煎茶道 SENCHADO

I'm learning TEA CEREMONY(茶道）.　
You imagine the tea ceremony by powder tea.
But it's by leaf tea.

I can get them

i hope the confusion is claming down.... we still have earthquakes.

Nothing

no instant noodles, breads,rice, toilet rolls, waters.........
i can't buy. everyone is in panic after the earthquake...........

the earthquake in earstern japan

at the time i would almost finish the work at the day.
i felt very terrible. but not damaged. the train stopped.
so i walked to my apartment 6km way. i really complained at it.
but i noticed i was wrong when i watched news on tv.
i have to appriciate my situation.........
i hope the damage is a minimum...........

凧市 KITE MARKET

It's  the kite market.

it's a shrine festival in ohji inari shrine.

fire often happened in edo(Tokyo) for Tokugawa era.

people came to purchase kites to prevent from fire as amulet.

播州赤穂 BANSHU AKO

the residence where oishi kuranosuke lived.

oishi shrine 47 ronin's figure in front of the shrine.

oishi kuranosuke: he is known as the leader of 47 ronin.

Banshu ako is very famous as 47 ronin story.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forty-seven_Ronin

雑煮 Zouni

this is zouni;a special soup of new year.

each region has individual zouni.

our zouni is very rare. white miso and sweet red beans in rice cake.

i love it.

 no zouni no new year.

御節料理 Osechi

on new year day we eat osechi. it's a traditional japanese food for new year.
it's made until new year eve. because housewives don't need to work for new year.
i love osechi very much.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! 謹賀新年

for new year season we decrate Kadomatsu（門松) in front of the gate of house.
but i live in a small apartment. so i bought a very small one on my bookshelf.

年越しそば Toshikoshi-Soba

in japan we have a custom to eat buckwheat noodle on 31th December, New Year Eve.

青春１８きっぷ Seishun 18 kippu

Today I get a JR(Japan railway line)ticket.
It's Seishun 18 Kippu. 1 day free, 5 times for the period.
it's 11500 yen. so 2300 yen each day. only 2300 yen you can go from tokyo to kyushu.
this time 10th Dec to 10th Jan. we can get three times in a year.
spring, summer, winter.
I'm 35 years old. I'd like to use super express Shinkansen. but i'm poor.............
but not but the trip with the ticket. we can get out from train on the way.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seishun_18_Ticket

Kodo 香道

Kodo is the japanese art of appreciating incense and involves using incense within a structure of codified conduct.

It's a very nice fragrance.

後北条氏 The late Hojo clan

This is the tomb of Hojo Ujimasa and Hojo Ujiteru in Odawara.
They were ordered HARAKIRI for the responsibility of the siege of Odawara 1590.
The late hojo clan governed almost all konto region. 
Finally the clan surrendered to Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
at the time they had meeting endlessly. but it didn't reach the decision.
we call endless meeting to no decision Odawara byoujou.
It's the same expression at Congress of Vienna: Der Kongress tanzt, aber er geht nicht weiter

坂の上の雲 The clouds on a slope

Akiyama Saneyuki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akiyama_Saneyuki

Akiyama Yoshifuru http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akiyama_Yoshifuru

Now I can watch TV drama Saka no ue no kumo on NHK channel.

It's a story from the early Meiji period to Russo-Japanese war.

It's a famous novel wretten by Shiba Ryotaro.

I visited the place they were born in Matsuyama.

ALIT Iruma city museum ALIT 入間市博物館

This is Iruma city museum. it's a museum for tea.
Today I visited there for a lecture of tea.

河越館 KAWAGOEKAN

this is jyorakuji(常楽寺).
long times ago there is a samurai residence here.
a princess from here became a wife of minamoto no yoshitune（源義経）

Imo yokan 芋ようかん

This is japanese sweet IMOYOUKAN made by sweet potato and sugar.

it's very delicious.



THE BIG TEA CEREMONY IN SAYAMA 狭山大茶会

Today i visited the big tea ceremony in Sayama, Saitama prefecture.
we enjoyed matcha抹茶(powder tea),and sencha煎茶(leaf tea).