Archive for 'Saitama' Category

“Hatsu-uri”(the first sale) at Washimiya Shrine

The “Hatsu-uri”(the first sale of the year) of manga, anime related items was hosted at Washimiya Shrine in Kuki city Saitama Dec.31,2014 -Jan.3,2015. (http://www.wasimiya.org/hatsu/)

That Shinto shrine is well known as a setting of  a popular manga work “Raki-suta”(/LUCKY STAR) and relating items were sold. Special fortune-telling lotteries of the shrine featuring Raki-suta were available. Some other work’s related things were there as well. Local cafes and establishments provided special services for customers in style of collaboration with the first sale market of the subculture art works.   As a destination of “hatsu-mode”(the first visit to a Shinto shrine or a Buddhist temple of the year), that shrine is also quite popular and more than 500,000 people visited there on the new year’s holidays.

Washi, Japanese-style paper recommended intangible cultural heritage

Agency for Cultural Affairs  anounced washi(Japanese-style paper) and its traditional manual making techniques were recommended as a World Intangible Cutural Heritage by the affiliated organization to UNESCO on this 28th.(http://www.bunka.go.jp/english/index.html)

 

There has been no case that recommended item be turned down at the official process of UNESCO ,and  washi and related techniques are highly expected to be listed on the heritages of UNESCO at the coming inter-governmental committee  at  the headquarters in Paris on the Nov.24th.

The handmade washi and its culture are traditional items since the 8th century and there have been some different schools and approaches. This time three schools of  Sekishu-banshi from Hamada City in Shimane Pref., Honmino-shi from Mino City in Gifu Pref., and Hosokawa-shi from Ogawa Town and Higashi-chichibu Village in Saitama Pref.  have been recommended. Sekishu-banshi was registered as a heritage in 2009 but Honmino-shi was not because it was regarded  quite similar to Sekishu-shi method, Therefore, this time all of the three were re-applied as “washi” as a whole.  The mayor and civil- servants of Ogawa Town expressed their joy in jumping  upon receiving the notice of the recommendation.

Visit Japan Travel Mart and JATA Toursim EXPO Japan 2014

Two huge international travel marts were held at Tokyo Bigsight in Tokyo. One was “Visit Japan Travel Mart 2014″(Sep.24-26)(http://www.vjtm.jp/) and the other was “JATA Toursim EXPO Japan2014″(Sep.25-28)(http://t-expo.jp/en/index.html).  

More than 310 foriegn buyers and about 390 Japanese sellers joined VJTM2014 and had passionate exchanges of information and ideas and hosted busines seccions.  Buyers from Asian countries were especially a lot and about the half of the Japanese sellers were municipalities or relating associations of such local governments.

On the other hand,  a lot of domestic and foreign sellers and buysers joined  JATA Tourism EXPO Japan 2014. Such participants were embassies, tourism bureaus, travel agents, food companies, municipalities, railroads, airlines, hotels. universities, guide associations and so forth.  The main targets were end users of travel services and a lot of  lay Japanese people visited there and the total number was 157,589.  Upon the opening of the event, an ward ceremony  of  good  services and efforts of related promotions was hosted and the Best Tourism Award was given to The Tourism Authority of Thailand and Embassy awards were for  Thailand and Mexico, the best transporatation award was for Japan Railways East, the domestic inbound award was for  the tourism department of Tokyo Metropolis, the publicity award was for a TV show of CXTV, and the chairperson special award was for Okinawa Convention Bureau. (http://t-expo.jp/en/program/cms.html)   I personally visited the two big events and collected a lot of interesting information and exchanged ideas with the participants, some of whom were my friends or those I sometimes work with. I enjoyed the delicious food provided by tourism- related restaurants and local specialities and impressed by the greatly enthusiastic atmosphere of energies of the expos as well.

Pacific saury festivals, donations for the 3.11 tsunami sufferers

In the  latter Septemeber,  “pacific saury festivals”(/Sanma matsuri) are held in a lot of areas nationwide.   For example,6000 sauries were supplied for one of those festivals hosted in Tokyo  near  Tokyo Sky Tree from  Oofunado city in Iwate pref. which is one of the damaged areas of 3.11 tsunami disaster in 2011.  In addition,  such a festival was held in Niiza City which received gifts of about 6,400  sauries from Ishinomaki City in Miyagi pref. which was one of the major damaged areas and is rebuilding its industry rapidly. A lot of people visited the festival and enjoyed the delicious sauries with a lot of fat in season. The facilitators also hosted charity raising and a lot of visitors there donated money which would be used for rebuilding and saving the victims  of the tragedy.   Sanma (pacific sauries) are quite popular food in Japan especially in autumn when they become ripe for the taking with a lot of fat.

 

Exhibition of “The Life of Jiro Horikoshi”

A special exhibition of “The Life of Jiro Horikoshi” is being held at the Tokorozawa Aviation Museum ,which I wrote about in my last post here, Jun.22-Sep.1. (http://tam-web.jsf.or.jp/spevent/horikoshi.html)

Jiro Horikoshi(堀越二郎) was the designer of  the Zero Fighters, which I introduced a related event in my last post here.  Horikoshi was also the model of the main character of  “The Wind is Rising”(/風立ちぬ, Kazetachinu), the newest animation work of Studio Ghibli that is currently run at movie theaters,which I introduced in my previous post here.

a real Zero Fighter on dispaly

A real Zero Fighter’s  special event of activating engines and  taxing being held on Aug. 28-31 at  Tokorozawa Aviation Museum in Saitama.(http://tam-web.jsf.or.jp/spevent/schedule.html)

This event is a special one as commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the museum and the fighter which had been captured during WW2 in Saipan by US was borrowed out from a museum in California US for the event.

 

Sadako threw the first ball

“Sadako”, the evil ghost  character of a popular horror series of “Ring” threw the first ball at the opening ceremony of the baseball game of Seibu Lions vs Fukuoka Softbank Hawks at Seibu Dome on Aug. 24th.  This was a part of  promotion of  “Sadako 3D 2”,the newest movie of the “Ring” series which was to be released on Aug. 30.    Sadako appeared and threw a ball with some “petty Sadako”.  Her ball speed was 103 km/h and Sadako was taken away on a strecher as planned.

 

Gundam’s Zeon Empire Forms Sister State Alliance with Saitama

The Japanese prefecture of Saitama announced on Friday that it would become sister states with the fictional Principality of Zeon from the Mobile Suit Gundam anime.

Prefectural assemblyperson Takumi Tamura explained the alliance in the assembly’s special budget committee, saying that Saitama agreed to it in hopes of gaining interest from tourists. “I think there’s plenty of worth in trying it out,” he said.

There were men in their 60s who attended the meeting and were baffled at the agreement with the Principality of Zeon, as they had no idea what it was.

The designer of Gundam. Yoshiyuki Tomino, has been living in Niiza, Saitama for over 30 years.

John Lennon Museum might close in 2010

Museum Taisei is considering closing the John Lennon Museum (ジョン・レノン・ミュージアム) in October 2010 when its contract with his widow, Yoko Ono, on the exhibit expires. Read the rest of this entry »

Space Battleship Yamato X Aeon Lake Town

The Aeon Lake Town shopping center is displaying a five-meter-long scale model of the title spaceship from the Space Battleship Yamato space opera anime.

The model promotes the sale of 34 limited-edition Yamato items of clothing, including underpants, jackets, caps, shirts, and socks. Read the rest of this entry »

Burberry Blue Label Saitama Kawagoe Maruhiro

Burberry Blue Label Saitama Kawagoe Maruhiro
バーバリーブルーレーベル丸広百貨店川越店
At Maruhiro Kawagoe store, 2-6-1, Shintomi-cho, Kawagoe-shi, Saitama
049-227-5177
Ladies
MAP:Burberry Blue Label Saitama Kawagoe Maruhiro Read the rest of this entry »

Burberry Blue Label Saitama Omiya Sogo

Burberry Blue Label Saitama Omiya Sogo
バーバリーブルーレーベルそごう大宮店
At Sogo Omiya store, 1-6-2, Sakuragicho, Omiya-ku, Saitama
048-640-5950
Ladies
MAP:Burberry Blue Label Saitama Omiya Sogo Read the rest of this entry »

Burberry Blue Label Saitama Urawa Isetan

Burberry Blue Label Saitama Urawa Isetan
バーバリーブルーレーベル伊勢丹浦和店
At Isetan Urawa store, 1-15-1, Takasago, Urawa-ku, Saitama
048-834-1703
Ladies
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Mitsui Outlet Park Iruma

Mitsui Outlet Park Iruma
三井アウトレットパーク 入間

3169-1, Miyadera, Iruma-shi, Saitama 358-8515

04-2935-1616

http://www.31op.com/iruma/

Since2008

LaLaport Co., Ltd.

MITSUI OUTLET PARK Iruma is the seventh facility in Mitsui Fudosan’s Outlet Park series, and the first foray into Saitama Prefecture.
This 89,000-square meter facility boasts 204 stores, making it their largest Outlet Park to date. Read the rest of this entry »