Shimoda Geisha
Many people don’t realize that there are geisha alive and working in Japan. Other people assume that the only place to spot a geisha is in the Gion district of Kyoto. However, although the number of practicing geisha have dwindled, there continue to be a number of women studying the geisha arts and going on […]
Saiko Taiko
Yesterday, Matsuzaki held its 12th annual Taiko Festival. It was awesome! (or “saiko” pronounced psycho in Japanese) 4 taiko groups, 2 dancing dragons, a bamboos flute, smashing symbols and gongs were accompanied by torches of fire, candles in bamboo holders, and the sound of waves lapping on the beach. When the sun disappeared under the […]
Hanabi in Yumi-ga-hama
Last night we filled the van with guests and drove to the west coast to see the sunset. It was kinda cloudy so besides some stunning views of Izu’s rocky west coast, there wasn’t much to see. After that we headed to the southern most tip of the peninsula for fireworks in Yumi-ga-hama. Fireworks exploded […]
Flower Picking!
Every year in Matsuzaki (west coast of Izu) wild flowers are grown in rice paddies before the rice seedlings are planted. Once the May flowers bloom everyone is invited to pick as many flowers as they can. I cut and collected as many flowers as I could carry. Next year though, I will be more […]