kinwashi

20 May 13, 22:13

Another interesting event in Hakata.

kinwashi

21 May 13, 18:08

source

kinwashi

21 May 13, 18:09

are you still peeping into this thread.

Haha...

Please.æ³£ã��ã‚„ã‚€

kinwashi

21 May 13, 18:50

let make this thread a TCSS thread, afterall taking about Japan in Taxi Forum also TCSS.

most important, it is not locked and it is on the first page.........that why you are right.

keep going to share more knowledges.

why are the men with rope and so little coverage on their back side and in front.

so you know how its done the dressing.

Video.

Fundoshi Tying, HaramakiWrapping & Dressing Up ...

http://youtu.be/83VVuigru1E

kinwashi

21 May 13, 23:12

Hakata Gion Yamakasa 2009 (Part 1)

Aug 28th, 2009

by kaeru.

Hakata Yamakasa 2009

Every first of July to the 15th of July, the city of Fukuoka celebrates the Hakata Gion Yamakasa (Yamakasa for short). It is a tradition that has been practiced for more than 700 years.

It is believed to have started in 1241, when a local priest was carried by local residents around town as he sprinkled holy water along the way to drive away an epidemic. Today, instead of priests, the residents of Fukuoka carry Yamakasa floats.

They water the road to cool it down for the festival.

The Shuudan Yamamise begins

The climax of the festival happens on July 15 at exactly 4:59 a.m., as teams representing the 7 traditional regions of Hakata carry a Kakiyamakasa (a smaller portable version of the Yamakasa) and race at full speed along a 5 km (3.1 miles) course around the city. All teams depart from Kushida Shrineã€€ with a 5 minute interval between teams. The teams chant, “Oissa! Oissa!” as they run the courseï¼ŽSpectators throw water on the men as they pass to cheer them on (and perhaps cool them down in this warm July morning).

A Float emerges

The Fukuoka heat in July can be unbearable so water is seen everywhere to cool down the participants, and also to bless them.."Oissa!"

While women are not allowed to join the race, young girls are allowed to join the teams

Not a good time to tie your shoelaces...

kinwashi

21 May 13, 23:15

Hakata Gion Yamakasa (Part 2)

Sep 1st, 2009

by admin.

Asawa and I woke up at 3:00 to get to Hakata early enough to find a good spot for the Yamakasa. My Facebook status that I “woke up at 3:00 a.m. just to watch half-naked men run around Fukuoka, sprinkling water on each other.” was met with curious reaction. We ate the onigiri (Who wants Asawa to post the recipe, raise your hands!) Asawa prepared, and were at the subway stop by 4:00 a.m. The subway stop looked more like rush hour than 4:00 a.m. as scores of people waited for the special early morning subway trips that open just for Yamakasa.

When we got to Kushida Shrine, it was already full of people, and we could no longer get closer for a good view. We walked around to find a good place and found ourselves situated in front of Tochoji Temple, a crucial point in the race, where floats pass to pay respects to the temple and make a difficult u-turn. In front of us was a family of two parents and a baby. The baby slept soundly in her stroller, until exactly 4:59 when the race started, and everyone stood silently in wait. Everyone took out their cameras in anticipation (Does anyone else notice how most Japanese people tend to look like professional photographers with the gear they have?).

Soon faint sounds of “Oiissa!” started to be heard coming from Kokutai-Doro. Anticipation grew as the sounds grew larger…Oissa! Oissa! …Oissa!…Oissa! they want, alternating loud cry’s with soft ones. In non-stop continuation of a 400 year tradition, Yamakasa 2009 has begun.

Kushida Shrine, crowded at 4:10 a.m.

A team eats their meals before starting the race.

And the race begins . . .

A Yamakasa Float comes into view

The participants pay their respects in front of the Tochoji Temple.

You can't separate them from their cameras!

Oissa! Water for the Float!

This 400 year old tradition is passed on . . .

Foreigners take part as well

From a Distance: Experience Yamakasa without Getting Wet!

Lovely ladies come out in their Yukatas

First there was silence...then out of the corner something huge emerges!

This float was the crowd-pleaser!

Watch out for the final Chapter of this Yamakasa Series!

kinwashi

22 May 13, 20:50

Spring to Fukuoka.

http://www.yokanavi.com/eg/theme/detail/55

kinwashi

22 May 13, 20:52

Hakata Dontaku Port Festival

Merchants of Hakata developed a festival called Dontaku from a traditional celebration ritual called Hakata Matsubayashi, the origin of which dates back 830 years. The word &quot;Dontaku&quot; comes from the Dutch word Zontag meaning holiday. Many local citizens join this festival on the ...

Maizuru Park

This park is built around Fukuoka castle ruins and located within just 15 minutes from Tenjin (the center of Fukuoka city). It is well known as a viewing spot of cherry blossom and other seasonal plants and flowers. The park has an athletic field and other sports facility and is adjoined to the O...

Nishi Park

Nishi Park is set up at a very scenic spot that used to be called Aratsu Mountain in the Man-yo era (7-8 century). In the park, there is Koun Shrine, which is dedicated to Kuroda Josui and Kuroda Nagamasa, the statues of Mori Tomonobu and Hirano Kuniomi, soldiers of the late Edo period who contri...

Uminonakamichi Seaside Park

Uminonakamichi Seaside Park is an extensive leisure park where you can enjoy seasonal flowers. Many events are held here in each season; Flower Picnic (spring), Rose Festival (early summer and autumn) and Cosmos Festival (autumn). Come to the Sunshine Pool in summer, the largest resort pool compl...

Nokonoshima Island

This is a relaxing spot for the people of Fukuoka, accessible in just 10 minutes by ferry from the terminal in Meinohama. Sitting in the middle of Hakata Bay, this island is just 12km round.

With daffodils and plum blossoms in winder, broccolini blossoms in spring, and cosmos in fall,
variou...

kinwashi

22 May 13, 20:54

Hakata Gion Yamakasa

This festival is said to originate from the legend that the founder of Shotenji Temple scattered sacred water on the street to get rid of plague. Come the 1st of July, the town of Hakata becomes filled with a festive mood, with floats over 10 meters high exhibited at 14 spots around the town. The...

Nishinihon Ohori Fireworks

This fireworks display event boasts the biggest scale in the city with 6000 shots of fireworks and thousands of visitors. Fire works are shot off from the central island of a pond in Ohori Park, and you can see them from all around the lake.

Shikanoshima Island

Shikanoshima Island is famous around the country for the kin-in or gold seal excavated on the island. The seal, a National Treasure of Japan, is said to have been given by an emperor of China of the time, and is an evidence of the area’s history as an important base of exchange with mainland Asia...

Beer Garden

“Beer Garden” is a summer feature of Japan.

Beer gardens will open on the rooftops of department stores and buildings mainly in Tenjin, downtown Fukuoka, in July. These beer gardens get thronged with businessmen and women on the way back from their work craving for cold beer in a jug as well...

Nokonoshima Island

This is a relaxing spot for the people of Fukuoka, accessible in just 10 minutes by ferry from the terminal in Meinohama. Sitting in the middle of Hakata Bay, this island is just 12km round.

With daffodils and plum blossoms in winder, broccolini blossoms in spring, and cosmos in fall,
variou...

kinwashi

22 May 13, 20:59

fukuoka Asian Month

Asian Month started in 1990 to enhance the friendship and exchange that were born in 1989 at the time of the “Asia Pacific Exposition: YOKATOPIA.” With the motto, “For people to get closer to Asia and Fukuoka City” and supported by many organizations and institutions, various kinds of events and ...

Hojoya

Wearing Kimono, all Fukuoka locals must have been to the Hojoya Festival, one of three major festivals, at least once.
This autumn festival at the Hakozaki shrine in the Higashi ward is held every year from the 12th to 18th of September. The approach of the shrine stretching along 1 kilometer is...

Hakata Akihaku (Autumn Festa)

From September to November, a variety of events and festivals are held here and there in the Hakata and Tenjin area.

The whole town of Fukuoka/Hakata will become lively mood in this period.

From atmospheric events at famous temples and shrines, music and art, play, walking to lecture, there...

Nokonoshima Island

This is a relaxing spot for the people of Fukuoka, accessible in just 10 minutes by ferry from the terminal in Meinohama. Sitting in the middle of Hakata Bay, this island is just 12km round.

With daffodils and plum blossoms in winder, broccolini blossoms in spring, and cosmos in fall,
variou...

kinwashi

22 May 13, 21:00

New Year’s Visit to the Shrines in Fukuoka

New Years are an important event for Japanese.

From around the midnight of New Year's eve to the 3rd of January, people go out with family or friends to visit a shrine and pray for the health and happiness through the year.

The most popular shrines in Fukuoka includes Sumiyoshi Shrine, Kush...

Setsubun Festival

The 3rd of February is Setsubun, the traditional last day of winter.

From the end of the Edo period, people come to expel their bad luck and Kushida Shrine hosts the Setsubun Festival.
Going through Japan's largest Otafuku face (smiling face of a woman) installed on the shrine gate, you will ...

Christmas – the streets of Fukuoka twinkles with Christmas lights

Christmas lights color the whole town of Fukuoka in December.
Christmas trees and ornaments twinkle and gorgeous-looking Christmas cakes and Christmas gifts are displayed at department stores and fashion stores in Tenjin, the biggest shopping district of Fukuoka, at Canal City Hakata, the popula...

Hatsuuriï¼�Bargain

If you would like to enjoy shopping in Fukuoka, wait till “Bargain” time in January and July!
“Bargain” is a sale of all kinds of items from clothing, household goods to interior goods with a discount of 10-70 %.

In Japan, the first sale of New Year’s holiday is called “hatsuuri”, or an openi...

kinwashi

22 May 13, 21:03

Love this. stayed tune.

kinwashi

23 May 13, 19:02

kinwashi

23 May 13, 19:04

banner

chimaki

rice dumplings steamed in bamboo leaves

kinwashi

23 May 13, 19:10

Chimaki

Chimaki
Credit

The Japanese have their own rice dumplings too! They call it chimaki and it’s eaten on kodomo no hi which is the children’s day in Japan. The shapes of these dumplings somewhat resemble fish, don’t you think?

Interestingly, kodomo no hi is also celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month, but on the gregorian calendar in this case.

kinwashi

23 May 13, 19:13

video.

Chimaki.

Japanese Rice Dumpling.

http://youtu.be/agrBS9qi2kQ

kinwashi

23 May 13, 19:43

So

see is this similar to our Bak Chang.

How the Japanese do it.

video.

http://youtu.be/Ee7Xtlar5i8

kinwashi

23 May 13, 19:52

video

this also similar, without bamboo leaves.

http://youtu.be/kc1d0_JegKo

kinwashi

23 May 13, 20:03

Bamboo Leaves.

video.

http://youtu.be/IlljIqKFMqM

kinwashi

23 May 13, 20:08

Kaleidoscope -> Food Culture

Zongzi (rice dumplings) in various countries and regions

1
2
3
4
5
6

Share This Topic

: Set up in 1921, this was the China Record Factory in 1954. The restaurant now serves Italian...

: Find a feast for both eyes and tastebuds at this lush Bund eatery, complete with an open kitchen...

: Mooncakes, or yuebing, are the symbol of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Whether sweet or savory,...

It is a Chinese tradition to eat rice dumplings, or Zongzi, at the Dragon Boat Festival. However, the custom of eating rice dumplings is also observed in some other countries and regions around the world.

DETAILS ON ZONGZI

The rice dumplings in Vietnam are wrapped with banana leaves in round or square shape. In their opinion, the round rice dumplings represent the heaven, while the square ones stand for the earth, which together symbolize the unity of heaven and earth as well as great fortune and auspice. People make and eat rice dumplings at the Dragon Boat Festival to pray for seasonable weather, so as to receive a bumper grain harvest in the year.

Most of the rice dumplings made and eaten at Water-splashing Festival and in raining seasons are sweet. People would use banana leaves to wrap the sticky rice that has been soaked in coconut juice together with the coconut meat, black bean, taro and pachyrhizus. The steamed rice dumplings are light green in color with a faint scent.

In Japan, people would use the milled rice flour instead of the sticky rice to make the rice dumplings in a hammer shape which is different from that in China. The rice dumplings are called “ã�¡ã�¾ã��(èŒ…ã�®å�¶ã�§å·»ã�„ã�Ÿã�‹ã‚‰ã�„ã�†)” in Japan, which is made by wrapping the rice flour with bamboo leaves or Zizania caduciflora leaves in a long cylinder shape on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month of the year.

The rice dumplings in North Korea are called the “wheel cake”. People would boil the fresh Artemisia leaves before smashing them and then put them into the rice flour which would be kneaded into a wheel shape. It is quite delicious.

The Philippines prefer the long rice dumplings, which are regarded as a necessity for their Christmas Day.

The rice dumplings in Costarica are made with the specially-processed sticky corn flour as the main materials as well as the chicken, beef, carrot, white potato, sometimes with beef broth poured on and then wrapped with fresh banana leaves into a flat square shape.

Rice dumplings of the Yao ethnic group are made of sticky rice together with preserved ham stripes and green bean, which look like a pillow and weigh about 250g each. Some would add brown sugar and peanuts in the sticky rice to make vegetarian rice dumplings.

Rice dumplings in the She ethnic group are commonly referred to as Gujiao. People would use bamboo leaves to wrap the sticky rice into a four-angle shape and then tie them up with Dragon grass (a kind of float grass), ten in a bunch. Some rice dumplings would be stuffed with vegetables, meat and red jujube. Generally boiled in barilla water, the steamed rice dumplings look yellow in color and could be kept for half a month.

kinwashi

24 May 13, 22:17

Fukuoka.

GO GO JAPAN-ä¾†åŽ»æ—¥æœ¬-74-5-ç¦�å²¡.avi

http://youtu.be/JHR9p3iUdiY

kinwashi

24 May 13, 22:34

Kyushu Tour,

basically everyone will start from Fukuoka.

Even you fly from Taiwan.

GO GO JAPAN-ä¾†åŽ»æ—¥æœ¬-83-1-ä¹�å·ž ç¦�å²¡.avi

http://youtu.be/5nPUAwZ50VA

If from Singapore, if you take SQ sure to Fukuoka.

Once i took Japan airline, transit at Haneda Airport.

Than took a domestic flight to Kagoshima.

This also posssible from south upward.

It all depend on the airlines promotion.

Go for the cheap ones.

http://www.ana.co.jp/wws/sg/e/local/fare/

ZUJI helps you find and book cheap flights from Singapore to Japan. Don't miss out on great value offers from your favorite airlines and you can save more when you visit ZUJI today for the latest deals. All featured flight deals prices shown include all taxes and fuel surcharges.

Book your Japan flights now!

Prices are displayed in Singapore Dollar (SGD)

One way

Return

Travel from: Singapore

- Flights from SINGAPORE to Fukuoka
  
  from $572
  from $601
- Flights from SINGAPORE to Hiroshima
  
  from $572
  from $620
- Flights from SINGAPORE to Nagoya
  
  from $529
  from $620
- Flights from SINGAPORE to Okinawa
  
  from $572
  from $728
- Flights from SINGAPORE to Osaka
  
  from $305
  from $573
- Flights from SINGAPORE to Sapporo
  
  from $982
  from $1,198
- Flights from SINGAPORE to Tokyo
  
  from $305
  from $568

kinwashi

24 May 13, 22:38

News from Taiwan.

video.

http://youtu.be/PJmN4qtz7Sc

kinwashi

25 May 13, 19:58

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Yubari Melon

Yubari is a small town close to Sapporo, Hokkaido. It used to be a coal mining town but that's not what makes this town special. Yubari is famous for its orange-fleshed melon called Yubari melon, a melon priced from 6,000 to 15,000 Yen or could reach 20,000 for the good ones.

Yubari melon's price record at auction was established in 2008 at 2.5 million Yen for one set of two melons. This year's first auction of Yubari melons was held last Monday at the Sapporo City Central Wholesale Market, with two melons selling for 1.5 million Yen, triple last year's highest price.

(Source: Mainichi News)

(A pair of Yubari melons, picture courtesy of : msnbc)

On my visit to Hokkaido last year this luxury fruit wasn't in season but even if it were, I am not sure if I could afford to try this most expensive melon in the world.

kinwashi

25 May 13, 20:02

Yubari Melon

Only 65 Yubari melons were produced in 2011, and one of them sold for a staggering US$6,100 at the same Sapporo auction. In the past, one of these suckers was sold for….wait for it…$25,000! Considered the be the ‘King of the Melons,’ these rare cantaloupes are farmed in greenhouses in Yubari, Hokkaido, a small town close to Sapporo, and are a hybrid of two other cantaloupe cultivars: Earl’s Favorite and Burpee’s Spicy Cantaloupe — we don’t know how or why they chose these names as they sure don’t sound Japanese-y, but we love their sense of humor! The Yubari looks quite like a regular cantaloupe with its orange-reddish flesh, and for it to be top-grade it has to be perfectly round and have an exceptionally smooth rind. Prized for its exceptional sweetness, juiciness and perfect symmetry, the high volcanic ash content in the soil is said to contribute to its amazing taste. Hand-picked and put through a strict grading system, the first harvest always garners the highest prices, with subsequent harvests selling for anywhere between $100 and $500 in high-end stores. We knew that the Japanese liked their brands but we had no idea it extended to fruit.

Some people present these melons as gifts during Chugen, which is an annual summer celebration when people give gifts to their superiors and acquaintances. Can you imagine giving your boss a melon worth $25,000? We’re sorry, but if we’re buying that thing, we’re eating it straight to the rind – and don’t even think we’re going to share it with our fellow colleagues, especially the ones we despise!

Kinwashi Tour Japan Thread

Hakata Gion Yamakasa 2009 (Part 1)

Hakata Gion Yamakasa (Part 2)

chimaki

rice dumplings steamed in bamboo leaves

Chimaki

Kaleidoscope -> Food Culture

Zongzi (rice dumplings) in various countries and regions

GO GO JAPAN-ä¾†åŽ»æ—¥æœ¬-74-5-ç¦�å²¡.avi

GO GO JAPAN-ä¾†åŽ»æ—¥æœ¬-83-1-ä¹�å·ž ç¦�å²¡.avi

Cheap Flights to Japan

Depart from Singapore