Most viewed - MIE 三重県 |
Kunoichi female ninja guide1997 views
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Ninja disguises1700 views
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Ninja costumes1679 views
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An altar in the Iga-ryu Ninja House.1345 views
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Lets you escape to the next room instantly, or climb up or down the ladder on the right wall.1316 views
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Pepper bombs to blind you.1244 views
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The first demo is this swinging wall.1227 views
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What would a ninja museum be without a display of shuriken?1225 views
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This is a staircase concealed as a shelf.1119 views
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Ninja swords are short and straight with no curvature.1057 views
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Meoto-Iwa Wedded Rocks off the coast of Futami-cho, Ise city, Mie Prefecture. 夫婦岩1055 views
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964 views
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Sword hidden in the floor.941 views
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Another wall door that leads to the basement tunnel.936 views
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925 views
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Now a shelf. It leads to the attic.920 views
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Ueno-shi Station has ninja dolls to greet you.909 views
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Emergency escape hatch whose lock can be quickly released with a sheet of paper.900 views
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Entrance to the basement.898 views
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Hidden floor compartment where they hid their valuables outside the house.885 views
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Ninja swords.883 views
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When you push in the end of this floor plank, it opens up to reveal a sword.867 views
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855 views
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Another swinging wall door.811 views
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Lock picks809 views
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Ninjas in the kitchen. We could not go up into the attic as we can in Koka's ninja house in Shiga.769 views
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Bamboo sticks concealing a sword.765 views
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Inside the Iga-ryu Ninja House763 views
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Inside the Iga-ryu Ninja House.762 views
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There she goes.757 views
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744 views
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Flipper-like clogs to walk through swamps741 views
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Iron claws738 views
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Nakayama Emiri, a TV personality, tries to throw shuriken.720 views
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Storefront shutter with ninja drawings.705 views
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692 views
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691 views
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690 views
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686 views
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Kitchen in Iga-ryu Ninja House.683 views
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Female ninja climbing over a wall.683 views
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Sword demo682 views
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Iga-ryu Ninja Museum 680 views
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676 views
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671 views
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667 views
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665 views
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665 views
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Juggling sickles. Having a sickle did not arouse suspicion as it was a common farming tool. But for the ninja, it was an effective weapon.660 views
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Kitchen area in Iga-ryu Ninja House.647 views
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Iga-ryu Ninja House ninja show.634 views
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Revolving door of Iga-ryu Ninja House 633 views
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Once a group gets large enough, they take you all in and a female ninja guide explains the house's ninja trickery. Admission charged. Recommended is the set of tickets that admit you to the ninja house, castle, and Danjiri Museum.629 views
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628 views
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623 views
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Duel to the death.619 views
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Making medicine.618 views
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Five-colored rice grains used for secret communication.608 views
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Shuruken takes skill to throw.607 views
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Ninja shop606 views
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Kitchen603 views
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Five-colored rice grains used for secret communication.598 views
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592 views
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Cushion592 views
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For an extra 200 yen, you can watch the ninja show right next to the ninja house.591 views
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Female ninja590 views
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Iga-ryu Ninja House is in Ueno Park which includes Iga-Ueno Castle nearby.582 views
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Thatched-roof of Iga-ryu Ninja House.579 views
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Iga-ryu Ninja House is a thatched-roof house whose roof once caught fire in the 1990s. It was rebuilt.570 views
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568 views
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Inside ninja museum which is in a former rice warehouse.568 views
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More secret ninja language.568 views
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564 views
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Ninja doll on a pole.564 views
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Throwing sickles and shuriken.553 views
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552 views
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You have to applaud once in a while.551 views
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Even ninja get thirsty.550 views
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Veranda of Iga-ryu Ninja House 538 views
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Rope knots hung on roof eaves, etc., were also used for communication.535 views
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529 views
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Iga-ryu Ninja House garden. They take you in groups, so you may have to wait a while before you can go in.523 views
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Shuriken throwing.519 views
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Everywhere you go in Iga-Ueno, you see a ninja motif.505 views
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502 views
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Iga-Ueno Ninja Festa poster497 views
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Another ninja museum.496 views
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Even the trains have a ninja (female) paint job.491 views
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Ninjas under cherry blossoms.487 views
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The shrine is dedicated to Sarutahiko and Ukano-mitama. Sarutahiko is a god which serves as a pathfinder guide. Deities for land/sea transportation safety. 二見485 views
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Where you can rent a ninja costume.483 views
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See many people wearing ninja costumes during the ninja festa.480 views
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Futami Okitama Shrine does not have a main hall (Honden) like most other shrines. It worships the Okitama Sacred Stone in the ocean beyond the Wedded Rocks. 二見興玉神社436 views
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Iga-Ueno really plays up its ninja past. 429 views
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During April and early May, they hold the annual ninja festa.429 views
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Statue of Lord Takatora Todo, who became the 11th lord of the castle in 1608. He is revered for revamping the castle and developing the castle town of Tsu. He was originally from Inugami, Shiga Pref. This statue was built in 1998.424 views
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The Wedded Rocks are part of Futami Okitama Shrine known for frog sculptures. 二見興玉神社415 views
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Ninja paint job on a train.403 views
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Tsu Castle, Ushitora turret382 views
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The Wedded Rocks are actually a type of torii gate for worshipping the Okitama Sacred Stone in the ocean.373 views
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Five ropes are being positioned and made taut.341 views
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All the while, the cheering section chants and wave streamers.339 views
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Map of Ise Jingu's Naiku Shrine. First you cross Uji Bridge.336 views
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Map of Naiku at Ise Jingu Shrine and adjacent area.333 views
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Replacing the rope for the Wedded Rocks, Mie Pref.322 views
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Wedded Rocks with a new rope. Japan has numerous other Wedded Rocks and stones, but this is by far the most famous.314 views
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The ropes are now completely cut, breaking the bond between the two rocks.305 views
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Iga-Ueno Castle is one of three major tourist attractions in the city of Iga. It is a short walk from Ueno-shi Station on the Kintetsu Iga Line.301 views
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The frog is Sarutahiko's messenger. Frog is called "kaeru" in Japanese, which is a homonym for the another word meaning "return home." If you travel a lot, pray here for a safe return. 夫婦岩289 views
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Ise Jingu Shrine's Naiku (Inner Shrine) is the main and most popular shrine at Ise. The shrine is rebuilt every 20 years and 2013 will mark the completion of the new shrine to replace the old one built in 1993.284 views
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Close up map of Naiku. An adjacent plot next the shrine is for the next rebuilding of the shrine. The current, 20-year-old Naiku shrine is on an adjacent plot of land.280 views It takes 8 years to rebuild the Naiku shrine. So 12 years from now, they will start the rebuilding process all over again. Numerous ceremonies are held for this rebuilding, but only a few of them can be seen by the public.
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Inabe Shrine, where the Oyashiro Matsuri or Ageuma festival is held on the first Sat. and Sun. of April (if it falls on the 1st and 2nd, the festival is held on the 8th and 9th) in Toin, Mie Prefecture. A 15-min. walk from Toin Station on the Sangi Line.272 views
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The job is finished.268 views
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The torii on the larger rock is quite small. The sacred rope is replaced three times a year on May 5, September 5, and at the end of December.265 views
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The rope installers return to shore.257 views
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The men begin to cut off the old rope. Those sharp sickles soon made short work of the old sacred ropes which were brought ashore in small pieces.253 views
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The new ropes are strung across the two rocks. A small rope tied to the end of the large rope is used to pull the large rope up the rock.253 views
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Iga-Ueno's Ueno Park includes this beautiful building called the Haisei-den (俳聖殿), a hall dedicated to Haiku poet Matsuo Basho who was from Iga-Ueno.253 views
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Men carry spanking-new shimenawa ropes to the rocks.251 views
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Ise Jingu shrine maidens look the same as any other shrine maidens. They are likely college students hired just for New Year's to sell goods.250 views
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Ueno-shi Station248 views
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5月5日、9月5日と12月下旬には夫婦岩の大注連縄の張り替え神事が行われる。これらの写真は5月5日に撮影された。237 views
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The ceremony attracts a large crowd.232 views
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228 views
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The shimenawa rope actually consists of five smaller ropes. They cut the ropes one by one.224 views
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The shimenawa rope bonding the Wedded Rocks is replaced three times a year. May 5, when these photos were taken, is one of the days when they replace the rope. First, they gathered at the shrine at 10 am for a 30-min. prayer ceremony.219 views
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Pieces of the old rope. Anyone could take home the pieces of old sacred rope if they wanted.214 views
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Iga-Ueno Castle and cherry blossoms, Mie Prefecture. During the Meiji Restoration, Ueno Castle's structures were dismantled as with many other castles.213 views
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Iga-Ueno Castle and cherry blossoms, Mie Prefecture.212 views
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Lantern and sunset at Futami Okitama Shrine209 views
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The bottleneck at Naiku was this little torii which most people wanted to walk through at the top of the steps. People like me who didn't have time opted to go up the steps on the right side in no time. 208 views
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202 views
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Making sure that the rope is aligned and positioned correctly.198 views
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One by one, the men carefully positioned the new sacred ropes on the two Rocks. All the while, young children and young men are chanting on the shore.196 views
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193 views
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Sunset at Futami Okitama Shrine. In the old days when traveling was a hazardous undertaking in Japan, pilgrims who traveled to worship at the Ise Grand Shrines prayed here for a safe return home.190 views
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The second rope is installed.190 views
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Castle wall facing the street188 viewsWhen you walk to Tsu Castle from the bus stop, this is what you first see. It is obviously a flatland-type castle. Tsu Castle was first built in 1580 by Oda Nobukane, the younger brother of warlord Oda Nobunaga.
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About 300-400 meters to the Naiku shrine, it got congested. It took about an hour to reach the foot of the steps going up to the shrine.188 views
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187 views
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I wondered how much I should donate for this sake. I just dropped a 100 yen coin and probably got 20 yen worth of sake. At Atsuta Shrine (one of Japan's Big Three shrines) in Nagoya, they have a nice big hall where they serve hot tea and sweets for 187 viewsNothing like that here.
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Look how small the offertory box is at Ise Jingu's Naiku. The one at Meiji Shrine in Tokyo is like half the size of a football field. Of course, Ise Jingu just doesn't have the space for it.186 views
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185 views
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The old rope is taken away.182 views
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182 views
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180 views
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Naiku shrine and torii are in sight at the top of the steps ahead. We were told that it would take more than an hour just to get up these steps. However, we could walk up the steps quickly on the right edge of the steps.180 views
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Statue of Basho at Ueno-shi Station.177 views
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Noted for cherry blossoms, Kyuka Park is on the site of Kuwana Castle which was occupied by Honda Tadakatsu.177 viewsAdjacent to the park is the Kuwana-juku post town on the Tokaido Road that welcomed visitors after they crossed the ocean (Shichiri-no-watashi) from Miya-juku in Aichi. Photo: Kuwana sign at Kuwana Station.
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Ise manhole depicting Ise Jingu pilgrims. Mie Pref.176 views
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The first rope is wound around both rocks.175 views
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Moat169 views
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Nyutoku-mon Gate169 views
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Entering Geku shrine at Ise.168 views
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165 views
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Map of Toin town, Mie. Many thanks to my friends Tomoyo and Shunji in Toin-cho for taking me to see this festival.161 views
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Ushitora turret entrance (not open)159 views
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Three-story Ushitora turret, reconstructed in 1958.158 viewsThis is the only significant building remaining of the castle.
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Todo Takatora's helmet158 views
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Garden in Nishinomaru156 views
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The narrow gauge makes the trains narrower too.156 views
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156 views
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Uji Bridge is made of hinoki cypress wood. The bridge columns are made of keyaki.153 views
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The line's train tracks has an extra narrow gauge.146 views
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High walls prevent us from seeing the sacred shrine buildings of Naiku. Photography is not allowed inside these walls so don't try to use a long pole with a camera attached to take pictures. There are guards everywhere. 144 views
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It takes 8 years to rebuild the Naiku shrine. So 12 years from now, they will start the rebuilding process all over again. Numerous ceremonies are held for this rebuilding, but only a few of them can be seen by the public.144 views
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Roof horns at Ise Jingu's Naiku.141 views
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Look how small the offertory box is at Geku.138 views
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Collecting coins at Taka-no-miya Shrine 多賀宮.137 views
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Statue of Lord Honda Tadakatsu at Kyuka Park. 本多忠勝134 views
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Ushitora turret133 views
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Ushitora turret and stone wall133 views
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133 views
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131 views
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131 views
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Moat129 views
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A short walk from Ueno Park is the Basho Oseika (芭蕉翁生家) or Basho's childhood home. Iga is the birthplace of Matsuo Basho (1644-1694), and the house where he grew up in still stands.129 views
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Kyuka Park moat near Shichiri-no-watashi.129 views
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Geku Outer Shrine at Ise Jingu.129 views
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Liberty Bell, exhibited at the 1939 New York World's Fair. Has 12,250 pearls and 366 diamonds. The crack is reproduced with blue pearls. Mikimoto Pearl Museum129 views
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Samurai armor128 views
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Collecting coins.128 views
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Hiroshige's woodblock print of Kuwana (43rd post town on the Tokaido) from his "Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido Road" series. People traveling by boat to Kuwana from Miya.127 views
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Mikimoto's Five-Storied Pagoda (御木本五重塔). Exhibited at Sesquicentennial Exposition in Philadelphia, 1926. It has 12,760 pearls.125 views
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Ama divers at Mikimoto Pearl Museum.124 views
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Ise-shi Station platform upon arrival on Jan. 1, 2013. Ise Jingu's Geku Outer Shrine is a short walk from this station.123 views
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Moat122 views
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The festival's main event is the Ageuma (Leaping or Rising Horse) ceremony held 12 times on Sat. and six times on Sun. One of the horses to be used. The Ageuma is unique to Mie and started here at Inabe Shrine.122 views
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Tokaido Road in Kuwana-juku.122 views
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Yume-dono Pavilion based on the building at Horyuji temple in Nara. 122 views
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Ama diver sculpture in Pearl Museum, Mikimoto Pearl Island.120 views
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Mikimoto Pearl Island120 views
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Foundation of the castle tower (rear)117 views
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This earthen wall looks like 2 or 3 meters high. This festival is unique to Mie Prefecture. A similar and much more crowded Ageuma ceremony is held at Tado Shrine also in Mie and not far from Inabe Shrine.117 views
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The study is a very simple, yet aesthetic and meditative-looking room.116 views
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The end of the slope where the horse is to leap over the steep earthen wall. Cherry trees accent the steep incline. The horse gallops and full speed for about 500 meters before encountering this steep incline.116 views
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The house is open to the public as a tourist attraction (admission 300 yen). The house was rebuilt after it being damaged by a large earthquake in 1854.115 views
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After a few hind-leg kicks, the horse manages to go over. When the horse goes over, it is an omen that this year's harvest will be abundant. Imagine the enormous pressure on the rider to go over the top.115 views
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The moment after this shot was taken, this baton hit my camera lens and bounced off. A kid nearby quickly picked up the dropped baton. That's okay, I let him have it. My gift to the local people.115 views
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Iga-yaki ceramic statue of Basho inside the Haisei-den.114 views
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Park fountain in the castle grounds113 views
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This is what the steep incline looks like from the other side. The galloping horse must manage to leap up and over the steep wall called the Agezaka (上げ坂).112 views
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There are six jockeys, all local teenage boys, chosen by lottery. They have to be quite brave to undertake the Ageuma ceremony since accidents and injuries do happen. Some parents refuse to allow their sons to be chosen.112 views
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The horse gets stuck as its hind legs cannot push off from any surface. It kept kicking its hind legs as it desperately tried to get over the embankment and it finally did. This was the first run of the day on Sunday.112 views
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My camera was fine. Nothing broken, but the edge of my lens filter had a slight dent...112 views
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Iga Ueno Danjiri Museum112 views
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Inside Iga Ueno Danjiri Museum.112 views
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Toin Station on the Sangi Railway Hokusei Line.111 views
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On both sides are special spectator seating (decorated in red/white) for the shrine priests and VIPs. We did not see any riders or horses get injured this day. These photos were taken on April 5, 2009.110 views
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The jockeys wera a colorful costume, the hanagasa hat has a different decoration (pine tree, peony, iris, etc.) for each jockey. Each jockey represents a local district in Toin town.110 views
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One end of the riding course.110 views
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Oyashiro Festival poster.110 views
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Iga-Ueno Castle and cherry blossoms, Mie Prefecture.109 views
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A short walk from Iga-Ueno Castle and almost next to the ninja house, the Haisei-den was built in 1942 to mark the 300th anniversary of Basho's birth. 109 views
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The Ageuma or Leaping Horse ceremony is only one of the religious ceremonies held during the Oyashiro Festival. The god of wooden architecture is one of the gods Inabe Shrine worships. Carpenters from this area built Horyuji and Todaiji in Nara.109 views
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Men await for the horse on the incline. They help to get the horse over the top and prevent injury to the rider.109 views
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Next horse up. In the past, they spiked the horse with stimulants to make it more excited, but they discontinued that practice.109 views
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Inside the castle tower is the Iga Museum of Culture and Industry. This is the first floor.108 views
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Kitchen area with a well on the left and stoves toward the right.108 views
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The back of the house is Basho's study called Chogetsuken (釣月軒) where he wrote the Kai-ooi (貝おほい) series of poems.108 views
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Hiroshige's woodblock print of Iga-Ueno from his "Famous Views of the 60 Provinces" series. The castle can be seen in the distance.108 views
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Statue of Mikimoto Kokichi.108 views
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In 1611, Todo Takatora took over Ueno Castle. Iga-Ueno Castle is also a major cherry blossom spot in early April.107 views
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Bust of Kawasaki Katsu.107 views
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Room inside Basho's childhood home.107 views
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Before the festival, the six riders undergo a period of purification in the morning and evening in the river. On the day of the festival, they bathe in the river. This one is getting on the horse.107 views
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The victorious rider holds out a fan and sings a victory song. People celebrate the imminent abundant harvest.107 views
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Castle wall106 viewsThe stone wall is long, and the entrance to the castle grounds is on the far end, in front of the three-story Ushitora turret.
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Iga-Ueno Castle was first built by Takigawa Katsutoshi, a vassal of Kitabatake Nobuaki (Oda Nobuo, Nobunaga's second son). In 1585, Tsutsui Sadatsugu took over.106 views initiated construction of Iga Ueno Castle in 1585. He was followed by Tsutsui Sadatsugu
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Top floor106 views
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Inside the Chogetsuken study. 釣月軒106 views
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The running course is quite short, maybe 100-150 meters. It cannot be too long or else the horse will get too tired to make the final leap.106 views
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The rider looks relieved, and proud to have a lifetime memory.106 views
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People behind me.106 views
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Foundation of the castle tower105 viewsThe 5-story castle tower was destroyed in 1600 during the Battle of Sekigahara. It was never rebuilt.
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In 1980, Ueno Castle served as a backdrop for Kurosawa Akira's movie, Kagemusha.105 views
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105 views
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The wall has a notch in the middle for the horse to leap up and over. Inabe Shrine's Ageuma ceremony is older than Tado Shrine's. The festival was started in 1192 by the local castle lord and shrine priest to strengthen the spirit of the youth.105 views
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Stairs to the bleachers which are actually compartments of sitting areas. The bleachers line both sides of the course leading to the steep incline. 105 views
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The horse makes it over the top. On Sat., the first day of the festival, there are 12 Ageuma runs. On Sunday, the second day, there are six Ageuma runs starting at 1 pm. In the morning, they have a few practice runs, but do not try to go over the top.105 views
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Ise-shi Station with kadomatsu New Year's decorations.105 views
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One of the tallest castle walls in Japan.104 views
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And he's off, going at full speed. It takes only 10-15 sec. for him to run up to the incline.104 views
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104 views
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Riders make a "victory lap" within the shrine grounds.104 views
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Torii gate at Uji Bridge. Very crowded with New Year's worshippers going for hatsumode prayers.104 views
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They are still excavating a few areas of the castle for historical remains. I visited in April 2009.103 views
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View from atop Iga-Ueno Castle.103 views
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Haisei-den and wisteria in bloom. The Basho Matsuri Festival is a poetry reading held here on Oct. 12.103 views
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In 1203, the steep embankment was built and the Ageuma and yabusame ceremonies were held. Along the short galloping course up to the steep incline, makeshift bleachers for spectators are built for the festival.103 views
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The horse approaches the steep wall.103 views
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