Learn about the Sasama Area
The villages of Sasama are hidden high in a narrow valley of the Southern Alps of Shizuoka Prefecture and are famous for their fields of green tea, clear blue rivers, and the Shinto theatrical folk dances called kagura. The Ooigawa railway's steam engines and the Kawane Onsen (hot spring) draw many visitors to the area, and Sasama plays host to international ceramic artist events throughout the year. In Sasama, and in Awabara village in particular, as many of the houses have become vacant, new residents have been welcomed from outside the community creating a fresh energy blending old and new.
-
Kagura is a type of SHINTO theatrical dance now performed in several parts of Japan as a folk ritual. Kagura dances in Japan have been traced back over 1000 years and have influenced the development of noh theatre. The tradition is kept alive by performing at regional and local cultural and religious events throughout the year, but most performances are in the fall including the Sasama annual festival held the fourth Saturday in October. Click here to see more about the Sasama kagura dances…
-
With the continuing urbanization of Japan, the human influence in mountain environments is waning. Animals which were once rarely seen are now common visitors to Sasama. While this may be an unwelcome turn of events for some (e.g. vegetable gardeners), it provides a great opportunity to see some of the wildlife of the central mountains of Japan. In Sasama we necessarily share the habitat with a variety of animals ranging from cute to annoying and potentially aggressive. Visitors need to be prepared to encounter a variety of insects such as mosquitoes, horseflies and spiders and take preventative measures when necessary. But most animals in Sasama are much more afraid of us than we are of them.
-
Nowhere is safe from the effects of climate change but in Sasama, close to nature, we still enjoy the changing seasons that have shaped Japanese culture for centuries. Click here to see a gallery of scenes from Sasama through the seasons…
-
In addition to the wonderful photos of Mido Kazuhiro that are displayed in our Kaisoukan gallery, we also have some scenes from the life of high school student Okamura Masaru which were found, as contact prints, in a box on the estate. Click here to view some of these nostalgic photos…