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On Saturday night, August 7th, Ise City will be a little brighter as the city will hold a candle festival along the Seta River. Candles will be placed along the river for a stretch of about 10 kilometers through Ise City.

Traditionally, the Seta River was a lifeline for the people of Ise City when waterways were more common modes of transportation and delivery. But after people, goods and services began using alternate methods of movement, the Seta River became a place of refuse rather than a vital part of the local economy.

In recent years, however, Ise City and a legion of volunteers have tried to get this river back its position of prominence. And it has worked! The water quality has increased and the river’s inhabitants have been flourishing. The effort to restore the Seta River continues on and on and the Candle Night event is one way people are recognizing the efforts that have been made and also part of their dream to make the Seta River a vital part of the city again.

The Candle Festival will feature all the wonderful sights, sounds, and flavors of a usual summer festival in Japan—food, drink and lots of laughs.

To take part in the celebration, head toward to Kawasaki district in Ise City (please see the map). It is only a few minutes walk from either Ujiyamada or Ise City train stations. Once you are in Kawasaki, you can’t miss it.

The candles will be lighted at 17:30 and should burn about 5 to 6 hours—plenty of time for everyone to fill their bellies and rejuvinate their spirits! Tell all your friends to join you and I hope to see you there!

This shot was taken this morning (April 6) looking toward the Oharai-dori and Okage-yoko areas, near Naiku. The Sakura (cherry blossom) is a day or two past peak but are still very beautiful! I personally like this part of the season because the blossom petals fall from the trees like snowflakes.

If you are visiting the Naiku area and if you have time, I recommend going after sunset since some of the area is illuminated and very pretty. Nighttime offers viewers a cozier and more festive experience, since at night, the area is a bit livelier with many vendors selling drinks and snacks.

If the weather is nice in the coming days, some of the blossoms might last another week or so.  Wherever you are in Japan, I hope you are enjoying this beautiful season.

Ise Kawasaki Shouninkan (pictured by Yuka Sugiki) is a historical structure built about 100 years ago that now holds the somewhat tucked away Kawasaki museum located about 10 minutes north of Ise and Ujiyamada train stations by foot.

Ise Kawasaki Shoninkan, once called Ogawa Saketen, was a liquor wholesaler established about 300 years ago and continued to do business up until 1999. Along with several other wholesalers in Kawasaki, their businesses were driven by Kawasaki’s prime location next to the Seta River. At one time, Kawasaki was a thriving port city, welcoming ships carrying all kinds of goods from all over Japan.

Ise was once filled with wholesalers and wholesalers’ storehouses, filled with goods and provisions that supplied the local area. However, after World War II, transportation methods moved away from traditional waterway shipping and moved toward more modern ways, namely roads. This spelled the ultimate downturn for Kawasaki’s influence as a port city.

In 1999, Ogawa Saketen, closed its doors after over 300 years of doing business in Kawasaki. In the wake of the closing, plans were drawn up to knock down the traditional building that housed the business for generations.

However, not wanting the building fall to the wrecking ball, Ogawa Saketen donated the building and the city of Ise city bought the land it sat on in order to restore the old buildings and turn it into a museum of Kawasaki and its shining port city past.

In 2002, that plan was realized when Kawasaki Shoninkan opened it’s doors and now stands as the symbol of Kawasaki. Rich in local history, it’s a local jewel—a place where you can get a great sense of how Ise used to be.

The museum is open daily from 10:00 AM through 5:00 PM with the exception of Tuesday (or Wednesday when Tuesday is a public holiday). The cost is 300 yen for adults, 200 yen for college students and 100 yen for primary and middle school students. There is a volunteer guide service (Japanese and English) available but must be requested in advance. For more information, please give them a call at 0596-22-4810 or e-mail to machishu@e-net.or.jp.