at the east end of Shirakami Mountains (World National Heritage), and is also known as one of the most famous cedar growing districts in Japan.

It looks nicer when food contained in Magewappa. Faint aroma of cedar tree perfectly compliments Japanese foods, and arouse your appetite.

Magewappa barely has any topcoat, it cannot be placed in the water for a long time. Don't forget to dry it after use.

In Kyoto you can buy Magewappa in DAIMARU.

One day at a water

Summer is not gone yet even the autumn bell insects started singing .
At most of my days off, I go to the mountains and river to be refreshed ,for my mind and body.

Today, I felt like going out from Kyoto..
Where would be nice.
From a story of my friend ,I knew a waterfall in the west side of Biwa lake .

A biggest lake in Japan,lake Biwa
is located in Shiga prefecture . And it is very close to Kyoto.
If you take the JR train , it takes only 15min from Kyoto station to the closest city of Shiga .
















We changed the train at Yamashina to the JR Kosei line.
The kosei sen(west lake line ) is one of my favorite train line.
It's worth traveling with this train even just for the window view.
On the right hand side, you see the wide open view of Biwa lake and the figure of smooth eastern mountains and islands.
On the left hand side, the wild mountains and golden rice fields are shining.
This train doesn't go so fast, and that make our time so calm and memorable.

The station we got off was so quiet.
There was one sign and nothing else I could rely on to find the direction (beside my natural sense). We took the path behind of the station.
After 20-30min walking up the hill, the climbing path starts.
The temperature changes so ｃlearly from this point.





If you climb little further, there is a small waterfall then a big Female waterfall.
The smooth touch of the current was welcoming me to jump into the water.
Ofcourse, I did not miss to pray to Bishamon god next to the waterfall before the dip.
It's a sacred place.









After the swim, We went up the jungle alike path, rough and steep.





What a magnificent view!
I wonder if the people from old days also saw this view and felt the same as I did.
The waterfall has found long time ago and named by One of the Ashikaga shougun 500years ago.
The nature bring us the sense of awe and that make us to appreciate every moment and everything.




After the view point, we finally reached to the Male waterfall.
This whole water fall consists5 different waterfalls and 75meters high in total length .

Male waterfall was such powerful waterfall ,rough rocks, water rushing down the musculus surface of his body.
In front of this grand waterfall, the feeling of swimming didn't come to me .
The energy I felt was too strong.
so I enjoyed seating at the huge rock and bathed in the cool wind from the waterfall.




When dusk has come, we went down to the lake
The silent fisherman town lost the sense of time .
just sway

I saw a water birds fly over to the eastern mountain.

and I lied on the sand

If the people recall the way of living of those days,,,
it is the time our being was not parting the human from the nature.

There was no word for the nature in ancient time.
Because we were just part of it.

When we would find the real meaning of "losing time"again,
and then, the world would be a different place.

it is just my monologue of the day.




ciao

Nara , tradition, nature and more Part 1

With a Tenugui(Traditional Japaese thin towel) in one hand,
and my Pentax Camera on the other hand.
I jumped on the train to Nara.
I wanted to avoid the heat and crowd of the people from the Gion festival.
There was no plan on me.

Nara is such an attractive city.
Not only the city but the nature.


I randomly walked into the Nara machi. The traditional district of Nara .
This beautiful destruct is not well known for foreign tourist.Most of the people are going to visit Toudaiji and park at the other side of the city.















Every corner of this town, you meet small and big temples ,shrines and nice old style houses decolated by colorful Kukuri monkies. (they protect you against the evil spirits ).

Those old shops are selling medicines, hand craft , ceramics, cafe, restaurants.






kukurizaru
















My tea farmer friend from Kyushu introduced me one of the authentic Tea cafe in this little town.
This place is called "Shin-ju -Ann"(heart tree house "shinju" also means pearl)

http://homepage3.nifty.com/shinjyuan/
















The house has a beautiful but small courtyard　regarding to a style of traditional houses.
They have anonymous number of precious and gorgeous ceramics to treat customers.
And the tea they have are amazing.
We could not stop having a conversation for hours and hours.
I was moved by their passion for the tea.
I brought some tea for us to try .They served me a precious tea from the highland of Shizuoka.
After drinking good tea ,
Amazing! the feeling is so calm, and somehow refreshed.
We felt like we've been a friends for many years .
Such as alcohol, Tea break the wall between the people but in a very peaceful way.
I believe the essence of drinking tea culture is not just about "drinking" .The momentally pause you take for putting the leaves into the pot , see the steam, listen the boiling water,appreciate the color and taste and the time you share with others or even by yourself are included in this pleasured ceremony.



As I followed the wind,
I decided to crush in at the nice cozy guesthouse called Makura(pillow).
The young owner of this lovely place was so smiley and kind.
After drop myself for the short rest, I took a long night walk to the Kasuga-taisha shrine.
The wide deep ancient forest lying there. I was about to enter the forest in a pitch black, then somehow bounced back by the air of the real darkness and the dignity of the sacred forest.
I gave up walking into the forest and took the path to the Nigatsu-do behind of famous Toudai(big buddha) temple.





Surprisingly, mysterious lights on the lanterns were waiting for my arrival.
I refreshed myself with spring water of temple, wiped myself with Tenugui(perfect item for the random trip).

The view from the Nigatsudo veranda was superb . I could see the over view of Nara,surrounded mountains and sky behind the night shadow of unique shape of Toudai-ji roof.
I lied on the floor by myself,nice wind go through in the silent midnight temple
music of the fountain water...sense of time has lost ..

When the clock handed midnight, I slowly started walking back to my bed.
I met a lot of one night neighbor, Deers. They were singing a song each other and stop for gazing at me .

What a beautiful day and night.

I fell into a deep and sweet sleep.


cat from Shinjuan



To be continued to .....