I have never climbed Mt. Fuji; I have only seen it from afar. I heard that the experience of climbing the mountain is quite exhilarating. When I was researching divination in Japan I came across an article explaining omens¹. And in a footnote to the article, which referenced a separate book on folklore², was a sampling of the different cloud formations on Mt. Fuji with their respective weather conditions. Continue reading
民俗学
How to fix a roof
Re-thatching a roof: Community work 屋根葺き:共同作業
The characterization of shop owners 店長のキャラクター化
We can find several shops where the owners have made their own likeness into mascot-like characters. Here are two examples from Osaka. One for a shop for a ramen shop, the other for a shop that specializes in “vitality” drinks.
How to fix a roof
Re-thatching a roof: Community work 屋根葺き:共同作業
Roadside community map 地区案内図
The quiet of a fishing village 漁村の静けさ
Hedge car 珍百景の車
On route to the school entrance ceremony 入学式へ
Warmth of the sun on a winter day 日ざしに暖かさが感じられる
Fire truck greets the New Year 正月を迎える消防車
Questionnaire: Afterlife 大学生に対するアンケート(死後の存在について)
Question: When a person dies what sort of being does he/she become? (Respondents allowed to choose multiple answers)
# of respondents / % / response
13 (40.6%) Becomes nothing Continue reading
Dousing the Evil Flame 米川の水かぶり
On January 12, 2017, I was witness to the Mizukaburi Festival of Yonekawa (米川の水かぶり) in the City of Tome, Miyagi prefecture. This is an annual festival which is said to be over 800 years old. Continue reading
Snowingenuity 雪遊び発明の才
Article: The Curse of the Fugitive Samurai 論文:落人の祟り
Below is an excerpt from my article The Curse of the Fugitive Samurai: A Look at Social Stratification and Conflict in Rural Japan (for details see Publications 研究業績)
Introduction
The inhabitants of the inland village of Kogata situated in Japan’s Tōhoku region have for generations on end fought famine, flood, and fire in a climate that is widely-known as being less than hospitable. Their community along with its arable land is largely found wedged between thickly forested mountainous terrains. Continue reading
Signs that winter is now upon us 冬の兆し
Truck Art デコトラ
The truck is king of the road in Japan. And there is a special breed of truck that is both distinctively fearsome, yet elegant: kind of like Las Vegas on wheels. These trucks are called decotora, which is a melded abbreviation of the words “decorated” and “truck”. Decotora can be seen all throughout Japan though it is said that the original decotora was driven by a trucker from Aomori prefecture. Continue reading