Uphiill 229 steps at Orihime Shrine with Nobuko

 229 steps to the top to see this shrine.

The name of this shrine is called Orihime. Orihime was the daughter of Sky King, Tentei. Orihime used to weave clothes for her dad by the heavenly river. The story goes that one day she met a herdsman called Hikoboshi who worked at the other side of the waters. The two fell in love and got married, but after the wedding, they both neglected their work, so Tentei separated them and forbade them to see each other – except on the 7th day of the 7th month, which is now the date of Tanabata (star festival). The city of Ashikaga has a long history of weaving and therefore Orihime Shrine was built and dedicated to Orihime. Because of the tale about Orihime and Hikoboshi, the Orihime Shrine is also a place that celebrates marriage and is considered a sacred place for lovers. For this reason, many couples pay the shrine a visit to pray for their relationship. Never hurts right?

We are ready to get going up those steps.  Yes all 229 of them.

 Can we do it?  Yes, we can!! Let's get this hike started!!

 UP, UP AND AWAY WE GO! ALMOST TO THE TOP!!

We have made it to the top and reached the shrine.  This is the largest Shinto Shrine in Ashikaga. Here we are with Nobuko and her friend Kazuko.

Before visiting the shrine you must prepare yourself by cleansing at the fountain.   This ritual called Chozu.  We each poured water first on the right hand then the left hand.  In the past, they would take a sip.  This is done to cleanse yourself before making any prayers at shrines or temples.  Below is the fountain.

Marlon and I chose from the boxes at the shrine for our fortune.  We both got good fortunes!

  

Beautiful view of Ashikaga City from the shrine. 

 On the way down from the shrine, we decided to take a different path by walking through the many tori gates.  I don't recall what all the different colors mean.  The signs telling us were in Japanese of course. :-)

April 1 Coco Winery ~Ashikaga-City Japan

COCO FARM & WINERY
611,Tajima-Cho,Ashikaga-City,Tochigi.,326-0061,Japan
Phone.(81)284-42-1194 Fax.(81)284-42-2166


Wine Shop
Summer(April 1 ～ December 30) 10:00AM ～ 6:30PM
Winter(January 3 ～ March 31) 10:00AM ～5:30PM

COCO FARM Cafe
11:00 AM ～ Last Order 5:30 PM
Summer(July 7～August 15) 11：00 AM ～ L.O 7：00 PM

CLOSED: December 31 ～　January 2, and the 3rd week of January (5 days from Monday to Friday ).

As Ric drove us from Koga City to Ashikaga~City it seemed like we were never going to get there.  I was beginning to think maybe he was a little lost.  The road was quite narrow and winding, and you I was thinking hope we have not gone astray.  Just as I was ready to say ask if we were lost Ric says we are here. LOL should have know he is very good with getting us around Japan.

I am giving this information as I found this winery has very good wine and the handicap adults who started this by hard work working the side of a mountain to plant grapes.  This is what they relied on for income.  Nothing stopped them from getting the side of the mountain ready to plant. It was lots of hard work getting the soil fertilized. They worked in the cold frigid weather and the hot humid summers preparing the soil.   They felt good about themselves working to make this project succeed.  After ground was prepared they planted 600 grape vines on the side of the mountain. To this day the hard work they put in preparing the soil is what made the wine business be successful.
Once the grapes vines were planted and grapes started ripening on the vines.  Next problem the students had was crows wanting to eat their grapes.  The students would start banging bells and empty cans to chase away the unwanted crows. Later in the day, under the hot summer sun they tend to the care of the vines and grapes. During the fall season, they pick clusters of grapes using their hands, crush the grapes, and then bottle the wine. After this is done they put labels on the bottles, finishing the crafting of COCO's wine.  Once called Intellectual handicapped, these skilled farmers have earned their titles and positions. Their extremely hard work and dedication have yielded many returns, most important being a sense of dignity and honor. They are the farmers of very few words, allowing the fruits of their labors to speak on their behalf.

Teresa and I enjoyed a wine tasting and we both loved all the wines we tasted.  Thanks Ric for being DD and letting Teresa and I enjoy the fruits of the farmers labor. After tasting we purchased a bottle of wine and a couple of wine glasses engraved with "Coco Winery"

 The lady giving the tasting spoke good English and all of us enjoyed hearing about how the wines are made.

Since Ric was DD they did not leave him out.  He was given  some red grape juice and some white.  It was nice how they took care of him too.  The lady giving the wine tasting at the end gave us a book from their library about the winery.  I have read a few pages of the book and find it interesting.