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Dear Customers & Friends
Hello from Japan! This is Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.293.
From this week, holiday season 'Golden Week' will begin.
*Our office will be closed on April 29th (wed), May 4th(Mon), 5th(Tue), 6th(Wed)besides Saturday and Sunday. On these holidays, we cannot do shipping or respond e-mails, thank you for your patience and consideration.
Last week, we visited two sites where our foreign customers recommended. They are Fushimi Inari Shrine and Miho Museum , and both are not so far from Osaka. Especially, Fushimi Inari Taisha exists my familiar place - in Fushimi area, there is the ice hockey link, which I used to go and practice for four years ( when I was a university student), and there also is Nogi Shrine, where the kimono auction is held once a month now.
Miho Museum is in Shigaraki area, and it will take about 2 hours from here by a car, but I have been the area many times, so it is also familiar place.
However, we have never been there till last week.
We really didn't know at least the name of Miho Museum. Of course, I knew the name of Fushimi Inari Shrine, but we didn't think to visit thee to see 'torii'(guard frame).
Both sites are popular among foreign tourists. Especially Miho Museum is more famous in foreign countries than within Japan.
A customer told us that Miho Museum was splendid and when we heard his story, we felt shame that we did not even heard about it.
Another customer said that she and her husband were lost when they were walking in the red 'torii' tunnels of Fushimi Inari mountain in the evening, and it was incredibly magical and thrilling experience.
We thought we had to visit these two sites in future at that time.
*Fushimi Inari Taisha
There are more than 4 million Inari shrines all over Japan, Fushimi Inari Taisha is the main shrine of them.
There also was a small Inari shrine near our house, where I lived when I was a small boy. Every one know Inari shrine, because there are 'fox' statue in stead of shishi or 'niou'(guardians of the temple) as usual shrine. Inari Shrine considers fox as a messenger of God. It is said to be white foxes,and people can't see them.
In Japan, foxes have been also thought that they cheat people and do something wrong to us ( like folk tail 'Little Red Riding Hood' ). So we Japanese have mixed feeling about foxes.
In the Fushimi Inari Taisha, there are many fox statues, but this shrine is famous for their 'Thousand Torii' - practically, there are said to be more than a million torii in this shrine.
From Edo period, people who fullfilled their hope, dedicated 'torii' to this shrine with their names. In Japanese, 'fullfill the hope' is 'negai(hope) ga(is) kanau(fullfilled)', and 'kanau' has other meaning 'go through '. So people thanked them that 'their hope went through' - and 'went through' became torii, a kind of 'gate', and they dedicated torii.
I went to Fushimiinari Taisha after the auction in Nogi Shrine. And I was very astonished to know their huge scale!
When I heard that a customer was scared when she lost the way in the shrine, I understood her feeling, but I thought it might be because she was not familiar with Japan yet.
I really understood her feeling after visiting there. Vivid vermilion torii continues as if it was endless during the mountain, and there also are cafes besides the path. From the entrance,it will take near an hour to reach the highest place! Along the torii path, there are many small shrines, and of course, there are many foxes!
Upper I went, I met the less visitors. If it was in the evening, and it was in the mountain, and it was getting darker, vermilion torii would look like magical and endless gates to mystery world, foxes' faces look evil and as if they were going to cheat you, and in addition, signs and maps besides the path are written in unreadable Japanese like incantations -- I also must be scared!
If I was in the situation in the familiar country, I had to be panicked without out doubt!
Visiting Fushimi Inari Taisha will be completely different Experience for you although there are many shrines and temples in Japan.
Here are photos of Fushimi Inari Taisha.
Click Here
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*Miho Museum
Miho Museum was built in the Shigaraki mountain ( west of Biwa Lake), and because of snow, it is closed in the winter season.
It was opened in 1997 and their collection is supreme ancient art of Egypt, their Persia, China and Japan, and the owner is said to have paid than 50 billion yen.
Owner is the religious communion called Shumei-kai, and its name has the origin in their owner Miho-ko Koyama.
After two hours drive, we reached the parking of the museum. At the entrance building, we bought the tickets, and walked to the main building.
This museum is said to be designed as Xanadu image.
Cherry blossoms were full bloom along the road, and there was a long tunnel, which has very future atmosphere. And from the end of the tunnel, the main building could be seen over the large bridge. Tunnel and bridge were built not to change the mountain shape, and main building is also built with the same concept - harmony with nature.
It was designed by famous architect I. M Pei, who designed The Louvre Museum. 80 % of the building is built under the soil.
When I stepped into the main hall, I felt I understood why foreign tourists like there so much.
There was a huge open space, which are covered with glass, and Shigaraki mountain scenery can be seen widely. In addition, there is couple of big pine trees in the front of the building, which adds the very Japanese taste.
The Mt. Fuji shape building can be seen over the mountains also - it is the hall of the hall of Shumeikai, where only the believer can visit.
Please feel the atmosphere of the museum with our photos and their official site.
Official site;
Click Here
Our photos
Click Here
Shumei-kais is new religion, and same as other new religion,they accept lots of praise and censure. However, one of their dogma - infection by beauty - seems to be pragmatized here.
By the way, recently I am recognizing what determines the popularity of siteviewing spot. I think the popular sites have the factor of entertainments. For examples, most famous and popular Kinkakuji Shrine is a rebuilt one. It was burned down in 1950, and rebuilt in Show30(1955). However, its gorgeousness in the Japanese garden is incredibly amazing, and not only foreign visitors, but also Japanese tourist love praise the beauty of Kinkakuji Shrine.
Both Fushimiinari and Miho Museum have similar astonishing factors, and visiting there is great entertainments!
For the tourists, visiting such major sites must be the main dishes. It must not be omitted, but if they eat only main dishes through out their tour, they must become full and tired with enthronement Not famous, small, but charming sites we are introducing in our site, will be a kind of dessert or tea.
To know and feel atmosphere of usual Japanese people, spirits of artisans, historical story and so on must be also very interesting.
Thank you very much for reading to the end! Today we will list various obi and bolt. We are very happy if you can find your favorite among them.
Ichiro & Yuka Wada
Kimono Flea Market "ICHIROYA"
http://www.ichiroya.com
e-mail: info@ichiroya.com
address: Asia-shoji Bldg.301
1841-1 Nishi 1 chome
Wakamatsu cho
Tondabayashi city
Osaka 584-0025 JAPAN
TEL&FAX ****( international number ) - 81-721-23-5446
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