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徳島県鳴門市撫養町南浜字東浜 170

This page features current information on events taking place in Naruto City. Tag along and explore Visit us on Twitter and Instagram!

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04/01/2024

Happy New Year everyone!😄

Sending you the best of luck, happiness and health for the new year!🐉

For New Year's Eve I went to Tokushima's largest shrine: Oasa Hiko Jinja in Naruto City.⛩ It's always really crowded here around New Year's, resulting in traffic jams for a whole week! I went to the shrine on foot🚶 so it was no problem for me, but I was able to take a glimpse at the length of the row of cars🚕 that started on prefectural road no. 12: 2km (1.24 miles) on the eastern road, and 2.7kms (1.68 miles) from the upper western parking lot entrance up untill the bridge leading to Aizumi-cho.😲

There were only a few pedestrians, but many young people had decided to visit the shrine⛩ on bicycle🚲, which was the right choice, because it was much easier to reach the shrine and enjoy the lovely road leading to the shrine (cars were unable to take this path).

The shrine grounds were pretty quiet overall, but once we reached the 0:00 time mark, a countdown resulting in joyful cheers🥳 took over the whole area. People started praying🙏 in front of the praying hall and also looked at their New Year's divination (omikuji).

While strolling back home🚶 I also took the opportunity to visit a temple close by called Ryozen-ji. It was my first time visiting the temple at night🌠 and I was immediately charmed by the solemn atmosphere. Definitely another great place to visit for New Year's Eve!😊

20/12/2023

Hello everyone!🙂

Last Saturday we held a Christmas event at the Naruto🌀 German House🇩🇪 where people could craft their own Christmas decoration.🎅🎀

This year 5 distinct items were on the menu:
Christmas lanterns made of a glass with paint, sticker and marker decorations / Christmas cards made of thick paper with various decorations / Christmas dolls using cones and other materials / Christmas trees made of cones / Christmas wreaths.
All materials were gathered in the mountains close to the German House Naruto.

Visitors could also enjoy German board games♟🎲 and learn about Germany🇩🇪 at a different corner of the event space.

In times past, people used to craft their own Christmas gifts (handcrafted photo frames etc.) and I think all attendees were able to get a feeling for the joy one can feel when making one's Christmas gifts / decorations!😄

Merry Christmas everyone!🎅 See you around😎

17/11/2023

Hello everyone!

Today I would like to introduce you to Tokushima Prefecture's largest shrine: Oasa Hiko Jinja.⛩🥰

The shrine is also called "Awa no kuni ichi no miya". Tokushima was called "Awa" prior to the Meiji Period.👀

The shrine itself is very old! We can trace the shrine back to the 9th and 10th century, were it is mentioned as a "Taisha" or greater shrine in the "Engishiki".🧐

If we look into Japanese mythology, we can also find some episodes of deities coming to the land of Awa in search of fertile soil.🏞 One myth mentions a deity growing h**p in order to craft linen. This might be the reason that the shrine/area is called Oasa (=h**p).

Nowadays, many people visit the shrine to pray for the wellbeing of their family, traffic safety and so on. The shrine grounds get pretty crowded during festivals - with the biggest occasion being the first shrine visit of the year or "hatsu moude". About 26.000 people visit the shrine from January 1st - 3rd. 😳

The holy shrine tree, which was already mentioned in a post earlier, is about 22 m in height and it was designated as a natural monument of Naruto City in 1995.🥰

If you leave the shrine grounds to the north, you will find Maruyama Park. Here, two old monuments tell of the time when approx. 1000 German POWs lived in the close by POW Camp Bando. 🇩🇪
The humane leadership under Commander Toyohisa Matsue allowed the Germans to engage in friendly exchange with the locals. As a token of gratitude❤️, the POWs decided to build ten bridges close to the river Bandodani-gawa in order to help the locals cross the river more easily. Only two of those ten bridges remain today: the German Bridge and the Glasses Bridge.

If you leave the shrine ground to the north, you will eventually reach the entrance to Mt. Oasa (538m).⛰ There's a shrine⛩ on top of the mountain and also a large Japanese cedar, which is 27 meters in height.🌲 The solemn and spiritual atmosphere of Oasa creates a stark contrast to the dynamic, powerful currents of the Naruto Whirlpools🌀 at the Naruto Strait.

Make sure to visit this wonderful place at least once! 😍

10/11/2023

Hello everyone!😉

Continiung on from the post earlier this week, let's take another look at the Oasa Hiko Jinja's⛩ annual festival (reisai).

The front picture features a Mikoshi or portable shrine. The Mikoshi is carried by locals - each larger district forms their own group, while the youngest members sit in inside the Mikoshi and beat small drums🥁 to produce a rythmn🎶 for guiding the carriers of the shrine.

One by one, the Mikoshi groups stepped forward in front of the front shrine (praying hall), each offering their own performance to the diety present during the ceremony.

Earlier, the Hinoki Lion🦁 Dance Groupe also performed a special dance unique to the area Hinoki (part of Oasa). This dance is said to be older than 400 years and it features the so called meoto or married couple dance, which depicts the story of a wife and husband lion🦁❤️ going together through life (with all its ups and downs).🥰

And finally, after the holy diety had taken residence in the Mikoshi prepared by the shrine priests, a long procedure (gyoretsu) headed by priests and local representatives walked towards the large shrine gate⛩ 1km south of the shrine.

In the next and final post about the Oasa Hiko Jinja festival, we will get to know general information about the shrine and some unique structures on the shrine grounds, which were built by German🇩🇪 POWs during WW I.

See you next time😊

09/11/2023

Hello everyone!😉

Autumn🍂 has finally arrived in Naruto City.
And what better way to celebrate the change of seasons with
some interesting festivals?🎉😁

On last week's Wednesday, November 1st, the annual festival
(or reisai in Japanese) took place on the grounds of Tokushima
Prefecture's biggest Shinto shrine: the Oasa Hiko Jinja.⛩

This shrine is situated in the most western part of Naruto City.

Contrary to Monday's rainy weather☔️, last week's Wednesday was
marked by beautiful sunshine☀️ - it was the perfect time for a festival!

Around 10 AM, people started to appear on the shrine grounds.
And since we're talking about a Japanese festival, "Yatai" or festival booths
invited people who entered the shrine to enjoy seasonal foods and drinks.🍡🍵

If you go up the first set of stairs, you will immediately bear witness to
the holy shrine tree🌳, a camphor tree, that is said to be older than 1000 years.

About half past 10 AM, the chief priests of the Oasa Hiko Jinja started to
assemble on a specially marked space between the shrine office and the
camphor tree. There, purification rituals were cast before the priests headed
into front shine to perform various rituals.

Just as the ceremony inside the shrine began, the solemn sound of the
traditional Japanese wind instrument called sho (笙)🎶 changed the
atmosphere on the temple grounds in an instant.

In the following post, we will take a look at the different rituals that
took place in the afternoon - including performances of a local
variant of the famous lion dance!🦁

See you next time😊

19/04/2023

Hello everyone!😄

Today we are once again adding to the cherry blossom🌸 viewing map of Naruto City🌀.

This time we are showcasing spots close to the Naruto German🇩🇪 House, which is situated in the town of Oasa-cho in the western part of Naruto City.

For starters we have the Beethoven🎶 statue in front of the German House.
Picture 9 shows a beautiful color gradation close to the parking lot at Oasa Hiko Shrine⛩.

The final pictures show a walking path along the river Bandodani-gawa. A very solemn place, which is just perfect for relaxed walks (the walking route is about 1.6 km or 1 mile)!🏞

Starting with spring🌸, many different kinds of flowers💐 will start blooming in Naruto City.
We are looking forward to show you the beautiful sceneries Naruto’s nature can offer, so stay tuned for more!😉

17/04/2023

Hello everyone!😄

Continuing on from our last report, we would like to share with you some information for your cherry blossom🌸 viewing map in Naruto City🌀.

For starters some additional impressions from Hanamiyama (pictures 1-6)
On one photograph you can see the Great Naruto Bridge🌉, which connects Tokushima Prefecture to Awaji Island (Hyogo Prefecture).

Next time we will introduce you to some cherry blossom trees🌸 around the Naruto German House🇩🇪. Stay tuned for more!😉

13/04/2023

Hello everyone🙂
We hope that you all enjoyed the beginning of spring! 🌸

Today we would like to introduce you to famous spots in Naruto City🌀 for Hanami or cherry blossom viewing.🌸 This year’s cherry blossom has already ended, but maybe you can find some inspirations for next year’s Hanami season. 😉

First off are two pictures of a mountain in eastern Naruto called Myoken-san. ⛰

Next are two pictures of the weeping cherry trees at the river Shinike-gawa.

After that we have some impressions from Otsuka Sportspark⚽️ and finally some photographs from Hanamiyama.

Stay tuned for more!😀

21/07/2022

Hello everyone! 🙂

Hot summer🌞 days are continuing in Naruto🌀. In order to escape direct sunshine and the heat of the day, it is usually a good idea to stay inside, but nature still displays some beautiful sceneries in summer also.🌻

Here's some more impressions from the lotus flowers of Shimada Island🏝 in Naruto City!
😊

12/07/2022

Hello everyone! 🙂

Today I would like to introduce you to the lovely world of the so called ancient lotus flowers (kodaihasu) of Shimada Island🏝, in the north-eastern part of Naruto City. It was pretty cloudy☁️ when I went to the lotus flower fields last week, but the small rainfall🌧 added its very own distinct flavor to the place!

It seems like this type of lotus flower is pink when it just started to bloom and gradually turns white. 😍 Nature surely does have some beautiful sceneries to offer. Some insects were also very happy about the blooming flowers! 🦗

There's also a photo contest📷 about ancient lotus flowers running until August 10th, so if you happen to have a beautiful shot, make sure to apply!😎

04/07/2022

Hello everyone!🙂

Today, I would like to continue last week's series of lotus flower pictures📷 taken in Otsu-cho, Naruto City🌀. Seeing the clear blue sky🌞 again will surely take some time, since typhoon no. 4🌧 is currently approaching Japan, bringing with it lots of rain☔️ and strong wind🌪.

Some of the flowers seem to mimic sunflowers🌻, always reaching out for the sun☀️. And while there's plenty of rain right now, the leaves of the lotus flower are known to create small puddles of water in their center. Can you spot the picture with a lotus flower and a shiny droplets of water?😎

Next time I would like to give you some impressions of Shimada Island, a northern island of Naruto City, which is famous for its rows of Ancient Lotus flowers. Stay tuned for more!!😉

30/06/2022

Hello everyone!

Two days ago, it was said that the rainy season 🌧
had already ended in Shikoku, which was a big surprise!👀
It usually lasts until mid-July, which does make me wonder
what all the flowers💐 and plants🌳 do without the usual rain...

Speaking of flowers, Naruto City🌀 is famous for its renkon or
lotus flower roots. Starting some weeks ago, I had seen
the small lotus flowers grow day by day on my way to work.🚴

The pictures you can see were taken this week on a sunny morning.☀️
The flowers tend to close until noon, so the faster you get there, the
more you can enjoy the show!

All pictures were taken in Otsu-cho, just west of the city center and
close to the Tokushima High Way.

There are still some pictures left, so stay tuned for more
white and pink lotus flowers!😃

住所

徳島県鳴門市撫養町南浜字東浜 170
Naruto-shi, Tokushima
772-8501

ウェブサイト

https://www.city.naruto.tokushima.jp/

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