Takagi festival taiko

Festivities and first time onsen

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August 16th 2011
The last few days have been the Japanese Obon period which is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the deceased spirits of one's ancestors. It seems to be a very family focussed time, and although not one of the 15 or so official public holidays, most people seem to take some if not all of this off. Last week my supervisor told me to take Monday to Wednesday off (although I'm a bit confused ... read more

Asia » Japan » Nagano

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In 1603, a Tokugawa shogunate (military dictatorship) ushered in a long period of isolation from foreign influence in order to secure its power. For 250 years this policy enabled Japan to enjoy stability and a flowering of its indigenous culture. Fol... ... read more