Time To Go

Hi everyone! Ok, so the big news!

I couldn't think of a clever way to hint at it so I'm just going to say it...I'M MOVING!!!

I really can't believe it myself but as much as I adore this city...this seemed like the perfect time for a change. So after living in Tokorozawa for 7 years with my family, then another 4 years on my own...I'm moving into the city. And when I say "city," I mean "THE CITY" as in Japan's capital...Tokyo Metropolis!!!

I'm super excited, if you couldn't tell by all the exclamation marks! The move is in a couple of weeks so I've got a whole lot of packing to do...so I'm going to take a break from blogging for a bit. But I'm hoping to start another blog so I can learn and explore more about my new city and share it with you!

This will be my last post on Tokorozawa Daily Photo. I had a great time starting this blog and being a member of the CDP community. And through that I got to meet SO many interesting fellow bloggers who posted wonderful photos of places all around the world, which I've enjoyed immensely!

So I'd just like to say a big ole "Thank you!" to everyone...I'll see you soon!

Much Love,

Kaori

Reaching Out

I really liked how the shadow of the trees spread out across the ground. It was a nice sunny day. Perfect for taking photos!

Anyways, my posts have been kind of sporadic lately...things have been kind of hectic! It's amazing how short 24 hours can be sometimes. But I've also got big news coming up...will let you know soon!

Ready for Spring

It's sunny and colder than ever! They keep on saying "today is the coldest day this winter," every single day and the temperature keeps on dropping...maybe they should say something along the lines of "it's cold but it will probably get colder tomorrow" so I won't expect it to be warmer the next day!

But it seems the plants around Tokorozawa are ready for spring. Are those new shoots...or is this just wishful thinking?


Take a look at more beautiful skies all around the world here.

Second Try

This is a photo of Arahata Fujizuka, the man-made mountain. I was there again (previous post) in hopes to see Mt. Fuji from the top.

But although it was a great day and we could actually see it slightly with our eyes...my camera couldn't catch it. I really wished I could of shown how it was looming quietly above the trees.

Since I couldn't catch Mt. Fuji on my camera, I'm also including the picture of Mt. Fuji drawn on the sign at the top of Arahata Fujizuka. It shows that Mt. Fuji is 3776.3 meters tall.

Better luck next time...

Pray and Bow

There were a group of kids gathered in front of Asama Shrine the other day.

From their matching uniforms, I'd guess they're a part of a local soccer team. The kids were all very energetic and calling out to each other to hurry up and fall in line!

When they were all in a row, several of the kids shook the rope connected to the bell and after ringing it a few times, fell back into the line. And after a "Say-no (せいの)!" call from their coach, they all said a big "Kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegai shima su (今年もよろしくお願いします)!!!" This means something like "please let this be a good year," a prayer to the gods, and can also be used as a greeting when we meet people at the start of the year.

Oh, and of course, the kids bowed after that to seal their wish!

Who's the Weaver?

Look at this spider's web I found on the side of a building! Actually I'm not really sure it's a spider's web...but it's someone's web.

It looked very pretty in the sun.

Arahata Fujizuka 2

Continuing on from yesterday's post...we are climbing up Arahata Fujizuka, a man-made miniature replica of Mt. Fuji in Tokorozawa.

Arahata Fujizuka was created during the Meiji Era by the community of people living in Arahata as a way to come together as one. This 10-meter (approx. 33 feet) fujizuka was completed in 1899 and opened with a festival on July 1st, which is still currently the day that Mt. Fuji opens its climbing season. 

On June 27, 1969, Arahata Fujizuka became Tokorozawa city's designated cultural asset. It is still a popular place for people who live near the area or people like me, who are just curious to see this historical place.

We left off at the fifth station yesterday.

If you've ever toured Mt. Fuji, you'll know that you can take a bus or drive your car up to the fifth station. I've done this a couple of times and enjoyed the view from the fifth station. And as I said yesterday, you can start your climb from the first station, but most climbers tend to start their journey to the top of Mt. Fuji from here. I think it takes about 5-7 hours depending on how fast you are. But because this is a fujizuka, it doesn't even take 5-7 minutes to get to the top. Thank goodness!

So on with the journey...the photo above is the sixth station marker "Roku-go-me (六合目)."

The path is really narrow with only space for one person. But this fujizuka has steps that are clear of weeds and still very sturdy. This may be due to the Arahata Fuji Preservation Society, who come to repair or clean and patrol the area often.

Next, the seventh station marker "Nana-go-me (七合目)."

Closing in to the top, the eighth station marker "Hachi-go-me (八合目)."



Almost to the top, the ninth station marker "Kyu-go-me (九合目)."

And here we are at the top. There is a small Asama Shrine and a 360 view of the surrounding area. I couldn't get the whole view, but you can see a panorama view below.

It was a bit cloudy when I took this photo. But when the sky is clear you can actually see Mt. Fuji from here, as most fujizuka's were made in places with a view of what the Asama Fuji religion considered sacred.

Arahata Fujizuka almost lost this view in 1923 when the Great Kanto Earthquake hit, and the section above the eighth station collapsed. But just as it was made, the community got together again to rebuild.

I really like how this Arahata Fujizuka is not only treasured because of its historic importance but also because of the community that surrounds it. I think I'll go again in the winter when the sky is more likely to be clear and maybe get to see Mt. Fuji like the people used to in the old days!

Thank you to everyone who took the time to read all this! And an even bigger thank you to all who commented! I had a lot of fun writing about fujizuka's and learned a lot, too!

I hope you'll take a look at more beautiful skies all around the world here.



And also go see the view from the real Mt. Fuji in Toshi's blog here!

Arahata Fujizuka

This is the entrance to Arahata Fujizuka.

(And let me warn you right now that this is a pretty long post...you don't have to read all of it!)

A fujizuka (富士塚) is a smaller replica of our famous Mt. Fuji. As you can see the top of this fujizuka right above the torii, they are not very high. Usually they are man-made hills, sometimes made from rocks actually brought from Mt. Fuji. There is said to be over 500 fujizuka's in the kanto area.

The reason these fujizuka's were made has to do with Japan's religion, Shinto, in particular the Fuji Asama (富士浅間信仰) religion which centers around the worship of Mt. Fuji. One of their main practices would be to climb up Mt. Fuji and worship. But because not very many people were able to climb it in the Edo era, both health wise and money wise, and also because women were not allowed to enter Mt. Fuji, they decided to build a fujizuka where everyone could come and pray. 

If you've ever had a chance to climb Mt. Fuji, you'll know that there are 10 stations from the foot of the mountain to the very top. And although a fujizuka is not very high, the path is made exactly like the one at Mt. Fuji and a marker is placed at every station.

The marker in the photo above says "Ichi-go-me (一合目)," which means "First Station."

I know it will make for a very long post...but I've taken a photo of each marker, just in case there's someone out there who's crazy enough to want to see them all :-)

So here we go...onto the next!

The second station marker, "Ni-go-me (二合目)."

You can see from the photo of the stairs that there are only about 10 steps from the first station. Some you can already see from the previous station, which was kind of funny. If you were to climb Mt. Fuji from the first station, it would take about 15 hours, depending on your pace.

This is the third station marker, "San-go-me (三合目)."

Fourth Station Marker, "Yon-go-me (四合目)."

This one was really hiding behind the shrubbery. They are quite small and sometimes you miss them.

This is the view looking down from the fourth station. It's a pretty steep climb.

And here's the last one for today, the fifth station marker, "Go-go-me (五合目)."

Tomorrow I'll take you to the top with a little more information on this particular fujizuka!

If any of you are interesting in Mt. Fuji, you can go see gorgeous (and I mean really really gorgeous!) photos posted by my friend Toshi on his blog here! He actually climbed to the top of Mt. Fuji this summer!



I Saw the Sign

I don't know how many times I sang along with that Ace of Base song with my best friends in grade school, but I heard it again at a tennis tournament the other day and have not been able to get the song out of my head!

Anyways, this is a sign on a corner of a road that leads to Shimo Yamaguchi Station on the left and the community woods to the right. It also leads to Arahata Fuji, a miniature mountain of sorts, which I'll post about tomorrow!

...I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes, I saw the sign...

Golf Green

This is the Seibu-en Golf Course.

Golf is all the rage here in Japan these days. I don't play golf because if I can't hit a tennis ball with a racket that big, I doubt I'm going to be able to swing a thin club and hit a teeny tiny white ball. On top of that, I'm liable to end up hitting someone at some point during the swing and I'm not looking to get sued.

So I stay away from golf. But I do love the golf course with the nicely trimmed grass...we rarely see this much grass in the same place around here.

She's a Brick House

Well, she's not really a brick house. Just the entrance area. But it caught my eye the other day because it stood out against all the surrounding Japanese style houses.

I like brick. What about you?

(PS: Thank you for all the comments! I'm back on my feet, with a wad of tissue and coughdrops in my hand ;D)

Hello Autumn

The breeze already has a bite to it. It's definitely autumn here.