梅の花 匂ふ春べは くらぶ山 闇に越ゆれど しるくぞありける
In springtime when the plum blossoms smell so sweet
even beyond Kurabu Mountain shrouded in darkness they stand out clearly
梅の花 なににほふらん 見る人の 色をも香をも 忘れぬる世に
In a world where people who see plum blossoms forget both color and scent
A hidden hot spring town in Japan's unexplored region.
Ginzan Onsen, Yamagata Prefecture.
Model of Spirited Away ( ghibli animation )
List of hot springs in Japan
My recommendation is Nyuto Onsen, Akita Prefecture, in winter.
The Hello Kitty Shinkansen is operated by West Japan Railway Company.
Tohoku Shinkansen Kurikoma-Kogen Station high-speed passage
Explanation of Shinkansen
Speed comparison at various stations.
This video is probably taken by choosing the station that passes through at the fastest speed.
Be careful with the volume.
Please come and ride the Bullet Train, welcome to Japan.
" 東京 " ( tō - kyō ). It is translated as Tokyo (capital of Japan).
This character is written by Kanzi, Regular script.
Etymology : 東 ( east ) + 京 ( capital city )
Tokyo was renamed in September 1868 from the city of Edo, the Tokugawa shogunate.
Tenno emperor emigrated from Kyoto at that time.
Of course, the Emperor's family home is still in Kyoto.
It is the Imperial Palace.
People chase their dreams. And, want the world to be a fantasy.
If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant.
If we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.
Anne Dudley Bradstreet ( 1612 - 1672 )
" 冬 " (tō, or fuyu). It is translated as winter.
This character is written by Kanzi, Regular script.
Ice is passing away.
The creator of this kanji has a very poetic sense.
Please be careful.
These houses say a gasshō-zukuri ( joining hands structure ).
It resembles manual form when a man joined his hands.
The structure is this local characteristic, and the roof where snow is easy to fall.
Of course people still live in there.
Nobles and concerned people made this village about 800 years ago.
It is the legend that they lose to fight (1180–1185), and sheltered here.
It takes several hours from the town nearby to here, and surrounded the circumference in the high mountains.
Snow shut in people in old days.
It will be the one of the places that are the most inconvenient in this small country.
And it may be a good place of the scenery most.
The ancestral one of them is called "Heike".
They were defeated by Yoritomo Minamoto of "Genji".
The Heian period was over at the time, and the Kamakura period began.
Yoritomo Minamoto is the first Shōgun. It is the leader of the samurai.
Yes. When this village was born, the Samurai's area whom you knew was born, too.
Here is Shirakawa-gō ("White River Old-District"), Gifu Prefecture.
In Japan, it is said that good things will happen if you see Mt. Fuji on New Year's Day.
A Happy New Year.
I hope this year is a good one for you and yours.
To friends around the world.
From Japan in the Far East. JST 01.01.2023 00:00
