The Nanzen-ji is a Buddhist temple in the east Kyōtos and is the main temple of the Nanzen-ji branch of Rinzai Zen. It is famous for its traditional garden and the impressive wooden main gate (Sanmon).

Hello to my few readers out there. I apologize for my long absence or failure to update this blog. I already had my Kyōto stay in October of this year when good friends visited me, but I was/am very busy due to my upcoming graduation. My dissertation, the organisational side and my return plans keep me busy, so that I have only found a little time to write these articles during the holidays.

And again I was on my way to a conference for my work and that although the time would have been better spent writing my dissertation (as well as writing these lines). I am writing these lines (and a few subsequent articles) much later than I experienced them. For the purposes of timing, the typhoon Hagibis is raging above my head right now. I am already glad that it was downgraded from the category “Supertyphoon” to only “violent Typhoon” before it arrived here. This time I was in Okyama, which is located on the southern part of the main island Honshu.

Yes, I still exist. My doctorate is coming to an end and that means even more work than usual. This time I went to Fukuroi to see Hanabi. I had already reported about the Abekawa Hanabi in Shizuoka in July 2017. Last year it was cancelled for the first time in history because of a typhoon. This year it was cancelled again because of a tropical storm. Safety first. This year I also heard about Fukuroi Hanabi for the first time and the day of the event was convenient for me. The Fukuroi Hanabi is considered the best in Shizuoka Prefecture. Therefore, I went to Fukuroi!

This time I went to Atami. This town is known as a resort around its Onsen (hot thermal springs), but they were not my reason for the trip. I made this trip during the Golden Week. The Golden Week in Japan is a week full of holidays, so many Japanese take holidays for the bridge days.