T or F

My Favorite Places In Japan And Ireland

Asuka, Nara Prf.

Asuka is located in Nara Prefecture which is next to Kyoto and the country.

Asuka is one of the places which Japanese ancestor made the first nation called

" Yamato".

It was 15 years ago when I visited Asuka first, and I really liked it. Since then I

visited there many times. I felt like that the wind was very soft and mild, and

made me welcome. This feeling is the very same I felt in Ireland. It's like "DEAR".

It has lots of mysterious stone remains that is similar to Irish stone remains. For

example, following two pictures are domains.

Ishibutai in Asuka, Japan

Dolmen in Mayo Photo courtesy

Both of the Celt and ancient Japanese had animism and similar

art. It's called "Jyoumon" in Japan.

We might have had any connection long, long time ago.

Amakusa, Kumamoto Prf.

Amakusa is inconvenient place to visit, therefore it has own

culture and beautiful nature we can't see around the city in Japan.

Not only Amakusa but also some other parts of Kyushuu area are famous

as that they have been keeping their Christianity with hiding since

Christianity was prohibited and persecuted in 17th C., and also the war of

Shirou Amakusa who is said he was 16 years old, but a strong Christian

leader in 1637. In this war, 37,000 christian farmers including women

and children were dead or killed later. Now we can see those hideaway

for service and St. Maria icons which look like Buddha. However, their faith

came far from the real Christianity and it can't be regarded

as Christianity.

Don't you think this landscape is similar to Irish one?

　 Sakitsu Church was founded in 17th first, but the present architecture

was rebuilt in 1934. On the left you can find this church in the middle.

It's a very small fisherman village and even today, to visit there we

have to drive through the mountains by car.

Fairy And Yokai ( Mononoke )

When I hear the word " Fairy", I would imagine cute

Disney's characters such as Tinker bell. Fairy is defined

as cute, fantastic, cheeky, and with small wing. However, in fact,

they are sometimes phenomenon and awful. In Ireland, W.B. Yeats

wrote about the story he heard actually and Irish fairies are

basically spirit of nature. In Japan, we also have almost same

one called "Yokai".

Yokai brings dark atmosphere only. Some of them

are said they save and help people. Yokai is not phenomenon.

You might have seen an animation movie " Princess Mononoke ",

but in Japan when we say " Yokai", most of people imagine

Youkai World by Shigeru Mizuki Both of fairy and Yokai are

spirit of Nature, even though images are different. It's interesting

for people who have long distance to have similar inspiration

to nature.

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