#rural japan | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

redsamuraiii · 2 months

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Spring in Chiba by Visit Chiba Japan

#spring in japan #chiba prefecture #japan #sakura #cherry blossoms #rural japan #japan countryside #japanese trains

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aishiteru-kenshin · 11 months

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Rural Japan | Akine Coco

#Japan #Torii Gate #Rice Paddies #Railway Train #Rural Japan #Torii #Train #Nippon

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fikiandbiki · 8 months

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Cherry Blossom Village | Minecraft 1.20

Timelapse vid is on our YouTube channel: Fiki & Biki 🐔

#minecraft #mineblr #minecraftbuild #minecraftbuilds #minecraftbuilding #mcbuild #mcbuilds #mcbuilding #japanese #village #minecraft japanese #rural japan #cherryblossom #cherryblossoms #sakura #minecraft timelapse #timelapse #asian

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girlmadegrave · 8 months

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All About Lily Chou-Chou (2001)

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ross-hori · 6 months

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Different forms of communication.

Both still work.

Sort of.

#Rural Japan #Visit Japan #photography #fujifilm #street photography #original photographers #my photography #photographers on tumblr

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potatofelts · 2 months

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カフェめがね書房 • Cafe Megane Books ☕️

#my safe haven #book cafe #book lover #bookstore #cafe #cafe aesthetic #my photography #japan life #rural japan #japan #japan travel #japan aesthetic #日本 #書房 #本屋 #カフェ #旅行

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city-cost · 1 year

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Yokamachi-dori in the Inami district of Nanto City, Tochigi Pref., a center of Inami wood carving and one of the Best 100 Soundscapes of Japan for the sounds emanating from workshops.

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#japan #wonders of japan #tochigi #hokurikusanken #japantrip #japantravel #wonders #travel #tumblr travel #asia #rural japan #insp #places #on the road #where I want to be #jpn #Youtube

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fujoreads · 3 months

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The Summer Hikaru Died Vol. 1 + 2 // Review & Thoughts

I just finished reading volume 2 and realized I did not talk about vol. 1 at all, so let's talk!

The Summer Hikaru Died (story & art by mokomokuren) is a cosmic horror story with a queer-coded complicated relationship, set in rural Japan. Got your interest? Well, you’re in for a ride!

CW: Death; Body & Cosmic Horror; Gay Panic & Homophobia

I honestly don’t remember how I got to know about this… I think someone talked about it in a podcast episode? I remember the concept being very interesting: your friend is gone for a week and when he comes back, it turns out he’s some sort of creature that only our protagonist is aware of.

I read both volumes with a huge time gap—almost an entire year, I think?—and every time I finished one, I was just too stunned to read much of any other thing that day. It’s immersive, it’s creepy, and it has that gay panic vibe only these types of works can give. I love me some fluffy and dramatic romance, but the angsty, scary and out there stuff is what conquers me.

I’ll admit: I thought this was going to be just another BL I’d forget soon enough, so the horror aspect caught me off guard… and I absolutely loved it! It’s intense without being always present. I wouldn’t say it’s psychological horror as the horror is present, but it does not rely on cheap jumpscares. Instead, it builds its tense atmosphere, and the use of cicadas for that is amazing. I remember getting the same anxiety-inducing feeling when reading Higurashi: When They Cry (the visual novel), like the heat is getting to you.

I’m not a huge horror fan. Not that I don’t like it—I love it—but I just can’t find stuff that suits my specific tastes. This one does, and I can’t get enough of it. I love mystery and horror but I hate the kind of horror that relies on visuals to scare the reader. This one managed to have a healthy balance and it serves as the exception.

It has Hikaru’s face. It has Hikaru’s voice. It even has Hikaru’s memories. But whatever came down from the mountains six months ago isn’t Yoshiki’s best friend. Whatever it is, it’s dangerous. Carrying on at school and hanging out as if nothing has changed—as if Hikaru isn’t gone—would be crazy...but when it looks so very like Hikaru...and acts so very like Hikaru…

This story is fantastic. It’s fast-paced, and yet you feel stuck in time, glued to your seat. I sometimes even forgot the background cicada noises I’d play while reading.

This is mysterious, but don’t expect your typical mystery read. This is a slice of life existencial thriller, dealing with bizarre creatures and worst of all—your own feelings.

Mokumokuren’s art is just superb. It’s so unique that if I wasn’t already drawn by the synopsis, I would have read it for the art alone. Not only is the artstyle pleasing to look at, but the way they draw perspectives and play with the shading does wonders to the horror elements.

Also, I have to shoutout to Abigail Blackman (the letterer) and Yen Press! The way the sound effects were inserts in the panels made a world of difference, especially when it comes to the cicada sounds.

The story follows mainly Yoshiki and Hikaru, two best friends in a rural Japanese village. Yoshiki is more of a gloomy kid, while Hikaru (just like his name, “light”) is the sunny, dumb kind. This all changes after the events the synopsis presents, showing Hikaru as more feeling, and even more childish.

These two are so interesting to follow: a co-dependent pair that doesn’t want to admit it and the way this shows through a literal monster is just delicious.

The way Yoshiki feels repulsed towards his friend and his own feelings, while feeling seduced to accept something that might not be so good to him—and yet, it feels right. He misses his friend and feels conflicting feelings towards this new creature inhabiting Hikaru’s body. Is it alright to accept this as Hikaru, or will it never be the same? Are is feelings true when directed to someone who isn’t there anymore?

The way Hikaru tries to come to terms with the meaning for his feelings and what is “Hikaru” and the being’s own identity. His strong feelings of loneliness and feeling overly attached to Yoshiki is something I could definitely relate to.

While there’s nothing explicitely better about queer media, something I’ve noticed is how more subtle and metaphorical dynamics and relationships can be, either because of direct societal prejudice or because of how queer people grow to hide their feelings, in fear of rejection and humiliation. Of course, the latter can also happen with hetero couples, but the feelings of rejection that can lead to co-dependence and loneliness are just that much stronger within the queer sphere, especially amongst gay men—and it’s visceral, to the point of fitting right into the horror realm.

Dealing with the unknown can be scary, and the way mokumokuren portrays this relationship and mixes it with the cosmic horror elements is masterfully done. It feels gross but erotic—like a guilty pleasure you find as a teenager—without ever being pornographic in nature. Hell, there’s not even a kiss or explicit thoughts, it’s all a play of “will they, won’t they” for the readers to munch over. While this is a fast-paced series, it’s also a slow burn when it comes to their relationship.

The writing iself isn’t anything too grand, due to its format. You can’t expect too much of a focus on writing in a visual medium.

I’ll talk about this into more detail in the following paragraphs, but the way the writing mixes with the environment and horror elements is where it peaks. There’s occasional bolding and a play with the font sizes, making it more tense to follow along.

I’ve always loved stories set in rural Japan, but all I’ve read that checked my boxes were set before the 2000s—before smartphones and other modern technologies.

The Summer Hikaru Died is set in contemporaneity and even then, you sometimes forget it. There are occasional shows of a smartphone, and even a mention of the Nintendo Switch, but the rural setting makes it so that feels useless.

When reading Higurashi (which is set in the 80s), I always thought “man, this wouldn’t have happened if they had smartphones” but reading this now, I realize that was a futile thought. Sure, they could use the GPS tracker in moments of panic, or call a friend, but in the moment of fear and paranoia, that could only aggravate a situation. Mokumokuren takes full advantage of that: someone sneaking a glance at a message notification they weren’t supposed to see; being too scared to grab the phone…

The horror elements here were only intensified by the creative use of the format!

The concept for this story by itself isn’t anything unique: things inhabiting our loved ones’ bodies isn’t a new thing. However, the way this trope is used to explore other fears and themes is where it stands out.

The exploration of sexuality mixed with feelings of guilt for both parties; the “what if” scenarios in Yoshiki’s mind that could have saved Hikaru; and the overall way being queer plays into society, especially one such as the rural community in Japan.

It’s not uncommon for queer people to have lost a friend or two, be it to mental health or an STD, and the way homossexuality is sometimes compared to an “illness” by the townfolk, I can see the being inside Hikaru as a personification of his feelings and desires, and how Yoshiki struggles to accept them and his own love.

The series isn’t over, but I strongly recommend checking it out.

The third (and latest) volume comes out in April 16th, and I’m super excited! From the cover alone, it may focus more on the minor cast, such as the group of school friends.

In summary: this is a fast-paced (but slow burn when it comes to the main relationship) horror story, more within the cosmic horror sub-genre. It has BL elements and I personally find it to be the main topic, even if it’s not explicit. If you enjoy these, go for it!

Even if you’re not a fan of BL, I find it interesting and subtle enough most times so even people who aren’t into BL can enjoy it, as long as you enjoy slow-burn horror.

I’ll give all my starts and love to this one, as it’s one of my personal favorites! I’m looking forward to more from mokumokuren!

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Thank you for reading it all to the end! Hey, kind stranger! Would you be so kind and consider giving me a little tip? It can be as low as 3 bucks and it’d make a huuuuuge difference!! If you tip 10€ (or higher), you can dictate my next read and be credited (if you’d like) on that review! Have a nice day!!

#blog #review #manga #bookblr #the summer hikaru died #yaoi bl #eldritch #cosmic horror #rural Japan #cw death #cw body horror

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seanmorroww · 17 days

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Chee Shimizu - "Rural 2023"

#Chee Shimizu #Rural Japan #mix #techno #experimental #downtempo

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japanicus-nerdus · 1 month

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Photo of the Day: Irrigation

This was taken in Yamaguchi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. I believe I was near Yuda Onsen. I was surprised at how rural Yamaguchi City was considering it was the capital of Yamaguchi Prefecture. Even just 5-10 minutes out from Yamaguchi Station in the middle of the city, I was seeing quite a lot of rice paddies. I saw quite a few of these irrigation canals (?) around the city as I walked…

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#japan travel #Photo of the Day #Rural Japan #Travel in Japan #Yamaguchi

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mimeticspace · 1 year

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#rural japan

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redsamuraiii · 6 months

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Nakasendo Way: The Kiso Road by Walk Japan Ltd.

#nakasendo #nakasendo trail #kiso #kiso valley #japan #japan countryside #rural japan #hiking in japan

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gingerontheside · 1 year

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Ryokan: The Inn and Onsen experience

While studying abroad, TUJ so kindly (sarcasm) does not give us any spring break. However, we have 2 4 day weekends in the semester, the first of which just passed. Many people decided to travel around Japan for this weekend, and Ash and I were no different. Of the many places our classmates adventured to (Kyoto, and Hokkaido, to name a few), we decided to travel west from Tokyo into the mountains, staying in a little rural town called Shimo-Suwa in Nagano. But why there? Easy! Shimo-Suwa is known as a Hot Spring town, and we wanted to get in on that action.

After searching the internet for a while, we settled in staying in a Ryokan (a traditional Japanese Inn) which also sported an Onsen (hot spring bath). The Inn was called Gingetsu, which literally translates to Golden Moon. We also elected to stay in a traditional Japanese eastern-style room.

This was the sight we were greeted with upon entering our Inn room. We were upgraded to a larger space than we originally booked (probably due to the fact that the Inn staff saw that all three of us were adults, two of which were very tall by their standards) which was a delightful surprise. The futons were set up in a row on the ground and would serve as our beds for the weekend, complete with a thick warm blanket and a rather hard bead pillow. Right past the beds was a little sunroom area, where the bathroom and a little table were set out.

The view from the balcony helped solidify just how much we were in a valley, surrounded on all sides by large mountains. As much as I enjoyed this little side room, it was unfortunately VERY drafty, which led to our entire room being quite cold for the duration of our stay. Also, the bathroom window had to stay open for a wire to be plugged in outside, making the bathroom that much more freezing. Honestly, this was my only complaint for the entire stay.

One of the compelling reasons we had chosen this Ryokan over others is that the room we rented included a traditional Japanese breakfast, hand prepared by these lovely Oba-Chans (grandmas) every morning. Much to our general dismay, the latest we could get breakfast was 8:30 AM, but we knew it would be well worth it. And it was definitely an experience I was thrilled to have.

Each morning of our three-day stay, we woke up bright and early to see what had been prepared for us. And each time, we were stunned by the quantity and quality of the food we were presented with. Generally, the breakfast is composed of: Green Tea, Fresh Juice, Rice, Miso soup, Salad, Egg, Salmon, Peach & Yogurt Compote, and various different pickled vegetables. Our first breakfast was presented like this:

Upon entering the little dining area, you removed your slippers (all of the rooms in the inn were floored with Tatami, which is a soft flooring that is easily dented and ruined) and were directed to a little table where the food for you and your roommates was already set up and waiting for you. The Oba-Chans would stick around the room a little, filling your tea, giving you rice and miso soup, and explaining any food you may be staring at quizzically as best they could. (There was very limited English, so thank goodness for Ash and Jared who could mostly catch what they were saying!) Every morning I would feel bad for not finishing all of the food that was prepared just for me, but it was very difficult considering the quantity and the Oba-Chans never seemed to mind. '

Speaking of the Oba-Chans, one of the days at the Inn I was feeling quite gross after accidentally ingesting some pork from my dinner Friday night (I haven't had pork since high school so my body was NOT pleased), and the Inn ladies caught word from Ash that I was feeling rather crummy. To all of our surprise, about a half hour after they had been told of my condition, the Oba-Chans appeared at the door of our room with a tray of tea, soup, and rice for me, as well as a hot water bottle for my stomach. They were so genuinely concerned for my help, continuing to check in on me over and over, even into the next morning where at breakfast they expressed their relief that I was doing better and encouraged me to drink lots of tea to help my stomach. It was above and beyond the call of duty, and I was so touched.

Now, onto what we were waiting with SO much anticipation for; The Onsen! Every morning, while we were at breakfast, a wicker basket filled with towels and Yukatas (a traditional bathing robe) was dropped outside of our room to prepare us for the day in the hot spring. You can see Ash and me looking adorable in our Yukatas below;

Now, an Onsen is unlike anything I had ever experienced in the US. After donning our yukata over just your undergarments, we would make our way to the first floor of the Inn, where the Onsens were located, the first of which was indoors and the second was outdoors (but still quite private). They were both separated by sex. When we entered the first onsen, we would first be greeted with a locker room of sorts, where we would disrobe completely and stack our things in a little basket, only bringing into the onsen with us any bathing essentials that we specifically require and small 'modesty towel'. Quickly we realized that the modesty towel was more for quickly drying off after bathing than anything else. Being naked around strangers was the name of the game.

We would sit on a little stool inside the main onsen room, and we had to make sure to fully cleanse our bodies and rinse off fully. This explained why none of the hotel rooms had any bathing amenitities; the Onsen WAS our bath. After thoroughly washing, we stepped into the first onsen, which looked like this;

And BOY WAS IT HOT INDEED. Our toes and legs would burn a lot when we first stepped inside. It turns out no, we were not just weak foreigners, the water was actually QUITE hot. A nice lady who was in the Onsen with us confirmed that this onsen was even too hot for her, which made Ash and I feel a lot better about ourselves. The hot water did start to feel good after a few seconds, but generally, the indoor bath was a LOT of heat and the steam of the room was pretty stuffy, so we would shift to the outdoor onsen after not too long.

The outdoor Onsen was a much better experience for both Ash and me. The cool air of the outside contrasted so pleasantly with the hot water and allowed us to not feel as suffocated. It was quiet and serene in the outdoors, where you could listen to the birds flying around and feel the breeze on your skin as you bathed. As a cute little addition, there were little fortune blocks that you could submerge in the water with you that would reveal luck for your love life once it hit the water. We experienced the outdoor onsen in all different lightings, from midday/morning to late evening. Floating in the dark in the hot water is not an experience I will soon forget.

Since the water was coming directly from a Hot Spring, it had several minerals within it that made your skin feel very nice. I swear my body has never felt as soft and clean as it has when exiting the Onsen. Further, the Onsen provided a long time each day where you had no choice but to disconnect from the world and simply exist within yourself. It was much appreciated.

Overall, the experience at the Gingetsu Ryokan was amazing and relaxing, exactly what we needed after being so burnt out from constant classwork.