Kameido Plum Blossom Festival Tour Part II

Kameido Tenjin Shrine  mail hall

Plum trees at Kameido Tenjin Shrine seem to come into bloom later than usual this year. Plum blossom festival has already started, but only a few trees are in bloom yet.
Red and white plum trees dedicated by Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine in Kyushu are displayed in front of the main hall, around there smell of spring is in the air. 

Our plum blossom festival tour of February 18th will be cancelled because of a few plum blossoms. 
We will have a tour on March 3rd instead. 
Please enjoy the arrival of spring with full-blown plum blossoms in March by taking part in our free walking tours! 
Revised tour details are as follows:

1. Sunday, March 1 10:00am-12:00pm
2. Tuesday, March 3 (Hinamatsuri, the Doll Festival day) 1:30pm-3:30pm
Meeting place: Midori no Madoguchi(reservation counter) which is located outside of North Exit of JR Kameido Station(Soubu Line)

Please email for booking to
koto.guide@gmail.com

by N.T

Usokae event at Kameido Tenjin Shrine

On January 24 and 25 each year, usokae shrine event is held at Kemeido Tenjin Shrine.  People come to the shrine to swap last-year's misfortune for new-year's good luck.

They put an old uso-dori back to the shrine and buy new one .

Uso dori

Uso-dori is a wood-carved bird that originated from a real bird uso, a bull finch, because it chirps like whistle-blowing. People in old days called its chirp uso.  Uso in Japanese also means lie, invention, untruth or joke. People wanted to think last-year's misfortune as uso (untruth) and wished to put a hope of good luck on a new uso-dori. 

Usokae event originated in early 19th century. At first people carved their own uso-dori, came to the shrine and swapped them with other people in front of the shrine's alter. 

Soon people chanted 'let's swap our uso' and exchanged uso-dori in each other's sleeves. Later they began to exchange them with no chants. But there are always some bad guys who make most use of this chance for pick-pocketing. People at that time kept their valuables in kimono sleeves.

So swapping in the sleeves was banned. Instead, people began to put the old uso-dori back to the shrine and buy new one as we do it today.  

Kameido Tenjin Shrine

I went to the Kameido Tenjin Shrine on January 25 and bought an uso-dori and prayed in front of the shrine alter.

What did I pray for? 
It's my secret.

by H.N.

We plan to have a tour to enjoy Japanese plum at Kameido tenjin shrine.
Please take a look at this site to join the tour with us !

Hatsuuma festival decorations at Fukagawa Edo Museum

Inari shrine

In Edo period, on the hatsuuma (fisrt horse) day in February, people celebrated Hatsuuma festival, praying for good harvest of the year. From that day people began to work in the fields.

They made offerings at a inari shrine, which is the kami (deity) of good harvest. The naming of inari comes from 'nari' (good harvest) of ine (rice.) It is the custom for children to go around the houses nearby, beating small drums, and get sweets or sekihan (auspicious white rice with red beans) from them.


You can see Hatsuuma festival decorations　at Fukagawa Edo Museum, where red banners around the inari shrine are put up and sekihan and aburaage (deep-fried soybean curd) are offered.

You can also see some 15 jikuchi chochin (pun lantern) on which some play on words are written. For example, one of them have a picture of a man in a mortar and attached words, 'usu kara deta otoko', which means 'a man came out of a mortar.' It is a parody of a proverb, 'uso kara deta makoto,' meaning 'something meaning joke (uso) has come true (makoto).' 

Why won't you visit the Museum and enjoy other jikuchi chochin?

The Hatsuuma festival decorations will be shown until February 11.

Fukagawa Edo Museum ↓
http://www.kcf.or.jp/fukagawa/english.html

by H.N.

Are you interested in unique Japanese culture?
If so, please join our  free walking tours!