MY HOMETOWN

I have lived in a small town since I was born. The town is Samukawa town. It is not famous, but I think it is a nice town. I’ll introduce it today.

Samukawa town is a center part of Kanagawa prefecture. It has a population of about 47,450. In Japan, every town and city has its symbols. Samukawa town has trees, flowers, and birds of the town. Trees of it are fragrant olives, flowers are narcissuses, and birds are great white egret. I have seen a great white egret once. It was really great and beautiful. Samukawa town is relatively country. There are large fields and rice fields around my house, so there are many frogs and bugs. By the way, I hate them! At the time of every rainy season, frogs are even on a door of my house. I can’t enter my house! At such time, I open the door softly not so as to be noticed by them, and enter my house quickly. It is hard work.

Samukawa town is famous for Samukawa shrine. The time of its erection is unknown, but it is said to be built in 725 or 765. It is the only shrine which deifies gods of Happoyoke in Japan. Happoyoke is a prayer against various disasters come from geographical features, aspects of a house, points of compasses, and so on. There are many plants in the precincts of the shrine. We can enjoy Japanese four seasons there. After a coming of a new year, there are many stalls there every year. During three days of every new year, January 1, 2, and 3, a total of 400,000 people visit it to prey fortunes of a new year. Recently, from January 1 to February 3, a Nebuta is decorated on a gate of it. A Nebuta is a decoration of animals in Chinese astrology of the year. In Japan, animals of this year are dragons. The Nebuta is illuminated during the period. It is so beautiful.

This shrine is famous for Yabusame. Do you know it? It is a Japanese traditional training and ceremony. It started in the 9th century. It is done to pray for peace and a bumper harvest in autumn. A man on a running horse aims three arrows one after another at three targets. When the arrows hit the targets, confetti dances in the air. Many people visit to watch it.

In order to write this post, I searched the Internet for Samukawa shrine. When searching, I got interesting information. I heard that it is said to be a shrine of prayer of audience ratings and many people in TV stations visit before starting a new program. I didn’t know it. It is funny!

I have many memories in my hometown. I went an elementary school and a junior high school in Samukawa town, so I have many friends there. Because I and most of my friends went a high school out of Samukawa town, we don’t have much time to see, but I have dinner with my friends in a brass band club in my junior high school  about once in a year. Though my high school is in Yokohama, my high school friends visited my house many times. For them, such country as Samukawa town is interesting. Samukawa town don’t have shops we can go shopping, so I feel that it is inconvenient. But there are many plants and parks. The biggest reason I love Samukawa town is that people there are so kind. When I see them, they greet me even if they don’t know me. Especially, my neighbors are so kind to my family. We share foods and plants each other, and they care us. I appreciate them. I want to live in Samukawa town forever!