Here’s the fireworks (hanabi) schedule for Shiga Prefecture in summer 2010 listed by date: July 17, 2010 Echigawa Gion Noryo Hanabi Taikai in Aisho, 7:30 pm – 9:20 pm Along the Echigawa River bank near Miyukibashi Bridge. If rained out, to be postponed to July 18. 愛知川祇園納涼祭花火大会 More info: 愛荘町秦荘観光協会／愛荘町愛知川観光協会 TEL：0749-37-8051 http://www.biwa.ne.jp/~e-machi/new/hanabitaikai.html July 24, 2010 Kashiwabara-juku [...]
Posts under ‘Koka’
More spring festivals in Shiga
During this rainy season, I’m staying at home to sort through the thousands of photos I took in Shiga during spring. Here are a few more festivals in Shiga which I photographed during spring. Sanno Matsuri held by Hiyoshi Taisha in Otsu (Part 1 and 2): Sanno Matsuri photos: http://photoguide.jp/pix/thumbnails.php?album=11 Minakuchi Hikiyama Matsuri is a [...]
Tsuchiyama Saio Princess Procession
On March 29, 2009, I saw the Saio Princess Procession in Tsuchiyama (あいの土山斎王群行). It was very nice. The Saio princess was an unmarried, young Imperial princess, often the Emperor’s daughter, who was appointed (by divination) to be the High Priestess of Ise Grand Shrines in Mie Prefecture from the 7th to 14th centuries. Whenever there [...]
Koka article in Japan Times
The March 8, 2009 edition of The Japan Times had a travel article about the city of Koka. It featured Shigaraki, Miho Museum, and ninja. Unfortunately, it did not mention the shukuba towns of Tsuchiyama and Minakuchi. http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fv20090308a1.html But I’m happy to see another Shiga-related article in the JT in less than a month since the [...]
Koka Ninja House (Yashiki)
I finally visited the Koka Ninja House 甲賀流忍術屋敷. I highly recommend taking your foreign friends here. Most foreigners are very interested in ninja. The Koga (Koka) ninja and Iga ninja are the two most famous ninja, but most foreigners do not know that Koga is in Shiga. We have to tell them it’s in Shiga. [...]
Koka’s English Web site
Koka finally has an English Web site: http://www.city.koka.shiga.jp/english/index.html It’s not bad. However, one common error is “Koka City.” It should just be “Koka.” If you say “Koka City,” it means “City” is part of the city’s name. The city’s name is “Koka,” not “Koka City” (=甲賀シティ市). For example, in the US, we have “Kansas City” [...]
Emperor and Empress visit Shiga
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visited Shiga Prefecture for the first time in 13 years during Nov. 10-13, 2007. The main reason was to attend the 27th Zenkoku Yutaka na Umizukuri Taikai (National Convention to Make Bountiful Oceans 第２７回全国豊かな海づくり大会) held in Otsu. On the first day, they visited a nursing home called Care Town Karasaki in [...]
Met with Koka International Society
Today I went to Koka and participated in the Koka International Society’s (KIS) Kokusai Koryu Salon gathering 甲賀市国際交流協 国際交流サロン. It was a special occasion because nine people from Koka’s sister cities in Michigan came. It was a chance for them to meet and talk with local Japanese folks. They arrived in Shiga on July 26 [...]
Tsuchiyama, Koka and Shinagawa, Tokyo
Last weekend, I went to visit Shinagawa-juku 品川宿 in Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo for the first time. Shinagawa was the first post town 宿場 on the Tokaido Road. Shinagawa-juku is near Shinagawa Station. In Shiga, there are many shukuba-machi like Kusatsu , Minakuchi , and Samegai because we have the Nakasendo and Tokaido passing through. I’ve visited most of them and most of them [...]