Naked ambition – Take part in Konomiya’s Hadaka Matsuri
Jan 27, 2015 By Bert Wishart
“You make your own luck in this world,” as the saying goes. Whoever coined the phrase could have been thinking of the Hadaka Matsuri in Konomiya, but making your luck here is no simple task. It takes strength, perseverance and a (perhaps sake induced) imperviousness to the cold. If you...[ Click to read more ]
Hiwatari Shinji – A Buddhist Fire Walking Ritual
Nov 27, 2014 By Bert Wishart
Winter in Japan can get a touch on the chilly side, can’t it. So, what’s the best way of warming up? Sitting under a kotatsu? Attaching hot kairo heat pads to your body? How about walking through fire? Okay, maybe the latter one is a bit extreme, but that doesn’t stop the...[ Click to read more ]
Hiwatari-Shinji – Fire Walking at Akibasan Entsu-ji
By Bert Wishart
Winter in Japan can get a touch on the chilly side, can’t it. So, what’s the best way of warming up? Sitting under a kotatsu? Attaching hot kairo heat pads to your body? How about walking through fire? Okay, maybe the latter isn’t the best of ideas, but it doesn’t stop...[ Click to read more ]
Want to take part in a traditional Japanese festival?
Sep 26, 2014 By Bert Wishart
No matter where in Japan you go, there always seems to be some festival or another going on. They vary in size from gatherings of hundreds of thousands of people to the smallest of local events, and not one of them is alike; except that they are all a marvel to...[ Click to read more ]
Know your Shinto: rituals and behaviour at a Shinto shrine
Sep 08, 2014 By Bert Wishart
When sightseeing in Japan, some of the most popular and fascinating places to visit will be the many shrines devoted to Shintoism, Japan’s predominant religion. Shinto or, “way of the divine”, is a polytheistic religion, thereforeeach shrine may have its roots or allegiances to a different god (kami). Like much...[ Click to read more ]
Flea and Farmer’s Markets in Nagoya
Sep 14, 2012 By Ray Proper
Flea Market at Osu Kannon Temple Osu Kannon Temple was moved to its current location by the very late and very great Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1612. The main temple on the site today was reconstructed in 1970. The Flea Market at Osu Kannon is held rain or shine on the...[ Click to read more ]
