Cherry blossom has arrived in Kyoto! The trees along the Kamogawa are out in glorious bloom, and people are flocking to the petals in Hirano Jinja, Kyoto’s special shrine for cherry blossom. Today was a fine day for the emerging … Read the rest
Category: Kyoto shrines (Page 1 of 28)
Yes, it’s that time of year again. Cherry blossom heaven has broken out in Kyoto. Over a hundred years earlier Lafcadio Hearn was one of the first foreigners to remark on the beauty of the occasion.
Hearn’s first shrine visit … Read the rest
A month has passed since New Year, so I was surprised to find Shimogamo bustling with visitors despite the cold of a 7C afternoon. There has … Read the rest
Regular readers of this blog will know that our local shrine is the World Heritage site of Shimogamo Jinja in Kyoto. Over the more than thirty years I have … Read the rest
The above angry dragon was displayed at Shimogamo Jinja prior to the change of year and seems very apt in retrospect, given the awful earthquake at the very outset of the year, Jan 1, in the Hokuriku area (Kanazawa and … Read the rest
Feb 3 is Setsubun and a time for throwing beans at demons. It takes place at shrines, temples and people’s homes.
Here’s Wikipedia’s succinct overview of the custom and its origins:
Setsubun is the day … Read the rest
Raising revenue, old and new
