Do you know of the Sake Brewery near the Kashiharajingumae railway station? It is only a 5 minutes walk to the Kita Brewery founded in 1718. After passing through the quaint entrance gate, the tour begins. The brewery is family owned by generations. Today the third owner held a tour to show the carefully selected …

After rice-planting, rice grows quickly in summer. You can find various kinds of creatures at the paddy field. Frogs are the lively ones, especially at night. Around this time, you can see the transformation of their shapes from eggs to tadpoles, then to frogs. Besides frogs, there are river snails, tadpole shrimps, water striders, dragon …

Wind chimes recall summer for most Japanese. In old times, Chinese used Futaku for divination which was brought to Japan along with Buddhism. Back then people believed that the wind brought disease and disaster. The sound of Futaku creates a sanctuary to prevent catastrophe; thus monks hang wind-belles from the eaves. Futaku was mostly made …

After the rainy season, extreme heat has been continuing. Summer has come! As Asuka, Yamato is in the basin and especially famous for being hot in summer, we have less tourists around this time of year. However, it’s also the time to feel very strong life force by the fast growing crops and shining trees …

Satoyma landscape in Asuka, Yamato has a lot of bamboo groves. In Spring, you can get bamboo shoots there. Thanks to Mother nature, they are absolutely delicious when they are fresh! Bamboo was commonly used in Japan for daily items. However, after the introduction of plastic products, plastic has become more popular and replaced bamboo. …

Passing through Fujiwara Palace Ruins in the early morning of July, it is very hard not to stop at the Lotus Pond there. The Lotus is considered the sacred flower in Buddhism, as it represents the message of the bhuddist teachings.: “If you don’t lose yourself even in the deep sorrows like being in the …

In Asuka, the strict regulations are applied to the constructions, and it makes it very difficult to build a new house for local residents. Therefore, they often renovate old houses. At the back of Asuka railway station, an old wooden warehouse was renovated by the owner into a cute cafe. The lunch plate with lots …

Inabuchi area is one of top 100 Terraced Paddy fields in Japan, which attracts many people. The paddy fields at the slope along the mountain are very narrow which makes it difficult for farmers to use heavy equipment. Therefore, there are quite a few rice paddies that have been abandoned and no longer cultivated. In …

Hydrangea loves water, which blooms in the rainy season in Japan. It’s the symbolic flower of the season that clears up a gloomy mood in a prolonged rain. ‘Nara Prefecture Complex of Man’yo Culture’ in Asuka is famous for it. We call the rainy season “Tsuyu” which literally means “ plum rain” ,because it starts …