By Avi Landau For at least 1,300 years ( and some believe as long as 1,700 years) the Kashima Grand Shrine (Kashima Jingu) has been one of the most important spiritual sites in Japan. Established near what was once the entrance to a river leadiing into a brackish water “inland sea” (now Lake Kasumigaura), which had provided convenient… Read More September 2, 2026 is Your Chance to See the Colorful…
By Avi Landau Attending to the spirits of deceased ancestors and loved ones has long been a major part of traditional Japanese life and culture . Even today, many homes have a BUTSUDAN ( a Buddhist Altar), at which offerings of water, rice and incense are made daily. There are also four times a year… Read More Feeding “Hungry Ghosts”- Late August is the Season for SEGAKI Services (施餓鬼) in Tsukuba…
By Avi Landau Many of Japan’s greatest works of classical poetry are expressions of longing. While some focus on lovers, would-be-lovers or loved-ones, as the object of desire, there are also others ( a whole sub-genre) in which the aristocratic poets, either sent into far-off exile or to government-posts far out in the provinces, pine… Read More Pining for “MIYAKO”… from a Far, Distant Strand –…
By Avi Landau There is a curious little Shinto Shrine which sits a few hundred meters from the TX Tsukuba Terminal Station, along one of Tsukuba`s busiest and most important thoroughfares – the Tsukuba-Gakuen Road. I call it curious because, to me, it has long stood out among all the other shrines in Tsukuba – for two reasons.… Read More At Last, a Visit to Onozaki`s Suwa Jinja (小野崎諏訪神社)- to learn…
By Avi Landau Looking back once again past the Kinugawa River towards Ishige and the Toyoda Castle. It’s hard to imagine the river as it once was – crowded with barges and other watercraft of all sorts laden-down with passengers and goods.
By Avi Landau The other day, in the mood to explore, I got on the Tsuku-bus Hokubu Shuttle (北部シャトル) from Gate 3 at the Tsukuba Center and stayed on until I reached the last stop- TSUKUBASAN GUCHI (筑波山口)- at the foot of Mt Tsukuba, about 40 minutes ( and 300 Yen) later. Coming to our final halt, on the right, I had a… Read More The Largest of Tsukuba`s Ancient Burial Mounds- The Hachimanzuka Kofun…
By Avi Landau Though the greatest fireworks event around here (and one of the best in all of Japan), the Tsuchiura Hanabi Taikai, takes place in autumn, for most Japanese, fireworks mean summer and summer means fireworks. It seems that on almost any July or August night , the crackle of HANABI can be heard somewhere off in the distance. And… Read More TSUNABI (綱火), Ina-Machi`s Fire-and-Smoke…
By Avi Landau It was thanks to having a dog, that one summer years ago, I first noticed the TSUYUGUSA in Tsukuba . Going out for our early morning walk, I saw that the paths we took through the fields were lined with little, low lying flowers- strikingly blue, which seemed to grow in loose clusters. Later the same day on our evening… Read More Gone With The Dew- The tiny, blue blossoms of…
By Avi Landau Walking through the fresh produce section of a Japanese supermarket in autumn can be a dazzling and mouth-watering experience. Chestnuts, grapes, kiwis, peaches, persimmons, figs and apples, all beckoning you to bite into them (after purchasing them, of course). With all this seasonal bounty available, I was interested to find that when… Read More Enjoy Nashi (梨) – Japan’s Big,…
By Avi Landau Most visitors to Mt. Tsukuba make a stop at the large Shinto Shrine called the Tsukuba-San Jinja, where the spirits of Japan`s mythological “First Couple”, Izamagi and Izanami are enshrined. There, prayers can be made for finding a suitable partner ( EN MUSUBI) or for marital harmony ( FUFU WAGO), among other benefits. The shrine has become… Read More Contemplating Mt. Tsukuba’s…
By Avi Landau Traditionally, on the last day of Japan’s Obon Festival, small “send-off fires”, made of burning straw, were lit for the spirits of ancestors and deceased family members, to mark the end of their 3-day stay with their living descendants and family members – and get them started on their way back to… Read More The Evening of August 16th is OKURIBI (the Farewell Fire) – When Ancestral…
By Avi Landau On the evening of August 13th I watched a stream of villagers walking toward their “Family Temple”, colorful handheld lanterns in hand. They were observing the O-Bon Festival in the traditional way, going to the cemetery (on the temple grounds) to lead the ancestral spirits back home – where they will “spend… Read More For Those Living Far from their “Family Temples” Greeting…
By Avi Landau It was only 8 AM, but already the heat and humidity had those of us standing on the grounds of the Choenji temple feeling uncomfortable and sticky. The low mountain slope we were on was exploding with green – just about every shade of that color that there is – as was… Read More The Maie Mitama Odori Dances (真家御霊踊り) – Consoling and Giving Thanks to the Spirits of the Dead (and much…
By Avi Landau Yesterday evening ( Aug. 13th), families all over Japan (though their number decreases year by year) went to cemeteries with paper lanterns to greet and guide their ancestral spirits back home for what is called the Obon Festival. During their short stay in “This-Realm”, the ancestors will be wined and dined with various offerings,… Read More Bon Odori (盆踊り)- O-Bon Dancing and…
(Since mid-August is the time of year in which the ancestral spirits are traditionally believed to come home for a visit in Japan, steamy summer nights have long been the time of year to tell stories… the kind that give you goose-bumps! I have been translating some (more) of Junichi Saga’s fascinating “oral histories” of… Read More The Medium – A True Story (for the O-Bon Season) as told to Dr.…
By Avi Landau Even after having been completely demystified by scientific explanation, solar eclipses remain an awe-inspiring, even mystical spectacle which can leave an impression that lasts a lifetime. Those outside of Japan (specifically in Greenland, Iceland Spain and Portugal) who are able to observe the eclipse of August 12, 2026, will likely have its… Read More Some Thoughts on Eclipses,…
By Avi Landau The evening of August 13th is always filled with an excited solemnity in Tsukuba`s traditional hamlets. It is the first day of Bon, the three day period in which it is believed that the souls of departed ancestors return to their hometowns to be with their descendants. Grown children and grandchildren have… Read More On August 13th, Ancestral Spirits Guided Back Home for the O-Bon…
