"Furoshiki"=square of cloth used for wrapping

These wrappings are used to carry items to people, especially to people's homes. A square can be any size, and sometimes combined, (i.e., with 2 pieces of square cloth) folded and tied together--not sewn. The cloth can be untied and used again."Click" on the image to see detail.

Nagusa Rocks

Nagusa rocks is an unusal group of large granite rocks in a mountain valley near Ashikaga. At the top of the valley, there is a small shrine sitting on top of the rocks. The largest one is 36 feet tall and 33 yards in circumference. There are no other rock formations like this around the area.

Flooding the rice fields

a system of canals fed from an uphill water source is used to flood the rice fields. The canals weave all through the communities--backyards, roadsides, under streets and into rice fields; sometimes the farmers control the water's speed into the field with small sandbags or maybe a cement block?.