昔々あるところに Mukashi mukashi, aru tokoro ni… Once upon a time, in a certain place… I woke up in a land full of fairytales – Tono (遠野) in Iwate Prefecture. My guide, Matsumoto-san, came to pick me up from my hotel around 10:30am, and she brought with her a fantastic taxi driver, Suzuki-san, who was tasked with … Continue reading
After reading The Legends of Tono by Kunio Yanagita and Tales from a Mountain Cave by Hisashi Inoue I knew I simply had to visit Tono (遠野) in Iwate Prefecture. So, on Friday 30th May I continued my Tohoku adventure and headed towards Tono. After quite a bit of hanging around due to local line trains … Continue reading
In November I reviewed Tales from a Mountain Cave by Hisashi Inoue (井上 ひさし) (translated by Angus Turvill) (click here for my review) and I said that next on my reading list would be The Legends of Tono, or ‘Tono Monogatari‘ (遠野物語), by Kunio Yanagita (柳田 國男), the book which inspired Tales from a Mountain Cave. The Legends of Tono, … Continue reading
The sound of a trumpet across a mountain valley leads a young man to befriend a mysterious stranger. During repeated visits to the cave where the stranger has set up home, the young man learns about his past – in the mines, villages and ports of the region. The stranger’s hilarious, bawdy and touching narratives … Continue reading
Last week’s post was about Amanohashidate (あまのはしだて / 天橋立), so this week I need to start with て (te). A big thank you to everyone who joined in and played the game, especially ZoomingJapan with Tenoji (天王寺) in Osaka, Tenkawa (天川) in Nara and tempura (天ぷら), JayDee also with Tennoji in Osaka (and Tennoji Park), tengu (天狗), which are supernatural creatures, and Tennou (天皇), which … Continue reading
Waiting for Little Sunshine, Little Rainfall to begin at artsdepot yesterday afternoon, I kind of wished I had borrowed a child to bring along. I was probably the only person there without little ones in tow, but I was curious. Billed as a blend of Japanese folklore with traditional music and dance, and inspired by haiku … Continue reading
This is the penultimate post in my A-Z of Japan series, so it’s time for Y. Y could be for a lot of things, such as the beautiful city Yokohama (横浜) in Kanagawa Prefecture, the amazing island Yakushima (屋久島) which I would love to visit one day, or the citrus fruit yuzu (ゆず). I also considered … Continue reading
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