ooishi-san, thanks for clarifying.

emd, yes, they are the photos taken by me in recent years. If you can find the way, you can take a look at some of my miyajima photos under "Japan 2005".

..including my night encounter with 2 deers and a racoon in Miyajima.

kappa, I couldn't get the handtowel to open. But the one above that, the 3rd one you listed, is very unusual. A woman resting (and what is that mask doing where it is?), and are those skeletons in her dreams? One of them is making tea!

kappa: I can't get to the other pics, I think it requires signing in unless you have the particular page address to go to (like the ones you provided above).

kappa, thanks for all of the wonderful imagery. The woman in red is a prostitute dreaming of hell. Is that her obi above the skeleton with the teapot? I think the ukiyoe woman is not a professional because it looks like her obi is tied in back. Would be a heck of a feat to get into a boat wearing those very high geta.

I found your Japan 2005 images. I had all but decided that I would not go back to Miyajima on my trip in May, but I will have to reconsider. The little girl with the pinwheel is adorable (there is a deer in her photo).

mrw: how did you get to the japan 2005 pics? please let me in on it, I want to see them.

If it is hell (and I have no doubt you are right) those skeletons sure look like they are having a good time to me. Making tea in hell, a very Japanaese thing to do-- one would not be left without one's tea, even there.

My favorite Japanese things would have to be a sword (real) and a samurai helmet (reproduction)that were given to me on a trip in 1985.

The helmet weighs a ton, and the Narita security guards had a fit over the katana, but they let us carry them into the airport!

I also have noren that I love. My favorite is indigo with a white character and hangs at the window in my closet. Funny how I forgot it was even there until you asked this...and I look at it every day!

lcuy: So they let you check the katana as baggage onto the plane? I wonder if that would happen now. I know someone raised this question in the last few months, and the person was encouraged to ship the sword back. My son wanted to buy one but I didn't want to deal w/it. But I may next time.

It must have been a nice person to give you a katana and a repro. samarai helmet. Those are very nice gifts.

These are great special items that everyone has. They are all so different.

If you go back to <i>Dreams of Jigoku-Dayu</i> and click on the album name &quot;norimasuko&quot; it is a hyperlink,

Pink sake which looks and tastes great and the most adorable pair of porcalain clowns - painted faces, glittery outfits, one dresssed in pink/purple and the other in black/gold/silver. Their hands and feet and face are porcelain so can be placed in any position - currently sit cross legged facing each other adorning the glass top of my coffee table and elicit comment from everyone!

&gt; the ukiyoe woman is not a professional because it looks like her obi is tied in back.

mrwundrfl, good observation, Sherlock! Must be a meeting of secret lovers then.

&gt; Is that her obi above the skeleton with the teapot?

I suppose not. That's the (real) title of this hanga, put in the way the title is usually put on every hanga. But here it does look like a continuation of her kimono or obi.
Jigoku-dayu is sort of her nick name but the title of this hanga is different that I really can't read. I forgot to ask Mr Iwai. maybe I will go back to his shop next time.

&gt; A woman resting (and what is that mask doing where it is?).

Jigoku (hell)-Dayu
Dayu (Tayu) is the title given to the highest ranked prostitutes in prostitute houses (e.g.in Yoshiwara, a well known such area in Edo era). From what Mr Iwai explained to me and I reserached afterwards myself, she was a girl from a noble (or rich?) family kidnapped and sold to a prostitute house. She considers her fate is because of her karma and named herself Jigoku-dayu. And my interpretations of this particular hanga is, ranked as Tayu, to the others she seems to live a glamourous life, but the world is a hell for her yet she accepts it as karma thing. The skeltons are the people around her. The clients, house staff, people just outside the house (all those playing shogi-japanese chess, having tea etc, playing musical instruments.). Perhaps this is more like &quot;Contemplating&quot; than &quot;Dreams of ..&quot; yet with such a bosatsu like calm face. The mask is the head of Enma (the king of the hell) and looks like on one of the layers of her kimono. The little girl sitting beside her is one of her servants. Tayu's are often acompanied by a few girls like this.

This and the bird (actually a heron)in the rain are both by Gyosai, a non-main stream artist of his time unlike Utamaro or Kuniyoshi. Neverthless, there are fans of Gyosai today.

Gyosai, seems like it should read Kyousai and he was not as off main stream as I thought.

No, they would definitely not let you bring a sword thru nowdays! We actually carried it onto the plane as the case wouldn't fit in our suitcase. Placed it in the overhead bin.

At that time, the Japanese were worried about their airport (Narita's contruction made a lot of enemies), not any fear of airborne trouble.

How times have changed...

Referring to the posts above between me and Florence regarding banners &amp; flags( &gt; The 2nd ones are called Nobori (like Koi Nobori), I found this photot on today's Yahoo news. This is a photo of Koi(carp) Noboris that you can see all over Japan around May 5th (the Children's Day = specifically boys' day as May 3rd is the girls' day). This photos is taken in Nara with 400 koi-noboris over Yoshino river.

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20...a-l29.view-000

Koi-nobori originates as far as I understand in the Chinese (maybe somewhat modified in Japan) mythology that a carp that climbs back the waterfall will change into a dragon, symbolizing a succes in life. (Nobori &lt; noboru=Climb).

I love my 'Shrine Book' that I purchased at a temple in Nikko. You take it to any shrine or temple and go to the right window and the monk will write the name of the buddha in calligraphy and stamp it with the shrine stamp. I took mine to about 11 shrines and got it stamped. Beautiful!

Florence or anyone else who knows:
I really want to get some of the flags you spoke of on my next trip to Japan. I also have a garden and would like to hang some on the inside of the fence around it. Unfortunately I will be leaving Kyoto the 22nd, so won't be able to go to Kitano market. I did arrange to be in Kyoto on the 21st for Toji, but I don't recall seeing these flags there. And other ideas on where to purchase them? Have people who have been to Toji market recently seen these flags there- I could have missed them...

Do you mean the koi nobori (carp)? If so, you'll likely have to wait until next year. I've only ever seen them for sale in the few weeks leading up to Childrens's Day. Perhaps you could order them from somewhere?

My magnificent silk owl (stuffed with perfumed herbs) bought from a lovely little shop right opposite the Kyoto Museum. And my owl curtain purchased at Toji temple market. And my lovely yukata purchased in Asakusa.

Oh I forgot my glorious second hand rust silk obi sash with sakura print purchased at Toji temple market for 1000 yen.