| April, the month when Ron visited
Japan, is the month of the cherry blossom, or “Hana-Mi” in
Japanese. One popular way to celebrate it is in picnics under the
blooming trees, with a lot of Sake and Sushi, like this one in Ueno
park, Tokyo.
|
 |
 |
April
is also a month full of traditional festivals, like this one in Hida-Furukawa,
in which the main event is a nightly parade of huge drums, carried
over wagons across the town. In the next morning, there is a parade of
children wearing traditional costumes.
|
| Another festival takes place in April
in the Miya-Jima island near Hiroshima, which is considered by
Japanese as one of their country’s three most beautiful places. This
festival includes a Buddhist fire-walking ceremony, which
is open to everyone.
|
 |
 |
There are some ancient wooden buildings in
Japan, which survived the earthquakes and the bombings of the Second World War.
The most impressive one is Himeji-jo castle, west of Osaka, which was
built in the 16th century.
|
|
…
And we should not forget the many temples, both Shinto and
Buddhist. Some of the most beautiful ones are in Kyoto, like Kinkaku-ji,
“The Golden Temple”, all coated with pure gold, and reflected in
the nearby pond.
|
 |
 |
Japan is famous for its high costs,
but nothing can beat the astronomic prices of fruit in this
country, which are of the highest quality, and being sold in elegant
packs. How about a deal of two melons for 20,000 Yen ( about 160 US$)
?
|
