Still active #2 - a cylindrical post vol.2

Found an antique post at Togakushi as well. Well, but something goes different from normal.....do you know what?

Hayaokidori website

Togakushi

There are many craft shops which sell some bamboo and cane stuff in Togakushi as well as soba restaurant. There used to be shops like this here and there in any towns in Japan in good old days though......


There are 3 shrines - Nakasha, Okusha and Hokosha in Togakushi.


Naka-sha is located very close to the soba restaurant "Gokui" I always pit in, the stone stairs are a bit tough to keep going :(


At the bottom of the stairs, there is a washbasin what we call "chouzu"


Correct way to use some water at the washbasin.
#1. Wash your left hand first.
#2. Wash your right hand.
#3. Catch some water by your left hand to wash your mouth, then wash your left hand again.


A warehouse besides the washbasin. Soba restaurant "Gokui" is just behind it.


Shinden - Sanctuary


Shrine office.


Komainu ( watchdogs at gates for shrines ) They have a kind of scary faces, so when I was a kid, I felt they were scary creatures.


3 big Japan oedar trees. Looks very tall.


It says the tallest one of the three is approximately 42 meters tall, but it looks a lot taller than that.


Back home via Nagano city by passing through this Togakushi bird line. A lot of birds from southern countries fly over here in summer to breed, you can hear them singing. Lovely place.

Hayaokidori website

Soba season

Soba is one of traditional Japanese noodle. Harvested mainly in some cold regions like in Nagano. This pic left is what I had at "Gokui" soba noodle restaurant when I visited Togakushi back in May this year when I visited Kinasa to see skunk cabbage flowers ( Mizu basho in Japanese ).
Autumn is the harvest time for soba as well, it's fun to have some again soon.

p.s. Some people have very tough allergic to soba, you'd better know if you had the allergic to soba or not before you try. ( But wonder how.... )

Hayaokidori website