Trips to HIDA FURUKAWA and HIDA TAKAYAMA in Japan
I visited HIDA FURUKAWA and HIDA TAKAYAMA last weekend and would like to share the pictures as cultural introduction.
HIDA is famous for Japanese old village and if you have seen the Japanese anime movie “YOUR NAME. (君の名は。)”, HIDA FURUKAWA is the location of the story.
My friends own this Japanese SOBA noodle restaurant in FURUKAWA so I always start my trip from here.
福全寺蕎麦（ふくぜんじそば）is the name of the place.
If you would like to eat SOBA without soup but dipping soup on the side, you need to order もりそば（MORISOBA）.
The local station of FURUKAWA like this.
The old town has a canal and they release carps during spring and summer time.
There are food stand for carps and you can feed carps too.
The central Furukawa district has lots of traditional townhouses standing in a row.
If the residents want to renovate or rebuild, their houses must to harmonize with townscape.
This(below) is the entrance of the Japanese traditional house called 玄関（げんかん GENKAN）.
You can see the place to take off your shoes.
There are two Japanese Sake breweries in the town.
This is one of the breweries and their brand name is 蓬莱（ほうらい HOURAI）.
What you see under the eaves is called 杉玉（すぎだま SUGIDAMA）.
すぎ（SUGI）means cedar and たま（TAMA）means a ball.
Leaves of Japanese cedar bundled in a ball are hung under the eaves of Sake breweries and changed to a new one when new Sake is brewed in late November every year.
Below is the entrance room of the Sake brewery of HOURAI.
Japanese room decorations are kept as simple as possible.
The shelf on the wall is household shrine altar.
In Takayama town, there is a place called 半弓道場（はんきゅうどうじょう HANKYUU DOUJYOU）where you can experience small sizes (half size) bow.
This is the only place left in Japan where you can experience shooting a traditional bow.
I enjoyed it with my friends although my score was not good.
HIDA is famous for HIDA BEEF and miso.
I enjoyed the food there as well.
This is one of a plate I had with Japanese sake.
This shrine is called KETA WAKAMIYA SHRINE and became famous as a location of the anime movie “君の名は。YOUR NAME.”
This picture below is 手水舎（ちょうずや CHOUZUYA）where you wash your hands and mouth before entering the shrine.
There are many shrines in Japan where its CHOUZUYA with dragon.
Why?
Dragon is 龍 (たつ or りゅう TATSU or RYUU）and God is 神（かみ KAMI）in Kanji.
We have an old tale that there is a 龍神（りゅうじんRYUUJIN = Dragon God）which controls the water.
So by using a dragon to pour the water for purifying, it gives us an image that water is sacred.
Here are some web sites of the towns if you are interested in.
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