Most viewed - Koto-ku 江東区 |
Another view from the top of the bridge in the good old days. They don't bloom like this anymore...1090 views
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Kameido Tenjin Shrine wisteria and taiko-bashi bridge. Taiko-bashi is an arch bridge.697 views
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View from top of bridge years ago. The shrine has two "taiko-bashi" arch bridges. This is the view from the top of the first one soon after you pass under the torii.640 views
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Shot in 2003.628 views
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Every three years (2017, 2020, 2023, 2026, etc.), the full-scale version of this festival is held in mid-Aug. The festival's last day is the climax with this procession of over 50 portable shrines. Led by this banner which reads Tomioka Hachimangu.459 views
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First bridge and azaleas403 views
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Kiba Park with Kiba Kakunori sign. Traditional folk performances are held on the same day as Koto Ward's Citizen's Festival in mid-Oct. So the park is quite crowded.380 views
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Another view from the top of the bridge years ago. Sadly, it doesn't bloom like this anymore.378 views
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Another shot taken in the good old days. Doesn't bloom like this anymore. The next photo shows what it looks like today.365 views
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Tekomai geisha. Their costume is colorful and partially masculine with trousers instead of skirts. Their right shoulder is "exposed" to show a peony flower (botan) design. They carry a red paper lantern imprinted with their names.330 views
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Azaleas also bloom around the same time as wisteria at Kameido Tenjin Shrine. Both flowers symbolize Golden Week which is a string of holidays in late April and early May, serving as spring vacation for many workers.327 views
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Path to the shrine. After you cross the bridge, there's a narrow path to the shrine, decorated by wisteria on both sides. Very crowded, but not unbearable.321 views
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Wisteria at Kameido Tenjin Shrine321 views
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Tokyo Sky Tree and plum blossoms at Kameido Tenjin Shrine.310 views
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Old taiko-bashi bridge. This is the first arch bridge you cross. Shot in 1997. The bridges had steps made of wood. Now both bridges are made of concrete with concrete steps. The paint color is also more red.296 views
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295 views
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This is an old, hand-tinted postcard of Kameido Tenmangu Shrine from the early 20th century. It mimics the woodblock print.285 views
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The shrine's happi coat has a design for the character "Hachi" (for Hachimangu) consisting of two pigeons. Pigeons are regarded as the messengers of the deity worshipped at Hachimangu shrines in Japan.283 views
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Statue of Matsuo Basho, haiku poet. Koto-ku, Tokyo283 views
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Map of Basho's travels. 278 viewsAlso see photos of Ogaki where Basho ended his journey.
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Kameido Tenjin Shrine is a short walk from JR Kameido Station. Small banners reading "Kameido Plum Blossom Festival" show the way to the shrine.276 views
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Tekomai geisha. They existed since the Edo Period. They served as side entertainment at festivals. They only sing traditional chant-like songs called kiyari. 手古舞275 views
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View from top of bridge in 2005. After 1997 or so, the flowers do not bloom as thickly as before.269 views
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Road to the Fukagawa-Edo Museum, near Kiyosumi-Shirakawa Station.268 views
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Statue of Matsuo Basho, haiku poet. Koto-ku, Tokyo264 views
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When the wisteria is in bloom, the shrine gets very crowded, especially on weekends. The alley leading to the shrine is also quite narrow.261 views
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259 views
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This troupe of 25 local women preserve a traditional art of Edo. They attend regular singing practice led by an elderly woman who was an authentic tekomai in her day.251 views
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Main street with shops.251 views
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250 views
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As one man lies at the bottom, everything is piled up on him. They even swayed the boat.247 views
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246 views
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Fukagawa Hachiman Matsuri, mizu-kake246 views
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The mikoshi is raised high as they all bathe in water. Taking photos like this one requires adequate water protection of your camera and lens.246 views
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Dramatic display of mikoshi maneuvers245 views
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Second taiko-bashi bridge in 2003. Notice how there are much less flowers along the edge of the pond. Also notice that the bridge has been rebuilt. It is now concrete painted fire-engine red.243 viewsThe old bridge was wooden with faded vermillion paint. I don't like this new bridge paint color.
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Tokyo Sky Tree and plum blossoms at Kameido Tenjin Shrine.242 views
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Second taiko-bashi bridge in 1997. You can see the second arch bridge which is right before the shrine hall. Compare this picture with the next one.235 views
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Statue of Basho sitting at the site of Saito-an house before departing for the Tohoku region. 採茶庵跡235 views
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Onegaishimasu! お願いします!233 views
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Statue of Basho sitting at the site of Saito-an house. 採茶庵跡233 views
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Splash you. This is a day when kids can be mean to grown-ups. This little girl kept filling up her bowl and ran around splashing some unlucky person.232 viewsI hope that's her school teacher.
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Site of Basho-an Hut, now a small garden with a statue of Basho overlooking the Sumida River. 芭蕉庵史跡展望庭園232 views
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Hai, OK (ha-ha!).231 views
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Tokyo Sky Tree and plum blossoms at Kameido Tenjin Shrine.228 views
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Road to the shrine from Kameido Station. This main road from Kameido Station is closed on weekends. The shrine is accessible from Kameido Station the the JR Sobu Line.226 views
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Shrine priest on horseback. The start of one of Tokyo's Big Three Festivals. These photos show the festival's climax on the last day of the festival when over 50 portable shrines are paraded along the streets amid splashing water. It is the Rengo 224 views
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223 views
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Another view from the top of the bridge years ago.220 views
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The Usokae Festival is held every January at the Kameido Tenmangu (Tenjin) Shrine. "Uso" means bullfinch, and "kae" means to change. The bullfinch is a symbol of good luck, and uso can also mean "lie." 220 viewsPeople replace their wooden uso dolls believing that the previous year's bad luck was a lie, to be exchanged for good luck in the new year with the new uso doll.
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Kameido Tenjin Shrine and Tokyo Sky Tree.220 views
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River boat taxi216 views
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Cross section of a typical Nagaya longhouse apartment. It was a single room whose size was about 6 tatami mats.215 views
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Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine, Honden worship hall. Koto-ku, Tokyo 富岡八幡宮 本殿214 views
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Kameido Tenjin Shrine's main worship hall.212 views
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211 views
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Then you see a dramatic bird's eye view of the recreated neighborhood of Sagacho, Fukagawa. The entire neighborhood is indoors.211 views
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The lighting inside the museum also changes to reflect the time of day. This is night time.210 views
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Vegetable seller. 八百屋の八百新210 views
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Wakasu Park juts out into Tokyo Bay as reclaimed land, now mostly a golf course and recreational park with a nice cycling path.209 views
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A real crowd pleaser.208 views
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Kiba Kiyari Nembutsu. They hold and rotate a giant rosary while chanting. 木場の木遣念仏207 views
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Cat on the roof. Meow is what you first hear in the museum. Its name is "Mamesuke." Actually a robot cat whose head can move up and down.205 views
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The tekomai geisha enter the shrine.204 views
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Held every autumn, the Chrysanthemum Festival (Kiku Matsuri) at Kameido Tenjin Shrine displays many exotic and pretty varieties of this flower in November.204 views
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200 views
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Fire watchtower on the left, and boat operator's house on the right. 船宿升田屋と相模屋199 views
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Statue of Matsuo Basho.197 views
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Old taiko-bashi bridge. You can see how crowded the bridge can get.196 views
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Facing Eitai-dori road, the main entrance to Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine. The original shrine fronted the ocean, but landfills over the centuries have put the shrine further away from shore.193 views
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Bird192 views
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The tekomai geisha enter Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine.191 views
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189 views
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In front of the fire watchtower is this open area designed as a fire break to prevent any fires from spreading further. It is also a gathering place with food stalls.188 views
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184 views
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Machikido town gate made of wood. This gate marked the boundary between towns. It could also be closed. 町木戸184 views
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Fukagawa Chikara-mochi is traditional entertainment spawned by warehouse workers in Sagacho (near Kiba), Tokyo during the Edo Period.184 views
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Fukagawa-Edo Museum182 views
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Cross section of a typical Nagaya longhouse apartment. The saw on the wall indicates that the resident was a log cutter. The area was close to Kiba where they processed logs.179 views
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Video theater179 views
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After you enter the exhibition area, first you see drawings of famous people from Fukagawa.178 views
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Back room of the vegetable seller.178 views
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Kameido Tenjin Shrine and Tokyo Sky Tree.178 views
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They sing and chant while walking slowly.177 views
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They have flower hats, but I've never seen them wear it on their heads.176 views
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The mikoshi are splashed with water in whichever way possible. This is in the middle of summer, so it's a good way to cool off.175 views
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Rice storehouse175 views
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Day time174 views
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Boat operator's house 船宿升田屋と相模屋174 views
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Standard uniform of portable shrine bearers (for both men and women).173 viewsThe headband may be tied at the front or back of the head. It may also be tied on the head like a bonnet. There is a variety of ways of tying the headband.
The happi coat bears the name of the parish or district the person belongs to. The same name is displayed on the respective portable shrine. The shorts are white and skintight. Worn by both men and women. Also called Han-momo or Han-momohiki. The white tabi (sock-like shoe) has a rubber sole.
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Tekomai geisha at Eitai-bashi173 views
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They do not get water splashed.172 views
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Nagaya longhouse171 views
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Exhibition room171 views
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169 views
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168 views
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Rice vendor. A small, wooden square box was used to measure the volume of rice to sell to a customer. 舂米屋職人168 views
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167 views
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The tekomai geisha arrives at Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine.166 views
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Tekomai geisha165 views
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White heron (shirasagi) hanging out on the pond.165 views
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Monument for usokae.165 views
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The tekomai geisha enter the shrine.163 views
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Entrance to Kiyosumi Teien Gardens. Admission 150 yen.163 views
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Cross section of a typical Nagaya longhouse apartment.163 views
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162 views
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Omiko shrine maidens. On the previous day during the Sacred Carriage Procession, they performed sacred dances on a truck. お巫女161 views
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This is early in the morning when the 54 portable shrines who had gathered in front of the shrine depart for the procession one after another.160 views
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Poster157 views
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157 views
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Kameido Tenjin Shrine also has many turtles in the pond. All these years, I thought they were cute. But I recently found out that these turtles are actually invasive species called red-eared slider or red-eared terrapin.157 viewsPopular as pets when they are small.
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Photogenic shot of plum blossoms and a taiko bridge at Kameido Tenjin Shrine in Tokyo.156 views
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Haiku poem by Basho displayed along Sumida River155 views
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It soon snagged a baby carp from the pond. Poor innocent fish. It must be traumatic to be caught in a bird's beak and be swallowed whole.155 views
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River boat taxi154 views
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Wisteria and Tokyo Skytree at night.154 views
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Communal toilet151 views
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Tokyo Sky Tree and plum blossoms at Kameido Tenjin Shrine.151 views
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Each mikoshi is preceded by a row of women carrying lanterns and wands. Also see the video at YouTube150 views
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Bales of rice inside the rice storehouse.149 views
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Kameido Tenjin Shrine and Tokyo Sky Tree.149 views
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Tokyo Skytree and the first taiko bridge.149 views
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Basho Memorial Museum displays a replica of the costume worn by Basho.148 views
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Clothes line for laundry.147 views
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Tokyo Skytree and azalea and wisteria at Kameido Tenjin Shrine.147 views
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People in happi coats carry the mikoshi while shouting "Wasshoi, wasshoi!"146 views
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Sculpure at Sendaibori Park, Koto-ku. Tokyo146 views
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Sendaibori, Koto-ku, Tokyo. Mother and child statue.145 views
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Tokyo Skytree and wisteria at Kameido Tenjin Shrine.144 views
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143 views
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Tokyo Skytree and azalea and wisteria at Kameido Tenjin Shrine.143 views
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Crossing Kiyosu-bashi Bridge142 views
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142 views
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Usokae stall. The uosokae dolls come in various sizes, look pretty much the same.141 views
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Kiba Kakunori Monument for square log rolling 角乗り碑141 views
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A shop's shutter art near Kameido Tenjin Shrine, Tokyo141 views
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Heron stalking fish in the pond at Kameido Tenjin Shrine.139 views
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Wisteria at Kameido Tenjin Shrine lit up in the evening.139 views
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A pair of giant usokae dolls flank the entrance to the main worship hall.138 views
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During the festival, stage performances are held.137 views
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As the mikoshi depart, there is some entertainment at the Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine.137 views
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137 views
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137 views
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Tokyo Sky Tree and plum blossoms at Kameido Tenjin Shrine.137 views
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Tokyo Skyrree at Kameido Tenjin Shrine.136 views
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In front of Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine on Eitai-dori road.135 views
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"Hey Ho, Let's Go!"135 views
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Wisteria at Kameido Tenjin Shrine lit up in the evening.134 views
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Wakasu Park, Tokyo.133 views
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Taiko drummers at Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine.132 views
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This mikoshi is being carried by all women, already soaked to the bone. They carry the mikoshi flat on their shoulders. This is called "Hira katsugi," literally "flat carrying."132 viewsThere are four basic methods of carrying a portable shrine. This is the most basic method where they carry it flat on their shoulders. This is called "Hira katsugi," literally "flat carrying."
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Kiba Kakunori Monument for square log rolling 角乗り碑132 views
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Bullfinch exchange. The person puts her old bullfinch on the rack and prays.131 views
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Crossing Kiyosu-bashi Bridge. They chant "wasshoi wasshoi!" as they carry the mikoshi. 清洲橋131 views
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Raising the mikoshi on Kiyosu-bashi Bridge130 views
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Almost 1,000 kg is on this man below. This stunts were also performed at Ueno Park for US President Ulysses S. Grant when he visited Japan in 1879 after his term ended.130 views
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130 views
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In front of the shrine, a shrine priest blesses each portable shrine as it departs to join the procession.129 views
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129 views
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129 views
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Water splashing truck near Kiyosu-bashi Bridge129 views
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Statue of Basho. Kiyosubashi Bridge and Sumida River in the background.129 views
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Torii gate on the east side129 views
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Crossing Kiyosu-bashi Bridge over Sumida River.128 views
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128 views
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The portable shrines are paraded through a route which will take them almost all day to complete, from 7:30 am to 3 pm.127 views
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Crossing Kiyosu-bashi Bridge127 views
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White and red plum blossoms and the torii gate at Kameido Tenjn Shrine.127 views
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Kiyosu-bashi Bridge over the Sumida River, Important Cultural Property 清洲橋 国の重要文化財125 views
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125 views
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Preparing for the finale.125 views
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Tokyo Sky Tree and plum blossoms at Kameido Tenjin Shrine.125 views
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Torii and wisteria at Kameido Tenjin Shrine, Tokyo125 views
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124 views
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Kameido Tenjin Shrine wisteria at night.124 views
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123 views
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123 views
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Crossing Kiyosu-bashi Bridge123 views
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123 views
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In front of the water truck. Soon to be filled with people and a portable shrine.122 views
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Wet women122 views
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The first taiko bridge at Kameido Tenjin Shrine, Tokyo122 views
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121 views
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Flowery backdrop for picture-taking.121 views
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Site of Basho-an Hut at the mouth of the Onagigawa River where it meets the Sumida River.121 views
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Kameido Tenjin Shrine, Tokyo121 views
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Kameido Tenjin Shrine wisteria at night.121 views
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Usokae stall120 views
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120 views
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A portable shrine crosses Eitai-bashi Bridge.120 views
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Photogenic shot of plum blossoms and a taiko bridge at Kameido Tenjin Shrine in Tokyo.120 views
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The right side of the worship hall is also lined with plum blossoms at Kameido Tenjin Shrine.120 views
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People then go to the bullfinch stall on the left of the main worship hall.119 views
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With raised arms, this is one way to carry the mikoshi.119 views
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119 views
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Crossing over Eitai-bashi Bridge. 永代橋119 views
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Tekomai geisha at Eitaibashi119 views
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Tekomai geisha on Eitai-dori road, entering Koto Ward119 views
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A fire hose. The local fire department with a fire hose on Eitai-dori avenue.119 views
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Every time, the water hoses are at the same location.119 views
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A portable shrine crosses Eitai-bashi Bridge.118 views
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A large truck filled with water with people using buckets to splash water in rapid succession.118 views
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Kameido Tenjin Shrine torii and taiko bridge with wisteria.118 views
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117 views
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Phoenix atop a portable shrine.117 views
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View from behind the "water truck." This goes on for about 15 seconds. The truck is refilled with a fire hose. All in the name of purification.117 views
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Kameido Tenjin Shrine torii and wisteria117 views
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Using a water hose is an efficient way to get people wet. But see what the big boys use..116 views
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After crossing Eitai-bashi Bridge, the portable shrines headed for the main stretch on Eitai-dori avenue already filled with people. The wettest and most crowded part of the festival is held along this one kilometer of road between the bridge and shrine.116 views
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Wet face116 views
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Bonsai-like chrysanthemum116 views
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116 views
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Kameido Tenjin (Tenmangu) Shrine Wisteria Festival is held in late April to early May. Entrance to Kameido Tenjin Shrine.116 views
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A horde of people follow each portable shrine.115 views
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Stone lantern115 views
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7-year-old girl in kimono on the bridge. Many kids in kimono visit shrines in Nov. when they reach age 3 (girls), 5 (boys), or 7 (girls).115 views
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Bottom view of Kameido Tenjin Shrine wisteria at night.115 views
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亀戸天神菊まつり114 views
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113 views
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Statue of Basho. A short walk away is the Basho Memorial Museum.113 views
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Water hose at Kiyosu-bashi Bridge112 views
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Tekomai geisha cross Eitai-bashi Bridge to enter Koto Ward along Eitai-dori.112 views
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For some reason, it's fun to see people get wet...112 views
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112 views
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Kameido Tenjin Shrine wisteria at night.112 views
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112 views
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111 views
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手古舞111 views
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Kameido Tenjin Shrine111 views
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Small statue of Basho in Basho Memorial Museum111 views
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110 views
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Another portable shrine crosses Eitai-bashi Bridge.110 views
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This is the final stretch and wettest part of the festival.110 views
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During a break, two kids get water.110 views
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110 views
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The kiku can be shaped and trimmed in fantastic ways. Very nice when you go and see them during shichi-go-san in Nov. when 7-year-old and 3-year-old girls and 5-year-old boys come to shrine in kimono.110 views
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Inside Basho Memorial Museum. Open 9:30 am - 5:00 pm.110 views
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View from the shrine's worship hall.110 views
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Getting wet upside down might be an extra thrill...109 views
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109 views
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109 views
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Petals need support109 views
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109 views
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109 views
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109 views
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108 views
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108 views
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Rock excavated in this area.108 views
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During the wisteria festival, they hold various entertainment on stage.108 views
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