Heiwa Kannon (平和観音）

Heiwa means 'peace'.

Heiwa kannon was erected praying peace and safe in Nirasaki city in 1961. The Kannon is one of three Kannon in Kanto area and keeps an eye on our happiness from the southernmount of shitsiriiwa (七里岩).

This year, the kannon will come to fifty-year-celebration. Though the kannon has been there for fifty years, it keeps beautiful looking because people try to protect it as the repayment for peaceful life.

Romantic night with fireflies

When I was a child, my grand mother used to take me to Kotagawa (小田川) where fireflies are often found in Nirasaki city. Today, I went to Hotaru Matsuri (Fireflies festival) after a long separation.

The festival became bigger than that in 10 years ago because people seldom watch fireflies in other places compared to the past. We could watch small green lights in darkness, which made us feel romantic. Protectors of fireflies told me that fireflies would die in three days after glowing. How short and their lives are! Their lives are just express Japanese culture (In France, fireflies don't glow and fly.) Unfortunately I couldn't take pictures of their faint glow. I thought that their glows send us their sadness.

After we enjoyed romantic feeling, we tried to make 'Hotaru-kago (ほたるかご-a cage for fireflies). Local uncle illustrated how to make it. International students from France and Uzbekistan made it together. Not our nationalities but characters showed up the performance.

The festival brought me back old memories, and told my friends traditional Japanese culture.

Mt.Amari （甘利山）

Mt.Amari (1,731.4m) is one of 'mountains in Yamanashi', which rises in fron of South Alps. From the middle to the end of June, people climb Mt.Amari to enjoy watching communities of azaleas. The fascinations of Mt.Amari is beautiful scenery of azaleas, Mt.Fuji, Mt.Yatsugatake, and Mt.Hohoh. If you are lucky, you could see these mountains with a field of clouds. Also, Mt.Amari is popular as a mountain which has some precious alpine plants.

In addition, there is a pond 'Sawara-ike (さわら池) on the side of Mt.Amari. The pond is secretly known for the legend 'Sawara-ike Densetsu (さわら池伝説）'. The legend tells... A long ago, an old honed woman came to Mt.Amari, and turn into a big snake when she got into the pond. One day, children of lieges lived in Amari place went to the pond and were lost in the pond. The lieges got angry and covered it with trees of Sawara. The snake turned into a red cow in order to hide but ran away to somewhere... People believe that a sword which was used by the lieges is still buried in the pond. The legend makes the atmosphere arund the pond more mysterious.