Anan（阿南）: According to the most supported theory, A (阿）derives from Achi river（阿智川）and Nan（南）means south. As this name shows, the word Anan signifies the southern part of Achi river Achi river which was widely used to transport timbers during the Edo period (17-19th century). Speaking of Anan, you cannot forget ancient festivals. Among them, the most […]
Simojo（下條）：Shimojo（下條）derives from a surname of a feudal lord who governed this area from the middle of the 14th century to the end of 16th century. The Shimojo family invited many cultural figures from Kyoto during their reign. For example, shrine carpenters, Buddhist sculptors, and dance performers. Obviously, they brought the dawn of culture to this […]
Tenryu（天龍）: Litterally, Ten (天）means heaven and Ryu（龍）means dragon.In central Japan, there’s a long and rapid river named Tenryu .As for the name origin of the Tenryu river, there are many theories. But probably, the most supported one is connected with Lake Suwa which is believed to be dedicated to a Dragon deity. As we can […]
Urugi（売木）: Uru（売） means sell and gi（木）means wood. Therefore, Urugi（売木） literally means “sell wood” and as its name shows, Urugi village has had enough wood to sell untill today. As Japan is a mountainous country (about 67% is covered by mountains), mountains are a familiar existence for Japanese and in the past, people made almost everything […]
Yasuoka（泰阜）：泰阜 derives from a Chinese poem ”泰山丘阜”. According to this poem, Yasu（泰）means to open a waterway with one’s own hands and oka （阜）signifies abundance or prosperity.The first thing to be mentioned in this area is that there exist many ruins dating back to as early as the Jomon period (14,000-10,000 BC) . Undoubtedly, this area […]