Hello \(^-^)/ Nice to meet you(>-<) Let me introduce myself. My name is Hitomi Ohira I'm from japan. I was born in Yamamoto City, Kagawa Prefecture,on June 19, 1984.
I am a first year student at Kagawa Junior College. My major is Nutrition.
My hobbies are listening to music, reading book
My home page address is http://www.geocities.co.jp/CollegeLife-Labo/4001/2004/403007.html
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English-Japanese Vocabulary Quizzes
Visithing or living in Shikoku is something special, for this is island has always been the spiritual sanctuary of the Japanese people. No other place in Japan has been visited by so many generations of people from all over the country.
They have often spent more than 60 days walking along whole circuit of the eighty-eight temples that compose the longest, oldest and most popular pilgrimage in Japan.
Even those who have arrived here in weariness of life, in unhappiness or weak health, have usually left the island with a lighter heart, more enlightened, and in many cases in improved health.
This pilgeimage circling the island is nationally known as O-Shikoku-san, showing that "Dear old Shikoku Pilgrimage" is synonymous with this island and provides sanctury to the soul of Japan. The scenes along the Shikoku Pilgrimage correspond well to what Shikoku offers-the Seto Inland Sea, the Uwa-kai Sea, the Pacifik Ocean, the green mountains that crown a large part of the island, cosy little towns and middle-sized cities that fringe the coasts.
Its climate is mind; the seas are bountiful ; the land is fertile. Naturally local people have been content with theire blessed island, even if it has remeained underdaveloped since the 8th century. Until then the northern coast of Shikoku was among the first areas to enjoy civilization in Japan, as proved by so many archaeological findings.
Remote as it was for many centuries, however, Shikoku did not stand aloof but observed movements on the Inland Sea as an artery of Japan's cultural, political and economic development. On the other hand, Shikoku's unique attractions such as the Shikoku Pilgrimage, Kompira worship and the Dogo Onsen Hot Spring spa have always drawn a large number of people from the capitals and other parts of the main island of Honshu and neighboring Kyushu.
Naturally those visitors brought something new with them each time, just as refugees and exiles from the capitals added color to the island's history. They were welcomed and sometimes the culture they brought here was carefully preserved or developed even long after being forgotten in its homeland-language, festivals, arts and techniques. These culuaral assets now peculiar to Shikoku have added another dimension rewarding travelers to this island.
A new type of attraction in Shikoku is the fruit of modern technology that the waves of development have finally brought here in the 1980's and 90's - the colossal bridges connecting Shikoku with the main island, pleasure resorts, theme parks, museums, skyline drives and relativery inexpensive golfcourse. So the charm of Shikoku can rightly be called an exquisite coexistence of tradition and modernity, nature and art.
Last but not least is a spiritual climate of Shikoku that has produced
Takamatsu is the capital of Kagawa Prefecuture, which has traditionally been called the gateway to Shikoku, with the whole land of the prefecture jutting out into the Seto Inland Sea like a porch.
JR Takamatsu Station next to Takamatsu Harbor is the terminal of the Kotoku Line for Tokusima Pref., the Yosan Line for Ehime Pref. and the Dosan Line for Kochi Pref., while serving as the bus terminal to Tokusima, Matsuyama and Kochi City. Takamatsu Chikko just opposite JR station is the terminal of Kotoden trams to and from Kotohira, the seat of 'Kompira-san.'
The New Takamatsu Airport handles non-stop flights to and from Seoul, Korea.
Another place in Takamatusu appropriate as a gateway to Shikoku is the Takamatsu Heike Monogatari Historit only the famous historical literature called Heike Monogatari but also about 50 great historical figures closely associated wish Shikoku or native to Shikoku.
Takamatsu became the capital in 1587 with the advent of Lord Ikoma I as governor of Sanuki Province. The castal he built on the harbor was succeeded by 4 generations of his descendants , and then by 11 generations of Matsudaira lords, govering Takamatsu Province with a fiet of 120,000 koku.
One ninth of the former castle ground is preserved as Tamamo Koen Park Κφ across the from JR Takamatsu Station.
The donjon is gone, but two of the 15 turres and Mizute Gomon Gate from the 17th century (Important Cultural Properties) survived the air raid in 1945. Admission: \100.
Traditionally the popular sightseeing spots in Takamatsu are Ritsurin Koen Park near downtown and Yashima Plateau overlooking the city and the Inland Sea. They are accessible by bus or tram, with terminals at Takamatsu Chikko Όz` just opposite JR Station.
30 minutes' walk from JR Takamatsu Station.
@The busy street in front of JR takamatsu is the main street of downtown Takamatsu, and leads to the main gate to Ritsurin Koen Park, a National Special Scenic Spot. This spacious garden laid out with shapely mounds,cool pondos and abut 160 varieties of trees and flowers provides a classic example of a Japanese garden or even a Chinese Taoist paradise fit for meditation.
Originally it belonged to a local warlord, and then to Lord Ikoma. When it was transferred to the Matsudairas, they spent five generations developing it into a larger stroll-type garden for their villa. Seasonal charms of fiowers and blossoms such as ume (Japanese plum blossoms) in February, camellias in March,cherry blossoms in April, wisteria and azaleas in May, Irises and water lilies in Juen, sight lotuses in August, and Japanese busu clover in September, and brilliant maple leaves in November add to the pleasure of strolling.
Bus: 30 minutes' ride from Chikko to the termin (Kotoden Bus for Yashima-sanjo or Yashima Hilltop).
Tram + Cable: 30 minutes' tram ride from Chikko to Yasima(Shido-sen Line) + 5 minutes'cable-car ride.
Yashima, a pine-wooded tableland to the northeast of downtown Takamatsu, is one of the world's rare lave mesas' about 290 m high, 3km wide, jutting 5km out into the sea.
The hilltop' overlooking the archipelago of the Iniand Sea, features Yashima-ji (No.84) an aquarium and observatories all linked by forest promenades.
One of the observatories, Dankorei commands a view of the inlet fringed with memorials to the Gempei Yashima Battle (the second last battle in Gempei War fought between the two rival clans, the Minamotos and the Tairas).
Once a British poet, Edmund Blunden, visited Yashima and wrote a poem that was engraved on a stone here at Dankorei observatory:
Very few Japanese visit Yashima without being reminded of an episode shown in the picture abobe:
It was on the afternoon of February 19, 1185, that Minamoto no Yoshitsune mounted another surprise attack against the Tairas at the then Yashima Island. Frightened by the imagined immensity of enemy forces, the Tairas jumped into their boats and sailed off. A fierce battle lasted for hours.
Now the sun was setting. Both sides began to retreat, when a faire vessel parted from the Taira legions and stopped about 80 m from the beach. Then a beautiful lady appeared from the cabin, produced a pole with a bright red fan on its top and beckoned to the puzzled warriors on the shore.
"What does she mean?" said Yoshitsune.
"Perhaps she is inviting one of us to shoot the fan. Or she may be inviting you to come out onto the front line for her archers"said his attendant.
"Then let it be shot down by someone," said Yoshitsune.
Soon a young man called Nasu no Yoichi appeared on horseback with bow and arrow in his hands. The north wind was strong. The boat was tossing up and down. The fan painted with the golden sun at its center was fluttering on the pole.
All the Tairas in the boats and all the Minamotos on the shore were watching Yoichi. What would he do? Would he succeed?
Yoichi rode into the water as far as he could. But it was still about 70 m to the tareget. He closed his eyes and prayed. Then the wind feel for a moment. He shot. The arrow pierced through a little above the rivet. The fan, flying up a moment or two, came floating down, gittering in the setting sun. There was great applause from both sides.
Then a man in armor appeared in the same boat. He began to dance an elegant dance perhaps in genuine appreciation of Yoichi's archery. Then Yoichi got another order and shot down the dancing man, too. Some said, "Good shot !" But others said, "Not fair."
The Tairas were silent this time. Was it a precursor of their demise? Two months laiter, the Tairas finally fell.
3 minutes' walk after leaving the bus at Toshogu-mae(Kotoden Bus: Yashima-sanjo©¨Toshogu-mae©¨Chikko)
3 minutes'walk from the cable-car station.
This is an open-air museum laid out at the foot of Yashima Plateau. About 20 old rural buildings from various parts of Shikoku have been reassembled here, including a Farmers' Kabuki Theater, peasants'houses, a fisherman's house, a sugar mill, a shed for steaming mulberry bark to make paper, and workshops for making soy sauce and so on. There is a reprica of Kazura-bashi from Nishi Iyayama-son, too.
On may 5, people incruding children from Shodoshima Island, from which the Kabuki Theater came here, stage an annual performance of their traditional farmers' kabuki.
3 minutes'
walk from Nihon Tabako-mae Bus Stop after 10 minutes' ride from
JR Takamatsh.
30 minutes' walk from JR Takamatsu Stasion.
Japan's largest wax doll museum. The first floor is dedicated to the 41 dools of historical figueres or modern men and women of celebrity who have been closely associated with Shikoku.
The one of Kobo Daishi in his nyujo has its own corner as a special exhibition.
The other dolls include:
The second fioor exhibits about 300 dolls portraying the 17 scenes from the Heike Monogatari or The Tale of the Tairas. The Saga, conposed of a large number of revealing episodes, was and still is an inexhaustible source of Japanese literature and art. Some of the most famous scenes took place at the foot of Yashima Plateau at the northeastern tip of Takamatsu.
One hi-tech dool seen at the end of the exhibition is what was called biwa hoshi or a blind biwa playing bard who traveld around chanting The Tale of the Taira Family even before it was written down in the first half of the 13th century. Its opening passage is especially famous for its Buddhist idea of impermanence that goes as follows:
The doll begins to talk and sing the first line of the opening passage when it senses visitors approaching.
Open dailly. Admission: \1200
* Yoshida Shigeru (1878-1967) , Prime Minister from 1946 to 1954, is credited with giving Japan direct-ion through her most difficult times after the war.
The Kojima-Sakaide Route, popularly known
as the Seto Ohashi Bridge was completed in 1988. It is the world'
s longest two-tiered bridge system, stretching 13.1 km from Kojima
to Sakaide, connecting the 5 islands in between.
The 11 bridges in the system include 3 suspension bridges, 2 twin cable-stayed, 1 truus and 5 viaducts. The upper level accommodates a motor expressway of four lanes, and the lower contains Japan Railway 's system for a dual track
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