8&9 Ikushimatarushima Shrine Onbashira Festival p. 13 & Yamamiya Shrine p &7 Walking Course p. 9 & Goka Hachiman Shinto Shrine p.

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2 1 The Festival of Thousand Oriental Cherry Trees p &3 4 6&7 8&9 4 5 Shopping Paradise p. 7 4 Milky Way p. 6 2&3 Sounji Buddhist Temple p. 3 & The Nichirinji Temple p. 5 8&9 Ikushimatarushima Shrine Onbashira Festival p. 13 & Yamamiya Shrine p. 16 6&7 Walking Course p. 9 & Goka Hachiman Shinto Shrine p. 11 上田 Shirakaba Highlands p. 17

3 The Festival of a Thousand Oriental Cherry Trees can also simply be called the Cherry Blossom Festival. It is often held in April every year and lasts for almost a month. Usually it is conducted in Ueda Castle Park which is not far from Ueda Train Station. There is also a history story here. It is said that Tokugawa ( 徳川 )clan made wars here, and after that Sanada ( 真田 ) clan defended and guarded the whole city. The Sanada clan were so great and heroic that Ueda people cannot forget them even now. The film Summer Wars includes part of this history. I went to the fantastic park this year and enjoyed it a lot. You can see lots of cherry trees as soon as you go into the park. Furthermore there are a series of events in the Ueda Castle Park at this time. For example, Cherry Poem Competition, Taikou Drum Festival and Cooking Pot. You can enjoy many of them for free. Unfortunately, I did not take part in any of them since I went there in the last few days of Cherry Festival and most of them had already come to an end. One of my friends told me that she saw the Monkey Show in the daytime and also the fireworks at night there. So please check the activity schedule carefully if you want to have a look. Photo by Wang Photo by Zhang What is more, the local food here is also popular. You can taste whatever you want here at this time. One of the local foods called Oden is very traditional. In fact, you can eat it not only at festivals. Oden is a common dish in Japanese life. It is a stewed dish which mixes five or six ingredients together and the most traditional ingredient is daikon (a kind of large radish). Even though it may not look attractive to everyone, it is delicious and tastes yummy. Since the Thousand Oriental Cherry Trees Festival is held in spring, you can spend time with friends having a picnic in Ueda Castle Park. The fresh air and green lawn will let you enjoy yourself a lot. See the article about Ueda Castle in Issue No. 1, January 2010 Website: ZHANG Yao/Photos by Zhang and Wang 2

4 This temple is not far away from the Ueda JR Train Station. I found it by chance when I passed by. I was interested in it, so I found the temple s vice-abbot, Kuwasawa san ( 桑沢さん ), to tell me some information about it. According to Kuwasawa san s words, there is no exact data about when this temple was built, but we can guess that it was built in the Edo period or before. The first thing that interested me is the board beside the door. It shows a picture of a child monk who looks like Ikkyusan( 一休さん ), an animation film character and also a real person in history, who was famous for his intelligence and became a monk when he was very young. The character Ikkyusan is based on some interesting stories which happened during his childhood. And this film was welcomed even in China. According to Kuwasawa san, similar signboards of a child monk are common at Buddist temples to attract people s attention. It is just a picture of a child monk who looks like Ikyuusan. It is said that this temple was near the moat of Ueda castle in earlier times, and then it was moved here. After you go into this temple, maybe this statue will come in front of you. According to Kuwasawa san, it is a statue of Kobo Master ( 弘法大師 ) whose religious name is Kukai ( 空海 ). Kobo Master(774~835) is a famous Buddhist monk who is the founder of the Shingon school ( 真言宗 ) of Buddhism. He traveled through Japan to improve himself, and later he was sent to China as an envoy during the Tang dynasty of China. He learned from Chinese monks, books, and so on. Finally he achieved a lot not only in Buddhism but also in calligraphy and poetry. Then he founded the Shingon school after he returned to Japan. (Information from Kuwasawa san and website [1]) This temple was built by a monk called Jyukei san ( 什慶さん ). Jyukei san was also a follower of the Shingon school. He revered Kobo Master, so he put his statue in the temple. Look at this statue. It is the lesser god ( 福神 ) who is called Daikokuten ( 大黒天 ), the avatar of the Shiva god in Hinduism. According to Kuwasawa san, in Buddhism, people are told not to think about happiness in this life. But the lesser god here told us to try to achieve happiness, steady business and money. Looking at his kindly smile, maybe we can really get some good luck. This is a water jet. When you come near, water sprays. The first time I went there, I felt so thirsty that I drank a little. After drinking the water, I saw the sign that said that the water was just for washing hands but not for drinking. When you go there, please look carefully and don t drink the water! 3

5 You can see a picture of a wooden bench which rests on two turtles. Though it seems too charming to sit on, I was so tired that I sat there and had a good rest. Since there are not so many places to rest around there, maybe it is a good choice for tired tourists. In front of the bench, you can see this picture (right). There is a big tomb on your right side while the scenes that I introduced in the preceding paragraphs are on your left side. This temple is not so big, but there are so many interesting things worth visiting. If you want to know more, please go and see it. I don t think it will disappoint you. Address: Ueda Downtown ( 上田市 2 丁目 14-6) Map from Google.co.jp Reference: [1] SUN Fengtian/ Photos by Sun 4

6 There are many temples which are called Nichirinji in Japan. For example, in Tokyo, Kumamoto ken, and Ibaraki ken, you can also find some temples with the same name. But each Nichirinji temple may have its own history and have been built for different reasons. The name of this temple comes from a person s name. It is said that this temple was built in 1545 (14 th year of Tenmon Age. The Buddhist monk called Mochiyamahikarijyu ( 用山光受 ) received economic help from Unnoyukiyoshi ( 海野幸義 ), a warrior of the Unno family in the War Times. After Unnoyukiyoshi s death, this temple came to be called Nichirin which was the religious name of Unnoyukiyoshi in order to remember him. Though this temple is not so big, there are many famous points that cannot be forgotten. One is the statue of the Guan-yin Buddha which is a cultural heritage of Ueda city. Guan-yin is a bodhisattva in Buddhism. In eastern Asia, Guan-yin is well known as a savior and there are so many families that put the statue of Guan-yin in their houses for praying in old times. This Guan-yin was also a patron god of the Unno family. Another point is the historical site of the tomb of Narusawa Kankyou ( 成沢寛経 ). He was a person of vision in the Edo period. He inherited his family s work as a tradesman of Japanese traditional clothes. He succeeded not just in doing business, but he was also proficient at learning and art. The book called Otou Story ( 大塔物語 ), written by him, was a very valuable data to know history of that time. 1 When I went into this temple, the first thing that I noticed was the red banners. From these banners, I could feel this temple is full of vitality. I think they are the brightest elements of this temple. When walking near, you can find that people s names and their wishes are written on the banners. It seems that these banners were provided by the worshippers. These statues are beside the path to the door of this temple (lower middle photo). You can also see the familiar statues which are covered with red cloth in Japan. Nichirin Temple is near Sounji Buddhist Temple on pages 3 & 4. Address : Ueda Downtown See the maps on page 1 and on page 4. References: SUN Fengtian/Photos by Sun

7 Milky Way If you take the Bessho Train Line from Ueda Station and get off at Kabatake Station, you will be near the restaurant that I will introduce. I have lived here in Ueda for about one and a half years. There are many restaurants around here. For example, there are a noodle restaurant, a sushi restaurant, a bar which serves alcohol and snacks and a family restaurant. I want to introduce the family restaurant called Milky Way because I like it very much. The building itself looks like a castle that is different from the Japanese traditional buildings. At night you will find that the lights on the building shine beautifully. Most of my friends always use it as a signpost. They don t know where I live, but they just say I know you live near the Milky Way. Inside the door, there is a book corner where you can read books, magazines and newspapers freely. I have eaten there twice. I enjoyed eating there just like eating at home. It has a relaxing environment for eating. I find that many guests go there with their families such as husbands and wives, parents and children. Sometimes even after they have finished their meal, they will stay there a little longer and enjoy talking with each other. The food is very delicious and also economically priced. The food in the picture cost only 840 yen. The noodles and desserts there are also very tasty. In my opinion, some dishes taste like Chinese Food. If you like Chinese food, you can try some of the meat dishes there. Sitting on the bench outside of the Milky Way, you can observe the Bessho Train Line, the shops, fields, and the everyday lives of people living in Ueda City. So I think it will be a good choice to eat there when you visit Ueda City. Milky Way is just opposite Kabatake Station and not far from Daigakumae Station. Milky Way is closed on Tuesday. YU Qing/Photos by YU 6

8 Shopping Paradise Have you ever had the problem of needing to find nice but reasonably priced clothes when traveling or visiting a new place? Now, let me introduce a good place for shopping in Ueda city. There you can find all you want to buy at a reasonable price. I have become fond of this place since I went there the first time. There are four shops there: Shimamura, Birthday, Chambre and Avail. Adults and children can enjoy shopping there. Shimamura: When you enter, you might see some slippers, socks and towels at the entrance. You can also find other styles inside. There are many fashionable things for you from head to toe. They are divided clearly so that you can find the things you want to buy quickly. I think the economically priced clothes here are good choices, especially for students. Birthday: The shop called Birthday is a paradise for children. Shimamura and Birthday are connected inside so that people can move freely inside. But you must pay the money separately for what you buy in each shop. There is also a place which is full of toys for children when they are not willing to go shopping with their parents. The shop is always full of their laughter. The clothes are so lovely that I even want to buy them as decoration. 7

9 Here you can find not only children s things, but also mothers things. So mothers can buy things for themselves while they are buying their children s things. Avail: There are two more stores where you can find things similar to the products in Shimamura. There are more sport clothes for boys and fashion clothes for girls in Avail. Like Shimamura, it is also separated into parts: clothes, socks, shoes, decorations and so on. These trousers had a price under 2000 yen when I shopped there. You can also find some clothes from last season you like at a cost-effective price. Some items were just 500 yen. There are many shirts which are designed in different patterns and colors but in the same style. Each of them is great. This shop is also connected with Chambre so people can go through from one shop to the other inside. Chambre: Besides the things above, there are makeup, kitchen wares and school items such as pens and notebooks in Chambre. If you don t want to buy clothes, here is a good choice for window shopping. You can enjoy exquisite things here. The things here are not only made in Japan, but also made in many other countries, so you can enjoy some international styles here. CHEN Mengyao/Photos by Chen 8

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11 FU Kalie/Photos by Fu 10

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13 FU Kalie/Photos by Fu 12

14 Ikushimatarushima Shrine ( 生島足島神社 ) Onbashira Festival( 御柱大祭 ) The first time I went to Ikushimatarushima Shrine was on April 18th when the Onbashira Festival was held. In fact, I had heard about this famous festival from one of my Japanese friends before I came to Japan. It is really worthy of a visit and you should not miss it, said my friend. Onbashira Festival is held every 7 years or we can also say it is held in Tiger s year and Monkey s year. It is held in many places in Japan and also some other countries in Asia, for example, China, North Korea, South Korea, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam, Burma and Malaysia. But the original place to hold the Onbashira Festival is Suwa Shrine ( 諏訪大社 ) in Japan. It is said that there are usually four palaces in relation to this festival. There are a total of 16 corners since there are 4 corners for each palace. That is why people always set 16 wooden pillars in Onbashira Festival. The origin of this festival is rather complicated. According to the documents in the Suwa museum, there are more than 21 explanations about this festival. The formal name of this festival is Shikinenzouei ( 式年造営 ) or Shikinensai ( 式年祭 ). Today it is named Shikinenzoueionbashirataisai ( 式年造営御柱大祭 ). We often call it Onbashira or Mihashirasai ( 御柱祭 ). Onbashira Festival is usually held during three days at Ikushimatarushima Shrine. It was held on April 17th, 18th, 19th this year. Each day of the festival has a separate name; they are called Yomiyasai ( 宵宮祭 ), Mototaisai ( 本大祭 ) and Houkensai ( 奉建祭 ). 13

15 The day I attended, the festival was bustling with a lot of people who went there to celebrate this special festival. There were a lot of activities. The main one was Dragging the Wooden Pillars. I could not see clearly at first because there were too many people. I could only see there were three people standing on the wooden pillar, and the wooden pillar quickly passed by me. So I thought that there must be a truck dragging the wooden pillar or it could not have gone that fast. To my surprise, when I came near that wooden pillar I did not find any truck or car. It was just people that had dragged the wooden pillar. How strong and energetic they were! In the old times, the wooden pillar was also supposed to be dragged through the river. And people could get hurt or even die. But that is the spirit that Onbashira Festival wants to show. It gets people to work together to overcome all the difficulties. It makes people go forward regardless of losing their lives. And this spirit is also the meaning of the shrine s existence. The most interesting activity was the Treasure Boat. The Gods in the boat spread a lot of refreshments, candies, small cakes and some traditional Japanese desserts. I guessed it would bring me good luck if I got the treasure from the Gods, so I went with the flow, and I enjoyed it. I got three presents from the Gods. Then, a kind Japanese girl near me gave me her present, so in the end I got four presents in all. It was a very interesting experience and I will never forget it. I went to the shrine again in early June because I wanted to know more about Ikushimatarushima Shrine. I was able to interview Mr. Yoda ( 依田 -- He is the son of the 依田 family which was famous in the old days) who works at the shrine. He told me that the meaning of shrine to Japanese people is to get people s hearts together. That is why people come to the shrine to pray when big events happen to them, such as a new baby s birth, a marriage or New Year s Day. Marriage Ceremony Room 14

16 Mr. Yoda explained that there are two gods living in Ikushimatarushima Shrine. You can understand this by the shrine s name. One god is called IKU God, the other is called TARU God. IKU God s purpose, as his name shows, is to give people, animals and earth life energy. TARU God satisfies people s wishes. Even though the original place of Onbashira festival is Suwa Shrine, the level of the Ikushimatarushima Shrine s two gods is higher than Suwa Shrine s god. The Suwa Shrine s god once made porridge for Ikushimatarushima Shrine s two gods. When you stand in front of the honden ( 本殿 ), IKU God lives on the north side and TARU God lives on the south side. You can see a red bridge in the middle. I was very confused when I saw it because it was sealed off all the time. If visitors are not allowed to pass through it, why did they build it? The special red bridge is not for visitors but for the two gods. They can go to the other side whenever they want over the bridge as Mr. Yoda explained. The fish pond is very attractive. You can see it as soon as you enter the shrine. I was surprised by the size of the fish here when I saw them the first time. There are 200 or 300 fish living here now, and the workers put 20 or 30 more fish into the pond. The youngest are about 3 years old and the oldest are about 30 years old. They will be buried in the earth of the shrine after they die. You may ask, Why are there fish in a shrine? The answer is they are dishes for the gods living here The main fish are carp. There are also quite a large number of grass carps living here. Mr Yoda said that the duty of the grass carps is to clean the pool. They feed on the excrement of the carps and also dead plants in the pond. There are also some other animals living in this pond. I saw a tortoise, a goose and a frog there. One of my friends told me that there are also two ducks there. Visitors can feed the fish by themselves, but they must buy the food that the shrine supplies. The workers also feed the fishes every day, but the food is different. Fortunately, I was there at feeding time so I helped to feed the fishes. They opened their mouths wide to get the food as though they had not eaten for many days. References: 信州学大全 信濃路信州の美と宝 諏訪地方 15 ZHANG Yao/Photos by Zhang

17 Yamamiya Shrine ( 山宮神社 ) There is a small special shrine called Yamamiya in a mountain area of Ueda City. Even though it was a little hot the day I went there in June, I felt good because there was a lot of shade. It was very quiet and it seemed that I could understand what the birds were singing about. Even though it is a small shrine, I think it is very interesting and it has a lot of stories. Yamamiya Shrine is managed by Ikushimatarushima Shrine ( 生島足島神社 ), so I went to Ikushimatarushima Shrine and interviewed Mr Yoda ( 依田 ) to find out more about Yamamiya Shrine. There are two gods worshiped in Yamamiya Shrine. One is called Yasakatomenomikoto ( 八阪刀売命 ). She is the wife of the god Takeminakatatominomikoto ( 建御名方富命 ) who is worshiped in the Suwa Shrine( 諏訪神社 )which is located in the garden of Ikushimatarushima Shrine. The other god is called Yaekotosironusinomikoto ( 八重事代主命 ). This God is the brother of the god Ookuninusi ( 大国主 ). He is a god who is like an emperor controlling the power of a large country in the Shinto religion (from website 1). During the Onbashira( 御柱祭 ) Festival, four wooden pillars were moved to Yamamiya Shrine. Each of these pillars is almost 4 meters long, 30 centimeters in diameter, and weighs about a half ton. The day I went there in June together with one of my teachers and classmates, our purpose was to plant some trees there along with some other people from Ikushimatarushima Shrine. Together we planted 50 pines trees. Maybe someday the pines trees planted by us can be used in the Onbashira Festival.But we have to wait for at least 150 years until the pines grow up. The site of Yamamiya Shrine is not developed yet. Also, it is a little bit far away from Ikushimatarushima Shrine, so it is not easy to find Yamamiya Shrine. If you are interested in this shrine, it is best to contact Ikushimatarushima Shrine. You can learn more about Ikushimatarushima Shrine by reading the article by Zhang in this pamphlet (pp ). References: YU Qing/Photos by YU 16

18 Shirakaba Highlands ( 白樺高原 ) Nagano prefecture s Shirakaba Highlands is a resort area located around Lake Shirakabako ( 白樺湖 ), which is near Chino City ( 茅野市 ), south of Ueda. It s a good place to visit anytime of year. It is famous for its ski area. I went to the Shirakaba Highlands in April, with classmates and teachers of Nagano University, for the new students retreat. At first I thought it was a pity that I couldn t go there in ski season, but I still felt very lucky that I could see a kind of scenery I had never seen before. Though it was April, the first night we got there it snowed, and snowed heavily. The mountain quickly turned into a white world. This was extremely exciting for me because I was born in a southern place and had never experienced snow before. also clothed by white. If they had been decorated by some colorful decorations, they would have become Christmas trees. The hotel where we stayed is located on the mountainside overlooking a wide open area. I enjoyed the view. When the snow melted, I got another feeling. Then the landscape became white, green and blue, which formed a beautiful painting. This is a picture of snow falling at night. It looks like a world of fantasy with the misty snow. The stones of different sizes are covered by the white snow, as though they had been purposely painted by someone. The view there also carried me along with its day time beauty. In the morning, it stopped snowing. Bathing in sunshine, I didn t feel cold at all. With snow falling all night, the mountain had already become white. The trees were There are also several hot spring spas around Mount Tateshina. When you think about possible places to go for a vacation or just to relax, the Shirakaba Highlands could be an interesting choice. 17 CHEN Mengyao/Photos by Chen

19 About Us The students of the 2010 spring semester English VII class of Nagano University created Issue No. 2 of the International Information about Ueda Area Tourism pamphlet. They have discovered interesting and charming places in Ueda in the course of their daily lives. They researched these local places through observation, interviews, personal experience, websites and other sources. Students also connected knowledge from their major areas of study (Tourism, Environment, Business and Media Design) in their research and preparation of the articles in this pamphlet. YU Qing (Faculty of Tourism and Environmental Studies) I feel happy that I could write some articles for this pamphlet because it not only helped me improve my English but I also practiced interviewing. I used to be shy about such things, but I took the challenge. I never thought that I could participate in making information to introduce Ueda City in English. I enjoyed the process of doing it, and I hope these articles we wrote will be useful for tourists who want to visit Ueda City. Welcome to Ueda! SUN Fengtian (Faculty of Tourism and Environmental Studies) I am a Chinese student and came to Ueda City last year. In my opinion, Ueda is a very quiet and beautiful place for living. Looking around, you can see the pure white clouds resting on mountains under the blue sky, just like a fairyland. Walking around, you can find a lot of different kinds of flowers along the street. And there are also many small shrines and Buddhist temples waiting for your visit. This time, I introduced two small but charming Buddhist temples near the Ueda JR Train Station. I hope you enjoy reading them. CHEN Mengyao (Faculty of Business and Information) Ueda City is not a crowed, noisy and urban city, and it is a great place which is worth visiting. I came to Ueda City in March this year, and I soon became fond of it. It can hold your attention by not only the people, but also the scenery and the weather. It is good to relax and have new experiences. I am very happy to join this project to introduce Ueda City. I hope you will be pleased with the information in this pamphlet and enjoy your trip in Ueda City. FU Kalie 傅嘉莉 (Faculty of Business and Information) Hello! I studied Japanese at a university in China, and now I m studying at Nagano University. Nine months have passed by since I came to Japan. Life in Ueda City in Nagano can always make me feel relaxed and peaceful, totally different from the hectic life I used to lead in my home city in China. This pamphlet is filled with our true feeling and real experience in Ueda. Sometimes, when we are just walking casually in Ueda City, we can encounter some lovely but not famous places. The wonderful experience with Ueda just happens spontaneously time after time. That s why we chose Experience Ueda as the title of this pamphlet, hoping it can show you something of the real Ueda ZHANG Yao (Faculty of Business and Information) I came to Japan in March this year to study at Nagano University. Before coming, one of my Japanese friends told me that Ueda City is a very quiet country city, and the local people here are all very kind. The most expressive thing for me is that there are so many festivals in Japan. So I wanted to write something about the festivals. I feel lucky that I was able to see the Onbashira Festival because it is held only once every 7 years, so I also wrote about my experience at the festival and about the shrine where it was held in Ueda. I also wrote about the Cherry Festival in Ueda City. 18

20 International Information about Ueda Area Tourism Issue No. 2 September 2010 Have you ever wanted to just take a stroll around quiet streets or discover a hidden garden when you come to a new place? We want to share with you our experiences of finding new and delightful places, usually just by chance in our everyday lives. Welcome to Ueda! Nagano University Faculty of Tourism and Environmental Studies Shimonogo 658 1, Ueda City, Nagano, International Information about Ueda Area Tourism info/ Front Cover by Fu. Photos by Sun, Zhang. Map details by Sun, Yu. Back Cover by Zhang, Simmons. Photos by Zhang. Table of Contents Map Festival of a Thousand Oriental Cherry Trees Sounji Buddhist Temple Nichirinji Buddhist Temple Milky Way (restaurant) Shopping Paradise Why Not Go For a Walk? Goka Hachiman Shinto Shrine Ikushimatarushima Shrine Onbashira Festival Yamamiya Shrine Shirakaba Highlands About Us Articles by Students in English VII, Spring General Editor: M. Simmons. Articles: by Authors Pamphlet: M.Simmons All rights reserved. Feel free to download a copy of this pamphlet from our website for your personal use. Contact the editor if you wish to use any or all of the information in this pamphlet for non personal use. simmons@nagano.ac.jp Thank you.