Adventures in Discovering Traditional Japan - Irasshaimase!! Samurai Tours is a Japan travel special
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We finished the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage and were able to visit all 88 temples as planned. Everyone was tired but felt rejuvenated by the sense of accomplishment. This photo is the group in front of Okuboji, temple #88. It will take some time for everyone to reflect on the adventure before everyone can determine how the experience changed them. We also learned more about the pilgrimage that will allow us to improve the experience even more next May.
# shikoku
We have started our second Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage tour. The group is standing in front of the main gate at Ryozenji Temple (Temple #1 of the pilgrimage). It will take us 3 weeks to complete the entire pilgrimage. The pilgrimage is more than 1,000 years old, but did not become popular until the Edo Period (1603 to 1868) when the first guide book was published.
# shikoku
According to a recent survey by Conde Nast magazine, its readers chose Japan as the best country in the world to visit. (I've known that for a long time.) Here is the top 10:
1. Japan
2. Italy
3. Greece
4. Ireland
5. New Zealand
6. Spain
7. Portugal
8. Israel
9. Norway
10. Switzerland
The month of October marks our 20th anniversary of offering tours to Japan. Where does the time go? As they say, "What a long, strange trip its been" (with my apologies to the Grateful Dead).
These past 20 years have had their ups and downs. There have been nuclear power plants melting down, and pandemics ('nuff said). But I wouldn't trade the last 20 years for anything. It has been my privilege to meet so many like-minded people interested in Japan. I look forward to showing more people "our side" of Japan. And it is has been my honor to work with all the American and Japanese Samurai Tours staff members dedicated to providing the best travel experience possible. Thanks to all of you. It wouldn't be possible to to do what we do without all of you. おたうかれさまでした！ (Thanks for a job well done!)
Frigid temperatures in January will cause cherry blossoms to bloom a few days earlier than usual this year, according to forecasters. People in Fukuoka and Kochi prefectures will be the first to enjoy the fleeting signs of spring’s arrival on March 19, followed by those in Tokyo on March 22, Nagoya on March 23 and Osaka on March 25, according to the Japan Weather Association’s forecasts issued on Feb. 16.
Cold air fronts have covered Japan since December 2022, bringing record low temperatures in late January. The chill helped put cherry blossom buds through a cold period they need to prepare to bloom.
There are more than 200 different varieties of sakura (cherry trees), and I have heard the early blooming varieties are already blooming in Shizuoka prefecture.
Happy Holidays from everyone at Samurai Tours. Purchasing fried chicken from KFC has become a popular way to celebrate Christmas in Japan.
I am happy to say our Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage tour was able to complete the pilgrimage as planned. It was an emotional time for all of us. The group posed in front of the main hall at Okuboji, Temple Number 88. The tour was very successful, and everyone enjoyed the experience. We will be offering the tour again next year. I can't wait to do it again.
Tanemaji Temple (Temple number 34 of the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage) is a popular place for pregnant women to pray. Many women pray here for an easy childbirth, and those women who have had their prayers answered customarily donate water dippers to the temple with their bottoms knocked out. When she first finds that she is pregnant, the woman takes a whole ladle to the temple priest. He knocks out the bottom, places it on the altar, and prays over it over the course of two days after which the woman takes it home and places it in the Tokonoma. After a safe delivery, the woman brings the ladle back to the temple in thanks.
Founded by Kobo Daishi with the aid of Emperor Saga, Kogofukuji Temple (Temple Number 38 of the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage) is located on the southern tip of Cape Ashizuri (the southernmost point of Shikoku) and commonly called Ashizurisan. It is modeled after the Pure Land of Kannon. It is believed one can set sail for the pure land of paradise where Kannon lives from here because Kobo Daishi saw Kannon when looking at the sea. Located on the bluff looking out over the sea, the temple has always enjoyed the patronage of aristocrats, warriors, and noble clans.
The Gion Matsuri Festival was held on Sunday the 17th, for the first time in three years after a suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Twenty-three floats paraded on major streets in Kyoto, a highlight of the traditional festival, which is said to be one of the country’s largest festivals. The annual festival of Yasaka Shrine in the city’s Higashiyama Ward originally started about 1,100 years ago to pray for the end of an epidemic at that time.
The people of Nagoya make one of their local specialties (Miso Katsu) by starting with a typical tonkatsu dish (a deep fried pork cutlet normally served with shredded cabbage). They pour a thick, miso-based sauce on top instead of the traditional soy sauce-based tonkatsu sauce. To make the miso sauce, start with the red miso paste popular in the Nagoya area. Add pork, dashi (fish broth), a little sugar and slow-simmer the sauce for hours. As a result, the miso sauce has a rich, earthy flavor and a touch of sweetness that compliments the flavor of the crispy, fried pork cutlet. You can add condiments such as mustard, shichimi (seven spice) or ground sesame seeds.
The Japanese parliamentary election campaign is in full stride here in Japan. The campaign is 3 weeks long, with the election on July 10. A common occurrence during the campaign are vehicles with large speakers driving on the streets with the candidate’s campaign advertisement blaring. And occasionally, they will stop on the side of the road and give a speech. The candidates also often have young girls with white gloves waving to the pedestrians as they drive around.
Our first tour group since the resumption of tourism landed at Haneda Airport yesterday. They said that Customs and Immigrations went smoothly.
On a recent trip to the Izu Peninsula, I tried this soft-serve cone served with fresh wasabi. Izu Peninsula is known in Japan for its wasabi. The sweet ice cream and the spicy wasabi were an uncommon combination, but I enjoyed it. After all, there’s no such thing as bad ice cream.
During the Edo Period, Kusatsu-juku was an important post town because the two main highways between Edo (Tokyo) and Kyoto, the Tokaido, and the Nakasendo, merged together in Kusatsu. The Honjin was where the Daimyo (feudal lords) would stay overnight and rest as they traveled between these two cities.
Cha-soba from the city of Uji, famous for its green tea. Cha-soba is the iconic soba noodles with green tea added.
Matcha on Matcha - Soft-serve ice cream with matcha powder added and matcha powder sprinkled on top in the city of Uji. Uji is well-known in Japan for the quality of its green tea and matcha tea powder.
Wisteria at Byodoin in the city of Uji.
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