Roving Ronin Report

Ninja – what won’t they think of next for their bag of tricks that they use to entertain and kill people with? While in Kyoto, a crafty ninja shows me his trick knife.

To celebrate plum blossoms and Tenjin-sama, the god of learning, a festival is held at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine in Kyoto where geisha serve visitors matcha green tea.

Since it was my birthday I thought I would have tea with those geisha as one does.

Kitano Tenmangu Shrine is a beautiful shrine especially during Plum Blossom season and when the geisha come but it hides a dark past of political manipulation, fear, guilt, and the need for appeasement of a vengeful spirit.

2008 was a busy year for this wayward wanderer though I didn't travel much abroad due to the high fuel surcharge. I did however travel a fair bit around Japan going to a number of festivals. This is a photo ... [Continue reading this entry]

Mt. Kurama in northern Kyoto comes alive with the fires of hundreds of torches some of them over 15 feet long requiring 4-5 men to carry them. It's a very old tradition going back to the late 8th Century. The ... [Continue reading this entry]