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On this blog, we hear a lot about the experiences and views of the UK office who have all lived and worked in Japan as well as the tour leaders travelling in Japan, but we don’t hear much from the team of great girls in the Nagoya office – but that is about to change! Tetsuko san from our Japan office wanted to do a blog piece to let us know more about her and what she loves about her country…
How do you refresh your mind?
In my case, I go hiking in the forest! Forest Bath allows us to relax. The negative ions give our bodies’ energy. Last weekend, I went to “赤目四十八滝 – Akame forty-eight waterfalls” in Mie Prefecture.
It doesn’t literarily mean that there are 48 waterfalls! In this case, it means that there are many waterfalls. You can see magnificent natural beauty there; The leaves are freshly green, the rivers are clear and white water foams as it rushes over the scenic waterfalls. I really enjoyed three hours hiking here.
You can easily access to this spot. From Osaka, it takes about one hour by train and bus.
Another way to refresh my mind at the time of year (June) is “Hotaru-gari”, hunting for fireflies, which is a signature summer event to admire delicate fireflies’ lights.
Luckily my hometown is rich with nature, so I can see a lot of fireflies near my house.
I have heard that their light is considered to be an unlucky in the West, but in Japan they make us feel nostalgic and heal the heart – A cultural difference!
Fireflies have been effectively used in the Tale of Genji, which is the world’s first full-length novel in the early 11th century. In this era, men cannot meet women face to face, so Genji releases plenty of fireflies into the room to light women’s face through a bamboo blind. Fireflies have had close ties to Japanese culture from ancient times.
Japan in beautiful in every season, but early summer has a lot to offer.