Ume blossom & camellia in Jonangu Shrine

Before the sakura season, the best season for ume blossom is coming soon!

There is a festival for ume blossoms and camellias from February 18th to March 21st in Jonangu Shrine. We guess ume blossoms will be in full bloom around early March.

Why don't you visit Jonangu this year?

Plum & camellia festival in Jonangu Shrine

February 18th - March 21st

9.00am - 4.30pm (entrance closes at 4pm)

※Fee required

Hatsumode (the first shrine visit)

In Japan, people visit shrine (some people visit temple) on the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd day of the year to wish for the new year.


Here are some recommendable shrines (temples) for Hatsumode;

*the deity of success in business
  Fushimi Inari Shrine

*the deity of academic achievement
  Kitano Tenmangu Shrine

*the deity of success in love
  Jishu-jinja Shrine (in Kiyomizu Temple), Kifune-jinja Shrine, Shimogamo-jinja Shrine

*the deity of perfect health
  Toji Temple

J-Hoppers Kyoto New Year's Eve!

We will have an New Year's Eve Event !!!
On December 31st night we will cook Toshikoshi-Soba(*1).
Then we go to the Tofukuji Temple around 21:30 to ring the Joya-no-Kane.(*2).
If you still have an energy, Let's go to Fushimi-Inari for Hatsumoude.(first visit of the year to a shrine/temple)
There are many many food stands and people there :-P

New Year is the most important day for Japanese and hope you will feel it.
We still have some dorm beds available for December 31st!


Toshikoshi-Soba(*1)




Joya-no-Kanel(*2)
 

Vegetarian cafe

Hi!

Here is a good news for vegetarians.
A vegetarian cafe opened last month on Shichijo Street!!
Because it's hard to find a vegetarian restaurant around Kyoto Station, it's really good news!
You can enjoy the view of Kamo River through the window:)
It takes 10 minutes by walk from Hana hostel.

Veg Out
11:30am-10:00pm
CLOSED: Monday
https://m.facebook.com/vegout.kyoto/

********
There is a thai restaurant on the 2nd floor.
It's also reccomended!!

Genji no Yu Onsen.

Unfortunately, there are not so many hot springs in Kyoto: one on the very north at Kurama, one in Arashiyama. But did you know that there is one more onsen in Uji area?

It is called Genji no Yu. Very nice and quite spacious onsen with several saunas, rotenburo, tsubo yu and many other relaxing baths. You can get there by Kintetsu line (Okubo Station) or JR Nara Line (Shinden Station).Onsen is open from 10am to 1am (final  entrance before midnight). Entrance fee is just 1000 Yen. If you bring Genji no Yu pamphlet with J-Hoppers stamp, you will get towel set without chargeJ

By the way, there is Kura Zushi restaurant just next to the onsen. Any sushi plate is just 100 Yen!

RELAX AND ENJOY SUSHI!

web-site: http://genji-yu.jp/en/index.html

Handmade Flea Market

Hi there.

Are you looking for something special? Like something unique?
These markets are held on this weekend.



-Machiya Handmade Department Store-

Date: Oct. 10-12th  11am-5pm  (Every 2nd Sat., Sun., and Man.)
Place: Art Gallery & Rental Space "be-kyoto"
Address: 429-1 Anrakukoji-cho, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto City
Access: 5 min. walk from subway Imadegawa station
           4 min. walk from Kamigyoku Sogo Choshamae bus stop
Web: http://www.be-kyoto.jp/event/antenna/index.html

-Nokisaki Market-

Date: Oct. 12th  10am-4pm

Place: Palette Kyoto Kawaramachi (Kawaramachi st. between Oike st. and Sanjo st.)

Access: subway Kyoto Shiyakusho-mae station

           Kawaramachi Sanjo bus stop

Web: http://palette-nokisaki.wix.com/palette-nokisaki

You may find something you like :)

Otsu Matsuri (Festival)

Otsu Matsuri

October 10th From evening to 21:00
October 11th From 9:00-17:30

You can see the festival around JR Otsu Station which is only 10min from Kyoto Station.

This dazzling autumn celebration of Tenson Shrine is one of the Three Great Festivals of Shiga.  The Otsu Festival has a history of nearly 400 years. It is said to have begun in the early Edo period (1603-1868) in the tanuki (raccoon dog) mask dance of a salt peddler named Jihee. The tanuki mask tradition has been preserved as an Otsu Municipal Cultural Property, and as the festival's roots lie in these masks, each year the Saigyo-Sakura-Tanuki float from Kajiya-cho leads the festival procession.

The Otsu Festival has many attractions—most notably the thirteen extravagant floats adorned with tapestries and other ornaments which parade throughout town on the day of the festival and the lively festival music that can be heard reverberating endlessly throughout Otsu's neighborhoods on the eve of the procession.