Yoliver's travels : Japanese Life: Living a fairytale dream!!!!

It looks like I'm in a dream every day when I wake up. Today was one of that days.

This morning I took my breakfast while I watched a program on TV. I think it's a new version of Power Rangers TV show or similar. After that I cleaned the apartment, organized the reclined garbage for tomorrow and ready for Ninja Village!!!

An amazing Japanese couple pick me up with their car and we go to Noboribetsu.

Edo Trip is starting!!! I upload some pictures that will be interesting for those who want to know a bit more of Edo Period in Japan. Also you will find some private pics that I'm sharing with family and friends in the same place. I hope you enjoy it that small trip through my pics. ;)

Present for the trip: Cold Tea with clothes. ;)

In our way- Famous Demon (Akuma)

Noboribetsu Date Jadaimura

Date Jidairuma - Main Gate

Ninja Village - Main Gate

Some famous actors - samurai movies

Ninja's "Hardware"

Fire Watchtower

Matsuga Pond

NAGAYA
It is said that 70% of the Edo townspeople lived in apartment houses like this.
There was a kitchen right next to each door and a living space was only a 4.5 mat size room.

HORIMONO-SHI (Engraver or Tattoo artist)
Tattoo art was in fashion among Edo ordinary people.
They thought a great deal of "Yasegaman" (fake stoicism),
and would show their spirit through putting up with pain to win an artist tattoo.
Those who worked in a half-naked stuyle-firemen and steeplejacks etc.
- even thought it was a shame to have no tattoo on their skins.
This man seems to be an engraver of Ukriyoe art,
but he was tattooing the visitor's back as a side business.

RONIN (Masterless Samurai)

Ronin means Samurari who lost their jobs and residences

as a result of desturction or restructuring of their master's

house. So they would live in Nagaya as same as

townspeople, doing piecework at home or teaching at

Terakoya (temple school for children).

This ronin is making a Japanses umbreslla, pasting the

bamboo framework with paper, which was one of the most

popular piecework in Edo.

SHAMISEN-SHISHO (SHAMISEN INSTRUCTOR)
With maturation of society in Edo, enjoying hobbies and
lessons were in fashion among the ordinary people. Girls in
Particular took various lessons to meet wishes of their
parents for a happy marriage.
Learning Shamisen (one of the Japanese instruments) was
very popular and any district of Edo town had several
private schools. Most of them were the instructors' homes,
and there were quite a few male who took a lesson in order
to see their beautiful female instructor.

KANPO-URI (Pharmacist)
"Kanpo", the knowledge of herbal medicine which was
imported from China and evolved in Japan, was at its peak
in Edo period. Those days a doctor was equal to a kanpo
pharmacist, and his job was to mix herbs and make the best medicine for his patient.
This pharmacist is milling herbs with a druggist's mortar "Yagen".

SAKANA-YA (Fishmonger)
In the Edo period, commercialization advanced rapidly
and merchant streets where big stores linked the eaves
were crowded with people. In other hand, peddlers who
carried items on a pole like this also dis their business actively.
In those days, people had to buy foods for each mealtime
because of living without refrigerator. That's why it was very helpful for them
that peddlers came to their neighborhood to sell the fresh foods and goods.

Toilet in Edo's Period

O-nyanko Cat Temple

Walking around Date Jadaimura

Delicious Ramen - Main dish in Hokkaido.

The Ninja Show

The Oiran Show

What is the Oiran? She is the top-ranked courtesan at Yoshiwara, the official red-light district.

It’s believed that there were several thousands of courtesans at the golden age, but only a few of them could be “oiran”, who has excellence at arts and cultures not only at their beauty. “Oiran Docyu”, a procession of an oiran and her attendants, was a good and rare opportunity for the common people to see her who was beyond their reach.

(Oiran Definition: http://edo-trip.jp/lng_english/)