KEV Year-end party 2010 !!

We had  our year end party at Monzen-nakacho.　It was much fun to have a party with KEV members ! Two gentlemen at front are our teachers.  

Basho's haiku travels through time and spaces, Mabesoone says

Basho statue looking over Sumida river

Basho was a traveller and a time-traveller at the same time, Seegan　Mabesoone says.

Mabesoone is a French haiku poet living in Japan, specializing in Matsuo Basho and Kobayashi Issa. Last weekend, he had a lecture at Basho Museum in Koto-ku, Tokyo.

In Basho's haiku or haikai, Mabesoone says, both passage of time and transition of spaces are often represented in one phrase. Basho walked through space to trace back through history.
There also are implications in his haiku that a travel eventually goes back to what it starts, he says.

According to Mabesoone, it's in contrast with Western culture, which thinks time is something straightforward. But he found a striking similarity in an Arabian Nights story. He says both imply reincarnations.

I know my explanation is not enough at all, but Mr. Mabesoone's lecture was very very interesting. I think his books are must-read for Basho fans.

Matsuo Basho (1644 - 1694) :  One of the most famous haiku or haikai poets in Japan, known for establishing haiku as a major literature genre. He travelled around Japan many times to make lots of great works.
We have a free English guided tour to Basho Museum and Basho statue.
Click here for detail.

Inside of Fukagawa Fudodo, 25th Sept 2010

We come into Fukagawa Fudodo temple. In bright and gleamy room we found many gold statues of Buddha.

In front of Inari, 25th Sept 2010

This is a photo took in front of Happy Fortune Inari... Cheese  !!

Inside of Fukagawa Fudodo, 25th Sept 2010

These are the statues of various forms of Buddha.

Fukagawa Fudodo, 25th Sept 2010

The weather was completely fine.
Now, we arrived at Fukagawa Fudodo temple !

After worship at Tomioka Hachiman gu, 25th Sept 2010

We explained the basic rule to worship at shrine. Somehow, it was hard to explain and show how to worship at shrine to the foreigners though, two participants enjoyed worshipping with the proper procedure. We took a photo in front of offertory box.

Tomioka Hachiman gu, 25th Sept 2010

The rain had stopped. Now we are going to go and worship the deity of Tomioka Hachiman gu shrine !

Happy Fortune Inari, 25th Sept 2010

Inari, sounding similar to “rice” in Japanese, is the deity for the harvest. 
The foxes are the guardian of this shrine. It is said that fox will exterminate the mice to protect harvest from being damaged by mice. For this reason, most Inari shrine put the statue of fox as the guardian of deity.
Nowadays, there are 20,000 Inari shrine all over Japan.

Statue of Oozeki, 25th Sept 2010

This is a photo we took in front of statue of Oozeki. Tomioka Hachiman gu is the famous for the birth place of sumo.
The tall statue at left shows how huge the sumo wrestlers at 18th century.
Participants were impressed the unbelievably huge size of antientl sumo wrestlers.

Statue of Tadataka Ino, 25th Sept 2010

25th Sept 2010 10:30 AM
Today, we have two participants for course A. 
Unfortunately, it has been raining in the morning, though it had stopped around 11:00 AM.
We started the tour from torii (entrance of shrine) at Tomioka Hachiman gu.
We took a photo in front of statue of Tadataka Ino, who is one of the most famous historical figures for completion of Japan map for the first time.

Special English-guided tours in Tokyo's historical area, for FREE

We will have special English-guided tours on the 2nd and 3rd of October, working with Fukagawa Modern-kan, the official tourist information center of Koto Fukagawa area.
Experience the historic atmosphere of Edo, Tokyo’s old town,  with friendly local guides.
You will have a chance to see historic landmarks, the biggest mobile shrine in Japan, unique Buddhist ritual of fire, get to know about Japanese religions -- the spirit of which has a lot in common with the world of the movie "Avatar", I think --  and lots more.

Tour dates & time:  Sat. 2, and Sun. 3 , October / 10:00 am – noon
Visit: Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine and Fukagawa Fudoson Temple
Meet at: Torii gate of Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine (3 minute-walk from Monzen nakacho station on the Tozai Subway Line : see the map below)
Tour fee: Free of charge

click to enlarge

How to Apply:
Contact Fukaga Modern-kan: info@fukagawatokyo.com
Or email to: koto.guide (a) gmail.com  ( replace (a) with @ ), or Fax to 03-3647-7530
with the following details:
- Your name & sex
- Nationality
- Number of participants
- Contact number
- Date to join (2nd or 3rd of October)
Please specify "Koto City Walking Tour" in the e-mail  title.

FREE Volunteer-Guided Koto City Walking Tours

Here and there, the friendly atmosphere of Edo Shitamachi (Tokyo’s old town) with the history and culture of Edo era (early 17th - mid 19th century) still live. Enjoy tours, have a glimpse of Shitamachi and discover a local traditional Japanese culture with your friends.

【Course A】
“See the difference between Shinto shrines & Buddhist temples.”

Tour dates & time: (Saturday)  November 27 / 10:00 am – noon  (Inquire about custom tours and days)
Visit: Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine and Fukagawa Fudoson Temple
Meet at: Torii gate of Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine (3 minute-walk from Monzen nakacho station on the Tozai Subway Line : see the map below)
Tour fee: Free of charge
















【Course B】
“Learn about Basho, the founder of Haiku, the world’s shortest poems; See a Japanese Garden.”

Tour date & time: (Saturday)  November 27 / 10:00 am – noon  (Inquire about custom tours and days.)
Visit: Basho Kinen-kan Memorial Museum and Kiyosumi Garden Park
Meet at: Basho Memorial Museum (7minute-walk from Morishita Station on Toei Shinjuku-Line or Oedo Subway Lines : see the map below)
Admission: 100 yen for Basho Memorial Museum and 150 yen for Kiyosumi Garden Park (pay at the gate)
Tour fee: Free of charge
















How to Apply:
Please email to <koto.guide (a) gmail.com> ( replace (a) with @ ), or Fax to 03-3647-7530
with the following details:
- Your name & sex
- Nationality
- Number of participants
- Contact number
- Course to join (Course A or B. You can join both courses.)
- Date to join (27 Nov)
Please specify "Koto City Walking Tour" in the e-mail  title.

Application deadline : 2 days before each tour date.

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This tour is operated by Koto English-speaking Volunteer Guide association (KEV), supported by Koto Culture Center.
Friendly, English speaking locals are your guides.