Enjoy the stunning light show showcasing the magnificent Tokaikan,
which looks just as it did in the early Showa period,
together with the pristine lights of the Take-akari.
The Onsen Roman light show celebrates the ancient spirit of the hot springs.
Yuko is an ancient term meaning “faint light shining from the depths.”
Enjoy an unforgettable stroll through atmospheric laneways,
marvelling at the enthralling Take-akari lights with the gentle sounds
of the nearby Matsukawa river as accompaniment.
A special show with a limited run!
Announcing a “street projection” show on
the Matsukawa Promenade
| ■Time: |
17:30 – 22:00, October 6 – December 25, 2023 |
|---|---|
| ■Place: |
A promenade (about 15 meters long) near Noma Jiyu Yochien (Noma Kindergarten) |
A special projection show taking the four seasons as its theme
Enjoy the sights of the four seasons (cherry blossoms in spring,
greenery in summer, tinted leaves in autumn, and snow in winter).
Two projectors set up along the promenade will project images on it,
for a magical nighttime stroll.
This special program will double your enjoyment of a walk at night.
Make sure not to miss this show!
Area 3 is home to Otonashi Shrine, where a successful matchmaking
involving shogun Minamoto Yoritomo is said to have taken place.
On the day known as tanabata, the seventh day of the seventh month of
the lunar calendar, you will find Otonashi Shrine festooned with strips of
paper attached to bamboo sticks bearing entreaties to the gods.
This is derived from the ancient belief that bamboo plants grow tall enough
to deliver the prayers to the heavens where the gods reside.
Inside Otonashi Shrine is the Inori no Take-akari, where you can inscribe
your own matchmaking entreaty to the gods on an ema (traditionally a small
wooden tablet featuring a picture of a horse).
Bamboo has long been revered as a symbol of vitality, most notably because it continues growing and pushing up toward the heavens even during the cold winter months. The bamboo plant has long been believed to hold a sacred power, and as such features prominently in a variety of religious rituals. The practice of attaching prayers written on paper strips to sticks of bamboo on the day of tanabata can be traced back to the ancient reverence for bamboo. Otonashi Shrine is famed for bringing good luck to those seeking love, and the Inori no Take-akari has been set up especially for this purpose. Why not add your own ema inscribed with a message about that special someone in your life!
Bamboo has long been revered as a symbol of vitality, most notably because it continues growing and pushing up toward the heavens even during the cold winter months. The bamboo plant has long been believed to hold a sacred power, and as such features prominently in a variety of religious rituals. The practice of attaching prayers written on paper strips to sticks of bamboo on the day of tanabata can be traced back to the ancient reverence for bamboo. Otonashi Shrine is famed for bringing good luck to those seeking love, and the Inori no Take-akari has been set up especially for this purpose. Why not add your own ema inscribed with a message about that special someone in your life!
The sad love story associated with Otonashi Shrine.
Long ago, Ito was for a time the home of shogun Minamoto Yoritomo, who had been exiled to the province of Izu. It was here that he met and fell in love with Yaehime, daughter of Sukechika Ito. The Otonashi forest, just near the shrine, is said to be where they would often meet in secret. They produced a child, but her father disapproved strongly of the relationship and forced them to spit up.
Otonashi Shrine has special ema tablets where the center part bearing your personal message can be removed for safekeeping. It is said that this will ensure that your heartfelt request doesn’t go the way of poor Minamoto and Yaehime, because nobody can ever see what you’ve written. Only you will ever know…
The sad love story associated with Otonashi Shrine.
Long ago, Ito was for a time the home of shogun Minamoto Yoritomo, who had been exiled to the province of Izu. It was here that he met and fell in love with Yaehime, daughter of Sukechika Ito. The Otonashi forest, just near the shrine, is said to be where they would often meet in secret. They produced a child, but her father disapproved strongly of the relationship and forced them to spit up.
Otonashi Shrine has special ema tablets where the center part bearing your personal message can be removed for safekeeping. It is said that this will ensure that your heartfelt request doesn’t go the way of poor Minamoto and Yaehime, because nobody can ever see what you’ve written. Only you will ever know…
where prayers for love are answered
where prayers for
love are answered
Otonashi Shrine is located on the eastern bank of the Otonashi-gawa river (also known as the Matsukawa river) that flows through the center of Ito. The Tale of Soga tells us that Minamoto Yoritomo, the shogun banished to Hiruga-kojima island in the land known as Izu-no-kuni, once lived in a formal residence in northern Ito. This is where he met Yaehime, daughter of Sukechika Ito. The two lovers would meet up secretly at a spot in the Otonashi forest just near the shrine. Minamoto would wait for Yaehime until sunset at the Higurashi-no-mori woods on the opposite bank of the river. Today, this place is still held to have special significance for lovers. And because Yaehime is said to have enjoyed a relatively easy childbirth, the god associated with Otonashi Shrine became known as the god of easy delivery. For as long as people can remember, local women in the later stage of pregnancy have been bringing a scoop with the bottom cut out to the shrine to pray for an event-free delivery, and then again after the birth if all goes well to give thanks.
bonds with the region through the Take-akari project
Akarinowa, the team handling the Take-akari project, is a team of volunteers and concerned citizens set up by the City of Shizuoka and led by Daisuke Omura with a mission to tackle the loss of bamboo forests in the area.Bamboo loss is an increasing problem in natural woodlands near urban areas, due to the rising age of forestry and farm workers and a shortage of young people to take over. Bamboo forests provide multiple environmental benefits including protecting water sources (sometimes called “green dams”), preventing landslides and promoting biodiversity. Thus, there is an enormous environmental impact associated with the loss of bamboo resources. Akarinowa has created the spectacular Take-akari light show as a way to improve the local ecosystem, to promote a more collaborative approach to working with nature, and to encourage people to engage with nature at the local level—and most importantly, to pass these important messages onto younger generations.
Akarinowa, the team handling the Take-akari project, is a team of volunteers and concerned citizens set up by the City of Shizuoka and led by Daisuke Omura with a mission to tackle the loss of bamboo forests in the area.Bamboo loss is an increasing problem in natural woodlands near urban areas, due to the rising age of forestry and farm workers and a shortage of young people to take over. Bamboo forests provide multiple environmental benefits including protecting water sources (sometimes called “green dams”), preventing landslides and promoting biodiversity. Thus, there is an enormous environmental impact associated with the loss of bamboo resources. Akarinowa has created the spectacular Take-akari light show as a way to improve the local ecosystem, to promote a more collaborative approach to working with nature, and to encourage people to engage with nature at the local level—and most importantly, to pass these important messages onto younger generations.
and visitors to Ito〜
Several of the bamboo creations featured in the Take-akari light show were produced by local residents and visitors to Ito at specially convened workshops, using bamboo sourced from the Usami region of Ito.
Several of the bamboo creations featured in the Take-akari light show were produced by local residents and visitors to Ito at specially convened workshops, using bamboo sourced from the Usami region of Ito.
