Osaka castle was built by Hidayoshi Toyotomi who started life as a farmer but became very successful and ended-up dominating the whole country.  The castle tower was burned down in the war of Osaka Natsu-no-jin (the summer campaign of Osaka). While its stone walls and castle tower were rebuilt by Tokugawa’s order, the keep was burned down by a strike of lightening.  Many buildings were burned down during the unquiet days of the Meiji Restoration.  Later, the castle tower was reconstructed in 1931 as a result of the enthusiasm of the citizens.  It has now become a history museum.

Western culture fused with oriental culture “The Westin Osaka”

The tea house “Seishun-an” in the hotel.

Japanese restaurant “Hanano”. Visitors can enjoy kaiseki in season meals.

Experience tea ceremony in Osaka!

HOSHOAN (TEAHOUSE)
Open hours: 9:30 – 16:30 (9:30 – 16:30 during Nov. – Feb.)

“Choun-an” a restored tea house from Rikyu’s Osaka residence

The birth place of Rikyu Sen is Sakai, Osaka.  The tea house was restored based on the floor plan which was drawn by a disciple of Rikyu and other information and materials such as minutes from the tea ceremonies of that time.

“Koukyu-an”, a sweet shop attached to the tea house offers a sweet, which is a reproduction of a phantasmal sponge cake that was said to have been used in Japan for the first time by Rikyu during tea ceremony.

CHOUN-AN

Let hearts play and enjoy oneself
Sencha (medium grade tea) for cultured people “Issa-an”

Issa-an
Tel：06-6941-8001
http://www.human-n.co.jp/issa-an/

Yamaga, Kumamoto prefecture is a town that remains as quaint as a post station. In winter, the entire hot spring town is decorated with lanterns made from bamboo and Japanese umbrellas. The festival, counts its ninth anniversary this year, and will be held for two months until the end of March in conjunction with the starting of a full Kyushu shinkansen line service.

Thousands of candle lights illuminate the town. Not to be missed are, February-only performances titled “Yamaga Fuzei Monogatari(Story of Yamaga Flavor)” in “Yachiyo-za”, a theater that was built 100 years ago. You can enjoy the strong sounds of the Yamaga drum performance, and the elegant dance performance of girls who lift gold and silver paper-lanterns over their heads.

Yamaga Toro Roman/ Hyakka Hyakusai (Romance of the Lantern Festival)

Event sites: In front of Yachiyo-za Theater, Buzen Kaido street, Kongojyoji temple, Yunohata Koen Park, Kosenji Temple and others
Event Period: Every Friday and Saturday during Feb. 4 – Mar. 26, 2011 * A part of the lanterns are lit from Mon., Mar. 14 to Thurs. Mar. 17, 2011.
Lantern time: 19:00 – 22:00 (Lit starts around 17:30)
Inquiries: Yamaga Romance of the Lantern Festival Execution Committee (c/o Yamaga Onsen Tourist Association)
Tel.: 0968-43-2952
http://yamaga100.com/

Yamaga Fuzei Monogatari(Story of Yamaga Flavor)

Venue：“Yachiyo-za” a national important cultural property
Priod: Every Friday and Saturday during Feb. 4th – 26th, 2011
Doors open:：19：30
Curtain time: 20:30, about 70-minite performance
Admission fee: 500 yen (festival seating, tax incl./current ticket only)

Sat., March 12 – Sun., March 13, 2011
* From and to Kansai
One-night stay with four meals.

Meet at Itami Airport in Osaka and/or JR Shin-Kobe station (transfer to the airport via courtesy bus)
Whirling waves of Naruto tour.
Seafood of Naruto Strait.
Viewing ningyo joruri

Dinner at “Ihawa”, a Japanese restaurant.
“Konjyaku-monogatari-gumi” a group of Awaodori dancers will perform in the parlor of the restaurant.

“Ryozenji temple” the first site – “Gokurakuji temple” the second site – “Konsenji temple”, the third site pilgrimage tour on foot (about 5 km)

Lunch at a Japanese restaurant in Tokushima city.

Tour participation fee (per person): 48,000 yen
Only dinner　meal with Awaodori dancer(March 12th）JPY 28,000-

Additional charge for single use of a room: 3,000 yen

Note: The tour will only operate with over 15 people .

・ One-night hotel stay in a standard-twin room.
・ Meals (One Breakfast at the hotel), (Two lunches at Japanese restaurants), (One dinner in the parlor of a Japanese restaurant with a group of Awaodori dancers, about 1 hour)
・ There will be no tour conductor present.

Co-organizer: Zenkoku Ryoriryotei Kumiai（National Association of Cuisines and Traditional Japanese restaurants）, Tokushima Ryoriseikatsu Eiseidougyou Kumiai (Niigata Traditional Japanese Cuisine Restaurants Association), Tokushima Ryorigyo Kumiai Rengokai (Tokushima Food Business Association), Ifys Co., Ltd., Adventure Japan Inc.

Tour Leaflet PDF >>

When discussing traditional Japanese soba noodles, there is a cold type of soba that when it’s eaten is dipped into TSUYU source. Among these cold noodles, the one covered with NORI (laver) is called “ZARU soba,” and the one without NORI is called “MORI “soba. The way to eat these noodles is, pour some TSUYU source into a small cup (OCHOKO) and put the condiments (NEGI, law leek, and WASABI, Japanese horseradish) on top of the noodles little by little according to your preference. Then, pick-up the NEGI, WASABI, NORI and noodles all together with your chopsticks.

You should pick-up just enough so that you can eat the noodles all in one go. Dipping one third of the noodles into TSUYU and slurping them up all at once. It is not recommended that you eat large amounts of noodles all at one time. Avoid shoving them into your mouth or cutting them with your teeth before slurping. Don’t dip all of the noodles into TSUYO and there is no need to stir them in the cup. However, soba noodle slurping is no problem. When you have eaten all the noodles, if there is some TSUYU left, then, pour “SOBA-YU, the hot water that is used for soba noodle boiling” into a cup and drink it. You can also add NEGI and WASABI as you like, but please be careful not to use too much Japanese WASABI as it is very strong and spicy even in small amounts.

Before worshipping in a shrine, people need to purify themselves with a water board called Temizuya / Chozuya. The manner of the purification is as follows. First of all, hold a ladle with your right hand and wash the left hand, then change hands and wash the other one. Then change the holding hand again, and pour water on left hand palm to wash the mouth out lightly. It is important that the mouth should not touch the ladle directly, and gently spit-out the rinsed water from your mouth. Lastly, pour water on the left hand, and if there is some water left, pour the water onto the shaft of the ladle, then replace the ladle to its original place.

Manner of visiting shrine―worship

After purify the body in Temizuya / Chozuya, go to the hall of worship through the approach.　When arriving at the alter, bow lightly at first, then throw some coins into the Saisen –bako (wooden box). There is no rule for how much money, it is common that people just offer some coins to express appreciation to the God, ring the bell if there is one. Make deep bows twice to the alter, face up and strongly clap your hands (Kashiwade) twice, then put your hands together to pray. After the prayer make a deep bow again, during the last bow slowly leave alter. This is the common manner of worship, but the most important thing is a wholehearted prayer to God.

Japanese sake has been said as “Sake is the chief of all medicine” from ancient times. Properly warmed sake becomes much tastier and can also be quickly absorbed into the body. The proper temperature is about 35-48 degree, called “Hitohada kan (body temperature)” “Nuru kan (warm)” and “Jyo kan (warm to hot). How to heat sake , first pour some sake into the sake bottle, put the bottle into a pan/pot of boiling water. In order not to increase the temperature of sake too much, it is key that the once the water is boiled the fire is turned off. Once the sake is bubbling and the liquid level increases to the top of the sake bottle, then it is reaching the proper temperature.

“As people become more health conscious, Japanese food gets attention from people all over the world. And one of the reasons may be that Japanese food uses a lot of fermented ingredients and seasonings. In Western countries, cheeses and wines are typical fermented foods. In the case of Japan, a nation with sea and mountains, our fermented foods are created in the nature of Japan and they change with the four seasons. “Every ingredient is deeply connected with its birth place and people” said Ms. Kyoko Shiokawa, head of Shoku-no-gakko (School of food). For example, Miso soup, which the Japanese drink almost everyday, has different tastes depending on the region. And each family uses different kinds of miso such as aka-miso and shiro-miso, and a variety of fillings. Ms. Shiokawa also said” it used to be common that each family made their own Miso at home” it used to be hand-made by each family.”

How to make Miso

Put soybeans into water for about 8-hours, and boil them slowly for about 5-6hours.Then mash the boiled soybeans while they are still warm. Pour the liquor into another vessel, and put malt , salt and the liquor into the soybeans and make them into fine paste. Throw the paste into a reserve barrel, cover it with gauze and a drop lid and keep it for one year. (The gauze will be damp in about 10 days)

＊ Photo shooting cooperation Dremia Club http://dreamiaclub.jp/

Profile:Ms.Kyoko Shiokawa

Head of Shoku-no-gakko (School of Food). She was the person in charge of the “Food and Living” section of a women’s magazine, while working at a publishing company. During motherhood, she participated in the establishment of a collaborative purchase group under the theme of “Foods that cultivate healthy life” as her child was in poor health. In 1996, she founded “Shoku-no-gakko” aiming at bridging the gap between food producers, distributors and consumers to deliver “tasty and safe food” to people. Born in Aomori pref. http://shokunogakkou.com/

All-time story of Men and women…
Let’s go to “Bugraku (Japanese traditional puppet play)”!

“Bugrake” is a traditional Japanese performing art with more than 300 years of tradition and it　has also been designated as a masterpiece of oral and intangible heritage of humanity by UNESCO…
You may think the performance will be difficult to understand and may be too high (both in formality and price) to enjoy?
Well, you would better to watch it once.
It is amazing entertainment that brushes off your worries in an instant burst.
Listen to the emotional and unique narration of Tayu (the narrator) and the playful tunes of the Shamisen (a three-stringed musical instrument) that sounds powerful and gentle depending on the narration.
Enjoy watching the breathtaking feminine charms of a female puppet that is manipulated by puppeteers.
Puppets are alchemized! disappear! And they also fly away!?
It is pretty, graceful, delicate, gorgeous, dynamic and funny.
All of these adjectives and more describe the performance…

Let’s go to “Bunraku”!

Bunraku performances consist of three operating roles these are Tayu, the narrator, Shamisen, and the puppeteers. As for puppeteers, three people operate one puppet; one puppeteer manipulates the puppet’s head and right hand, one the left hand, and one the feet. From the day that a program is decided to the actual performance, backstage is very busy.

When a script and casts are set, Kashira (The heads) are assigned. Each Kashira will be operated by a chief puppeteer. At the “Kashira-beya (room for the heads), kashira-garari (staff in charge of the heads) repair, repaint the heads and put make up on every head. A full-scale repair treatment that takes all the aleurone off the heads, puts wood patches in them, and repaint the heads as well as new heads. This is repeated every 20 years, so there are some dolls that are 100-years old! Kanjuro Kiritake who finds the head that he will operate in the next performance. It is impressive that he carefully and thoroughly watches the head from right to left, from top to bottom, from side with angle and vis-à-vis. Then Kazura (the Wigs) and Tokoyama (hair stylists) create wigs and put the hair up, including putting in hair accessories. Copper and aluminium are used for the base of the wig, then, plaited hair is sewn onto the base. It seems that every hair style and hair accessory reflects the interpretation and style to suit the age of the doll.

The costume room is crammed with a lot of piled-up costumes. There are only two differences in the costumes for the dolls compared to human’s costumes. They have openings in the back so that the puppeteer can insert his hands, and they are also smaller than life-size costumes. Isho-gakari (costumer) creates the costumes right from the dyeing to the sewing; every stitch is made by hand. Up to 70-80 dolls appear on stage in one performance. Isho-gakari makes some alterations to the costumes such as putting some cotton into the costume for more volume. They also prepare a serious of vanity items such as Obi (sash) and Obijime (obi band).

From the scenery to the art of the costume, they devote a great deal of time and care to the performance. Everything involves special art and technique!

Osaka / National Bunraku Theater

• 1-12-10, Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka
• Tel.: 06-6212-2531
• Total number of seats: 753
• http://www.ntj.jac.go.jp/english/index.html (English)
• http://www.ntj.jac.go.jp (Japanese)

Photo by Yuji Tozawa

*Tokyo Anime Center will be closed from 11th January 2011 due to renovation.

It is the new landmark in Akihabara, a holy site of animation that is also popular among foreign tourists.　It is a place where you can get the latest information on commercial animation. It is included in Akihabaras new discovery tour and/or various sightseeing tours for foreign tourists organized by companies as JTB, Hato Bus and HIS, so many foreign pop-culture lovers, love to visit this place. Among its 34,000 annual visitors, about 10 % are foreign tourists, reflecting the high popularity of Japanese animation abroad. In addition to its regular and special exhibition corner, large size versions of promotion images of works by production companies such as “Toei Animation” and “Studio Pierrot” are shown on the screen in the annex of the center. There is also a variety of character goods, including world popular animations such as “NARUTO” and “BREACH” available. Also, as a unique experience available in this special site, you can try the postrecording of animation work. This experience takes place in a studio which is used by the voice-over actors, producing the Animation Centre’s internet radio.　This postrecording experience completed with the help of several staff, is a valuable attraction that you can not experience in other places. You will do the voice-over while watching the animation on TV. Provided with the script, you may find that it takes a lot of doing. The length of the script is about 90 sec. to 150 sec. but you may need about one hour for a briefing, 2-3 rehearsals and actual postrecording.　Yet, it is said that only a very few people can do well on the first take. There are 5 microphones in the studio; therefore a maximum of 5 people can be dubbed at the same time. However, only one microphone is used for professional jobs. It is surprising that several voice-over actors share the microphone changing their standing positions during the act.

• Address: Akihabara UDX 4F, 4-14-1, Sotokanda, Chiyodaku (2 minutes walk from JR Akihabara station)
• Tel.:　03-5298-1188
• Opening hours:　11:00-19:00
• Closing date: Monday (except Summer holiday season)
• Entrance Fee　Free of charge

Post recording trial experience

Basically available on Sat., Sun., and holidays. Application is accepted at first-come and first-served basis on that day (start at 11:45) Experience only 1000 yen, experience with a commemorative DVD that contains scenes of your postrecording session and the finished animation work with your voice-over, 1800 yen

Photo by : Nozomi Takahashi

The shop has the best range of character goods in Akihabara. While many stores connect to the eaves, it has a cheerful and open atmosphere. Even for Akiba beginners, it is easy and comfortable to enter the shop, thus many foreign tourists and students on school trips visit the shop.

• Address:　Akihabara Radio Kaikan 1F & 2F, 1-15-16,Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo（1 minute walk from Denkigai exit of JR Akihabara station）
• Tel.:　03-5298-6300
• Open hours:　10:00-20:00
• Closing day　None
• http://www.kotobukiya.co.jp/kotobukiya/index.shtml

Ghibli and Shonen Jump-related goods

Variety of Ghibli and Shonen Jump-related goods which are popular among foreign people.

Food

There are foods in “Moekei” packages only available at the store.

Rice

Environment preservation rice of “Sengoku BASARA” produced through collaboration with Miyagi prefecture. This topic was also reported in the news.

USB-related goods

USB joke-goods with no memory function. Unexpectedly popular with many people is a dog which has swaying hips and a chameleon which has spinning eyes.

A shop in 2nd floor

Get fully-fledged authentic figures here, too!

The figures and plastic models, specialized corner is on the 2nd floor and is just like a museum. It exhibits various pre-sale sample products as well as in-line products. It is great for silently and closely looking at the special world of models.