The Guardian of the Bar

I think this is the guardian of the entrance to the Saito Asian Old Bar. This bar is one of maybe 30 or more in a small area of an Otawara Tochigi-ken neighborhood.

Otawara Archer

This statue is in the city of Otawara in Tochigi-ken. It is on a two-lane busy street near my in-laws house. I don't know the  background of this statue or who it is. Can anyone read the plaque on the base of the statue and tell me what it says? It is interesting that this archer is not in samurai attire so I am not certain what era it is supposed to be from or even if it is a warrior. The bow is a traditional bow used by samurai it appears. Samurai bows were asymmetrical. The samurai archer actually grasped the bow closer to the bottom rather in the middle of the bow. Some historians state one reason for this was that early bows were made from a single bamboo stalk that was narrower at the top, therefore the samurai grasped the bow lower on the wider and stiffer part of the bow. Later, samurai used composite bows but they continued to grasp the bow lower near the bottom, maybe to keep the long bow from tripping them or their horse up.

Japanese Playground

For some reason most playgrounds in Japan are dirt rather than grass. I'm not really sure why. Below is a small neighborhood playground in Otawara Tochigi-ken where I take my two boys to often. Although it is dirt it is still a nice little playground for them to have fun at.

Japanese Bugs - I don't like them

I am not a big fan of bugs in general but Japanese beetles are especially disgusting and freaky looking. But my two small boys love them just like the average Japanese child. I don't know why beetles are so popular in Japan. They look nasty. Below are a couple of beetles that my two boys had kept in a small box. Before we returned to America we let them go in a small park in Otawara.

There are also a lot of dragonflies in Japan. But unlike Japanese beetles, I think the dragonflies look pretty cool. Here is a dragonfly I tried to get close to before it flew away. Sorry for the blurriness. I was taking the photo quickly with my phone.

Daibutsu Crowds

The last time I visited the Giant Buddha (Daibutsu) in Kamakura, there were ten thousand school kids there that day which I think is actually pretty common. It was still very fun and I hope to return someday.

Enoshima Cat

A local cat at Enoshima Jinja shrine on Enoshima island near Kamakura. This photo was taken last summer.

This is my entry in this weeks Show Me Japan. Please click on the photo below to see more great Japan photos at Budget Trouble.