Kumamoto, Gokanoshou (2)

Hello!!

Ready to follow him again?…

Let’s go back to Gokanoshou with Tamaki san

and see where he goes next ^^

As he is walking in the road,

he finds a very unique kind of gate…

There’s a sign saying

“Yatsushiro Private Izumi Daihachi Elementary School”

He’s wondering about the gate…

Wants to pass through the gate but he’s not sure

if it’s OK to do so or not…

Passing through some gates will bring bad luck and

our traveler is a little bit superstitious as his fans know XD

Even though he always denies it ^^

Anyway, he hesitates for a short 2 seconds

and then decides not to pass!

Saying that he’s scared since he doesn’t know XD

A few meters away from him,

a group of kids are doing something!

Wondering what they are up to, Tamaki san gets closer to them.

He greets the kids and their teacher,

then asks them what they are doing.

And sensei tells him that they are practicing “Throwing the ball”!

Tamaki san looks around and says:

“That’s not a ball, is it?”

ahahahaha!

Everyone laughs and Sensei explains that they

practice with this rope and the tiny plastic pipe,

instead of using the ball!

Tamaki san asks them to do it for him so that he can watch

and figure out how it works.

One of the kids throws the pipe while sensei

is keeping the rope for him.

The pipe plays the role of the ball here ^^

Tamaki san finally understands the rule. They just have

to throw it like a ball and it should reach the top

if they are good at it.

Tamaki san asks the teacher why they practice with this

and not the real balls.

Sensei explains that the kids can do it here during their break time,

and since the number of the students is limited,

going to get the balls after throwing them is hard and maybe

dangerous in this huge space they are playing in.

And they don’t really play catch ball at home so they don’t know how

to do it very well to begin with.

Tamaki san agrees and says that catch ball is not something

they can do alone at home. They need a partner.

Then sensei says:
“By the way, this is handmade!”

Tamaki san is not surprised and says:

“I know!! no matter how you look at it, it looks handmade!

It would have been surprising if

this was being sold somewhere in a shop!”

ahahahahaha!! Nice idea sensei!!

Then sensei asks Tamaki san if he likes to try it out

and of course he says yes!

He keeps the rope up for him, but he keeps it too high!!

Tamaki san says:

“It would make me happy if you could keep it lower a little bit!”

ahahahaha… sensei don’t be cruel!

He lowers it a little bit but Tamaki san says:

“More…!”

XD

Finally he likes the spot and asks sensei if what he’s doing is

correct… and then throws the pipe!

wooooooooo!!

Goes up and reaches the top!!

hehehehehe…

“As Expected!!” sensei praises him!

The kids are amazed and start clapping for him!!

After the great show,

Tamaki san starts having a chat with sensei and

asks him how many students are studying in this school.

“All of them are here!” he says!!!

Tamaki san is surprised then starts to count them,

only 7 students!

Then teacher calls out: “2nd graders…”

Two kids appear and sensei explains that they didn’t have

first graders this year but had two in 2nd grade.

“A girl and a boy… they will have to date each other!”

Tamaki san says!

But both of them start shaking their heads hard meaning NOOOO!

XD

Everyone laughs…

guess they don’t like each other 😀

After that, Tamaki san remembers about the gate and

asks sensei what kind of a gate it is…

He says that they build this for their sports event at school and

welcome the guests with it, and then

burn it all down and use it to make a fire.

Then Tamaki san asks sensei if he was also born here,

but he says that he is from another city around here,

a little bit bigger than this one.

Then sensei talks to him more about the place,

saying that they sometimes find dead deers in the school yard,

probably being attacked by hunting dogs!

He once got close to see what’s going on but one of the first graders told him not to do that since it’s dangerous!!

Even a six year old kid living here knows the environment and feels the danger better than him, he says XD

Since they are born and raised here, they have to be tough and learn to be careful. Some even have wild boars and deer in their yards at home.

Tamaki san plays a little bit more with the kids,

keeping the rope for them,

and lowering it to the size of their tiny bodies ♡

But once again, it’s time to say goodbye…

leaving the kids behind,

he passes through the gate

since now he knows it’s just a normal gate XD

☆

The sun has fallen already,

and it’s dark everywhere around!

Still walking on the road,

Tamaki san finds a persimmon tree and

says that it’s an “All you can eat!” service tree!!

heheheheh but of course he doesn’t pick any.

“There are no street lights!…

that’s why it’s pitch black here…” 

He says.

Then he sees a vending machines,

and notices how bright they really are for the first time!

Sleepless Tokyo never lets you notice something like that ^^

But don’t worry,

he will not keep walking on the dark road!

Tamaki san is going to stay the night here in a small guest house

called “yamamesou”（山女魚荘）

He reaches the enterance door and knocks on it.

We can see a man doing something inside,

Tamaki san opens the door and greets the man (Kuroki san)

and enters the guest house.

He welcomes him and then Tamaki san asks him what he

was doing right now…

Kuroki san asks him to guess…

Tamaki san looks very interested and

watches him with his curious eyes but

Kuroki san doesn’t make him wait anymore

and says: “Toothpick”

ahahahaha… he’s making toothpicks!

Then surprisingly, Tamaki san asks:

“Is that Kuromoji? The wood you are using…”

and Kuroki san says yes!!

hmmm lately I’m starting to think he knows a lot about the trees XD

Looking around,

Tamaki san finds more interesting things.

He notices a line of bones hanging on the wall

and asks Kuroki san about them.

They are all the lower jaws of the wild boars

he has haunted himself.

O_O

The owners of these jaws weight over 100 kilos!!

They are both enjoying the chat.

Once again he finds his way to someone’s heart with his honest talk.

Then Tamaki san finds something else…

“Is that.. Iwatake?” he asks.

He’s amazed by the black color of it.

Iwatake is a kind of lichen which can be used as food.

Tamaki san asks Kuroki san where these

can be found and he says that

they can be found on the surface of stones

and they have to climb down the

rocks by a rope and gather the iwatake with hand.

Then when Tamaki san asks him how it tastes like,

he says that he can’t really say it’s delicious!!

ahahahahaha XD

OK, time to eat!!

Here’s a full course for a one night of stay in Yamamesou!

Looks pretty fancy!

Tamaki san is amazed by this view of course!

And says that taking a look at them all,

there already some of them he cannot wait to try out.

First he starts with Iwatake!

Seems like it’s really good for the body.

hmmm but I wonder if it’s really tasty or not XD

They have also prepared Deer meat

(Deer man won’t have deer meat… will he?!)

XD

And inoshishi (Wild boar) meat!!

Kuroki san and his son haunted them by themselves!

Tamaki san goes for the inoshishi…

When he starts chewing…

somehow he makes a surprised face!

Kuroki san is worried I guess

and asks him about the taste…

but instead of answering,

he asks about the outer side of the meat

and says that it’s really hard and crunchy in the mouth.

Kuroki san explains that they remove the skin when

they make this dish in other places…

But here, they keep it as it is when they put it in the pot!

And says that the skin is playing an important role,

when you make a dish using inoshishi meat.

It produces a better taste.

 “It’s very rich!”

Tamaki san says while eating.

Kuroki san smiles and says that he’s happy he likes it.

Now it’s time to do some research for our Hikyo search!

Tamaki san asks Kuroki san about his favorite spot around here.

And he recommends a waterfall called

“Sendan-no-taki (Waterfall)”

(The full name is “Sendantodoro-no-taki”, せんだん轟の滝)

Tamaki san keeps listening to kuroki san while taking off the lead

of the pot… putting it aside… and asking Kuroki san:

“What kind of a place this “Sendan-no-taki” is?”

ahahahaha…

love the way his eyes roll toward the pot and

notices the steam coming out of it,

probably making trouble for the camera man who’s

trying to get a clear image (^_^;

And even though it’s not a part of his job,

he starts waving his hand over the pot to

make the steam go away…

hmmm I don’t think it works though XD

Sorry… details again…. (>__< ) ignore me!!

Kuroki san says that mostly,

people who come here to visit this place,

choose to look at the waterfall from the top.

But if you can watch it from below,

it’s much more beautiful that way!

Tamaki san is interested…

being able to watch it from top and below…

Kuroki san says that the water falls from a high place and

standing below and watching the view is amazingly beautiful.

If you are lucky,

you may even get to see a gorgeous rainbow

where the water is falling on the stones…

You know he’s a really “lucky” guy XD

with no doubt!!

☆

It’s decided,

Tamaki san and the filming crew will be going to the place

where this mysterious waterfall is.

Next morning…

7 AM!

The weather is on Tamaki san’s side!!

Clear and perfect sunshine.

But cold…

 

Here it comes!

“Sendantodoro-no-taki”

But since everyone goes for the top view,

Tamaki san chooses to look at the waterfall

from below… as Kuroki san recommended.

The morning breeze is cold…

still some walking to do…

going down a road to the waterfall…

but the sound of the water is getting stronger…

crossing a small bridge over the river…

a look on the right and wow…

the waterfall suddenly appears in front of his eyes!

Of course the next thing Tamaki Hiroshi will do at times like this

is grabbing his camera and starting to take photos at his own pace!

“Sendantodoro-no-taki”

being picked up as one of the 100 top waterfalls

in Japan with 70 meters long!

Getting closer to the waterfall…

Tamaki san notices the rainbow!!

I told you… he is a LUCKY guy ♡ XD

Beautiful just as expected…

Tamaki san says that this Sendantodoro-no-taki

is the best hikyo place they could

find for the end of this trip!

Then he adds:

“Staying the night over this time, 

Just the way otousan (Kuroki san) said that we

might be able to see the rainbow if things go well…

since we were able to come here right when

the morning sun is shining brightly…

we can see it clearly like this!!

It really is an encounter we have to treasure! 

A good weather condition like this is rare…

Good for us!”

It’s decided…

kokoro no hikyo #8

Chosen by Tamaki Hiorshi

“Sendantodoro-no-taki”

And…

As always,

Tamaki Hiroshi will choose one of his photos,

and send it to a lucky viewer as a postcard!

Thank you so much for staying with us untill the end!

Tamaki san’s next trip is to

Okukuji in Ibaraki prefecture.

Valuable encounters

Delious things to eat XD

and places to discover!

Please stay tuned ヽ(・∀・)ノ

☆

Kumamoto, Gokanoshou (1)

Hello again!

Here I am with another English report of

Tamaki Hiroshi’s Journeys in Japan.

It’s been a while since I started writing these reports.

So I thought it might be a good idea if once again,

I write a short explanation of what this blog is all about ^^

For everyone who has started reading this blog recently.

☆

I got too many messages and comments

asking about the new documentary series being aired

from BS Asahi in Japan right now.

Sorry I can’t share any videos in respect of the Copyright rules 

and everything… but this is the best I can do!

I will write an English report for each episode!

With as many screenshots as I can!

Hope it can make it easier for everyone to imagine 

how the new program is like.

Will be glad if you take the time and read my report 

and let me know if there’s anything more

you would like me to add or change my style of writing 

or anything like that.

Hope this can make Tamaki Hiroshi fans 

living outside Japan happy

… at least a little bit ^^

☆

OK!

Now let’s get back on the road with Tamaki san and the filming crew XD

This time he will be exploring

Gokanoshou in kumamoto prefecture, Kyuushuu

Tamaki san stops by on his way and has a look at the view of the village in front of him from the top of the hill. Explaining to us about the place and the history of it a little bit.

Seems like this area was a hidden place for the Heike no Ochudo many years ago (fugitives from the Taira clan who lost the Genpei War to the Genji clan and had to run away from them). And since they could not show their faces in the public very often, they had to move to the heart of the mountain and live in isolation for many years.

Let’s start the Journey with him!

The first village he’s visiting is called Shiibaru.

He’s simply walking on the road and suddenly

he encounters a lady, washing Daikon in the front yard of her house.

Tamaki san greets her and she greets him back but as soon as she notices the camera and the filming crew, she kinda hides her face and the situation becomes weird.

Tamaki san asks her for permission to talk to her and while it’s obvious she doesn’t really feel comfortable about it, she agrees.

 

Tamaki san understands her right away and starts asking simple things with a friendly tone.

She’s washing the daikons clean to make them ready for Tsukemono (Pickled Vegetables). Tamaki san watches her doing it and says with a bitter sweet laughter: “The water must be cold!” and she says it is XD

Then as she starts to feel comfortable with him, she says:

“I think they showed you on a TV Drama around 4 o’clock…

You were wearing the head of a Deer or something like that… “

Tamaki san gets her right away and says “Aaa!!… “

But before he has a chance to say anything else she continues:

“Shikaotoko or something…”

ahahahahaha!!

It’s so cute the way she explains!

Tamaki san laughs and says:

“Right! Shikaotoko as you mentioned!”

Then he adds:

“Even if I don’t wear the head of a deer,

I’m always being told that I look like a deer!”

hahahahahaha XD

Finally he was able to break the ice

and the lady feels comfortable with him and starts talking.

He asks her about the vegetable garden in their backyard

and she tells him that they have built this all

with her husband when they moved here.

Tamaki san leaves the lady with her beautiful garden

and continues his journey in Gokanoshou.

Reaching to a place which looks like a shop,

he opens the door and says hello!

And asks them if this is a shop…

They reply with yes and the old man in the photo yells

“A Handsome man!”

hahahahaha!!

Tamaki san laughs and then goes inside.

Seems like it’s a tiny restaurant but they also

sell the vegetables being harvested in the area.

As Tamaki san asks about the vegetables,

the shop lady tells him that the most famous one is the

red daikon which is kinda rare and the specialty of this area.

Then she asks him if he wants to try it out and

of course he never says no! XD

Then he asks her if it’s spicy and she says yes.

It is said that the red color of these daikons is because of the

height of the ground here and the

tough, cold weather situation in the area.

As she prepares the daikon for him and

serves it in a cute tiny dish,

she tells him that the spicy tatste

is too much for some people,

so they add some sugar to make it mild.

Then he asks her “Is it that spicy?!”

hehehehe!

He tries a little bit…

says that it tastes sweet in the beginning,

but the spicy taste comes after that

and stays in your mouth!

The lady says that they make this very often for the new year

and add some yuzu to make it taste even better.

Then somehow,

Tamaki san notices a unique type of doll

on the cabinet behind him,

and asks the lady if this is a charm…

But she says that it’s a puppet (ningyou mawashi)

And each family has one for each of their daughters.

The girls go out on January 15th every year and

sing a song while moving the puppets in their hands.

(The interesting thing is that this show was first aired

on January 15th!! By coincidence of course!)

Then she shows him how it works.

She moves the puppet like a Pendulum clock’s movement.

Somehow reminds of how they move a pocket watch

to hypnotize someone… XD

And then she starts singing the song…

The girls walk in the village and sing the song,

and receive sweets or fruits from the residents.

A very cute tradition ^^

…

It’s already time to leave…

Tamaki san says while leaving the shop:

“I pray for prosperity in your business!”

hehehehe…

wonder if they talked about business issues of the shop

and we didn’t get to watch that part >__<

He thanks them, says goodbye and leaves the shop…

getting back on the road,

Tamaki san says that keeping these traditions

from old days and handing them over

to the next generation

is a really good thing he thinks.

Next is a visit to one of the houses,

which is known as one of the residences of the fugitives

of the Taira clan after the war.

He meets our gauide, Sakata san here.

And asks him about the place.

Tamaki san of course knows about the basic part

which is why they moved here,

They first moved to Ouita in Kyuushuu and then

moved here to this area after 3 generations.

This year it will be 763 years

since the time they started living in this house.

Of course no one lives here right now XD

It is said that the descendants of Kiyotsune, Kiyomori’s grandson,

used to live here in this house and changed their family name into Ogata.

(If you are a Tamaki Hiroshi fan and have watched the taiga drama

“Taira n kiyomori”,

then you will be interested I guess XD )

They get inside and Sakata san shows him around.

They enter a room with a tokonoma with tatami flooring.

The room is seperated in to 2 areas and Sakata san asks him

to pay attention to the ceilings…

The design is different as you can see.

The room they are standing in is the place for

seppuku (Suicide) or known as harakiri in the western world.

A room like this really existed in the past!!! >__<

Moving to the other room…

Here Sakata san points to the shelves placed in the wall,

and guess what they used to keep here in these

shelves?! The heads! … O_O

I know…

It also takes a few seconds for Tamaki san to get

what that means…

and then suddenly he says: “Heads?… in the shelves?”

hehehe!! Sakata san says yes and continues the explanation!

They used to bring back the head of their enemies as a sign of victory,

and put them here in these shelves!!

There are also some places for hiding in the ceiling,

since they never knew when they might be attacked

by the Genji members.

As they move to the second floor,

another place for hiding the family members appears

in front of their eyes.

Standing there and picturing a real situation,

Tamaki san says that it must have been really hard

to live like this in the isolation all the time.

Then he adds right after that:

“Well there was no helping it! It was just an era like that!

But it wasn’t just one life,

they lived here with their family members and

you have to protect your own family!”

Then Sakata san opens the windows and then the wooden shutters.

Then Tamaki san looks at the shutters

and says that the residents probably

couldn’t open these back then.

Sakata san agrees,

saying that it’s fine to open them now

but in the old days, they should have been hidden

from the eyes of the society all the time.

And keep their hidden places of the house as a secret.

The look in his eyes and the expression in his face,

makes me wonder what he’s really thinking about ^^

I know he is putting himself in the situation…

it’s a sad story but let’s move on…

☆

Tamaki san is heading to a very beautiful spot,

right in the middle of the nature…

Momigi no oyako tsuribashi (樅木の親子吊橋)

The two bridges famous as the parent and child bridge.

As Tamaki san reaches the spot,

he’s amazed by the beauty of the place and says:

“It’s beautiful!”

Then he suddenly grabs his camera and

moves toward the bridge…

Ayatori Bridge which is the longer one is 72 meters long and

Shakunage, the shorter one is 59 meters long!

Tamaki san steps into the longer bridge and starts walking on it!

Says that comparing to a normal bridge,

you can feel that this one was made by the hand!

The sense of insecurity you have,

because of the swings and shakes of this bridge…

XD

Now time to walk on the shorter bridge…

Tamaki san says that it’s narrow compared to the other one.

and when he steps his foot on it,

says that it doesn’t swing like the other one.

He almost runs and jumps on it (￣▽￣;)

Be careful!!!!

Then he notices the other bridge and suddenly

realizes that the longer one is actually placed much higher!

>__<

He says that the place is really quiet and peaceful,

“Watching this landscape,

somehow makes you feel calm and relax.

It feels like your five senses are being healed…

Vision, Hearing…

and Sense of smell as well…

since you can sense the smell in the air!”

And while grabbing the rope of the railing,

he adds: “And being able to touch these textures…”

An extraordinary place…

but no…

this was not selected as the kokoro no Hikyo XD

Not yet!!

☆

Tamaki san gets back on the road again…

He finds something interesting…

there’s a huge building on the left and

he doesn’t know if it’s a house or something else…

There’s a sign at the entrance

saying “tofu misozuke”!

What could it be…

He is curious of course and enters the yard…

says hello to a lady inside the building…

hehehehe!

First she says hello but then she notices who he is

and a very happy expression appears on her face!

Tamaki san asks her if this is a Tofu shop and she says yes!

Then he asks her if it is Tofu they sell or misozuke toufu?

She explains for him that they make toufu

and use the left over to make misozuke.

It would have been a waste if they had to throw them away.

Then she shows him their Tofu while

putting her hand on one of them.

Tamaki san realizes that the tofu is harder than normal.

Then he puts his own hand on one of them and

says that they are really hard!

Takaki san (the lady) says that they are made like this,

because it’s easier to carry them around this way.

She explains that people had to climb up the mountain in the past,

and used to carry their baggage on their back.

If the tofu is too soft and tender in texture,

it will be heavier and easier to be ruined with a few movements.

Kazura doufu which is being made in gokanoshou from years ago,

is made of Kumamoto beans.

Takaki san invites her guest into her house ^^

Tamaki san gets inside and puts his backpack down

and while taking off his jacket,

he notices kumamon

(Kumamoto prefecture’s character)

on the tissue boxes in the shelves XD

 hahahahaha! They both laugh and

Tamaki san says that he often sees

Kumamon wherever he goes in Tokyo!!

hahahaha!! TRUE!! He’s everywhere (^_^;

Love the way he always makes people feel at ease,

when he realizes they are being a little bit tense XD

While Takaki san is bringing him the Tofu to try it out,

he asks her if she lives all by herself here…

and she says that she lives here with her husband,

which is out in the mountain doing work right now!

Time to eat some delicious tofu!

Tamaki san pours some soy sauce on it,

and tries cutting it with the chopsticks.

surprisingly… it’s harder than that!

XD

“Can’t cut it with the chopstick!”

he says while laughing!

And Takaki san laughs as well!

After eating one bite, he says that it’s so delicious

and he can feel the taste of the beans in his mouth.

Then as he goes for the next bite,

Takaki san asks with a super happy expression on her face:

“Are you gonna finish it?”

“I’m going to eat it all ♥”

he replies.

They really look like a mother and son XD

Then while eating, he asks her if this is the best way to eat it

or perhaps they cook or fry it as well.

Takaki san says that there are many

delicious dishes they can make with it.

When she gets up to prepare some misozuke tofu for him,

Tamaki san notices a clock hanging on the wall…

and says that he once had one just like this…

hehehehehe!

A wrist watch looking wall clock!

seems like he had won it as a prize in a matsuri or

something like that… the misozuke arrives while he’s

telling us the story of it and then it’s all forgotten (^_^;

XD

Looking at them, he says that he expected them

to have a stronger color…

Then Takaki san tells him that it can also be eaten

with toast… like a sandwich!

Tamaki san is confused… Tofu sandwich?!

seeing his surprised face,

Takaki san can’t help it anymore and

decides to make him one of those sandwiches!!

“Wait a minute, I’ll make it for you ♥”

XD She says with the loveliest smile!

She toasts the bread,

and starts putting the tofu on them with a knife.

Tamaki san says that it’s his first time seeing

a tofu which can be eaten on the bread XD

Takaki san asks him if it’s OK to put plenty of it?

And Tamaki san replies that plenty is GOOD!

hehehehe!! Both are really cute ^^

While waiting for his sandwich,

Tamaki san asks her:

“When do you eat it okaasan? in the morning?” 

Busy putting some lettuce and tomatoes in the sandwich,

Takaki san says:

“in the morning…

and when my husband is not home,

I eat them secretly!!”

hahahaha!!

They both start laughing out loud!

When the sandwich is ready,

Tamaki san decides to roll the pan

to make it easier to eat…

Takaki san says that triangle shape would be fine too

but this way feels like a real sandwich he says XD

He loves it!

Says it’s delicious ♡

Takaki san laughs and is happy he likes it this much!

…

It felt so good being at her house that even

I don’t want him to leave so soon…

but it’s gonna get dark soon…

he has to say goodbye : (

Keeping Tamaki san’s hand in her both hands,

with a very kind smile on her face,

Takaki san says like she is his mother:

“Take care!”

Tamaki san bows many times,

thanks her and asks her to take care too!

Then as he starts walking he turns back and they wave

to each other XD

He walks away but she is still standing there >__<

I think the staff looking at her makes him realize that she’s

still right there watching him…

so he turns back once more and waves his hand for her!

Finally walking away and turning into another way,

Tamaki san says that

she treated him like her own son,

even though they had never ever met before!

It was one of those unforgettable meetings I guess ^^

☆

End of part 1

☆

The journey doesn’t end here of course…

but I will leave the rest for the 2nd part if you allow me ^^

Thank you so much for reading and please stay tuned!!

☆ Will be back really soon ☆

Visit the show’s official home page here:
玉木宏の秘境ふれあい紀行
Official Homepage: http://www.bs-asahi.co.jp/tamaki-hiroshi/
FB Official: https://www.facebook.com/tamaki.hikyo?ref=profile

Fujisan～Oshino hakkai (2)

Hello again!!

Getting back to where we left last time,

Tamaki san was heading to a place called “nijuu magari”

as the old lady in the guest house recommended.

As he arrives at the top of the hill,

Fuji san appears in front of his eyes.

Looking from this angle,
the beautiful Fuji san is showing a new face again!

Tamaki san says that we can see Fuji san even in the city,

if the weather is clean and clear of course…

But it won’t have the strong impact it has when you look at it from this distance.

Says that he can understand the reason why people come here many times.

It’s a place you can feel the change of the 4 seasons as well.

Now it’s decided!

Fuji san’s view from nijuumagari is chosen as the

“Kokoro no hikyo #7”

By Tamaki Hiroshi ^^

ヽ(・∀・)ノ

☆

Getting back to the road again,

Tamaki san says that the sun is almost about to set…

But the journey has not ended yet!

The next place he is visiting is called “Narusawa Village”.

Looking at Fuji san from this area,

Tamaki san says that the face of Fuji san has changed again,

as the angle he is looking at has changed a little bit.

Then he encounters a man working on his farm.

After greetings and asking him for a little chat,

he asks the man what he is doing.

He answers that he is harvesting Nappa (vegetable leaves)

which are known as the famous vegetables

being produced around this area.

Then hands it to Tamaki san

and asks him to take a closer look.

鳴沢菜 (Narusawa na)

Tamaki san is surprised that the vegetables can be produced like this

despite the height of this area and the cold weather.

The man (Kobayashi san) explains that they are very tough against the cold

and has been produced in Narusawa village since the Edo era in Japan.

Then after Tamaki san asks him about how they should be eaten,

Kobayashi san says that they can be eaten raw… just as they are!

So he tries one right there…

XD

And says that it’s really juicy.

After having a short talk about the qualities of the ground here,

and how it has been effecting the farming and the products around this area,

Kobayashi san tells him about Fuji san’s view

from the village.

It is said that the Fuji san you can see from here (Yamanashi),

has a feminine appearance…

while it looks more manly and masculine when you look at it

in Shizuoka prefecture.

And he believes that the view you can have from Narusawa village

is especially beautiful ^^

Tamaki san asks him if he likes it here…

and he replies with yes of course,

being it the place where he was born in.

☆

Leaving Kobayashi san…

Tamaki san reaches the Shoji lakeside,

Another Fuji san with a little bit of difference…

Tamaki san says that the view from here is kinda magical again.

The light of the sunshine is only shining into Fuji san and

and the area covered with the tree leaves nearby.

Exploring the landscape and the light with such details…

as expected from Tamaki san and his way of looking at nature ♡

The view of Fuji san we see from here is called

kodaki fuji (子抱富士) which literally mans Fuji san holding a baby.

It’s because of the other mountain rising in front of it.

The next stop is “Aokigahara jukai” which is also famous as

the Suicide Forest XD

As for Tamaki san,
this is not his frist time here!

He’s been here for the shooting of the movie

Ghost System (2002)!

Walking in the forest,

Tamaki san says that you cannot even hear the birds singing here!

It really is a freaky but mysterious place XD

“The vital force of this tree is amazing!”

he says.

He reaches an area where he feels like he knows the place

and has been here before…

but after a short pause he says that

he wonders if there might be other places

looking exactly like this here!

He can’t make his mind after all XD

“If you are not careful here,

you can really lose sight of the directions

and easily get lost here!”

This is onee scary place I don’t wanna get lost in!! (m´・ω・｀)m

But no one can deny the beauties of the nature here!

☆

An even more amazing place was waiting for Tamaki san!!

The next place he is about to visit is

Narusawa hyouketsu (鳴沢氷穴)

An ice cave which was created

by the eruptions of Fuji san many years ago.

Tamaki san enters the cave…

at first he’s just walking with his back bending a little bit…

but as he goes deeper…

it becomes narrow and he has to sit..

it becomes even worse and it’s too hard to move forward.

“The ceiling is too low!!” he says ^^

But he manages to cross the narrow way and reaches the steps,

but even going down the steps is not easy (^_^;

It would have been a piece of cake

for a chibi person like me XD

but not for him!!

Walking down the stairs,

Tamaki san says that they really built these stairs here by force…

XD

Finally he can stand up again,

The walls of the cave are covered with ice.

Once again it gets narrow…

And the temperature suddenly drops down as Tamaki san says.

The water coming down from Fuji san and other mountains,

will lead to these cave and make this natural ice statues.

“It really is the mountain holding an immeasurable power inside.

You can feel the great scale of it!

It must have taken a long time for something like this to be created…

Not only the things on the ground which are visible to the eyes ,

there are things all being connected to each other

laying under the ground,  with no doubt.

This dripping water here…

thinking about how it’s connected to everything I encountered today…

makes you think deeply about it all!”

ヽ(・∀・)ノ

Fuji san and everything around it,

was as lovely as I had expected ^^

And as I promised last week,

I will also share the photo he

chose for this journey’s post card…

A view of Fuji san from nijuumagari!

Taken by Tamaki Hiroshi of course ^^

☆

His next trip is to

Gokanosho in Kumamoto prefecture.

Meeting people for the first time…

eating some delicious food…

and discovering the unexplored

but extraordinary landscapes again!!

Thank you for reading until the end,
Please stay tuned!!

ヽ(・∀・)ノ

bai bai

Fujisan～Oshino hakkai (1)

Hello |^・ω・)/ ﾊﾛｰ♪

Trying to catch up with Tamaki san so I’m gonna run after him and

write as many reports as I can this month!! _φ(ﾟ▽ﾟ*

This week I will write about his visit to Oshino hakkai,

a very beautiful village in Yamanashi prefecture.

As you already know,

Mount Fuji was listed as a “Cultural Heritage” by UNESCO last year.

As a result, more and more tourists from foreign countries,

or even other areas of Japan started to visit the place.

But we all know that Tamaki Hiroshi is

in charge of finding unexplored regions (hikyo)!

So even when it comes to the famous Fuji san,

he will show us something different about it which we

may have not known anything about!!

So let’s follow him around and see what we can find ヽ(*^^*)ノ

Sorry for the long intro…

Let’s start moving now!!!

Tamaki san’s journey will start from

Fujikyuukou ootsuki line’s higashi katsura station.

While waiting for the train on the platform,

“Lucky to have good weather today!” he says.

The train arrives and he gets on…

As always, greets everyone sitting inside♥

While sitting in the train and heading to Fuji san,

he talks to us about the first time

he got a chance to see Fuji san with his own eyes.

It was his 3rd year of junior high school.

During his field trip to Tokyo with his classmates.

It was his first visit to Tokyo,

and first time riding on the Shinkansen.

So the first time he happened to see Fuji san,

was from shinkansen window.

Being able to see Fuji san like that…

he believed that it will bring good luck for him,

and something good is gonna happen ^^

I think it did!! XD

As the driver announces that they are reaching

the best spot to see Fuji san from inside the train,

Tamaki san moves to the door to be able to have a better view.

And here it comes… Fuji san!!

Tamaki san notices the Fuji san sign on the window

and says that the shape is exactly as this is,

while drawing with his finger on the lines.

But somehow he says that Fuji san looks tiny from here

XD

It’s a very clear day!

Being able to see fuji san so clearly,

it really doesn’t happen very often he says.

Finally arriving to the destination,

Tamaki san gets off the train in Fuji san station.

Here it’s 809 meters high…

A little bit cooler than where he got on the train.

There are some really cute chairs lining on the platform area.

Tamaki san tries moving one but they are stuck to the ground XD

He sits down on one of them…

and starts looking at the beautiful Fuji san in front of him.

☆

Tamaki san continues his journey in oshinomura 忍野村

There are are many shrines known as Sengen jinja (浅間神社)

which are basically build to worship the God of of volcanoes

and especially Fuji san.

The one Tamaki san is visiting is the “oshinohakkai sengen jinja”.

Many years ago, this shrine was built in order to calm the eruptions of Fuji san.

Tamaki san says that there must have been many victims after the eruptions.

He takes a minute to say his prayers,

perhaps for the lost souls ^^

☆

Getting closer to Fuji san,

it’s getting more crowded than before.

Tamaki san says hi to a group of tourists

and they greet him back XD

Then a famous spot appears in front of him,

it’s called kagami lake!

kagami means mirror…

the reason why they call it kagami lake is because

you can clearly see Fuji san’s reflection on the surface

of the clean water in this lake.

Tamaki san tries finding the best spot and he has to

move a little bit to the left in order to see the best image.

“The reflection in the lake,

It feels like it’s a different world again…

Nice! A mysterious feeling.”

Tamaki san says.

☆

A few more steps going forward and

it gets even more crowded!

Tamaki san stops by another lake,

there are many of them around here…

the water produced by the rainfalls and the melted snow on Fuji san,

all comes down and runs into these tiny but mysterious lakes.

The water is so clean…

you can see everything inside!

There’s even a story being told from the Edo era around here.

One day a chawan (Tea Bowl) falls into one of these lakes,

and after a while they find it in a different lake!

All the lakes are somehow connected into each other,

down there under the ground!

Tamaki san goes to that lake to check it out…

As expected, looks mysterious XD

It looks like as if the water is not moving at all,

but we just know that it does…

Very weird and interesting at the same time XD

Tamaki san says that there definitely is a route for the water,

it’s just that we can’t see it!

He also says that it makes you wonder how far the water keeps going,

☆
Tamaki san goes back to the route and starts walking with everyone else,

but suddenly his body moves by nature…

turning toward a good smell in the air XD

The shooting team just follows him to the food stand!!!

hahahahahaha XD

It’s “yomogi mochi”…

looks delicious as Tamaki san says so!!

He asks the lady for one and

then pays 100 yen for it XD

As usual, he doesn’t wait a second!

The lady tells him it’s hot but he just goes for a bite XD

DELICIOUS!

Then he starts a small chat with the lady.

Seems like her parents also used to do this job.

Then Tamaki san asks her about the condition, after

the selection of Fuji san as a world heritage was announced.

And she says that the number of visitors has increased.

And many of them are from other countries!

Sometimes there are even more foreign visitors,

than the Japanese!

☆

Tamaki san starts walking again while eating

his yomogi mochi XD

But somehow his antenna starts to get the signals…

and stops by another shop!

And lucky enough,

he happens to witness the haggle between the owner and the customer XD

The owner is an old man with a very unique beard ^^

There are tiny statues of owls in the shop,

being said that they were maid by the stones taken from Fuji san.

Tamaki san asks the owner about them,

and he explains that they are made of Volcanic ash.

The ash is solidified and then used for making these cute owls.

Tamaki san asks him if that’s the reason they are white,

but the owner says that there are both white and gray ones…

The owl with the bigger eyes is the Male.

If they stand like this:

their relationship won’t last long XD

So they have to stand like this!!!

Tamaki san says that that the owls bring good luck!!

Then he asks the old man if he has always been working here.

Seems like he’s been doing this for 20 years.

Then Tamaki san asks him about his beard and

he says that it’s been like this for a long time now…

hehehehehe

Then he asks him if this is supposed to have

a connection with Fuji san’s shape XD

The owner laughs and says no!

☆

Going on his way,

Tamaki san passes by a huge house being under construction.

They are renewing the roof.

Tamaki san says that it must be a pretty difficult task!!

He makes a stop and asks the man working on the roof

if it’s OK to ask him some questions from where he is.

XD

Then asks him how man days it will take them

to repair the roof of this building,

and the man says that it will take them around half a year!!

The roof has not been repaired for 40 years.

Then Tamaki san asks him about

the amount of the material they need to fix it.

He makes a circle with his two arms and says:

“A bunch around this size will cost 1500 yen.”

– But it shouldn’t become too heavy right? Since it’s on the roof!

– For a roof like this, perhaps 30 tons is gonna be needed.

O_O

– But it’s lighter than tile, isn’t it?

– It’s heavier than tile!… 1.7 times heavier than tile.

These kind of old style Japanese roofs are covered by a kind of grass or reed

to decrease the sound of raindrops and other noises outside the house

and create a calm, relaxing atmosphere inside.

All the process is done by hand!!

Which makes it expensive and time consuming.

For more info, you can visit the page in Wikipedia ^^

Tamaki san is interested…

Sugisaki san (the man on the roof) comes down,

and brings a bunch of new reeds to compare the color.

The color shade is much lighter.

And seems like it has a nice smell.

Then Sugisaki san explains to him how they do the job.

And gives him a huge scary scissors XD

and asks him to try cutting the reeds.

Tamaki san is a little bit troubled,

but he gives it a shot XD

At first he is being very careful and tries cutting them

with a soft, gentle move.

But it doesn’t go well

and Sugisaki san tells him to do it with more power and faster.

The second time it works much better XD

He has to cut them short 5 centimeters.

Sugisaki san praises him but he says that it’s a difficult task.

Then he explains that they have to make them all line perfectly in a row…

pull out the shorter ones and cut the long ones…

He practices on some other bunches and somehow

becomes kinda lost in it again XD

☆

As he goes back on his journey,

He crosses a residential area with a few houses around.

I love the way he imitates the barking sound of the dog

who’s trying to guard the house XD

He does that to kids too when they cry!! (^_^;

☆

Finding a very beautiful place which seems to be a Guest house.

Masu no ie 鱒の家

Tamaki san takes a peek inside

and says hello…

then the owner comes out and greets him.

A very kind looking old lady.

He apologizes for intruding like this

and asks her permission for the shooting.

Then she invites him in,

and shows him around the place.

(To be more specific,

he invites himself and she welcomes him!! XD)

Tamaki san loves the place!

He keeps saying it’s gorgeous.

He likes the smell, the one plate wooden old table…

The photos on the wall gets his attention…

A photo of a woman…

he looks at the photo,

then looks ta the old lady carefully

and after a short pause…

asks her if this is a photo of her mother.

She says YES!

But after Tamaki san tells her that she looks like her,

she says that the lady in the photo is actually her step mother (^_^;

But they really do look a like.

Especially the eyes as Tamaki san mentions.

Then he finds another interesting thing XD

A very old Armor being decorated in the other room.

“It must be frightening for the kids!” 

Tamaki san says and laughs out loud XD

The old lady (Nagata san) agrees and says that

even some grownups are scared.

☆

Then they leave the house and go out for a walk in the garden.

The place is really huge ^^

Tamaki san likes the lake saying it looks gorgeous.

Then talking about the fish swimming in the water,

Tamaki san asks Nagata san if the small ones

are Nijimasu (Rinbow Trout)

But she tells him that the tiny ones are called himemasu.

They produce the fish in the lake

and then use them to make sashimi.

They go to another side where a man (Nagata san’s eldest son)

is feeding the fish.

Nagata san asks him to make sashimi for their guest XD

When Tamaki san asks him how many of them

there are in the lake,

the man answers 3000!! O__O

Seems like it’s a very rare kind of fish and Tamaki san

says that he cannot imagine how it tastes like.

But Nagata san assures him that it tastes great and

the meat is softer than nijimasu.

As they keep walking and chatting,

suddenly a big bridge appears in front of their eyes.

Tamaki san is surprised

and asks her if this is also a part of their properties

and Nagata san replies with yes.

Seems like her husband decided to build this bridge,

Nagata san’s 3 sons made it with their own hands!! XD

“It’s handmade?”

Tamaki san says with a surprised look on his face.

He becomes interesting and goes closer to take a better look XD

It may not be able to carry the weight of too many people,

but crossing it normally would be totally fine!

Tamaki san asks her if it’s alright to cross it now and walk to the other side.

And Nagata san says that it’s alright and there is nothing to worry about XD

They start walking together and Tamaki san asks her if she is not scared,

an of course she says that she has gotten used to it

and is not scared anymore.

But seems like Tamaki san himslef is feeling the shaking…

it’s shaking more than a usual bridge of course

since it wasn’t built by engineers XD

“It’s like we are walking on a trampoline!”

he says while laughing XD

As they go half way,

the shaking increases somehow

and Nagata san advises him to hang on

to the handrail while walking.

It makes it easier to keep the balance XD

One of Nagata san’s sons is a Carpenter.

That’s why he had the tools they needed to build the bridge here ^^

☆

OK…

now it’s time to eat again XD

Nagata san has prepared Himemasu osashimi for Tamaki san.

Tamaki san goes for the first bite after applying some soy sauce to the fish.

“It’s sweet!”

he says after eating the fish.

Nagata san says that they were surprised to find such delicious kind of

fish here in the mountain.

And it seems like it surprises all the visitors as well.

Finishing it all by himslef,

Tamaki san thanks her for the food and says:

“It’s all gone in no time!”

And Nagata san thanks him for eating it all with good appetite.

Tamaki san says that he felt like eating some rice with it!!

ahahahahaha… sorry!

No rice prepared XD

But Nagata san remembers that she wanted to serve him tea as well…

hehehe… Tamaki san apologizes and

Nagata san rushes in…

and comes back with tea and

Hoshigaki (dried persimmon)!

One of Tamaki san’s favorites XD

His eyes sparkles and then asks “Is this Hoshigaki?”

And Nagata san answers with yes!

This type of persimmon is called hyakume gaki.

They are a little bit bigger than the normal ones.

And as Nagata san explains, they put them in the freezer

after the drying process is done.

Tamaki san is surprised bout the freezing part,

while Nagata san is still talking about the process,

he goes for one piece of Hoshigaki.

He loves it!

Says that the sweetness is kept as it should be,

even though they were kept in the freezer.

Seeing how happy he looks like after eating one piece,

“Have more!”

Nagata san says with a kind tone in his voice ❤

“I LOVE hoshigaki!!”

Tamaki san says XD

“I love eating hoshigaki more than eating the normal kaki (Premisson).”

Then he says that the tastiness will increase when it’s dried ^^

Also saying that there’s no way he can find a desert like this anywhere else,

so much time and effort spent to make these.

☆

He finishes the hoshigaki too,

again in no time!!

hehehehe ♡

When the eating part finishes,

he says that this is the place he wants to stay in forever,

but well he has a journey to go on XD

So he asks Nagata san if there’s a spot around here,

where she can call Hikyo (an unexplored but precious place).

And she recommends “nijuumagari”.

Saying that even on cloudy days when Fuji san is hidden in the clouds,

you can still watch it from this place since it’s a little bit higher than here.

“Nijuumagari… It’s an unusual naming.”

Tamaki san says.

It’s decided!!

Heading to Nijuumagari…

Tamaki san climbs a mountain road up with the shooting team!

But let’s keep that for the 2nd part ヽ(・∀・)ノ

see you soon!

☆

end of part 1

☆☆☆