Numazu Summer Festival – Numazu Natsu Matsuri

It’s festival season time again and the big event in July for Numazu is the Summer Festival (Natsu Matsuri). This massive event runs on the 25^th and  26^th of July. Festivals are generally seen as a socially accepted time for Japanese to let their hair down and cast their conservatism to the wind. The Numazu Summer Festival is no different in this regard.

Numazu’s south side comes alive with row after row and street after street of food and other festival stalls. Elaborate shrines shouldered by chanting locals wearing traditional garb and broad smiles. Just be careful not to look too enthusiastic or you might find yourself being drawn into help shoulder one of the shrines. Drums beat their tattoo up and down the street competing with dancing groups belting out songs and vendors selling their wares.

I also hear on good authority that many of our younger male foreigners like nothing more than to enjoy the sights of pretty women dressed in noble summer kimono’s (known as Yukatas), as they sip cool drinks from the comfort of a café.

Each night ends with a fireworks extravaganza along the crowded Kano River, where your free to walk under and around them to get the best view.

Check it out and catch a glimpse of the inner party animal inside every Japanese person and one of the biggest festivals in Numazu.

Directions: from the south side of the station wander aimlessly through the shoulder to should streets of stalls. If the stalls start to thin out turn around and head towards the music.

The Hara-Ashitaka Circuit – Part 2

This is part two of of the two part story on the sights of greater Numazu.

Moving north from central Hara, I make my way to the ruins of Kokokuji Castle. This castle was where Hojo Soun cut his teeth on politics and war during the Sengoku Period1(5th to 17 century). While this place would not doubt present a gold mine for amateur archeologists, there is nothing of the old castle to see but the grassed platforms where the old castle once stood. Regardless, it is well worth a few minutes of contemplation or even a picnic in the sun.

Now at the base of Mt Ashitaka it was time to head up the mountain to Akeno Kannondo. Akeno Kannondo is about 1/3 of the way up Mt Ashitaka. There are two roads that lead up to this temple. I decided to follow a road that runs up a draw in the mountain. This was a good choice. It was not long until I stumbles into a beautiful old wooded barn, it timbers almost black with age. This barn resting on the side of the road was a time capsule to another era. A little further up I found another temple and a small school, both covered with giant trees and skirted by a crystal clear stream. I had to remind myself that only 20 minutes earlier I was in a modern industrial suburb.

It was now time for the hard push up the mountain. I doggedly dropped down gears on my mountain bike and slowly made my way up. On the way up I had to stop for a rest….erh…photo opportunity or two. As I moved from the the draw and onto the spur the forest setting was replaced by a vast expanse of tea shrubs on the ocean facing  side and one of a myriad of golf courses on the other.

At last, I made it to Akeno Kannondo and I wasn’t disappointed. According to the guide book, this oddly thatched roof temple was constructed in the Edo Period. This temple rests in a pocket of large trees surrounded by tea fields. It has a feeling of an oasis and was all the more tranquil for it.

This was the first time that I have seen a thatched roof temple in Japan. I was impressed with its simple beauty in contrast to the more elaborated designs and styles of its more solid siblings. There is a large bell on the grounds that stood tempting me to ring. However, I was bullied out of ringing the bell by the peacefulness of my surroundings. Behind the temple is a line of stone Buddha’s and a home to a very handsome spider.

After a decent rest and a spiritual moment, it was time for me to lower myself back down into the hedonistic pit from which I was spawned. I paralleled the mountain, taking a new road not on the map, until just past the Ashitaka sports fields and then took a hard right down the mountain towards the Gourmet Way.

Riding down a mountain is always my favourite part of a mountain ride. You know you are about to go home, and fast. It makes the journey up the mountain all worth while just for the exhilarating speed of the descent.

This time the Gourmet Way was not my destination. The Gourmet Way, as the name suggests, is one of Numazu’s main eating streets. This street stretches up Mt Ashitaka from near Ooka Station. On either side of this major road are numerous restaurants of varying style and quality. However, a little further up this road towards the north is another area famous in Numazu, Love Hotel Hill.

This was the purpose of my detour and the last part of my trip. Um, I mean…well… I wasn’t actually going to patronize one of these fine establishment. Well not without my wife. Love hotels are a necessary feature of the urban landscape of Japan. Due to the cramped living conditions of most families many couples don’t have the space at home to get up to any mischief, particular if they have children around. So they leave the kiddies with the grandparents and head of to the couples theme park, The Love Hotel. And theme parks they are.

These colourful Hotels are designed with particular themes in mind. Wandering by these hotels you could be mistaken for feeling like you have been transported to Tokyo Disney. Cartoon animals and images, and strange innuendo pop out at every turn. It is well worth a visit just to take a look.

Although I haven’t road tested these establishments…yet, I hear on good authority that rooms come in varying themes such as cowboy rooms, to puking pink princess paradises, to dungeons and dragons (well maybe not the dragons). Further there is more than just the obvious form of entertainment to keep you amused for the other 2hours and 55minutes of your 3hours stay. For example, there are spas, Play Stations and big screen TV’s to be enjoyed.

After, ending my tour on an amusing note it was time to go home and rest my weary legs. The Hara-Ashitaka, area features a reasonable amount of amusement for the traveler. If you have a car then you would have a better chance of seeing the sites of the mountain than I did on my mountain bike. Higher into the mountain, there is a maze of walking and mountain bike tracks for you to enjoy. Mt Ashitaka is a beautiful mountain and well worth the trip. Hara, while industrial in appearance does hold a few secrets spots to enjoy for the inquiring.

For directions to the sites mentioned above check out my map page here,

The Hara-Ashitaka circuit – Part 1

Welcome to Part 1 of a two part series on sites in the greater Numazu area. Part 2 will be along soon. Enjoy.  

It seems that September is the time that I hear the call of the mountains and I clean my mountain bike and prepare for a big ride. Well it could be that or the fact that after returning from an expensive summer vacation the only thing I had left to spend was time.

After locating one of my many Numauz Tourist Guide Books: English (Engrish), I set to planning an expedition. However, after ten minutes I was yet again lost in the priceless text. For example “The left side of the river is provided with walking road for pedestrians…” or “The Kano River has stairs.” While not the most amusing text of Japanese English I have read, the Numazu Tourist Guide Book certainly lightens your mood. I really don’t understand why so many English speaking expats and tourists get so worked up over these grammar mistakes. Really little things like this are an essential part of enjoying another country. We also seem to forget that our attempts at Japanese may be equally amusing for our indigenous friends. When it comes to my attempts at Japanese I am almost certain of it. But I digress.

The guidebook suggested that there are a great many sights in the Hara and Mt Ashitaka areas to the west and north of Numazu city, respectively. It seemed like a good enough plan for me so I set off on my mountain bike and guide in my back pocket to find out.

I first set off for Hara loosely following the route Tokaido Road once took. In the Edo Period, the Tokaido Road was a famous road connecting the old capitals in the Nara, Osaka, Kyoto triangle and the newly formed capital Edo; modern day Tokyo. Later the route was travelled artist Utagawa Hiroshige who crafted the 53 stations of Tokaido (Wikipedia 2007)

The trip to Hara was somewhat uneventful. I chose to take the inland route following the railway line rather than the far more picturesque Senbon Beach path. Most of this area is a combination of low level industrial and housing. It is interesting to find see how the locals blend their hand toiled community and private vegetable gardens with their modern homes. The lack of land in the area means that everything is right on top of each other. Very different to the towns in Australia I have lived in.

My first stop was a quick ride around Syoinji Temple before a even quicker look in. This temple has been tastefully modernized, though there is really not very much to see here. I managed to lose my way searching for the Tourist Guide’s recommendation and stumbled across some funky little hand powered water pumps in a small park near Syoinji Temple. These were very cool and I had to play with them. Well, until some old ladies started to stare at me like I was the town idiot (very intuitive old ladies).

After a few more minutes I found my Tourist Guide checkpoint, Hakuin Zenji. Apparently an anonymous poem, by a possible member of this particular temple, declaired this temple and Mt Fuji are the two most excellent points of this area. Well, Hakuin Zenji wasn’t too bad. That is of course, depending on whether or not I had found said grounds and not some anonymous temple. The picture in the guide made it look a lot bigger than what it was so I am not too certain. Anyway, this proud little grounds featured below had some excellent example of stone work dragons and the gardens tall trees created a cool and mysterous mood to this place.

Stay tuned for part two of “The Hara-Ashitaka circuit.” Meanwhile check out my maps for some directions from my journey.  

References

Hiroshige. (2007, October 17). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 12:04, October 31, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hiroshige&oldid=165124153

Numazu Tourist Association (publish date unknown) Numazu Tourist Gide Book; English; Numazu Tourist Association.

Wa No Shirabe – Imperial Villa Numazu

The Numazu Imperial Villa Memorial Park will hold a number of activities this Saturday 29 September 2007.

There are just a few times each year that you can see the Imperial Villa at night and this is one of them. On Saturday evening the park with feature traditional music and dance from 6:30pm.

Come along and enjoy the festivities and enjoy the villa’s earthy light at night.

Location: South east of Numazu Station accross the river and on the coast. For a map with the location click this:

Hours: 9:ooam to 8:30pm ( to 4:30pm every other day)

Cost: 400yen

Phone: 055-931-0005

Numazu Summer Festival – Natsu Matsuri

The Numazu Summer Festival (Natsu Matsuri) is coming around again. This big event floods the streets on the south side of Numazu in a three day event filled with endless parades, deja vu stalls, excellent music, gorgeous yukatas and ends each night with a huge display of fireworks over the Kano river. Living so close to the center of town means that some of the parades actually passed by our very windows last year. During the previous years Summer Festival we were fortunate enough to sit on our windowsill and watched the parades go by. The dancers in their immaculately dressed quasi traditional garb are an awe inspiring sight. The huge floats born on the shoulders of cheering sweat sodden participants with balancing beauties precariously positioned on top of gorgeously crafted woodwork, are to sure infuse you with energy and excitement.

We couldn’t just sit on our windowsill all day. There was so much else to see.

On every street at every time there is something different to keep you well entertained throughout the day and well into the night to finally enjoy the fireworks.

I am sure that these few pictures from last years event will tempt you enough to pay a visit.

When 27, 28 and 29th of July.

Location South side of Numazu Station flowing down the main streets and along the Kano River.

Tanabata and those beady eyed Magpies – Numazu

Well, Orihime, the weaver and Hikoboshi, the herder weren’t getting ‘any’ this year. But then again the choice to use magpies as a bridge for the two lovers to make their annual union on the 7 of July is just plain ridiculous… Ducks would have been a far better choice with their greater buoyancy and predilection for the wet. Nevertheless all bets are off and wishes unfulfilled. The bamboo trees strung with wishes are a glaring reminder that you just can’t rely on magpies or gods for that matter, when it comes to getting what you want.
Welcome to Tanabata, a magical time of wish fulfillment that was created by an angry dad-god who was fed up with his lazy daughter-god and son-in-law(no not sun)-god and separated the buggers so they could keep theirs hands off each other long enough to either weave up a new frock or make sure the herd(stars all) don’t come hurtling into our solar system and incinerate the earth.

On the seventh day of the seventh month each year these two lovers come together for a bit of sweet love before dad drags them back off to work. The only problem is that to reach each other they have to cross a river. I don’t think dad send his daughter to ‘lil’ tadpole’ swimming classes when she was young (but I mean who would. You know what kids do in the pool at that age.).

With little social skills due to their previous sweatshop existences and no knowledge of the phrase “You can tell a person by the friends they choose”, the couple befriends a flock of magpies.

Magpies, renowned for their perverse and cruel sense of humor, agreed to provide their wings as a bridge across the river so the couple may meet each year when daddy gave them their day off. However, the magpies felt that they should remind the couple that their union provides them with a “work stop” policy in rain for occupational health and safety reasons. Although a little envious of their unionized labor policies, the couple desperately agreed.

Now the magpies aren’t stupid; that’s why they’re lazy. Unbeknownst to the lovers, July is the rainiest month of the year, with most parts of Japan experiencing more rainy days than dry during this month.

It’s no wonder magpies make so much noise in the rain. They are laughing their bloody heads off.

While a smidgen of curiosity is raised over why it is exactly that two trans-galactic beings are affected by rain in Japan; or for that matter, how magpies can make the trip out to that intergalactic river aka Milky Way, may easily be explained by the modern scientific popular theories of quantum physics.

In homage to this myth, the Japanese of today prepare wishes and affix them to the branches of cut bamboo. If the day proves to be rain free then the wish is granted. If it rains then the wish is a dud, which is fair enough too. I don’t thing I would be in the mood to grant wishes if my only day of sexual bliss each year is a wash out.

In Numazu this festival has its visual peak in the Nakamise and Shin Naka malls on the south side of Numazu station. The malls are strewn with dizzying designs of brilliantly coloured banners all of which are temptingly tasseled at the bottom. Hidden in amongst these overwhelming designs are several meters high cuttings of bamboo with wishes written on coloured paper tied to their branches.

These hearty little banners stay up for over three weeks running through Tanabata. Indeed, the banners bamboo like strength and flexibility is frequently put to the test by clutching airborne children and the late night inebriated.
The crass advertising such as the popular One Piece manga or the rotating, body swapping Pirates of the Carribean banner really highlight the marketing opportunity that many of Japan’s festival have become. While to some this would seem a betrayal of tradition; to others, like me this seems like an opportunity for amusement and well worth a visit.
Banners are usually erected one week before Tanabata. On the seventh of July there is also a large number of organized festivals on in and around the Nakamise.

Scott Garbie

Location: With your back to the south entrance to the Numazu Station follow the footpath to the right (west) around the new building construction until you get to a pedestrian crossing. Cross it. Look up at the milky green arch reading Nakamise. Look down from the arch and smack yourself in the head for missing all the banners. .

Numazu Alps

 Location:For a map of the start of the alps click here

About mid April06 I went hiking in the Numazu Alps, a small range of 6 mountains varying in size from about 230meters to 390 meters. In the hiking guide for this trip the estimated time to climb these mountains one way was 6hrs30min. In my usual rush to damage the old body I managed the course, including the return trip in about 8 hrs. This was a glorious 21km hike through some diverse forests that I have never seen before. It really was amazing. There were cherry trees blossoming alongside great pines, gnarly weathered trees clinging to thin ridge lines and gorgeous views of Suguru Bay. I also found the most beautiful wild flowers including a black flower (sort of bug trap plant) that had a strange black trail to it. Apparently, the flower is a symbol of a mythical fisherman’s line and basket.

Between the two highest peaks I had to follow a ridgeline with steep slopes. The trees that followed this ridge were gnarled and windswept. Walking through this part of the track really made me feel like I was in a fantasy world. The most interesting part of this ridge was a fallen tree, its dried roots forming a wall over two meters high.

I must admit that the climbs were tiring and the first time I saw the ropes and chains used to help you safely get up the hill elicited a childish “cool” out of me. After climbing the first hill close to Numazu City you have to walk down onto the road and follow it back up to the saddle until you find the path on the right. This is not very well marked, so after about half an hour of wondering around in someone’s veggie patch I decided to go through the bush until I met up with the track. I though going bush was fun but I wouldn’t recommend it to most people particularly if you have little climbing/hiking experience.
All in all, the Numazu Alps was well worth the walk and I will be up there again sometime soon.