Greetings from the Tokai region and Japan's Heartland. In this month's issue we will highlight events occurring in March in the Tokai region - Aichi, Gifu, Mie, Shizuoka Prefectures and Nagoya City. We hope that you will enjoy learning about fascinating historical and cultural aspects that are still part of everyday life in the “Heart of Japan”.

March 3rd marks a special event for girls in Japan. Ohina-matsuri, Doll's Day Festival (also known as Girls Day) is celebrated by setting up elaborate dolls, Ohina-ningyo or Hina dolls, varying from one tier to five or seven tiers. Generally the dolls are put up after February 4th which marks the beginning of spring by the old Japanese calendar (Rishun in Japanese), but the dolls must be put away as quickly as possible or by mid-March at the latest according to tradition. It is believed that leaving the dolls out “too long” will effect a daughter's ability to marry in the future.

The Hina dolls have been around since the mid-part of the Heian Era (794-1185), however the dolls in their current form originates from the Tokugawa Era (1603-1867). In the past Hina dolls were used in ceremonies to drive away or keep away bad spirits during the Setsubun festival. Over time the event came to celebrate the health and happiness of girls. Each set can contain up to 15 different dolls. The top and main tier is decorated with “Emperor and Empress” dolls and their retainers on five to seven tiers with tea and sewing sets, traditional games and musical instruments. Just setting up the dolls takes a lot of work - not to mention patience! Even today parents will spend thousands of dollars on these lovely dolls all in the hopes of their daughter finding happiness.

As we enter into March plum blossoms are being replaced by lovely peach blossoms, Momo in Japanese, and by the end of March cherry blossoms, Sakura, also start to bloom. If you walk around residential areas, riversides and parks you can enjoy peach blossoms and cherry blossoms. With daylight hours continuing to lengthen and the temperatures starting to edge up just a bit more, March is slightly more comfortable than previous months. Average daytime highs hit around 13 C (55 F) and lows reach 3 C (37 F). We also get a bit more rain in March which helps encourage lovely spring flowers - cherry blossoms, daffodils and tulips to name just a few! For those in the area particularly at the end of the month, this is one of the best seasons to enjoy - be sure not to miss the gorgeous cherry blossoms especially when they are lit up at night!

Sanshu Asuke Yashiki, Doll’s Day Festival, Feb. 1 - April 7, (Asuke town, Aichi Pref.)

In Asuke Yashiki, thatched houses and storehouses are reproduced in an area of about 3,000m2. Visitors can enjoy the atmosphere of everyday village life in the olden days through demonstrations of papermaking, umbrella making, weaving and charcoal making.
Currently at Asuke Yashiki, a flowering bush called Mitsumata (paper bush) is in bloom. The flowers start off white and then turn yellow by mid-March. True to its name this bush is used in papermaking. Also an exhibition of Hina Dolls is underway with a wide array of dolls on display. Guaranteed to be a fun day out for people of all ages!

Cherry Blossoms & Gujo-Hachiman Castle (Gujo-Hachiman Town, Gifu Pref.)

Surrounded by mountains running from East to West, the town of Guho-Hachiman is blessed with many small rivers running through it. These fresh spring waters are called "Sougi-sui" by locals. Thanks to the pure waters the town has been recognized by the Japanese Environmental Agency as being the best "water spot" (out of a hundred!) in the nation. From the heights of the lovely white Gujo-Hachiman Castle, originally built in 1559 and rebuilt in 1933, one can take in the old castle town, old streets and also visit the archive center open to the public. With cherry blossoms due to bloom in a few weeks, the mountains surrounding the town will be awash in the pink hue of blooming cherry trees. Truly a sight to behold, one can gain an appreciation of the Japanese love for cherry blossoms.

Banko Pottery Hall (Yokkaichi, Mie Pref.)

Banko no Sato Kaikan (Banko Pottery Hall) was established in early 1998 to support and further the local pottery Banko-yaki. For over 260 years Banko pottery has flourished in the Yokkaichi area, one of its most well known products is the Do-nabe, an earthen pot, which is used in a popular winter dish called nabe. Above and beyond the do-nabe, Banko-yaki has yielded a wide variety of dishes such as the antique jyubako (stacking lunch box) in the left photo. For those who would like to try their hand at pottery, courses are available to the general public. And while visiting the pottery hall be sure to check out the gift shop where items are sold at a special discount.

Cherry Blossoms in Hamamatsu City Flower Park (Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Pref.)
　
Here one can find a bit of East and West blended together in the 30,000m2 grounds. Also known as the “Library of Flowers” this unique ‘flower park’ has a wide variety of flowers in bloom each season. The park perimeters are edged with pine trees that flow into a Japanese style garden with a pond and iris garden. The Western style garden has a large, man-made fountain, sculpted trees and flower daises. In spring visitors can enjoy 1,500 flowering cherry trees and over 180 varieties of cherry blossoms. At the same time, park-goers can take in over 50,000 colorful tulips in bloom! In the evening, the park opens from 6 to 9 pm for special cherry blossom viewing as these lovely trees are lit up at night. Truly a sight to behold!

Weeping Plum blossoms at Nagoya City Nogyo Center (Hirabari, Tenpaku Ward, Nagoya City)
(late-Feb to mid-March)

The Agriculture Center in Hirabari is well known for its beautiful weeping plum blossoms and is said to have the most plum trees (roughly 700) in the country. These naturally occurring weeping trees are a rare find overseas, but if you are in town from late February to mid-March you can enjoy lovely white, pink or red plum blossoms as they take turns blooming. Late-Feb to mid-March the center holds its annual “Weeping Plum Festival” in which visitors thrill to the fragrant lovely flowers .
The 8 ha center, true to its name is a mini-farm and has a wide variety of animals, vegetables and flowers being raised on the grounds - something guaranteed to thrill all ages! Freshly made soft ice cream and milk is also a popular item among visitors. Spring is definitely a great time to wander around the grounds. Take the Tsurumai Line to Hirabari Station, transfer to a city bus and get off at Araike bus stop, from there it is about a 7 minute walk to the center.

Shizuoka has been preparing for the World Cup event for many years. In addition to its successful bid to be a host site for official matches, Shizuoka also hopes to host practice sites throughout the prefecture.

One of its proudest accomplishments is the new Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa. This 81,200m2 open-air stadium has covered permanent seating and can hold up to 50,600 people. Completed in 2001 the stadium design was influenced by the nearby Ogasa mountains and has environment-friendly features built in. Only a ten minute walk from the new JR Aino station off the JR Tokaido Line, visitors can travel in style via the Bullet Train to matches at the stadium.

Green Tea

Shizuoka green tea is known for its mild flavor and aroma. A variety of teas originate from this area - mild green tea (sencha), high quality green tea (ryokucha) and the highest quality of green tea known as gyokuro.

Back issues are available on our site in the "Tokai Newsletter" section
http://www.j-heartland.com

Newsletters are translated, composed and designed by Christine Sakamoto

(Clip art utilized for non-commercial purposes from: Komon-ya.net, Clip Arts of ancient Japan, Queen’s free world, Genei Sozai Koubou & Mashi-ushi-do. Copyright held by respective parties.)

Copyright (C) 2002 Tokai Association for Tourism Promotion (TATOP). All rights reserved.