Traditionally, the Japanese, being within the sphere of Chinese cultural influence, have respected old age and celebrated long life. Back in the Nara Period (710-794), when the Japanese aristocracy was keen on almost anything Chinese, numerous continental beliefs and customs were enthusiastically adopted JUST AS THEY WERE. Among these, were concepts and rituals which have a major impact TO THIS DAY on Japan’s [...]
Continue reading about Japan’s Traditional Celebrations of Longevity
When wandering the backroads of Tsukuba you might encounter a set of what appear to be SIGNS OF WARNING or NO ENTRY. Three primitive stick figures drawn on wooden boards and mounted on sticks, usually posted on each side of the opening to a small road or path. I have never seen these goose-bump-eliciting road-markers anywhere else in Japan, [...]
Continue reading about Mysterious (and Creepy) Roadside Markers Explained
More than 400 years ago, during Japan’s so-called Warring States Period (Sengoku Jidai), a wooden fortress known as Hanamuro-Jo, stood a few hundred meters northeast of what is now the Hanamuro Intersection (kosaten), not far from Tsukuba Center. No one is certain exactly how many years this fortification stood, as there are no extant records bearing this information, however, there is documentation of Hanamuro-Jo still having [...]
Continue reading about “Miracle Working” Stone Still Has Devotees in Tsukuba and Beyond
A Brief History of Buraku Discrimination in Japan
As with any aspect of human culture developing over a long period of time, Buraku discrimination is not something that can be comprehensively described in a short essay. It is a subject that is difficult to explain in terms easily understood by people outside the culture. [...]
Continue reading about A Brief History of Buraku Discrimination in Japan
The first thing I usually do when I manage to get up in the morning is have a look out of the small window which faces north out of my bedroom. Doing so actually gives me the illusion that there is nothing but NATURE between my house and Mt Tsukuba, as still undeveloped wildlands and [...]
Continue reading about A Celestial Bridge for the Gods of Mt Tsukuba
tsukubans speak