More glimpses of unfamiliar Japan

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo (outside)

This is the west wall of the recently-opened Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo.

Located adjacent to Izumo Taisha, the 9,400 sq. m. building was designed by Fumihiko Waki, who chose the rusted Corten steel to express Izumo's early history of iron and steel production.

There is also lots of glass, and a shallow reflecting pool.
The grounds are extensive and include replicas of haniwa , the large clay figurines buried in association with early tombs.

With the Kitayama hills as a backdrop, the museum strikes a good balance with its immediate environment and doesn't overshadow neighboring Izumo Taisha.

More on Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo

Monday, May 12, 2008

Golden Week: Inaka style.

Golden Week occurs in early May, and is a very busy holiday period. Airports, train stations, and expressways are clogged with millions of Japanese tourists all travelling at the same time.
Where I live, out in the countryside, very few people go travelling however. Early May is time to plant the rice.

Most Japanese farmers are only part-time farmers, as japanese farms tend to be very small, and could probably better be called market-gardens. Most families in the village also have a rice paddy, tambo, and the huge subsidies paid by the government make it worthwhile to plant rice.

Rice growing is heavily mechanized, but the corners of odd-shaped paddies still need to be planted by hand.

More photos from my village

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Shimane Winery

There are acres and acres of vinyl greenhouses in the area around Izumo Taisha. Most of them contain grapevines to serve Shimane Winery, a popular tourist destination offering free tours and tastings. Wine from grapes was first introduced into Japan by Jesuit priests in the 17th Century, but production did not begin until the late 18th Century when Japan "opened". In the 1950's the fledgling Japanese wine industry expanded and many areas started to produce wine.

I did try some Shimane wine once, and I am not a sophisticated consumer, but I would rank it about level with British wine!! More photos around Izumo Taisha

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Hananba Matsuri

Every town in Japan has its own design of manhole cover. Usually the design reflects something of the towns traditions or culture. This one is for Tagi-cho in Izumo.
The design depicts a scene from the 2 annual festivals held in the middle of October at Tagi Shrine, and a few days later, at Takigi Shrine.
The men carry and pull a wooden horse covered in a giant umbrella composed of thousands of colorful paper flowers.

See more Japanese manhole designs

Kazenoko (windchild)

This may look like a sculpture, but it's not. It's part of a device to teach kids about the wind. Kazenoko is located just off Route 9 in Tagi-cho, Shimane, just underneath one of the wind generators in the area.

There is a large room with interactive displays for kids to play with wind, and several rooms where art and craft classes are held.
Kazenoko is located on the hill above Tagi JR station. Entrance is free.

Click here for more photos of Kazenoko

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

Books on Japan index

Iwami Kagura Mask index

Buy direct from the maker for the best price!!

All of these masks are made in Iwami of traditional materials, japanese paper, glue, ground shell, pigments etc. No two masks are the same. It can take up to 4 weeks to complete all the processes and layers that go into it. They are functional Kagura masks, but are also commonly used in houses to scare evil spirits away. Please contact me at ojisanjake ((at)) gmail.com for prices, details, or with any enquiries. Click on any mask title for more details.