The 76th Shimoda Black Ship Festival 2015 will take place for 3 days from May 15th Friday.
The fireworks festival will be held from 8:15 PM on the 1st day.
Let's enjoy "Time Travel to the Dawn of Japan's Modernization".
Click here to see 11 pictures of this past festival on our Facebook.
When I was walking on the seaside road this late afternoon I saw fishermen were setting up the red nets into the water to fish Iseebi (Japanese lobster).
Winter is the best season for lobster fishing in Japan.
They may be able to get a lot of lobsters after hauling up the net tomorrow early morning.
After we finished cleaning the guest rooms we went to Shirahama shrine, just only 3 minutes by car from Pension Sakuraya.
At the beginning of new year many Japanese go to shrines to make wishes for the coming year.
As it was very beautiful day there were a lot of people in the shrine field and on the beach.
I went to the nearest shrine "Shirahama shrine" this afternoon.
They had already been ready for the new year.
A lot of people come to this shrine during new year holidays to pray happiness, joy and good luck.
By the way, we were taken care of last year.
I hope the new year finds you in excellent spirit.
Have you ever seen this?
I took these pictures in Amagi mountain in Izu peninsula in the rain yesterday.
For us Japanese Wasabi is very important to eat Sashimi.
They were just harvesting Wasbi in the field when I went to Amagi mountain yesterday, so I asked them to take pictures of Wasbi.
Have you ever tried this?
These are Sakura Mochi and Sakura Manjuu.
They are Japanese traditional confection.
In this season we can see these sweet at a lot of places in Japan.
Sakura Mochi makes us feel that spring has come!!
If you come to Japan in spring why don't you try this?
Today it was a second day of
Shirahama shrine festival.
A lot of people come to this shrine and they watched the traditional dance performance.
And after that they had a ceremony to tell the opening of festival to the gods on the seven islands on the pacific ocean.
Actually it is held on the first day, but they changed the date because of rain yesterday.
Click the links below to see the pictures on our Facebook albums.
Shirahama shrine which has a long
history of more than 2,400 years has the festival on October 28th, 29th
and 30th.
Today it was an eve of this festival and the young boys and girls who are second year students in junior high attended the ceremony which was held in the main shrine.
My second daughter also joined them.
Click here to see the other pictures which I took in this shrine this evening.
I went to Shimoda downtown to watch Fireworks display with my family.
It started at 8:15 PM on time.
We watched these fireworks at the parking lot on Shimoda harbor, but this place was very good to see and to take photos.
Click here to see the photos of the fireworks.
Here is a video on Youtube, which I took the fireworks at the end of the display.
Kids Friendly Guresthouse: Pension Sakuraya in Shimoda, Japan
This afternoon I went to Shirahama shrine with my family.
It was a first vist of this year for us.
We, Japanese visit shrine at the beginning of new year to pray our health and happiness.
As we are in the new year holiday there were a lot of people there.
Click here to see the picture which I took today.
Pension Sakuraya in Shimoda, Japan
Today my daughter had a game of ping pong at junior high school in Minami Izu town, so I took her with my son.
During her games, as we had 3 hours my son and I drove to southern part of Izu peninsula.
We saw the fisherman left for Ise ebi fishing from small fisherman's port.
They put the lobster net in the sea from now and will pull up them at around 4 or 5 AM tomorrow.
The period of lobster fishing is between September and May in Izu peninsula.
Today we had a lowe tide here in Shimoda.
In this season, when we have a low tide we go to the beach to get crabs.
This is Shirahama Chuo Beach located next to Shirahama Ohama Beach.
The rocks are usually in the water, but they appeared due to the low tide.
We can get crabs there! .......
Today it was very beutiful day here in Shimoda.
And it was getting hotter around noon but we had a strong wind.
Koinobori flags were swimming in the blue sky and they made us very happy.
The weather forcast says it will be sunny tomorrow as well, and will be rainy after that.
My son's Koinobori flags will go to bed until next April.
*Do you know Koinobori? Check it out here!
In Japan, we, Japanese set up "Koinobori", Carp shaped flags, from April to the early month of May.
Koinobori are flown traditionally to celebrate "Children's Day" takes place on May 5th.
We, Japanese decorate Koinobori to pray that sons or grand sons grow up healty and strong.
According to the story of china, when the carp finishes climbing up the waterfall it become a dragon at the dragongate.
So Japanese parents hung Koinobori up in the sky for children rise up like a dragon in the future.
Yesterday my son, Yuuki and I set up Koinobori in our patio together.
Today, after we finished cleaning up the gurst rooms we went to Shirahama shrine.
Most Japanese visit a shirine or a buddhist temple as a first time of new year to pray for comfort and health on the 1st, 2nd or 3rd January.
This is called "Hatsumode", the first visit shrine of new year.
That's why there were a lot of people at Shirahama shirine today and were some women in Kimono.
After praying we took a photo in fron of Haiden (hall of worship) all together.
How have you been?
We had a lot of customers last year at Pension Sakuraya in Shimoda.
We appreciate it very much.
In Japan we, Japanese cereblate the new year's day on January every year.
It is considered by most Japanese to be one of the most important annual festivals and has been celebrated.
At Sakuraya we decorate the room and many places in the building with the flowers like this.
In all Japanese style rooms we put the flower pot with the seasonal flowers and the leaves.
Let us wish you and yours a happy and healthy New Year.
As it had been cloudy and sometimes rainny in these days we couldn't do it.
But actually we could set up "Koinobori" at last yeseterday.
We, Japanese decorate Koinobori to pray that sons or grand sons grow up healty and strong.
According to the story of china, when the carp finishes climbing up the waterfall it become a dragon at the dragongate.
So Japanese parents hung Koinobori up in the sky for children rise up like a dragon in the future.
Anyway I am showing a picture of today's beach.....
At 5:10 am my mobile phone made me waked up.
Today it is a Dondo-yaki day in Shirahama.
It take place in this season everyyear in many places in Izu peninsula.
As my daughters have never seen it, we went to see it to the beach.
Somebody ignited it at just 6:00am. ......
In Japan, we, Japanese set up "Koinobori", Carp shaped flags, from April to the early month of May.
Koinobori are flown traditionally to celebrate "Children's Day" takes place on May 5th.
We, Japanese decorate Koinobori to pray that sons or grand sons grow up healty and strong.
According to the story of china, when the carp finishes climbing up the waterfall it become a dragon at the dragongate.
So Japanese parents hung Koinobori up in the sky for children rise up like a dragon in the future.
Last year it was a first time of Children's Day for my son, so his grand father bought it for him.....
In these days it is a little cool in the night and early morning.
I took a walk as usual this morning and went to "Itado port" in the northern area of Shirahama.
And I found some people were working there.
I took this photo at 7:30am.
The pink things in this photo are nets to get "Ise Ebi".
The fisher men usually set these nets in the bottom of sea in the afternoon, and next day.....
Today I went to Ito city, where it takes about 50 minutes by car, to see the Fire Festival of Mt. Omuro with my son.
Before getting there we had a taraffic jam but we could get there at around 11:30.
From just noon this festival started with the sound of fireworks.
Last year, a couple from Oklahoma in the United states stayed at our Pension on December 1st.
And this time we were very surprised that we got the present with some cards and photo from them by mail.
This is a "Dream Catcher" which made by the Cherokee Nation Native Indians.
According to several native american tribes, Dream Catchers are believed to trap the evil which is floating around in the air, much like a spider's web snares everything in its path.
These our guest stayed at our Pension for only 1 ngiht, but they said in their letter,
"Thank you for being more than the perfect host, for also becoming our friends." or "Had to thank you for your wonderful hospitality."
We appreciated it very much and it is also our plesure.
Thank you very much, Doctor and Madam.
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