Gokanosho – Page 3 – Tourism Gokanosho

Happy New Year!

Happy New year!
Hope you all had great New Year days. In Japan, the period of the first three days of January is called “San ga nichi”, happy holidays. Most of stores used to take three days off 30 years ago, but nowadays many of them are open and many customers go for shopping. I miss those days.

On the 1st Jan., we went up to “Minegoshi Pass”, one of the highest passes in Gokanosho, to admire the first sunrise of the year which is considered very happy. We enjoyed making rice cakes in a traditional way (totally hand made!), hanging out with a bunch of neighbours and relatives under the lighting devices that we brought up until the sun shows up.

Finally, the first sun rises up. We make a wish towards the sun in Shinto way (it doesn’t matter if you are not a Shinto believer.), hoping for the better days through the year. We say “The whole year’s plans are (to be) made on New Year’s Day / New Year’s Day is the key to the whole year” in Japan.

Autumn colours 2

Although we had a rainy day the day before yesterday, we still have beautiful and colourful leaves! See the footage below.

Gokanosho ON FIRE !!

Gokanosho mountains are burning! It was a real good sunny day today for driving around and taking pictures. You can see an extraordinary Autumn colour everywhere you go in Gokanosho. It would be a huge loss if you don’t visit Gokanosho to see those scenery, I can tell.

Autumn colours

Here they come!
Al last we have the Autumn leaves, one week later than usual years. So beautiful!

The leaves are expected to go on until the late November.

Autumn trek to Mt Shiratori

Mid October should be the best Autumn colour season up in the mountains, but we apparently have a late Autumn this year because of the summer heat. On 23rd Oct, we enjoyed a beautiful trek to Mt Shiratori where one of the “Heike” clan was thought to have settled down in around the beginning of 13th century after they were defeated by their rival Samurai clan “Genji”. It takes around 30 minutes to get to the trail head from Momigi by car and the trek is an easy and comfortable walking on the mountain ridge. Unfortunately it was a rainy day though, the trek offered us some beautiful leaves in the fog. Our goal was “Miike” and “Byoubu Iwa”, very sacred place for the locals and even trekkers. On a sunny day, this trek offers some beautiful landscape and flowers, you should try this some day with me.

Autumn Trek to Kuniumi-dake

Went off to a trek to the highest mountain of Gokanosho, Kunimi-dake (1,739m) on 15th Oct. Leaves hasn’t changed the colour yet perhaps because of the heat of summer. Seems we will have a late Autumn this year.

Landslides

We have had some landslides here in Gokanosho after a downpour. Better not visit here at the moment. But no worries, the pavement will be maintained soon, hopefully within a day. Because the local construction companies are well prepared for working on taking care of it.
We get used to this situation as it happens every year during a rainy season starting around early June and finishing around the middle of July.

Kagura　神楽

In Hagi village, one of the five villages of Gokanosho and which has the smallest population of them, the locals hold their traditional rituals twice a year. On 15th March for spring and 17th October for autumn on Japan’s old calendar and it was on 21st April this time. I don’t live in Hagi village but have joined them with my wife as dancers for “Kagura” dances. Kagura means, in short, Japanese traditional Shinto ritual or ceremony dedicated to gods along with folk dances.

Originally in Hagi village, only the first born sons were entitled to take over the positions as dancers formerly, in other words, the other people could not even learn the dances. However, due to decline of the number of birth, it has become even difficult for them to maintain the succession of their traditions, not only Kagura. Their Kagura was started in 1684 according to a record or something, some say it’s not 1684 but in the 16th century. Anyway, it’s obviously true that their ancestors had handed down the traditions for generations in this hidden village with severe climate and living conditions.

Below is a footage of a series of dances we performed this time. Hope you enjoy them. There is another marvelous dance I would love to play. That is called “Men Kagura” which is about romance of a man and woman. I hope to play that next time in the coming Autumn, it’s on 16th November. This is not a show but everyone is welcome.

Fukujuso (福寿草)

One of my favourite flowers “Fukujuso” (“Amur Adonis”) is about to be in full bloom! This flower has really auspicious flower languages, such as “Eternal happiness” and “Bring happiness”. Off I went to “Shirakue-daira” (白崩平) located in the middle of the mountains in Kureko village, one of the five villages, to admire these flowers as a trekking guide for a couple of Japanese guests who are from Kumamoto city.

It took about an hour to get to the destination, the colonies of Fukujuso, from “Kureko Kodai no sato“. They seemed to be almost in full bloom and welcoming us with its beautiful petals shining yellow and light green under the sunshine.

Normally, Fukujuso flowers start coming out in the middle of February and fall in the beginning or middle of March. It’s not a very hard walk to the place, and I have not seen any foreign trekkers in this beautiful trail before. Uh, sorry I am wrong. I saw one who was from a neighbouring town on this day.