FunBlog

The Hida Folk Village (Hida no Sato) is a collection of traditional village houses dating from the 18th through the early 20th centuries. Many of them were moved here to preserve them when waters from a nearby hydroelectric dam eliminated a number of old villages.
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In 1692 the region was placed under the direct rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The Jinya served as the official residence and headquarters of the Shogon’s governor, as well as a warehouse for storing taxes (which were paid in sacks of rice.) The building was actually used for government offices right though the 1960s, but has now been converted into a museum.

At one time there were 55 such Jinyas located around Japan. This is the only one that survives.
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Takayama is an ancient city in the mountains of central Honshu. Its present form dates back to the 16th Century, but the area has been settled for much longer than that. Because of its relative isolation the area has a distinctive culture.

The region is known for fine woodworking and for the expensive Hida beef, which is extremely tender and very high in fat content.
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Below, a shinkansen (bullet train) pulls into Tokyo Station.
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Iemitsu, the third Tokugawa Shogun, was not content with building the world’s most elaborately decorated shrine for his grandfather. He also build an elaborate mausoleum for himself, located a short distance away. This is the Taiyuinbyo, which also serves as a functioning Buddhist temple.
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Before he died Ieyasu Tokugawa, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, requested that a simple shrine be built for him so that he could serve as a guardian kami for the Japanese nation. The shrine was eventually built by his grandson Iemitsu, the third Tokugawa Shogun, but it was anything but simple. Most Shinto shrines are unpretentious, even austere. This is the most ornate Shinto shrine in Japan.

Ieyasu is still revered because he brought an end to a long series of bloody civil wars and began a period of peace an prosperity that lasted more than 250 years.
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Nikko is a small city located about 140 km from Tokyo. It is an easy day trip, and well worth it since it contains some of the most impressive temples and shrines in Japan.
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This is the place to go to find electronics (not to mention manga and anime.) It is packed with a wide range of retail establishments, ranging from seedy little shops to giant megamarts.
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The Ginza district is full of fancy upscale stores.
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Sensouji is the oldest and most famous Buddhist temple in Tokyo. Its origins date back to the year 628 when two guys were fishing in the Sumida River…
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Tsukiji is the largest fish market in the world. It dates back to the Edo period and now processes about 20% of the world’s catch. Don’t read further if you don’t want to see big, dead fish.
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My daughter and I just got back from the Black Ships Festival in Newport, Rhode Island, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the opening of Japan by Commodore Perry’s “black ships.”

Photos below the fold.
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