"What is Hip?" in Japan from Japanese frontdesk manager

If you think about the typical Japanese sightseeing place, where is

the first one? I think you could think Kyoto, Kamakura, and Nikko first.

I think these idea is correct to get the real Japanese taste.

But for the second, I think it is better to visit Saitama Pref.

Saitama is next to Tokyo, and you can easily find some nice places

it is completely different.

For example, Kawagoe is my best recommend place to visit for

one day trip. You can see the old style building street, and also

you can feel the real old taste of Edo era.

I also visited to Chichibu area, it has so nice nature, and good view

by only 2 hours by train from Tokyo.

So, I planned to have a party for Saitama this time.

I asked to my friend Tojou-san from Naitou shop in Gotanda, he is

helped to organize to come Asahara brewery in Saitama.

http://www.musashino-asahara.jp/index.html

Their sake is so refreshing with fresh flavor!!

And I asked to Saitama Pref. to send us some sightseeing DVD,

but Isozaki-san from Saitama pref office he came to explain

about Saitama sightseeing too!!

And from Sake tour, Nakamura-san came to help the translation

for our event!!

http://www.saketours.com/

Everybody want to introduce some goodness of our country Japan

to the world!!!

I cooked Empanadas from Argentina dish, ZERIE FRY from Gyouta

city, and sweet potato gnocchi with minestrone, and mousse chocolat.

ZERIE FRY is made with the leftover named Okara making process

of Tofu. It is so good for the health too! I really love it!!

http://www.tvg.ne.jp/kankougyoda/furai.html

I am very happy with everybody interested in Saitama and sake

lecture.

Thank you for your help, Tojou-san, Yoshino-san, Isozaki-san,

and Nakamura-san!!

Takahiko Saito

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I had to go and back to Sendai to taking care of my mother, so

it was little bit hard work for me recently.

I got a telephone call from one of the live music place around 20:00,

some problem happened at there.

I thought fate meant for this to happen.

Yes, That was the last day to see the show of Tower of Power

my favorite band, especially it was just before one hour for the

2^nd one. I asked to them there is a seat for me or not, and they

said “Yes we have four seat right now!”.

I could join it to get the real power from them every year!

Luckily, I could get the good position in front of the trombone player

Mr. Mic Gillet he came back to Tower of Power.

It was so nice to have a time with their wonderful show.

Most of the audience stood up together for the right side, but there are

so many too gentleman people sitting just around me at the left side.

I am big, so I worried about if I stood up, they will lose their sight.

BUT, I could not stand dancing with their so nice groovy sound!!

I could talk with Mr. Tom E Politzer "I am a big fun of him!!" he is a great saxophone player.

And I could see his friend Mr. Paul Hanson he took the solo of the song

“What is hip” instead of Tom-san. Paul-san he plays in ZED in Cirque de

Soleil as a bassoon player for 380 stage at there. His friend took many of Tower of Power’s photos, and I could find me at some of them! So I asked to Paul-san

and I got a admission with him!

He played so powerful and groovy sound with Tower of Power Too!!

Paul-san’s HP is here: http://www.paulhansonmusic.com

And ZED HP: http://www.zed.co.jp/home_en.php

I could talk to Mr. Mic Gillet, his play was so powerful, and very big volume

he could make. I felt it means they got more power from him.

I could take the photos with him too!

It was very good moment in my hard time!! I got so much refreshed

with them!! Thank you very much my favorite band TOWER OF POWER

and Paul-san!!

Takahiko Saito

This is the reason why I started to play saxophone too!

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These days, Japanese TV program used to

report about “The POWER SPOT” so many times.

I think this is the reason why most of Japanese

tired for recession so much. And also started with

the one of the Japanese comedian and singer couple

went to the famous point.

I heard about one of the place in Meiji shrine is the

most famous power spot in Tokyo, so many of the visitors

wait in a line. They took 3 hours in the weekend to reach

there.

Japanese need to get something from nature or

god in the traditional place.

I also agree with some of the nature place has the power

for the energy of our lives very much.

I do not have religion like most of Japanese person,

but sometimes I visit to the temple or shrine to pray

for the fortune. This is the normal thing because

Japanese has ruled by the natural power for long time

with the 70% mountain place still now.

But I have to say one of the thing to you first.

These kind of the things, we Japanese are so bad at talking

about. Because we easy to think about these kind of the things

to afraid to be induced.

We started to believe these kind of the natural influence

is coming from their some power with not easy to explain

why it happens.

Maybe also in the western culture, they believe the power

of them also like nymph or fairy, so I think this is the similar

way of the thinking.

I went to the famous shrine in Chichibu area in Saitama Pref.

I watched one of the TV program says they have the good

power to break through the recession.

One of the big company they are the group of Canon company

they could solve the bad recession from their help.

I thought it is better to visit to solve our bad recession and I

should pray for my mother’s health problem too.

I woke up 4 AM, and I took the highway to Tsurugashima Jct.

And I went through the Nagatoro nature place, and I could reach

to Mitsumine-guchi station. I thought it was the goal, but I

needed to drive more than 19 km.

Finally, I could reach to there, and saw the shrine. It was awesome

building in great nature. There is the so big tree to get a power to

touch it. Many of the visitor tried to get the energy from it.

I could find a small shrine it is said to bring the romance for the

3 min walk from the main shrine. We have the custom to tie

the Japanese fortune teller paper besides the trees.

Their two trees glow like together.

Their priest explained to me about the story of them, one of

their god is the wolf. More than 3 min walk, you can find one

more small shrine for the wolf too.

I think you can notice there are several god are there in same

place. This is the Shinto’s thinking way of Yaoyorozu-no-kami.

Yaoyorozu means 8,000,000. It does not means

there are 8,000,000 gods.

Yaoyorozu-no-kami means there are the god not only the

human. Any other things have the god in the lives.

I hope our bad economy will be solved and my mother will recover

soon by their power step by step. Surely, I pray your fortune too!

See you soon!!

Takahiko Saito

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