Greater Tokyo

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Uraga Community Center Branch (Folk Museum)

Uraga Community Center Branch (Folk Museum)

This facility provides a place and opportunity for local people and organizations where they can casually interact and discuss things. It also hosts a variety of events, such as lectures, hobby classes, practical workshops, and others to improve knowledge and education, health, social welfare as well as to promote lifestyle and culture. Local literature and documents of Uraga are displayed in the center as well.

Culture & Arts Tokaido Koshu kaido KANAGAWA
Homma Yoseki Museum

Homma Yoseki Museum

Homma Yoseki Museum is an art gallery that exhibits a collection of Yosegi Zaiku wooden mosaic work, a traditional craft from Hakone that has been continued since the Edo period. Visiting will help you to understand the beauty of this historical art. It holds around 500 pieces, of which at least 200 are always on display. The exhibits change with the seasons, with the Yosegi Gakujin-Bina dolls that are on display in spring being especially worth seeing.

Culture & Arts Tokaido Koshu kaido KANAGAWA
U.S.-Japan Friendship Cherry Blossom Festival

U.S.-Japan Friendship Cherry Blossom Festival

The "U.S.-Japan Friendship Cherry Blossom Festival" is an annual event where the U.S. army base in Zama, Japan, opens to the public. Take a stroll inside the normally inaccessible U.S. military base and admire over 300 cherry blossom trees. Many American foods, such as hamburgers, pizza, and hot dogs will be available at food stalls for you to enjoy the international flavors. There are also live bands and a DJ, as well as a kids zone, making it fun for everyone in the family!

Culture & Arts Koshu kaido Tokaido KANAGAWA
Ichijo Ekan Sanso

Ichijo Ekan Sanso

Ichijo Ekan Sanso Villa, a nationall designated Important Cultural Property villa with sukiya-style architecture, is surrounded by its beautiful garden, a space where hydrangeas, autumn foliage, red pines, and moss thrive. With the murmuring of the Nameri River flowing nearby and the chirping of wild birds, it is a lush Japanese garden where you can enjoy Japan's four seasons with all five senses. There is also a cafe within the garden where you can enjoy seasonal Japanese sweets. Tours of the villa are held regularly (advance reservations required so please check the website).

Culture & Arts Tokaido Koshu kaido KANAGAWA
Odawara Hojo Godai Festival

Odawara Hojo Godai Festival

This is Odawara City's largest festival to honor the Hojo clan, a set of feudal lords who reigned over the Kanto region for five generations for about 100 years during the Warring States Period, a time of fierce rivalry between the warriors, and who created a nation with the ideal of the well-being of its people. A total of 1,700 people parade in the city in a heroic procession of warriors, mainly modeled after the five successive lords of the Hojo clan, with the participation of local brass bands, the Ground Self-Defense Force, and other musical groups, as well as portable shrines and other town groups. In addition, there will be a firing performance by the Hojo Tepposhu and a performance by the Fuuma Ninjas in the streets.

Culture & Arts Tokaido Koshu kaido KANAGAWA
Odawara City Tourism Exchange Center

Odawara City Tourism Exchange Center

A base facility that distributes information on Odawara tourism and provides content for visitors to experience the traditional culture of the region. This facility also features various hands-on workshops, a café, museum store, bicycle rentals, and rental space. The building itself is made of Odawara cypress and Japanese cedar.Visitors can experience Odawara's traditions and culture through the “Odawara Chochin,” “Yosegi-zaiku,” “Kaisendon,” and a variety of other content that both adults and children will enjoy through same-day reception (no reservations required).

Culture & Arts Koshu kaido Tokaido KANAGAWA
Kamimizo Summer Festival

Kamimizo Summer Festival

The Kamimizo Summer Festival has been held in Sagamihara since the end of the Edo period (1603-1868). The festival is said to be dedicated to Emperor Ushira, who prays for a good harvest and safety of the family, and is said to have been inspired by the Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto. On Sunday evenings, the local portable shrines (Mikoshi) and floats (Dashi) gather from each town and start a grand procession. Once the evening sun goes down, the lanterns of the portable shrines are lit, creating a fantastic spectacle that is not to be missed.

Culture & Arts Tokaido Koshu kaido KANAGAWA
Oiso no Sagicho

Oiso no Sagicho

This is a fire festival held during Little New Year (around January 14) that has continued since the Edo period. In summer, nine sites are set up on the beach, which is crowded with bathers, and fire is lit to pray for good health and family safety. The festival is designated as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan and attracts many people every year. It is said that if you eat dumplings cooked over the fire you will not catch a cold, and if you write your name on a piece of paper that you burned and it flies up high it will make your arms grow longer, and if you take a pine cinder and put it on your roof it will be a charm to ward off fire.

Culture & Arts Tokaido Koshu kaido KANAGAWA
Yudate Lion Dance Miyagino

Yudate Lion Dance Miyagino

The tradition of Yudate-kagura has been passed on since 1776. Spiritual rituals with the use of boiling water are performed throughout the country, but it is rare to see the performance done by the Shishi, a lion dog deity, as can be seen at this traditional event. Praying for health, safety, and prosperity the Shishi stirs the boiling water with a Kumazasa branch, and flick water from the branch to purify the participating spectators. This traditional event is selected as a National Traditional and Cultural Heritage event, as well as being registered as a Kanagawa prefecture important cultural heritage event.

Culture & Arts Tokaido Koshu kaido KANAGAWA
Ehrismann Residence

Ehrismann Residence

This was the private residence of silk trader Mr. Ellisman and was built in 1926 at 127 Yamate-cho and designed by A. Raymond, the "Father of Modern Japanese Architecture" who profoundly influenced Japan's architectural world. While possessing elements of a foreign-style mansion, it also shows the influence of Raymond's mentor, F. L. Wright, such as an emphasis on the horizontal lines of the eaves. It was relocated and restored to its current location in Motomachi Park in 1990. The first floor features a reception room with a fireplace, a combined living and dining room, and a sunroom overlooking the garden furnished with pieces designed by Raymond, while the second floor houses an exhibition on Western-style houses in Yamate. The basement is available for rental as a free-use space and includes a tea room utilizing the former kitchen area.One of eight restored Western Houses in the Yokohama, Yamate area, this is most beautiful in autumn and during the Christmas season. Take a break in its lovely little cafe.

Culture & Arts Tokaido Koshu kaido KANAGAWA