1.
Noise pollution
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Noise pollution or noise disturbance is the disturbing or excessive noise that may harm the activity or balance of human or animal life. The source of most outdoor noise worldwide is caused by machines and transportation systems, motor vehicles, aircraft. Outdoor noise is summarized by the environmental noise. Poor urban planning may give rise to noise pollution, since side-by-side industrial and residential buildings can result in noise pollution in the residential areas, documented problems associated with urban noise go back as far as Ancient Rome. Outdoor noise can be caused by machines, construction activities, and music performances, noise-induced hearing loss can be caused by outside or inside noise. High noise levels can contribute to cardiovascular effects in humans and an incidence of coronary artery disease. In animals, noise can increase the risk of death by altering predator or prey detection and avoidance, interfere with reproduction and navigation, Noise pollution affects both health and behavior. Unwanted sound can damage psychological health, Noise pollution can cause hypertension, high stress levels, tinnitus, hearing loss, sleep disturbances, and other harmful effects. Sound becomes unwanted when it interferes with normal activities such as sleeping, conversation. Chronic exposure to noise may cause noise-induced hearing loss, less addressed is how humans adapt to noise subjectively. Indeed, tolerance for noise is frequently independent of decibel levels, however, Murray Schafers soundscape research was groundbreaking in this regard. In his eponymous work, he makes compelling arguments about how humans relate to noise on a subjective level, other key research in this area can be seen in Fongs comparative analysis of soundscape differences between Bangkok, Thailand and Los Angeles, California, US. Acoustic overexposure can lead to temporary or permanent loss of hearing, an impact of noise on wild animal life is the reduction of usable habitat that noisy areas may cause, which in the case of endangered species may be part of the path to extinction. Noise pollution may have caused the death of species of whales that beached themselves after being exposed to the loud sound of military sonar. Noise also makes species communicate more loudly, which is called Lombard vocal response, scientists and researchers have conducted experiments that show whales song length is longer when submarine-detectors are on. If creatures do not speak loudly enough, their voice will be masked by anthropogenic sounds and these unheard voices might be warnings, finding of prey, or preparations of net-bubbling. When one species begins speaking more loudly, it will mask other species voice, marine invertebrates, such as crabs, have also been shown to be negatively affected by ship noise. Larger crabs were noted to be affected more by the sounds than smaller crabs
2.
Environment of Japan
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Environmental pollution in Japan has accompanied industrialization since the Meiji period. One of the earliest cases was the poisoning caused by drainage from the Ashio Copper Mine in Tochigi prefecture. The local farmers led by Shozo Tanaka, a member of the Lower House from Tochigi appealed to the prefecture, although the mining company paid compensatory money and the government engaged in the embankment works of the Watarase river, no fundamental solution of the problem was achieved. Japan is the leading importer of both exhaustible and renewable natural resources and one of the largest consumers of fossil fuels. Current Japanese environmental policy and regulations were the consequence of a number of disasters in 1950s and 1960s. Cadmium poisoning from industrial waste in Toyama Prefecture was discovered to be the cause of the extremely painful itai-itai disease, people in Minamata City in Kumamoto Prefecture were poisoned by methylmercury drained from the chemical factory, known as the Minamata disease. The number of casualties in Minamata is 6,500 as of November 2006, in Yokkaichi, a port in Mie Prefecture, air pollution caused by sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide emissions led to a rapid increase in the number of people suffering from asthma and bronchitis. In urban areas photochemical smog from automotive and industrial exhaust fumes also contributed to a rise in respiratory problems, in the early 1970s, chronic arsenic poisoning attributed to dust from arsenic mines occurred in Shimane and Miyazaki prefectures. In the 1970s, Consumers Union of Japan led the opposition to nuclear power, in the 1990s, Japans environmental legislation was further tightened. In 1993 the government reorganized the environment law system and legislated the Basic Environment Law, the Environment Agency was promoted to full-fledged Ministry of the Environment in 2001, to deal with the deteriorating international environmental problems. In 1984 the Environmental Agency had issued its first white paper, most believed that Japan, alone or in cooperation with other industrialized countries, had the responsibility to solve environmental problems. However, it received poorer marks for quality, as its rivers, lakes. Another report in 2002 said that the mix of used to implement environmental policy is highly effective and regulations are strict. Japan burns close to two thirds of its waste in municipal and industrial incinerators, by some estimates,70 percent of the worlds waste incinerators are located in Japan. As a result, Japan has higher levels of dioxin in its air than any other G20 nation and this has called into question the Japanese government line that the thousands of incinerators in Japan are safe. In January 2017 the Japanese environment ministry said that 70% of the Sekisei lagoon in Okinawa, Japan maintains one third of its electric production from nuclear power plants. The treatment of radioactive wastes also became a subject of discussion in Japan, new spent-nuclear-fuel reprocessing plant was constructed in Rokkasho in 2008, the site of the underground nuclear-waste repository for the HLW and LLW has not yet been decided. Some local cities announced a plan to conduct a study at the disposal site
3.
Ministry of the Environment (Japan)
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The Ministry of the Environment is a Cabinet-level ministry of the government of Japan responsible for global environmental conservation, pollution control, and nature conservation. The ministry was formed in 2001 from the sub-cabinet level Environmental Agency established in 1971, the minister is a member of the Cabinet of Japan and is chosen by the Prime Minister, usually from the Diet. In March 2006, the Minister of the Environment, Yuriko Koike, in August 2011, the Cabinet of Japan approved a plan to establish a new energy watchdog under the Environment Ministry, and the Nuclear Regulation Authority was founded on September 19,2012. This idea was proposed by then-MOE minister Yuriko Koike under Prime Minister Koizumi, following the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, the shut down of many nuclear power plants for safety reasons lead to energy shortages. The government then launched a Super Cool Biz campaign to encourage workers to wear outfits appropriate for the office yet cool enough to endure the summer heat, polo shirts and trainers are allowed, while jeans and sandals are also acceptable under certain circumstances. The campaign was repeated in 2012 and 2013, Environmental issues in Japan Official website
4.
Soundscape
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The soundscape is the component of the acoustic environment that can be perceived by humans. There is a history of the use of soundscape depending on discipline - ranging from urban design to wildlife ecology. An important distinction is to separate soundscape from the term acoustic environment. The acoustic environment is the combination of all the resources within a given area - natural sounds. The International Organization for Standardization standardized these definitions in 2014, the term soundscape was first described by Canadian composer and environmentalist, R. Murray Schafer. According to this there are three main elements of the soundscape, A soundscape is a sound or combination of sounds that forms or arises from an immersive environment. The study of soundscape is the subject of acoustic ecology, the disruption of these acoustic environments results in noise pollution. Pauline Oliveros, composer of post-World War II electronic art music, defined the term soundscape as All of the waveforms faithfully transmitted to our audio cortex by the ear, keynote sounds This is a musical term that identifies the key of a piece, not always audible. The key might stray from the original, but it will return, the keynote sounds may not always be heard consciously, but they outline the character of the people living there. They are created by nature, wind, water, forests, plains, birds, insects, in many urban areas, traffic has become the keynote sound. Sound signals These are foreground sounds, which are listened to consciously, examples would be warning devices, bells, whistles, horns, sirens, soundmark This is derived from the term landmark. A soundmark is a sound which is unique to an area, biophony Consisting of the prefix, bio and the suffix for sound, this term refers to all of the non-human, non-domestic biological soundscape sources of sound. Anthropophony Consisting of the prefix, anthro, this refers to all of the sound signatures generated by humans. In music, soundscape compositions are often a form of electronic music, composers who use soundscapes include real-time granular synthesis pioneer Barry Truax, Hildegard Westerkamp, and Luc Ferrari, whose Presque rien, numéro 1 is an early soundscape composition. The work landed on the ground of Titan in 2005 after traveling inside the spacecraft Huygens over seven years, irv Teibels Environments series consisted of 30-minute, uninterrupted environmental soundscapes and synthesized or processed versions of natural sound. Music soundscapes can also be generated by automated software methods, such as the experimental TAPESTREA application, a framework for design and soundscape composition. The soundscape is often the subject of mimicry in Timbre-centered music such as Tuvan throat singing, the process of Timbral Listening is used to interpret the timbre of the soundscape. This timbre is mimicked and reproduced using the voice or rich harmonic producing instruments, the soundscape consists of three major sources or components
5.
Symbol
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A symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise very different concepts and experiences, all communication is achieved through the use of symbols. Symbols take the form of words, sounds, gestures, ideas or visual images and are used to other ideas. For example, a red octagon may be a symbol for STOP, on a map, a blue line might represent a river. Alphabetic letters may be symbols for sounds, personal names are symbols representing individuals. A red rose may symbolize love and compassion, the variable x, in a mathematical equation, may symbolize the position of a particle in space. In cartography, a collection of symbols forms a legend for a map The word derives from the Greek symbolon meaning token or watchword. It is an amalgam of syn- together + bole a throwing, a casting, the sense evolution in Greek is from throwing things together to contrasting to comparing to token used in comparisons to determine if something is genuine. The meaning something which stands for something else was first recorded in 1590, later, expanding on what he means by this definition Campbell says, a symbol, like everything else, shows a double aspect. We must distinguish, therefore between the sense and the meaning of the symbol. The term meaning can only to the first two but these, today, are in the charge of science – which is the province as we have said, not of symbols. The ineffable, the unknowable, can be only sensed. Heinrich Zimmer gives an overview of the nature, and perennial relevance. Concepts and words are symbols, just as visions, rituals, through all of these a transcendent reality is mirrored. They are so many metaphors reflecting and implying something which, though thus variously expressed, is ineffable, though thus rendered multiform, Symbols hold the mind to truth but are not themselves the truth, hence it is delusory to borrow them. Each civilisation, every age, must bring forth its own, in the book Signs and Symbols, it is stated that A symbol. Is a visual image or sign representing an idea -- a deeper indicator of a universal truth, Symbols are a means of complex communication that often can have multiple levels of meaning. This separates symbols from signs, as signs have only one meaning, human cultures use symbols to express specific ideologies and social structures and to represent aspects of their specific culture
6.
Matsuyama, Ehime
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Matsuyama is the capital city of Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku in Japan and also Shikokus largest city, with a population of 516,459 as of December 1,2014. It is located on the portion of the Dōgo Plain. The city was founded on December 15,1889, the city is known for its hot springs, among the oldest in Japan, and is home to the Dōgo Onsen Honkan, a Meiji Period wooden public bathhouse dating from 1894. A second favorite tourist spot is Matsuyama Castle, eight of the eighty-eight temples in the Shikoku Pilgrimage are in Matsuyama. Matsuyama was in medieval times part of the Iyo-Matsuyama Domain, a fiefdom of Iyo Province consisting mainly of a castle town, supporting Matsuyama Castle. There was a village at Dōgo Onsen to the east. Dōgo Onsen was already famous in the Asuka period, as Shotoku Taishi visited the spa in the year 596 and it is also mentioned in passing in The Tale of Genji. The site of the former Yuzuki Castle is nearby, famous shrines of the city include Isaniwa Jinja, built in 1667. The haiku poet Masaoka Shiki lived in Matsuyama and his house, now known as the Shiki-do, and a museum, the Shiki Memorial Museum, are popular attractions, and the centerpieces of the citys claim as a center of the international haiku movement. Other famous haiku poets associated with Matsuyama include Kurita Chodō, whose Kōshin-an was visited by Kobayashi Issa, Shikis followers, Takahama Kyoshi and Kawahigashi Hekigoto, santokas house, known as Isso-an, is also a tourist attraction and is periodically open to the public. The Matsuyama Declaration of 1999 proposed the formation of International Haiku Research Center, recipients have included Yves Bonnefoy, Cor van den Heuvel and Gary Snyder. The famed novel Botchan by Natsume Sōseki is set in Matsuyama, as a result, there are numerous sites and locales named after the main character, including Botchan Stadium, the Botchan Ressha, and Botchan dango. Matsuyama also figures in works by Shiba Ryōtarō, notably his popular novel. In anticipation of the upcoming NHK Taiga drama adaptation of Saka no ue no kumo, Matsuyama was also the setting of a 1907 novel about the Russo-Japanese War, As the Hague Ordains, by American writer Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore. Matsuyama figures in the novel because the city housed a camp for Russian prisoners during the war, a Russian cemetery commemorates this important episode in Matsuyama history. As of the most recent merger, on January 1,2005, absorbing the city of Hōjō, and town of Nakajima, the city had an population of 512,982. The total area is 428.86 km², Matsuyama is home to several universities including Ehime University and several private colleges, including Matsuyama University and Matsuyama Shinonome College. The Museum of Art, Ehime is the main art museum
7.
Sea of Okhotsk
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The northeast corner is the Shelikhov Gulf. The sea is named after Okhotsk, the first Russian settlement in the Far East, the Sea of Okhotsk covers an area of 1,583,000 square kilometres, with a mean depth of 859 metres and a maximum depth of 3,372 metres. It is connected to the Sea of Japan on either side of Sakhalin, on the west through the Sakhalin Gulf, the distribution and thickness of ice floes depends on many factors, the location, the time of year, water currents, and the sea temperatures. With the exception of Hokkaido, one of the Japanese home islands, the International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Sea of Okhotsk as follows, On the Southwest. The Northeastern and Northern limits on the Japan Sea, some of the Sea of Okhotsks islands are quite large, including Japans second largest island, Hokkaido, as well as Russias largest island, Sakhalin. Practically all of the islands are either in coastal waters or belong to the various islands making up the Kuril Islands chain. These fall either under undisputed Japanese or Russian ownership or disputed ownership between Japan and Russia, iony Island is the only island located in open waters and belongs to the Khabarovsk Krai of the Russian Federation. The majority of the islands are uninhabited making them ideal breeding grounds for seals, sea lions, seabirds. Large colonies, with over an individuals, of crested auklets use the Sea of Okhotsk as a nesting site. The Okhotsk culture is a coastal fishing and hunter-gatherer culture of the lands surrounding the Sea of Okhotsk. Some believe that Mishihase was living in the area, Russian explorers Ivan Moskvitin and Vassili Poyarkov were the first Europeans to visit the Sea of Okhotsk in the 1640s. The first and foremost Russian settlement on the shore was the port of Okhotsk, the Russian-American Company all but monopolized the commercial navigation of the sea in the first half of the 19th century. The Second Kamchatka Expedition under Vitus Bering systematically mapped the entire coast of the sea, jean-François de La Pérouse and William Robert Broughton were the first non-Russian European navigators known to have passed through these waters other than Maarten Gerritsz Vries. Ivan Krusenstern explored the eastern coast of Sakhalin in 1805, mamiya Rinzō and Gennady Nevelskoy determined that the Sakhalin was indeed an island separated from the mainland by a narrow strait. The first detailed summary of the hydrology of the Okhotsk sea was prepared and published by Stepan Makarov in 1894, American and French whaleships, as well as a few German, Russian, and British, hunted whales in the Sea of Okhotsk between 1845 and 1907. They primarily caught right whales and bowhead whales, the former in the half of the sea. Bowheads were first caught in 1847, and dominated the catch between 1849 and the late 1860s, beginning in the mid-1850s they caught the occasional gray whale, and made attempts to catch humpback, fin, blue and killer whales as well but were rarely successful. Beluga whales were also taken opportunistically, from 1854 to 1856, an average of nearly 150 vessels cruised in the sea each year
8.
Hokkaido
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Hokkaido, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is the second largest island of Japan, and the largest and northernmost prefecture. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel. The largest city on Hokkaido is its capital, Sapporo, which is also its only ordinance-designated city, about 43 km north of Hokkaido lies Sakhalin island, Russia, whereas to its east and north-east are the disputed Kuril Islands. Hokkaido was settled by the Ainu, Nivkh, and Orok before recorded history, the Nihon Shoki, finished in 720 AD, is often said to be the first mention of Hokkaido in recorded history. According to the text, Abe no Hirafu led a navy and army to northern areas from 658 to 660 and came into contact with the Mishihase. One of the places Hirafu went to was called Watarishima, which is believed to be present-day Hokkaido. During the Nara and Heian periods, people in Hokkaido conducted trade with Dewa Province, from the Middle Ages, the people in Hokkaido began to be called Ezo. Hokkaido, formerly known as Ezochi Ezochi or Ezogashima, the Ezo mainly relied upon hunting and fishing and obtained rice and iron through trade with the Japanese. During the Muromachi period, the Japanese created a settlement at the south of the Oshima Peninsula, as more people moved to the settlement to avoid battles, disputes arose between the Japanese and the Ainu. The disputes eventually developed into a war, takeda Nobuhiro killed the Ainu leader, Koshamain, and defeated the opposition in 1457. Nobuhiros descendants became the rulers of the Matsumae-han, which was granted trading rights with the Ainu in the Azuchi-Momoyama. The Matsumae familys economy relied upon trade with the Ainu and they held authority over the south of Ezochi until the end of the Edo period in 1868. The Matsumae clan rule over the Ainu must be understood in the context of the expansion of the Japanese feudal state, medieval military leaders in northern Honshū maintained only tenuous political and cultural ties to the imperial court and its proxies, the Kamakura Shogunate and Ashikaga Shogunate. Feudal strongmen sometimes located themselves within medieval institutional order, taking shogunal titles, in fact many of the feudal strongmen were descended from Emishi military leaders who had been assimilated into Japanese society. The Matsumae clan were of Yamato descent like other ethnic Japanese people, the Emishi were conquered and integrated into the Japanese state dating back as far as the 8th century, and as result began to lose their distinctive culture and ethnicity as they became minorities. By the time the Matsumae clan ruled over the Ainu most of the Emishi were ethnically mixed, there were numerous revolts by the Ainu against feudal rule. The last large-scale resistance was Shakushains Revolt in 1669–1672, in 1789, a smaller movement, the Menashi-Kunashir Rebellion, was also crushed. After that rebellion the terms Japanese and Ainu referred to clearly distinguished groups, in 1799–1821 and 1855–1858 the Edo Shogunate took direct control over Hokkaido in response to a perceived threat from Russia
9.
Sapporo Clock Tower
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Sapporo Clock Tower is a wooden structure and well-known local tourist attraction, located at North 1 West 2, Chūō-ku, Sapporo, the largest city on the island of Hokkaidō, northern Japan. The building is of American design and is one of the few surviving Western-style buildings in Sapporo and it is known by many as the symbol of the city and is a main feature of almost all domestic and international tours of Sapporo. The clock after which it is named continues to run and keep time, the tower was built in 1878, and is all that remains of the drill hall of the former Sapporo Agricultural College. The building was one of the earliest to be built in this city, the city itself was chosen as the administrative centre of Hokkaidō in 1868, which is the date currently recognised as the official birth of the city. Currently, this is the oldest building standing in Sapporo, the clock was installed in July 1881 by E. Howard & Co. of Boston, Massachusetts, USA. In 1970, Sapporo Clock Tower was designated an Important Cultural Property, the clock tower now houses a museum introducing the history of the Agricultural College and the development of Sapporo. It is open to year round, but is closed on Sundays. Admission is 200 yen for adults and free for children, with discounts for groups, viewing and photographing the building is very popular among visitors to Sapporo, and visiting it forms a part of many tours of the city. It is possible for members of the public to rent the hall upstairs for private functions
10.
Sapporo
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Sapporo is the fourth largest city in Japan by population, and the largest city on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. Located in Ishikari Subprefecture, it is the capital of Hokkaido Prefecture, the city is also home to Sapporo Brewery and the white chocolate biscuits called shiroi koibito. Before its establishment, the occupied by Sapporo was home to a number of indigenous Ainu settlements. In 1866, at the end of the Edo period, construction began on a canal through the area, the settlements name was taken from the Ainu language sat poro pet, and can be translated as dry, great river. As a result, it was determined that a new capital on the Ishikari Plain should be established, the plain itself provided an unusually large expanse of flat, well drained land which is relatively uncommon in the otherwise mountainous geography of Hokkaido. During 1870–1871, Kuroda Kiyotaka, vice-chairman of the Hokkaido Development Commission, as a result, Horace Capron, Secretary of Agriculture under President Ulysses S. Grant, became an oyatoi gaikokujin and was appointed as a special advisor to the commission. Construction began around Odori Park, which remains as a green ribbon of recreational land bisecting the central area of the city. The city closely followed a plan with streets at right-angles to form city blocks. Edwin Dun came to Sapporo to establish sheep and cattle ranches in 1876 and he also demonstrated pig raising and the making of butter, cheese, ham and sausage. He once went back to the US in 1883 but returned to Japan as a secretary of government. William S. Clark, who was the president of the Massachusetts Agricultural College and he taught academic subjects in science and lectured on the Bible as an ethics course, introducing Christian principles to the first entering class of the College. In 1880, the area of Sapporo was renamed as Sapporo-ku. That year the Hōheikan, a hotel and reception facility for visiting officials and it was later moved to Nakajima Park where it remains today. Two years later, with the abolition of the Kaitaku-shi, Hokkaidō was divided into three prefectures, Hakodate, Sapporo, and Nemuro, the name of the urban district in Sapporo remained Sapporo-ku, while the rest of the area in Sapporo-ku was changed to Sapporo-gun. The office building of Sapporo-ku was also located in the urban district, Sapporo, Hakodate, and Nemuro Prefectures were abolished in 1886, and Hokkaidō government office building, an American-neo-baroque-style structure with red bricks, constructed in 1888. The last squad of the Tondenhei, the soldiers pioneering Hokkaido, settled in the place where the area of Tonden in Kita-ku, Sapporo-ku administered surrounding Sapporo-gun until 1899, when the new district system was announced. After that year, Sapporo-ku was away from the control of Sapporo-gun, the ku enforced from 1899 was an autonomy which was a little bigger than towns, and smaller than cities. In Hokkaido at that time, Hakodate-ku and Otaru-ku also existed, in 1907, the Tohoku Imperial University was established in Sendai Miyagi Prefecture, and Sapporo Agricultural College was controlled by the University
11.
Russian Orthodox Church
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The Russian Orthodox Church, alternatively legally known as the Moscow Patriarchate, is one of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches, in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox patriarchates. The Primate of the ROC is the Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus and it also exercises ecclesiastical jurisdiction over the autonomous Church of Japan and the Orthodox Christians resident in the Peoples Republic of China. The ROC branches in Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Moldova and Ukraine since the 1990s enjoy various degrees of self-government, in Ukraine, ROC has tensions with schismatic groups supported by the current government, while it enjoys the position of numerically dominant religious organisation. The ROC should also not be confused with the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, headquartered in New York, New York, the two Churches reconciled on May 17,2007, the ROCOR is now a self-governing part of the Russian Orthodox Church. According to one of the legends, Andrew reached the location of Kiev. The spot where he erected a cross is now marked by St. Andrews Cathedral. By the end of the first millennium AD, eastern Slavic lands started to come under the influence of the Eastern Roman Empire. There is evidence that the first Christian bishop was sent to Novgorod from Constantinople either by Patriarch Photius or Patriarch Ignatios, by the mid-10th century, there was already a Christian community among Kievan nobility, under the leadership of Byzantine Greek priests, although paganism remained the dominant religion. Princess Olga of Kiev was the first ruler of Kievan Rus′ to convert to Christianity and her grandson, Vladimir of Kiev, made Rus officially a Christian state. The Kievan church was a metropolitanate of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Ecumenical patriarch appointed the metropolitan, who usually was a Greek. The Metropolitans residence was located in Kiev itself, the capital of the medieval Rus state. Following the tribulations of the Mongol invasion, the Russian Church was pivotal in the survival, despite the politically motivated murders of Mikhail of Chernigov and Mikhail of Tver, the Mongols were generally tolerant and even granted tax exemption to the Church. Such holy figures as Sergius of Radonezh and Metropolitan Alexis helped the country to withstand years of Tatar oppression, the Trinity monastery founded by Sergius of Radonezh became the setting for the flourishing of spiritual art, exemplified by the work of Andrey Rublev, among others. The followers of Sergius founded four hundred monasteries, thus extending the geographical extent of the Grand Duchy of Moscow. However, the Moscow Prince Vasili II rejected the act of the Council of Florence brought to Moscow by Isidore in March 1441, Isidore was in the same year removed from his position as an apostate and expelled from Moscow. The Russian metropolitanate remained effectively vacant for the few years due largely to the dominance of Uniates in Constantinople then. In December 1448, Jonas, a Russian bishop, was installed by the Council of Russian bishops in Moscow as Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia without the consent from Constantinople. Subsequently, there developed a theory in Moscow that saw Moscow as the Third Rome, the successor to Constantinople
12.
Hakodate, Hokkaido
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Hakodate is a city and port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the city of Oshima Subprefecture. As of July 31,2011, the city has an population of 279,851 with 143,221 households. The total area is 677.77 km2, the city is now the third biggest in Hokkaido after Sapporo and Asahikawa. Hakodate was Japans first city whose port was opened to trade in 1854 as a result of Convention of Kanagawa. Also, the city had been the biggest city in Hokkaido before the Great Hakodate Fire of 1934, Hakodate was founded in 1454, when Kono Kaganokami Masamichi constructed a large manor house in the Ainu fishing village of Usukeshi. There was constant low level conflict in the Oshima peninsula at the time with the Ainu as armed merchants like the Kono family established bases to trade in the region. This conflict culminated in an uprising from 1669 to 1672, led by Ainu warrior Shakushain after which the Ainu in the region were suppressed, Hakodate flourished during the Hoei period and many new temples were founded in the area. In 1779, the Tokugawa shogunate took direct control over Hakodate, merchant Takadaya Kahei, who is honoured as the founder of Hakodate port, set up trading operations, which included opening the northern Etorofu sea route to the Kuril island fisheries. He is credited with turning Hakodate from a trading outpost into a thriving city, a Hakodate magistracy was established in 1802. The port of Hakodate was surveyed by a fleet of five U. S. ships in 1854 under the conditions of the Convention of Kanagawa, as negotiated by Commodore Matthew Perry. S. A mariner in Perrys fleet died during a visit to the area and he stayed in Hakodate until 1884, during which time he documented the local natural environment, equipped the local meteorological station and ran guns to the Boshin War rebels. As one of few points of Japanese contact with the outside world, the Russian consulate included a chapel from where Nicholas of Japan is credited with introducing Eastern Orthodox Christianity to Japan in 1861. The Orthodox church is neighbored by several other historical missionary churches, including Anglican, Hakodate also played a central role in the Boshin War between the Tokugawa shogunate and the Meiji Emperor which followed Perrys opening of Japan. Shogunate rebel Enomoto Takeaki fled to Hakodate with the remnants of his navy and his handful of French advisers in winter 1868 and they formally established the Republic of Ezo on December 25. The republic tried unsuccessfully to gather international recognition to foreign legations in Hakodate, including the Americans, French, the rebels occupied Hakodates famous European-style Goryōkaku fort and used it as the centre of their defences in southern Hokkaido. Government forces defeated the secessionists in the Battle of Hakodate in 1869, military leader, Hijikata Toshizō, was one of those slain in the fighting. In 1878, Isabella Bird reported of the city in her travelogue, The streets are wide and clean
13.
Daisetsuzan Volcanic Group
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The Daisetsuzan Volcanic Group is a volcanic group of peaks arranged around the 2 kilometres wide Ohachi-Daira caldera in Hokkaidō, Japan. In the Ainu language it is known as Nutapukaushipe or Nutaku Kamushupe and these peaks are the highest in Hokkaidō. The group lends its name to the Daisetsuzan National Park in which the group is located. The volcanic group lies at the end of the Daisetsu-Tokachi graben on the Kurile arc of the Ring of Fire. The volcanic zone makes itself known through a number of fumaroles, the following peaks make up the volcanic group,100 Soundscapes of Japan Tourism in Japan Hokkaipedia, Daisetsuzan Mountains, last access 2 July 2008. Teikokus Complete Atlas of Japan, Teikoku Shoin Co
14.
Higashikawa, Hokkaido
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Higashikawa is a town located in Kamikawa District, Kamikawa Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. As of 2016, the town has an population of 8,092. The total area is 247.06 km², Higashikawa declared itself a photo town in the 1980s and has done much to sponsor photography since, notably the annually awarded Higashikawa Prizes. Media related to Higashikawa, Hokkaidō at Wikimedia Commons Official website English summary Higashikawa as photo town
15.
Red-crowned crane
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The red-crowned crane, also called the Japanese crane or Manchurian crane, is a large East Asian crane among the rarest cranes in the world. In some parts of its range, it is known as a symbol of luck, longevity, adult red-crowned cranes are named for a patch of red bare skin on the crown, which becomes brighter during mating season. Overall, they are white in color with black on the wing secondaries, which can appear almost like a black tail when the birds are standing. Males are black on the cheeks, throat, and neck, the bill is olive green to greenish horn, the legs are slate to grayish black, and the iris is dark brown. This species is among the largest cranes, typically measuring about 150 to 158 cm tall and 101. 2–150 cm in length, across the large wingspan, the red-crowned crane measures 220–250 cm. Typical body weight can range from 4.8 to 10.5 kg, with males being larger and heavier than females. On average, it is the heaviest crane species, although both the sarus and wattled crane can grow taller and exceed this species in linear measurements, another study found the average weight of the species to be 8.9 kg. The maximum known weight of the crane is 15 kg. Among standard measurements, the wing chord measures 50. 2–74 cm, the culmen measures 13. 5–17.7 cm, tail length is 21. 5–30 cm. In the spring and summer, the populations of the red-crowned crane breed in Siberia, northeastern China. The breeding range centers in Lake Khanka, on the border of China, normally, the crane lays two eggs, with only one surviving. Later, in the fall, they migrate in flocks to Korea, vagrants have also been recorded in Taiwan. In addition to the populations, a resident population is found in eastern Hokkaidō in Japan. This species nests in wetlands and rivers, in the wintering range, their habitat is comprised mainly by paddy fields, grassy tidal flats, and mudflats. In the flats, the birds feed on invertebrates and, in cold, snowy conditions. Red-crowned cranes have an omnivorous diet, though the dietary preferences have not been fully studied. They eat rice, parsley, water plants, carrots, reed buds, acorns, buckwheat and a variety of water plants. The animal matter in their diet consists of fish, including carp and goldfish, amphibians, especially salamanders, snails, crabs, dragonflies, small reptiles, and other birds, especially waterfowl
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Tsurui
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Tsurui is a village located in Akan District, Kushiro Subprefecture, Hokkaido. As of September 30,2016 it has an population of 2,516. Tsurui is a ground for the red-crowned crane, one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan. The village was formed in 1937, media related to Tsurui, Hokkaidō at Wikimedia Commons Tsurui official website
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Black-tailed gull
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The black-tailed gull is a gull native to East Asia. The black-tailed gull is medium-sized, with a wingspan of 126–128 cm and it has yellow legs and a red and black spot at the end of the bill. Males and females have identical plumage and features, although males are larger in size than females and this gull takes four years to reach full adult plumage. As the name suggests, it has a black tail, the bird has a cat-like call, giving it its Japanese name — umineko, sea cat, and Korean name — gwaeng-yi gull, which means cat gull. In Hachinohe they are one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan, the species is resident in East Asia, including China, Taiwan, Japan and Korea. It is a vagrant to Alaska and North America and has found in the Philippines. The bird is common in Japan, nesting from Hokkaido to Western Kyushu and it has caused flights to be delayed at Haneda Airport in Tokyo. An enormous gathering of black-tailed gulls can be found at the Kabushima at Hachinohe, Aomori, a Shinto shrine was raised by fishermen in 1269 at which the black-tailed gull, is seen as a messenger of the goddess of the fishery. For over 700 years, the species has enjoyed reverence, feeding, the seagulls are very tame and are a popular local tourist attraction. Around 5,000 birds also nest at Fumi-shima in Shimane Prefecture near Izumo Shrine, a rare visitor to the United States, a black-tailed gull was spotted from Burlington, Vermont, in October 2005. The bird has been spotted in Illinois several times, the black-tailed gull feeds mainly on small fish, molluscs, crustaceans scraps and carrion. It often follows ships and commercial fishing fleets and it also steals food from other seabirds. It is a colonial nester, with colonies forming in mid-April, 2–3 eggs are laid by early June
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Hachinohe, Aomori
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Hachinohe is a city in southeastern Aomori Prefecture in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. The total area was 305.54 square kilometres, the area around Hachinohe has been occupied since prehistoric times, and was a major population center for the Emishi people. Numerous Jōmon period remains have been discovered within the borders of Hachinohe, the Nanbu established numerous horse ranches, accompanied by numbered fortified settlements. The town prospered as a town centered on Hachinohe Castle. Today, the port serves the fishing industry and a number of international cargo vessels. After the Meiji Restoration, Hachinohe Domain was abolished, and replaced by Hachinohe Prefecture, per the establishment of theMeiji period municipalities system on April 1,1889, the town of Hachinohe was created within Sannohe District. In 1901, it merged with neighboring Chōja, and on May 1,1929 with neighboring Konakano, Minato, the city further expanded by annexing the village of Shimonaganawashiro in 1942, Korekawa in 1954, Ichikawa, Kaminaganawashiro, Tachi and Toyosaki in 1955 and Odate in 1958. On March 31,2005, the village of Nangō was also merged into Hachinohe, during the American occupation of Japan following World War II, a United States Army base, Camp Haugen, was located in Hachinohe, and was the home of the Seventh Division. An Armed Forces Radio Service radio station was located on the base, in 1950, after the North Korean invasion of South Korea, troops from Camp Haugen left for Korea. AFRS Hachinohe altered its broadcasts to include coverage of South Korea so Americans could benefit from its news, with the final withdrawal of American forces from Hachinohe in 1956, the base was turned over to the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and was officially re-designated JGSDF Camp Hachinohe. From December 2002, the terminus of the Tōhoku Shinkansen has been at Hachinohe Station. In March 2011, the city was one of those hit by the 2011 Japanese tsunami, the tsunami tossed many huge fishing boats ashore and heavily damaged the port area. Divers from the United States Navy ship Safeguard joined with Japanese workers to clear the port to facilitate the delivery of relief supplies via the city. Hachinohe is located in the flatlands on the southeast coast of Aomori Prefecture, both the Oirase River and the Mabechi River flow throgh Hachinohe. A portion of the areas of the city were within the borders of the Tanesashi Kaigan Hashikamidake Prefectural Natural Park. The average annual rainfall is 1165 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 22.7 °C, Hachinohe is the largest city in eastern Aomori Prefecture, and serves as the regional industrial and commercial center. Commercial fishing still plays a role in the local economy. However, since its designation as a new city in 1964, Hachinohe has developed a large coastal industrial belt with a diverse range of chemical, steel, cement
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Aomori Prefecture
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Aomori Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region. The capital is the city of Aomori, until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Aomori prefecture was known as the northern part of Mutsu Province. During the Edo period the Hirosaki clan began building a seaport at the current city of Aomori, there were green woods near the city which were used as landmarks for the ships that came into port. These green woods called aoi-mori is where Aomori got its name, the prefecture came into existence in 1871. The town of Aomori was established in 1889, the town was incorporated as a city in 1898 with a population of 28,000. On May 3,1910 a fire out in the Yasukata district. Fanned by strong winds, the fire devastated the whole city. The conflagration claimed 26 lives and injured a further 160 residents and it destroyed 5,246 houses and burnt 19 storage sheds and 157 warehouses. At 10,30 p. m. on July 28,1945 a squadron of American B29 bombers bombed over 90% of the city, radio Aomori made its first broadcast in 1951. Four years later, the first fish auctions were held,1958 saw the completion of the Municipal Fish Market as well as the opening of the Citizens Hospital. In the same year, the Tsugaru Line established a connection with Minmaya Village at the tip of the peninsula. Various outlying towns and villages were incorporated into the city and with the absorption of Nonai Village in 1962. Almost exactly three years later, on March 13, railroad service was inaugurated on the Tsugaru Kaikyo Line and that same day saw the end of the Seikan Ferry service. During their 80 years of service, the ferries of the Seikan line sailed between Aomori and Hakodate some 720,000 times, carrying 160 million passengers. In April 1993, Aomori Public College opened, in August 1994, Aomori City made an Education, Culture and Friendship Exchange Pact with Kecskemét in Hungary. One year later a treaty was signed with Pyongtaek in South Korea. In April 1995, Aomori Airport began offering regular international air service to Seoul, South Korea, and Khabarovsk, Russia. In June 2007, four North Korean defectors reached Aomori Prefecture, after having been at sea for six days, in March 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck Japan on the east coast
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Lake Ogawara
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Lake Ogawara is Japans eleventh largest lake and the largest in Aomori Prefecture. It spans the boundaries of the city of Misawa and the town of Tōhoku, the lake has an area of 63.2 km² and holds 0.714 km³ of water. At its deepest point, the water is 25 meters deep, the surface is at sea level. The lake is shallow from the shoreline to a distance of approximately 200 meters, there are four inflowing rivers, all coming from Hakkoda Mountain Range. The only outflow is the Takase River, which drains the lake to the Pacific Ocean, Lake Ogawara was originally a marine bay, which became a lake approximately 3,000 years ago by the formation of a sand bar at its mouth. The shoreline around Lake Ogawara has been settled since prehistoric times, Lake Ogawara is an abundant habitat for fish and birds, and is recognized as such by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment. A variety of marimo occurs naturally in the lake, in 1996 the sound of wild birds on the shores of Lake Ogawara was selected by the Ministry of the Environment as one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan. The lake was home to the critically endangered Hucho perryi. Migratory birds include the whooper swan and tundra swan, among others, the lake is a commercial source of cultivated Japanese smelt, icefish, goby and shijimi. This article incorporates material from the article 浜名湖 in the Japanese Wikipedia, retrieved on November 11,2009
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Misawa, Aomori
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Misawa is a city located in eastern Aomori Prefecture in the northern Tōhoku region of northern Japan. As of 1 October 2016, the city had an population of 39,649. The total area of the city was 119.87 square kilometres, Misawa is the location of a large military base, Misawa Air Base, which is under joint operation of the United States Air Forces 35th Fighter Wing, and Japan Air Self-Defense Forces 3rd Fighter Wing. It is also an important US base for intelligence and related activities. The city population figures do not include the estimated 10,000 American military personnel, Misawa is located in the flatlands on the southern shore of Lake Ogawara on the east coast of Aomori Prefecture, facing the Pacific Ocean. The nearest large city is Hachinohe which is 30 to 40 minutes away by car, the surrounding area is mostly rural and scenic. There is some limited nightlife, mostly concentrated around the American air base, Tokyo is an hour away by air, about 3 and a half hours by train, and about 10–12 hours by car. Though short, autumn is beautiful with pleasant temperatures, late-blooming flowers, winter gets serious in early December, peaks in January and February, and starts fading near the end of March. Strong winds often intensify the cold temperatures, snowfall is erratic, however even the heaviest snowfalls can melt quickly. Icy roads are the concern as the sunshine will often melt the ice and then as afternoon temperatures cool down. As the ice and snow clear and the ground dries, dust storms become a hazard near farm fields, in early spring, the winds switch and come from the east off the ocean. Thick sea fog is common in the morning or early evening, may is usually quite pleasant with warm temperatures. The onset of summer brings the rainy season. This normally begins in mid-June and continues for a period of time. However, it normally clears out around mid to late July, the end of July through August can get quite hot. The city has a maritime climate characterized by cool summers. The average annual temperature in Misawa is 9.9 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1172 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 22.6 °C, numerous Jōmon period remains have been discovered within the borders of Misawa, including within the borders of Misawa Air Base
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Oirase River
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The Oirase River is a river located in eastern Aomori prefecture, in the Tohoku region of northern Japan. The Oirase River is the only river draining Lake Towada, a caldera lake on the border of Aomori. The river flows in an eastern direction, through the municipalities of Towada, Rokunohe, Oirase. The upper reaches of the form a scenic gorge with numerous rapids and waterfalls. The lower reaches of the river are used extensively for irrigation, in 1996 the sound of flowing water at the Oirase River was selected by the Ministry of the Environment as one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan. Campbell, Allen, Nobel, David S. Japan, An Illustrated Encyclopedia, Japan National Tourism Organisation home page
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Towadako, Aomori
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Towadako was a town located in Kamikita District in central Aomori Prefecture, Japan. Located in south-central Aomori Prefecture, and encompassing the Aomori shoreline of Lake Towada, at the time of its merger, the town had an estimated population of 9,834 and a density of 26.42 persons per km2. The total area was 372.2 km2, Towadako was served by Route 102 highway, but had no railway service. Hōosawa Village was founded in 1889 from the merger of the hamlets of Hōryō, Oirase and it changed its name to Towada Village in 1931 and was elevated to town status in 1955. In April 1975, it changed its name to Towadako Town, on January 1,2005, Towadako was merged into the neighboring city of Towada, and thus it no longer exists as an independent municipality
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Aomori Nebuta Matsuri
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The Aomori Nebuta Matsuri is a Japanese summer festival that takes place in Aomori, Aomori Prefecture, Japan. The festival attracts the most tourists of any of the countrys nebuta festivals and it was designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property in 1980, and as one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan by the Ministry of the Environment in 1996. In the local dialect, participation in the festival is inquired using the verb haneru, which was derived from the Japanese spelling of the haneto costume, the Tamuramaro Shō was created around this explanation in 1962 to be awarded to the festivals best group participant. However, it is unlikely that Tamuramaro actually conducted military expeditions in what is currently Aomori Prefecture, the festival most likely evolved out of traditional Shinto ceremonies like Tanabata. Another explanation involves the etymology of the word Nebuta and this army battled Sakanoue no Tamuramaros forces for over 12 years, but was ultimately defeated. Aterui was captured and taken to Osaka Prefecture, where he was granted an audience with the ruler before being beheaded. Ateruis severed head was shown off to the public, and his family, dirt was thrown over these graves, and those who surrendered to the Japanese forces and became slaves were instructed to stomp over the dirt. This event is said to be the origin of Nebuta, as Ateruis followers were sent back to their roots or to the world of the dead with the dirt as a covering. According to this episode, the dancers stomp the ground while carrying the float of Sakanoue no Tamuramaro on their shoulders. During the Edo period and Meiji period, the act of carrying a large lantern float like the Nebuta was often banned by the government due to the fire hazard it posed to the surroundings. This ban was put into place during World War II. Corporations began to sponsor the creation of the floats in the period. The light source within the float was originally a candle, but was changed to incandescent or fluorescent light bulbs powered by portable generators. The frame of the floats also changed from bamboo to wire, Nebuta floats also grew larger with time, but urban obstacles such as footbridges, power lines, and traffic lights only allowed their width to increase significantly. The festival is held every year from August 2 to August 7, where the float is carried through the city during the evening from August 2–6, a fireworks show is held on the evening of the final day while the float is carried into the sea. There are three types of floats used in the Aomori Nebuta Festival, the childrens nebuta and regional nebuta are sponsored by local organizations, and are usually smaller than the normal nebuta. The childrens nebuta is carried twice, from August 2–3, the large nebutas are always carried at some point during the festival, but few can be seen during the first two days of the festival, perhaps due to shortages in funds. The float is carried through the area surrounded by National Route 4, Shinmachi Street, Kenchō Street, in the past, the floats started off one at a time from the intersection between National Route 4 and Kenchō street, and continued along the course in the clockwise direction
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Japanese festivals
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Japanese festivals are traditional festive occasions. Some festivals have their roots in Chinese festivals centuries ago, but have undergone changes as they mixed with local customs. Some are so different that they do not even resemble the original festival despite sharing the same name. There are also various festivals that are mostly unknown outside a given prefecture. It is commonly said that you always find a festival somewhere in Japan. In Yokohama Chinatown, Japans biggest Chinatown, tourists from all over Japan come to enjoy the festival, similar for Nagasakis Lantern Festival that is based in Nagasaki Chinatown. Festivals are often based around one event, with stalls, entertainment. Some are based around temples or shrines, others hanabi, Matsuri is the Japanese word for a festival or holiday. In Japan, festivals are sponsored by a local shrine or temple. Almost every locale has at least one matsuri in late summer/early autumn, notable matsuri often feature processions which may include elaborate floats. Preparation for these processions is usually organised at the level of neighborhoods, prior to these, the local kami may be ritually installed in mikoshi and paraded through the streets. One can always find in the vicinity of a matsuri booths selling souvenirs and food such as takoyaki, karaoke contests, sumo matches, and other forms of entertainment are often organized in conjunction with matsuri. If the festival is next to a lake, renting a boat is also an attraction. Favorite elements of the most popular matsuri, such as the Nada no Kenka Matsuri of Himeji or the Neputa Matsuri of Hirosaki, are often broadcast on television for the nation to enjoy. Sapporo Snow Festival is one of the largest festivals of the year in Sapporo and it began in 1950 when high school students built snow statues in Odori Park, central Sapporo. The event is now large and commercialized. About a dozen large sculptures are built for the festival along with around 100 smaller snow, several concerts and other events are also held. Lake Shikotsu is the northernmost ice-free lake which is 363 meters deep and this festival features a moss-covered cave, which has evergreen draped on the inside and is covered in ice
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Aomori, Aomori
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Aomori is the capital city of Aomori Prefecture, in the northern Tōhoku region of northern Japan. As of September 2015, the city had an population of 288,029. The total area of the city was 824.61 square kilometres, Aomori literally means blue forest, although it could possibly be translated as green forest. The name is considered to refer to a small forest on a hill which existed near the town. This forest was used by fishermen as a landmark. A different theory suggests the name might have derived from the Ainu language. The large scale of these settlements revolutionized theories on Jōmon period civilization, during the Heian period, the area was part of the holdings of the Northern Fujiwara clan, but remained inhabited by the Emishi people well into the historic period. After the start of the Edo period, Aomori was a port settlement for Hirosaki Domain called Utō. The town was rebuilt in 1626 by Moriyama Yashichirō, under orders of the daimyō, Tsugaru Nobuhira and renamed Aomori, after the Meiji Restoration the various domains were abolished and replaced with prefectures, a total of six in the territory of modern Aomori Prefecture. These were merged into the short-lived Hirosaki Prefecture in July 1871, however, Aomori was not given town status within Higashitsugaru District until April 1,1889, and was not designated a city until April 1,1898. The Hokkaidō Colonization Office began operations of a service from Aomori to Hakodate in Hokkaido from 1872. In September 1891, Aomori was connected with Tokyo by rail with the opening of the Tōhoku Main Line, the Ōu Main Line running along the Sea of Japan coast opened in December 1894. The 8th Division of the Imperial Japanese Army were stationed in Aomori from 1896, much of the town burned down in a large fire on May 3,1910. The port facilities were expanded in 1924, and the city received its first bus services in 1926, Japan Air Transport began scheduled air services from 1937. The July 28–29 bombing claimed 1,767 lives and destroyed 88% of the city, in the post war period, Aomori rebuilt as the local political and commercial center. The Tsugaru Line railway opened in 1951, and Aomori Airport in 1964, the city was connected to Tokyo by highway in 1979 with the opening of the Tōhoku Expressway. Aomori’s landmark pyramidal Aomori Prefectural Tourist Center opened in 1986, on October 1,2002, Aomori was proclaimed a core city with increased autonomy from the central government. On April 1,2005, the town of Namioka was merged into Aomori, Aomori is located in central Aomori Prefecture, between the southern end of Mutsu Bay, which it faces to the north and the Hakkōda Mountains to the south
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Hirosaki
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Hirosaki is a city located in southwest Aomori Prefecture, Japan. As of September 2015, the city had an population of 176,590. The total area was 524.20 square kilometres, Hirosaki developed as a castle town for the 100,000 koku Hirosaki Domain ruled by the Tsugaru clan during the Edo period. The city is currently a commercial center and the largest producer of apples in Japan. The city government has been promoting the catchphrase Apple Colored Town Hirosaki, the town is also noted for a large number of western-style buildings dating to the Meiji period. This came from the emblem of Tsugaru clan, the lords of Hirosaki Domain during the Edo era. During the Sengoku period a local retainer of the Nambu, Ōura Tamenobu, declared his independence and he assisted Toyotomi Hideyoshi at the Battle of Odawara in 1590, and was confirmed in his holdings with revenues of 45,000 koku. He also changed his name to Tsugaru, after siding with Tokugawa Ieyasu at the Battle of Sekigahara, his revenues increased to 47,000 koku and he began construction of a castle in Takaoka. His successor, Tsugaru Nobuhira, completed the castle in 1611, the domain’s revenues increased to 100,000 koku in 1628. In 1808, Takaoka was renamed Hirosaki, the Tsugaru clan sided with the Satchō Alliance in the Boshin War of the Meiji Restoration, and was rewarded by the new Meiji government with an additional 10,000 koku. However, with the abolition of the han system on August 29,1871, Hirosaki Domain was abolished, the Prefecture was renamed Aomori Prefecture in October of the same year, and the prefectural capital was relocated to the more centrally located Aomori. Chōyō Elementary School was established on October 1,1873, Apple horticulture was introduced to Hirosaki from 1877 and the 59th National Bank, the predecessor of Aomori Bank opened in March 1878. Hirosaki was proclaimed a city on April 1,1889 and was one of the first 30 cities in Japan. The Ōu Main Line connected Hirosaki with Aomori on December 1,1894, Hirosaki became the home garrison town for the Imperial Japanese Army’s IJA 8th Division from October,1898. The division was active in the Russo-Japanese War. Hirosaki City Hospital was established in 1901, and Hirosaki City Library in 1906, the first telephone service in the city stated from 1909. The first Cherry Blossom Festival was held in 1918, in 1927, the Kōnan Railway connected Hirosaki with Onoe. Hirosaki University was established in 1949, on March 1,1955, Hirosaki expanded through annexation of neighboring villages of Shimizu, Wattoku, Toyoda, Horikoshi, Chitose, Fujishiro, Niina, Funazawa, Takasugi, Susono and Higashimeya
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Iwate Prefecture
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Iwate Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan. It is located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu island and contains the islands easternmost point, Iwate has the lowest population density of any prefecture outside Hokkaido. There are several theories about the origin of the name Iwate, but the most well known is the tale Oni no tegata and these rocks are said to have been thrown down into Morioka by an eruption of Mt. Iwate. According to the legend, there was once a devil who often tormented and harassed the local people, when the people prayed to the spirits of Mitsuishi for protection, the devil was immediately shackled to these rocks and forced to make a promise never to trouble the people again. As a seal of his oath the devil made a handprint on one of the rocks, thus giving rise to the name Iwate, even now after a rainfall it is said that the devils hand print can still be seen there. Bashō visited and wrote about Iwate in the journey described in Oku no Hosomichi and he was especially inspired by Hiraizumi. Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Iwate prefecture was part of Mutsu Province, Iwate Prefecture was created in 1876 in the aftermath of the Boshin Civil War which heralded the beginning of the Meiji Restoration. The area now known as Iwate Prefecture was inhabited by the Jomon people who left their artifacts throughout the prefecture, for example, a large number of burial pits from the Middle Jomon Period have been found in Nishida. Various sites from the Late Jomon Period including Tateishi, Makumae and Hatten contain clay figurines, masks and ear, the Kunenbashi site in Kitakami City has yielded stone swords, tablets and tools as well as clay figurines, earrings and potsherds from the Final Jomon Period. The earliest mention of a Japanese presence dates to about 630 when the Hakusan Shrine was said to have built on Mt. Kanzan in what is now Hiraizumi. At this time various Japanese traders, hunters, adventurers, priests, in 712 the province of Mutsu, containing all of Tohoku, was divided into Dewa Province, the area west of the Ou Mountains and Mutsu Province. In 729 Kokuseki-ji Temple was founded in what is now Mizusawa Ward, More fighting occurred the next and following years but mostly in Dewa and the area south of present-day Iwate prefecture. This situation continued until March 787 when the Yamato army suffered a defeat in the Battle of Sufuse Village in what is now Mizusawa Ward. There the Emishi leaders More and Aterui leading a cavalry force trapped the Yamato infantry. Over 1,000 soldiers drowned that day, the Japanese general Ki no Asami Kosami was rebuked by the Emperor Kanmu when he returned to Kyoto. Since the Japanese could not win on the battlefield they resorted to means to conquer the Emishi. Trade for superior quality iron wares and sake made the Emishi dependent on the Japanese for these valuable goods, bribes were offered to the Emishi leaders in the form of Japanese citizenship and rank if they would defect. Finally a campaign of burning crops and kidnapping the Emishi women and children, many a stout warrior gave up the fight to join his family again
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Wind chime
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Wind chimes are a type of percussion instrument constructed from suspended tubes, rods, bells or other objects that are often made of metal or wood. They are usually hung outside of a building or residence as a visual and aural garden ornament, since the percussion instruments are struck according to the random effects of the wind blowing the chimes, wind chimes have been considered an example of chance-based music. The tubes or rods may sound either indistinct pitches, or fairly distinct pitches, Wind chimes that sound fairly distinct pitches can, through the chance movement of air, create simple melodies or broken chords. Roman wind chimes, usually made of bronze, were called tintinnabulum and were hung in gardens, courtyards, bells were believed to ward off malevolent spirits and were often combined with a phallus, which was also a symbol of good fortune and a charm against the evil eye. The image shows one example with a phallus portrayed with wings and these additions increased its protective powers. It is said that these bells were intended to frighten away not only birds. Wind bells are also hung under the corners of temple, palace and home roofs, Japanese glass wind bells known as fūrin have been produced since the Edo period, and those at Mizusawa Station are one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan. Wind chimes are thought to be good luck in parts of Asia and are used in Feng Shui, Wind chime started to become modernized around 1100 B. C. after the Chinese began to cast bells. A bell without a clapper, called a yong-zhong, was crafted by skilled metal artisans, afterwards, the Chinese created the feng-ling, which is similar to todays modern wind bell. Feng-lings were hung from shrines and pagodas to ward off evil spirits, today, wind chimes are common in the East and used to maximize the flow of chi, or lifes energy. Chimes produce inharmonic spectra, although if they are hung at about 2/9 of their length, some of the partials are damped. This is common practice in high-quality wind chimes, which are usually hung so the centre ball strikes the centre of the wind chimes length. Frequency is determined by the length, width, thickness, there are formulas that help predict the proper length to achieve a particular note, though a bit of fine tuning is often needed. In instruments such as pipes, the pitch is determined primarily by the length of the air column. The pipe material helps determine the timbre or voice of the pipe, in a wind chime, the vibrations of the pipe itself radiate the sound after being struck, so the air column has little to do with the pitch being produced. Sound can be produced when the tubes or rods come in contact with a suspended central clapper in the form of a ball or horizontal disk, Wind chimes may be used to observe changes in wind direction, depending on where they are hung when they commence to sound. Wind chimes can be made of other than metal or wood. Other wind chimes materials include glass, bamboo, shell, stone, earthenware, stoneware, beads, keys, more exotic items, such as silverware or cookie cutters, can also be recycled to create wind chimes
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Mizusawa Station
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Mizusawa Station is a railway station on the Tōhoku Main Line in Ōshū, Iwate Prefecture, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company. Mizusawa Station is served by the Tōhoku Main Line, and is located 470.1 rail kilometers from the terminus of the line at Tokyo Station, mizusawa Station has an island platform and a single side platform, connected to the station building by an overhead passage. The station is staffed and has a Green Window ticket counter, the station is noted for the numerous nambu furin, and the station is listed as one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan. Mizusawa station opened on 1 November 1890, the station was absorbed into the JR East network upon the privatization of the Japanese National Railways on 1 April 1987. Mizusawa Post office Ōshū City Office Kitakami River Japan National Route 4 Japan National Route 297 JR East Station information
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Chagu Chagu Umakko
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Chagu Chagu Umakko is a horse festival in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. Held on the second Saturday in June, approximately one hundred horses with colourful fittings, the term chagu-chagu is an onomatopoeic expression for the sound made by the horses bells. In 1978 the festival was recorded as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property, in 1996 the sound of the bells of the Chagu Chagu Umakko was selected by the Ministry of the Environment as one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan. Matsuri List of Important Intangible Folk Cultural Properties 100 Soundscapes of Japan Chagu Chagu Umakko
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Takizawa, Iwate
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Takizawa is a city located in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 January 2017, the city had an population of 279,483. The total area of the city was 182.46 square kilometres, Takizawa is located in central Iwate Prefecture, bordered to the north and west by the Iwate Mountains, and the Kitakami River to the east and the Shizukuishi River to the south. Iwate Prefecture Morioka Hachimantai Shizukuishi Takizawa has a humid continental climate characterized by mild summers. The average annual temperature in Takizawa is 9.5 °C, the average annual rainfall is 1386 mm with September as the wettest month and February as the driest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 23.3 °C, per Japanese census data, the population of Takizawa has grown rapidly over the past 40 years. The area of present-day Takizawa was part of ancient Mutsu Province, during the Heian period, it was ruled by the Abe clan. During the Sengoku period, the area came under the control of the Nambu clan during the Edo period, in the Meiji period, the village of Takizawa was established within Iwate District on April 1,1889 with the establishment of the modern municipalities system. Takizawa was promoted directly from a village to a city on January 1,2014, Takizawa has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 18 members. Takizawa is a community for Morioka. Agriculture still plays an important role in the economy, with Takizawa known for its summer watermelon. There are likewise seven public schools, six of which are operated by the city government. There are two high schools operated by the Iwate Prefectural Board of Education. There is also an education school operated by the prefectural government. The festival is designated by the Japanese government to be an Important Cultural Asset, the festival celebrates the horses which once played an important role in the area’s agriculture. The festival gets its name from the bells the horses wear during the procession, the sound the bells make, in Japanese, is chagu-chagu. The festival begins at Chagu-Chagu Shrine which is a shrine in Takizawa dedicated to horses. In total the trip takes nearly five hours to complete, azusa Iwashimizu – professional soccer player Media related to Takizawa, Iwate at Wikimedia Commons Official website
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Meloimorpha japonicus
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Meloimorpha japonicus, also known as Suzumushi and bell-ring cricket. is a kind of cricket native to Asia. It is known particularly for its song in Japan, M. japonicus is an autumn kigo used in haiku. Suzumushi is also the title of chapter 38 of The Tale of Genji, for unknown reasons, it is the only chapter skipped in Arthur Waleys translation of the book. Suzumushi are kept as pets by Chieko Sada, the character of Kawabatas novel The Old Capital and are mentioned several times
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Sendai
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Sendai is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, and the largest city in the Tōhoku region, and the second largest city north of Tokyo. In 2010, the city had a population of one million, the city was founded in 1600 by the daimyō Date Masamune, and is nicknamed the City of Trees, there are about 60 zelkova trees on Jōzenji Street and Aoba Street. In the summer, the Sendai Tanabata Festival, the largest Tanabata festival in Japan, is held, in winter, the trees are decorated with thousands of lights for the Pageant of Starlight, lasting through most of December. On March 11,2011, coastal areas of the city suffered damage from a magnitude 9.0 offshore earthquake which triggered a destructive tsunami. Although the Sendai area was inhabited as early as 20,000 years ago, the history of Sendai as a city begins from 1600, Masamune was not happy with his previous stronghold, Iwadeyama. Iwadeyama was located to the north of his territories and was difficult to access from Edo. Sendai was a location, being in the centre of Masamunes newly defined territories, upon a major road from Edo. Tokugawa Ieyasu gave Masamune permission to build a new castle in Aoba-yama, the previous ruler of the Sendai area had used a castle located on Aobayama. At this time Sendai was written as 千代, because a temple with a thousand Buddha statues used to be located in Aobayama, Masamune changed the kanji to 仙臺, which later became 仙台. The kanji came from a Chinese poem that praised a palace created by the Emperor Wen of Han China, tradition says that Masamune chose this kanji so that the castle would prosper as long as a mountain inhabited by an immortal hermit. Masamune ordered the construction of Sendai Castle in December 1600 and the construction of the town of Sendai in 1601, the grid plan roads in present-day central Sendai are based upon his plans. The first railway line between Sendai and Tokyo, now the Tōhoku Main Line, opened in 1887, bringing the area within a days travel from Tokyo for the first time in history. Tohoku Imperial University, the regions first university, was founded in Sendai in 1907, Sendai was incorporated as a city on 1 April 1889, as a result of the abolition of the han system. At the time of incorporation the citys area was 17.45 square kilometres, the city grew, however, through seven annexations that occurred between 1928 and 1988. The city became a city on 1 April 1989, the citys population exceeded one million in 1999. Sendai was considered to be one of Japans greenest cities, mostly because of its numbers of trees. Sendai became known as The City of Trees before the Meiji Restoration, as a result, many houses, temples, and shrines in central Sendai had household forests, which were used as resources for wood and other everyday materials. In 1925, the Senseki Line to Sendai Station became the first underground railway segment in Japan, the 2nd Infantry Division was known as the Sendai Division as it was based in Sendai, and recruited locally
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Miyagi Prefecture
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Miyagi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku region on Honshu island. Miyagi Prefecture was formerly part of the province of Mutsu, Mutsu Province, on northern Honshu, was one of the last provinces to be formed as land was taken from the indigenous Emishi, and became the largest as it expanded northward. The ancient capital was at Taga-jō in modern Miyagi Prefecture, in the third month of second year of the Wadō era, there was an uprising against governmental authority in Mutsu Province and in nearby Echigo Province. Troops were promptly dispatched to subdue the revolt, in Wadō5, the land of Mutsu Province was administratively separated from Dewa Province. During the Sengoku period various clans ruled different parts of the province, in the Meiji period, four new provinces were created from parts of Mutsu, Rikuchū, Rikuzen, Iwaki, and Iwashiro. The area that is now Aomori Prefecture continued to be part of Mutsu until the abolition of the han system, Date Masamune built a castle at Sendai as his seat to rule Mutsu. In 1871, Sendai Prefecture was formed and it was renamed Miyagi prefecture the following year. On March 11,2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake, the tsunami was estimated to be approximately 10 meters high in Miyagi Prefecture. On April 7,2011,7. 4-magnitude earthquake strikes off coast of Miyagi, Japan, workers were then evacuated from the nearby troubled Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear facility once again, as a tsunami warning was issued for the coastline. Residents were told to flee for inner land at this time, officials from the U. S. Geological Survey later downgraded the magnitude to 7.1 from 7.4. In 2013, Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako visited the prefecture to see the progress made since the tsunami, Miyagi Prefecture is in the central part of Tōhoku, facing the Pacific Ocean, and contains Tōhokus largest city, Sendai. There are high mountains on the west and along the northeast coast, matsushima is known as one of the three most scenic views of Japan, with a bay full of 260 small islands covered in pine groves. Oshika Peninsula projects from the coastline of the prefecture. Fourteen cities are located in Miyagi Prefecture, Sendai - the largest, as of March 2011, the prefecture produced 4. 7% of Japans rice, 23% of oysters, and 15. 9% of sauries. In July 2011, the Japanese government decided to ban all shipments of cattle from northeast Miyagi Prefecture over fears of radioactive contamination. Matsushima Bay Sendai Airport The sports teams listed below are based in Miyagi Prefecture, baseball Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles Tohoku Reia Football Vegalta Sendai Sony Sendai F. C. Sendai was the castle town of the daimyo Date Masamune. The remains of Sendai Castle stand on a hill above the city, Miyagi Prefecture boasts one of Japans three greatest sights. Matsushima, the islands, dot the waters off the coast of the prefecture
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Phragmites
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Phragmites is a genus of four species of large perennial grasses found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world. The World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, maintained by Kew Garden in London, – Japan, Korea, Ryukyu Islands, Russian Far East Phragmites karka Trin. About 130 other synonyms have been proposed, and some have been widely used, arundo phragmites L. and Phragmites vulgaris Crép. Recent studies have characterised morphological distinctions between the introduced and native stands of Phragmites australis in North America, americanus – the North American genotype has been described as a distinct subspecies, subsp. Americanus, and Phragmites australis – the Eurasian genotype is sometimes referred to as subsp, altissimus Clayton is an accepted subspecies of P. australis. Phragmites australis var. marsillyanus Kerguélen is a variety of Phragmites australis. In North America, the status of Phragmites australis was a source of confusion and it was commonly considered an exotic species and often invasive species, introduced from Europe. However, there is evidence of the existence of Phragmites as a plant in North America long before European colonization of the continent. It is now known that the North American native forms of P. a. subsp, americanus are markedly less vigorous than European forms. The recent marked expansion of Phragmites in North America may be due to the more vigorous, Phragmites outcompetes native vegetation and lowers the local plant biodiversity. Phragmites forms dense thickets of vegetation that is unsuitable habitat for native fauna, Phragmites displaces native plants species such as wild rice, cattails, and native wetland orchids. Phragmites has a high ground biomass that blocks light to other plants allowing areas to turn into Phragmites monoculture very quickly. Decomposing Phragmites increases the rate of marsh accretion more rapidly than would occur with native marsh vegetation, australis is causing serious problems for many other North American hydrophyte wetland plants, including the native Phragmites australis subsp. Gallic acid released by Phragmites is degraded by ultraviolet light to produce acid, effectively hitting susceptible plants. Phragmites are so difficult to control one of the most effective methods of eradicating the plant is to burn it over 2-3 seasons. The roots grow so deep and strong that one burn is not enough, ongoing research suggests that goats could be effectively used to control the species. Phragmites australis, common reed, commonly forms extensive stands, which may be as much as 1 square kilometre or more in extent, where conditions are suitable it can also spread at 5 metres or more per year by horizontal runners, which put down roots at regular intervals. It can grow in damp ground, in standing water up to 1 metre or so deep, the erect stems grow to 2–6 metres tall, with the tallest plants growing in areas with hot summers and fertile growing conditions
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Kitakami River
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The Kitakami River is the fourth largest river in Japan and the largest in the Tōhoku region. It is 249 kilometres long and drains an area of 10,150 square kilometres and it flows through mostly rural areas of Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures. The source of the river is the Mount Nanashiruge in northern Iwate, the river is unusual in that it has two mouths, one flowing south into Ishinomaki Bay and the other flowing east into the Pacific Ocean, both in Ishinomaki City. The Kitakami river was an important transportation route during the Edo period, numerous dams have been constructed on the river and its tributaries from the Taisho and Showa periods for hyroelectric power generation, flood control and irrigation. However, another feature is that there are no dams from its mouth to the Shijūshida Dam north of Morioka. This allows for a salmon run every fall. In Iwate Prefecture from north to south showing from which direction the water flows and the city where it empties into the Kitakami River
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Ishinomaki
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Ishinomaki is a city located in Miyagi Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. As of September 2015, the city has an population of 145,805. The total area was 554.50 square kilometres, Ishinomaki is in northeastern Miyagi Prefecture. The city borders on Matsushima Bay to the south and Kesennuma Bay to the north and its coastline forms part of the Sanriku Fukkō National Park, which stretches north to Aomori Prefecture. Ishinomaki includes Tashirojima, Ajishima, and Kinkasan, three islands off the south coast of Oshika Peninsula, Miyagi Prefecture Tome Higashimatsushima Wakuya Misato Onagawa Minamisanriku Ishinomaki has a humid subtropical climate with warm summers and cold winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is heaviest from June to October, the area of present-day Ishinomaki was part of ancient Mutsu Province. The town prospered as a port and transshipment center for coastal shipping between Edo and northern Japan. The town of Ishinomaki was established on June 1,1889 with the establishment of the municipalities system, the modern city was founded on April 1,1933. The town of Ogatsu is regionally famous for its inkstones and has an annual festival in the summer. Ayukawa, a town in Oshika, was formerly a base for ships in Japans whaling fleet. Ishinomaki was among the municipalities most seriously affected by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, several tsunamis, up to about 10 metres high, traveled inland up to 5 kilometres from the coast. The tsunami destroyed around 80% of the 700 houses in the port of Ayukawa. Approximately 46% of the city was inundated by the tsunami, and when the decision was finally made, the teachers had decided to get to higher ground further away from the school which necessitated crossing a nearby river bridge. It was here while crossing the bridge both the teachers and students were swept away by the tsunami. This decision is deemed unreasonable by many of the parents because there is a hill right behind the school, one of the teachers who survived the tsunami at the bridge later committed suicide. As of 17 June 2011, a total of 3,097 deaths had been confirmed in Ishinomaki due to the tsunami, approximately 29,000 city residents lost their homes. Ishinomaki employs several foreigners to teach English in all of its elementary and junior high schools, american teacher Taylor Anderson was killed by the tsunami. Since her death, her family has been active in supporting the Ishinomaki school district, the earthquake shifted the city southeast and downward, lowering it by as much as 1.2 metres in some areas and causing it to flood twice daily at high tide
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Greater white-fronted goose
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The greater white-fronted goose is a species of goose related to the smaller lesser white-fronted goose. It is named for the patch of white bordering the base of its bill, in fact albifrons comes from the Latin albus white. In Europe it has known as simply white-fronted goose, in North America it is known as the greater white-fronted goose. Even more distinctive are the markings on the breast of adult birds. Greater white-fronted geese are 64–81 cm in length, have a 130–165 cm wingspan and they have bright orange legs and mouse-coloured upper wing-coverts. They are smaller than greylag geese, the male is typical larger in size, both sexes are similar in appearance—greyish brown birds with light grey breasts dappled with dark brown to black blotches and bars. Both males and females also have a bill and orange legs. The appearance of European or Russian white-fronted geese, of the race albifrons and Greenland white-fronted geese, of the race flavirostris, the Greenland white-fronted goose, in all plumages, looks darker and more oily-looking than the European white-fronted goose, both at rest and in flight. The greater white-fronted goose is divided into five subspecies, the nominate subspecies A. a. albifrons breeds in the far north of Europe and Asia, and winters further south and west in Europe. All these races are similar in plumage, differing only in size and it winters in Ireland and western Scotland. Another putative East Asian subspecies albicans has also been described, ecological studies in 2002 suggest the Greenland birds should probably be considered a separate species from A. albifrons. Of particular interest is its long period of parental care and association. The Pacific birds migrate south down the Pacific coast, staging primarily in the Klamath Basin of southern Oregon and northern California and wintering, eventually, in Californias Central Valley. The tule goose is somewhat rare and has been since the latter half of the 19th century, in the British Isles, two races overwinter, Greenland birds in Scotland and Ireland, and Russian birds in England and Wales. They gather on farmland at favoured sites, with a famous flock gathering at WWT Slimbridge, Gloucestershire. Greenland birds also overwinter in Ireland and from late September and through the winter months, a. a. albifrons and A. a. flavirostis are among the taxa to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds applies. Weather conditions are a key factor in the breeding success of white-fronted geese. In the Arctic, the window of opportunity for nesting, incubating eggs, arriving in late May or early June, white-fronted geese begin departing for fall staging areas in early September
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Kurikoma, Miyagi
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Kurikoma was a town in Kurihara District, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Established in 1955 with the consolidation of six municipalities, it was abolished in a merger forming the larger Kurihara City in 2005. The municipal area was 244.36 km², Kurikoma was located on the northwest border of Miyagi Prefeceture with Iwate Prefecture and Akita Prefecture. Kurikoma covered a narrow east-west area, Mount Kurikoma sat at the northwest border with Iwate Prefecture. It was the origin of the name of the municipality, the largest town of the area was Iwagasaki, which was 23 kilometers east of the mountain. Later Iwagasaki was often called Kurikoma because the office was built there. The western half of the municipality covered a part of the Ōu Mountains and this area is less populated but a ski and spa resort is located southeast of Mount Kurikoma. Two rivers, Nihasama and Sanhasama, run toward the southeast from the mountain, both make valleys of 1 -3 kilometers width on reaching the eastern area, which are mainly cultivated as rice fields. Iwagasaki is located on the bank of Sanhasama River. Nihasama, Sanhasama and Ichihasama merge to form the Hasama River east of the former Kurikoma Town, the eastern area was more populated than the west, but flatlands are limited to the above-mentioned valleys. The rest of the half, especially almost all of the northeast quarter, was occupied by low hills of less than 500 meters height. April 1,1955 - Kurikoma Town was established through the consolidation of Iwagasaki Town and the villages of Omatsu, Toyasaki, Monji, Kurikoma and Himematsu
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Wakayanagi, Miyagi
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Wakayanagi was a town located in Kurihara District, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. In 2003, the town had an population of 14,149. The total area is 52.56 km², Wakayanagi is located in the north of the Miyagi prefecture and the Sendai plain. The Hasama River runs through toward the southeast, the town had developed as a crossing point of the river. Wakayanagi Station of the Kurihara Denen Railway had been near the bank until its abolishment in 2007. The main streets between them connect at the Wakayanagi Grand Bridge across the river and it has been a part of the rice cultivation zone of Miyagi prefecture, which was one of a few important rice production areas in Japan. Additionally, some middle or small factories are located there
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Tome, Miyagi
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Tome is a city located in Miyagi Prefecture, in the Tohoku region of northern Japan. As of September 2015, the city had an population of 80,740. The total area was 536.12 square kilometres, the area is noted for its rice production. Tome is in far northeastern Miyagi Prefecture, bordered by Iwate Prefecture to the north, the Kitakami River flows through the city. The city is approximately 70 kilometers north of Sendai, during the later portion of the Heian period, the area was ruled by the Northern Fujiwara. The town of Tome was established on June 1,1889 with the establishment of the municipalities system, Tome was one of several cities severely affected by an earthquake and tsunami on Friday,11 March 2011, with as many as 6,000 people left homeless. On 15,2011, authorities announced that German and Swiss teams with search dogs would be deployed to the city to aid in search, other search and rescue team came from Australia and New Zealand. Early reports suggest that residents of the nearby town of Minamisanriku. The economy of Tome is largely based on agriculture, Tome has 21 elementary schools, one combined elementary/middle school, nine middle schools, and three high schools
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Noshiro, Akita
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Noshiro is a city located in northern Akita Prefecture, Japan. As of February 2016, the city had an population of 54,576. The total area was 526.95 square kilometres, Noshiro is located in the flat coastal plains northwestern Akita Prefecture, bordered by the Sea of Japan to the west. The Yoneshiro River flows through the city and empties into the Sea of Japan near Noshiro Port, the highest point is Mount Yakeyama at 963. Trade vessels from Balhae were calling at Noshiro Port as late as 771 AD, the area of present-day Noshiro was part of ancient Dewa Province, dominated by the Satake clan during the Edo period, who ruled Kubota Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate. The modern city of Noshiro was created on October 1,1940, by the merger of the town of Noshirominato, on March 21,2006, the town of Futatsui was merged into Noshiro. The economy of Noshiro is based on agriculture and commercial fishing, Noshiro has 12 elementary schools, seven middle schools and four high schools, and well as one special education school. Onagori Festival in Noshiro Kanto matsuri, Aomori Nebuta Matsuri, Samba Carnival and more
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Akita Prefecture
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Akita Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of northern Honshu, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Akita, the area of Akita has been created from the ancient provinces of Dewa and Mutsu. Akita was a region of hunter-gatherers and principally nomadic tribes, the first historical record of what is now Akita Prefecture dates to 658, when the Abe no Hirafu conquered the native Ezo tribes at what are now the cities of Akita and Noshiro. Hirafu, then governor of Koshi Province, established a fort on the Mogami River, in 733, a new military settlement—later renamed Akita Castle—was built in modern-day Akita city at Takashimizu, and more permanent roads and structures were developed. The region was used as a base of operations for the Japanese empire as it drove the native Ezo people from northern Honshū. During the Tokugawa shogunate it was appropriated to the Satake clan, throughout this period, it was classified as part of Dewa Province. In 1871, during the Meiji Restoration, Dewa Province was reshaped, the famous Heian period waka poet, Ono no Komachi, is said to have been born in Yuzawa City, Ogachi Town, located in the southeast of the prefecture. Akita Prefecture is rectangular in shape, roughly 181 km from north to south and 111 km from west to east, the Ōu Mountains mark the eastern border of the prefecture, and the higher Dewa Mountains run parallel through the center of the prefecture. Like much of northern Japan, the prefecture has cold winters, the Oga Peninsula is a prominent feature of the coastline. This has led many people to migrate to Tokyo and other large cities. Akita Prefecture is where declines in population are most severe in Japan and it also has the lowest number of children as a percentage of the population, at 11. 2%. As of 2010, it has a population of just over 1 million people, Akita is famous for rice farming and its sake breweries. It is well known for having the highest consumption of sake in Japan, the women of the region, referred to as Akita bijin, have also gained widespread renown for their white skin, rounded faces and high voices, all of which are considered highly desirable. Ono no Komachi is an example of an Akita bijin. Kiritanpo Nabe Gakko Rice – Akita komachi Sake Near Lake Tazawa and these are popular with tourists from all over Japan. In addition, its numerous seasonal festivals offer a glimpse of rural or traditional Japan, some famous examples are the Akita Kantō, the Omagari Fireworks, Namahage Festival, and the Yokote Kamakura Festivals. Kakunodate is a charming old town, known as the little Kyoto. The Aoyagi house is the residence of Odano Naotake, the man who illustrated Japans first modern guide to the human anatomy
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Cicada
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The cicadas are a superfamily, the Cicadoidea, of insects in the order Hemiptera. They are in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha, along with smaller jumping bugs such as leafhoppers and froghoppers and it is divided into the Tettigarctidae, with two species in Australia, and Cicadidae, with more than 1,300 species described from around the world, many undescribed species remain. Cicadas have prominent eyes set wide apart, short antennae, and they have an exceptionally loud song, produced not by stridulation, but by vibrating drumlike tymbals rapidly. The earliest known fossil Cicadomorpha appeared in the Upper Permian period and they typically live in trees, feeding on sap, and laying their eggs in a slit in the bark. Most cicadas are cryptic, singing at night to avoid predators, Cicadas have been featured in literature since the time of Homers Iliad, and as motifs in art from the Chinese Shang dynasty. They have been used in myths and folklore to represent carefree living, Cicadas are eaten in various countries, including China, where the nymphs are served deep-fried in Shandong cuisine. The name is directly from the Latin cicada, meaning tree cricket, Cicadas are arranged into two families, the Tettigarctidae and Cicadidae. The two extant species of Tettigarctidae include one in southern Australia and the other in Tasmania, the family Cicadidae is subdivided into the subfamilies Cicadinae, Tettigadinae, and Cicadettinae, they are found on all continents except Antarctica. Some previous works included a family-level taxon called the Tibiceninae. The largest species is the Malaysian emperor cicada Megapomponia imperatoria, its wingspan is up to about 20 cm and they are also notable for the great length of time some species take to mature. At least 1300 cicada species are distributed worldwide with the majority being in the tropics, most genera are restricted to a single biogeographical region and many species have a very limited range. This high degree of endemism has been used to study the biogeography of complex island groups such as in Indonesia, about 100 species occur in the Palaearctic. A few species are found in southern Europe, and a species is in England, the New Forest cicada, Melampsalta montana. Most of the North American species are in the genus Neotibicen, the best-known North American genus, however, is Magicicada. These periodical cicadas have a long life cycle of 13 or 17 years. Many of them go by names such as cherry nose, brown baker, red eye, greengrocer, yellow Monday, whisky drinker, double drummer. The Australian greengrocer, Cyclochila australasiae, is among the loudest insects in the world, forty-two species from five genera populate New Zealand, ranging from sea level to mountain tops, and all are endemic to New Zealand and the surrounding islands. Fossil Cicadomorpha first appeared in the Upper Permian, the superfamily Palaeontinoidea contains three families
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Yama-dera
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You may also be looking for the voice actor Kōichi Yamadera. Yama-dera is about a train ride northeast of Yamagata City, in Yamagata Prefecture. The temple is a nationally designated Place of Scenic Beauty and Historic Site, the area is named after the common name of the temple of Risshaku-ji, founded in 860 AD by the priest Ennin, who is better known in Japan by his posthumous name, Jikaku Daishi. In 847 he returned to Japan from China and in 854, Risshaku-ji was founded as a branch temple of Enryaku-ji on Mt. Hiei near Kyoto. Even today the ritual fires brought from Enryaku-ji are still burning in the main temple and it developed into the major Heian period temple for rural Dewa province. This main temple, the Konpon-chūdō, an important cultural asset, is said to have built in 1356 by Shiba Kaneyori. Most of Risshaku-ji was destroyed during the wars of the early 16th century. By the Edo period Risshaku-ji was a powerful institution possessing a fief of 1,420 koku, the present Konpon-chūdō is a Muromachi period construction of beech, which is rare as a building material. The temples clinging to the rocky hillsides are picturesque and unusual. The thousand step climb through the cedar trees is worth making to the temples at the top. An important cultural asset, the Heian period seated wooden image of Yakushi Nyorai is the image of the main temple. Yama-dera is where the well-known haiku poet Matsuo Bashō wrote his famous haiku ah this silence / sinking into the rocks / voice of cicada in 1689. A museum of Bashos writings and paintings and other related art, in 1996, the Ministry of the Environment selected the cicadas of Yama-dera as one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan. JR Senzan Line, Yamadera Station Yamagata Expressway, Yamagata North Interchange, about 10 kilometers, Yamadera Tourism Association Japan Photo Guide, Yamadera
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