Haikyo – Industrial Site (Original Find)
Recently it’s seemed that the discovery of one haikyo naturally leads to the discovery of another. This site is only a short drive from the electronics factory and we found it during a bit of ‘Let’s find a haikyo’ driving after leaving the factory.
It was too late and too wet for a proper search that day, but we jumped over the barrier on the side road leading up to the site, scrambled over the mound of dirt that had been bulldozed into place to stop vehicles from going up, and quickly counted four or five buildings in the area. Then we went back to the car, marked the location for future exploration and went home. (more…)
The Yokai Files – Tanuki – Ceramics and Saviours
Despite having posted about Tanukis just recently a couple of things happened that made me want to do an update.
Firstly, I went to the town of Shigaraki – the spiritual home of the ceramic Tanuki, producing a staggering number of Tanuki figures.
Secondly, I remembered another nice story about a ceramic Tanuki saving Kyoto, and that I had photos of the shrine dedicated to that Tanuki.
Lastly, an update will be a great excuse to show you all a rather famous Japanese TV commercial featuring those huge testicles.
So here you are, a second helping of Tanuki goodness.
The Yokai Files – Tanuki – The myth and the reality
These ceramic Tanukis (Racoon Dogs), often seen outside Japanese cafes and bars thanks to some odd word association, are probably the most recognised images of these creatures.
Don’t worry I’ll explain the word association later!
However, in Japan there is a rich folklaw tradition built up around the image of the Tanuki which means he pops up in some unusual places and surprising contexts.
Total-Japandemonium 