Pestisida Alami

PESTISIDA ALAMI: DAUN PAPAYA

Foto: http://www.photoatlas.com, Daun Papaya

Daun papaya bisa dimanfaatkan untuk dibuat menjadi pestisida alami untuk memberantas hama serangga yang mengancam tanaman kita. Pestisida alami buatan sendiri sebaiknya kita coba sebagai sistem pengendalian hama di pertanian rumah tangga kita. Caranya?


Ambil daun papaya sebanyak kurang lebih 1 (satu) kilogram, atau kira-kira sekitar 1 (satu) kantong plastik kresek besar. Lalu dilumatkan (bisa diblender) dan dicampurkan dalam 1 (satu) liter air, kemudian dibiarkan selama kurang lebih 1 (satu) jam. Langkah berikutnya disaring, lalu ke dalam cairan daun papaya hasil saringan ditambahkan lagi 4 (empat) liter air dan 1 (satu) sendok besar sabun.

Ampas lumatan daun papaya bisa dimasukkan ke dalam komposter untuk tambahan bahan kompos. Cairan air papaya dan sabun sudah dapat digunakan sebagai pestisida alami.

Semprotkan cairan ini pada hama-hama yang mengganggu tanaman kita. Semprotan pestisida air papaya dan sabun ini dapat membasmi aphid (kutu daun), rayap, hama-hama ukuran kecil lainnya, termasuk ulat bulu.

Sebagai catatan, pestisida alami ini hanya digunakan bila diperlukan. Jangan menyemprotkan pestisida alami ini bila tidak terdapat hama pada tanaman kita. Biarkan tanaman itu sendiri menangkal hama secara alami.

Referensi:
Yayasan IDEP. 2006. Buku Panduan untuk Permakultur Menuju Hidup Lestari. IDEP Foundation - www.idepfoundation.org. ISBN: 979-15305-0-5.

Komentar:

Christine said...

Pak, berapa lama pestisida ini bisa disimpan? Kan pemakaiannya sedikit sekali padahal sekali buat jadinya banyak... Trims

Mr. Sob Zerowaste said...

Hallo X,
Saya blm tahu efektifnya brp lama, saya sdng menelitinya. Sementara nyimpennya tdk saya tutup. X juga nyoba deh.
salam: sob

Christine said...

Saya pernah coba dari campuran bawang putih dan cabe. Caranya sama, cuma setelah diblender ramuannya direbus baru diendapkan dan dicampur sabun. Pestisida ini cukup bagus buat larva kepik di pohon terong dan semut hitam yg mangkal di akar padi. Daya simpannya tidak terlalu lama, mungkin sebulan setelah itu cairan berbau busuk dan saat disemprotkan malah mengundang banyak lalat.

Mr. Sob Zerowaste said...

X,
Bagus nih, macem2 pestisida. Gak apa2 daya simpan tidak lama. Sisa-nya masukkan saja ke komposter anaerob lubang tanah...salam: sob

Shopping at Ammelie's said...

Pak, sabunnya sabun jenis apa ya? Kenapa pake sabun?

PESTISIDA ALAMI: BAWANG PUTIH DAN CABAI

Foto: www.prianusa.com dan https://host7.yournethost.com, Bawang Cabai
Ada komentar dari Christine pemilik blog Disekitar Christine tentang pestisida alami. Christine pernah mencoba campuran bawang putih dan cabai. Pasti banyak pengalaman lain dari para pembaca. Baiknya pengalaman semacam ini dibukukan sebagai khasanah kearifan lokal.



Inilah komentar Christine:
Saya pernah coba dari campuran bawang putih dan cabe. Caranya sama, cuma setelah diblender ramuannya direbus baru diendapkan dan dicampur sabun. Pestisida ini cukup bagus buat larva kepik di pohon terong dan semut hitam yg mangkal di akar padi. Daya simpannya tidak terlalu lama, mungkin sebulan setelah itu cairan berbau busuk dan saat disemprotkan malah mengundang banyak lalat.

Dalam Buku Panduan untuk Permakultur Menuju Hidup Lestari (Yayasan IDEP. 2006. Buku Panduan untuk Permakultur Menuju Hidup Lestari. IDEP Foundation - www.idepfoundation.org. ISBN: 979-15305-0-5), diuraikan hal yang sama tentang pestisida alami bawang putih dan cabai. Dalam buku tersebut (halaman 228) diuraikan cara membuatnya sebagai berikut:

Campur 3 (tiga) biji bawang putih yang sudah dikupas dengan segenggam cabai dan rebuslah dalam sepanci air. Tambahkan 1/4 balok sabun, aduk rata kemudian biarkan selama sehari. Saring cairan tersebut dan gunakan 2 cangkir larutan tersebut untuk satu kali penyemprotan.

Bawang putih merupakan insektisida, fungisida, dan penolak hama. Sabun akan membantu penyemprotan untuk melekatkan pada tanaman dan serangga. Gunakan larutan ini untuk aphid (kutu daun), ulat bulu, dan ngengat.

Bawang putih dan cabai secara alami akan menolak banyak serangga. Tanamlah di sekitar pohon buah dan lahan sayuran untuk membantu mengurangi masalah-masalah serangga.

Bawang putih dan cabai dapat juga digunakan secara terpisah sebagai bahan pestisida.

Kembali ke pengalaman Christine yang mengatakan daya simpannya tidak terlalu lama, mungkin sebulan, setelah itu cairan berbau busuk dan saat disemprotkan malah mengundang banyak lalat. Menurut saya tidak apa-apa, cairan busuk tersebut dituangkan saja ke dalam komposter anaerob lubang tanah, mungkin saja berfungsi sebagai mikro organisme lokal (MOL).

Paidjo Sastrodimedjo said...

Dari trubus:
Obat antinyamuk alami dari umbi bawang putih,lalu dijus dgn sedikit air.lalu hasil jus tadi ditambahkan air bersih dg perbandingan 1:5 kemudian disaring.
Setelah itu dimasukkan ke dalam botol sprayer kecil.untuk penggunaannya,disemprot pd bagian tubuh,efektif 5-6 jam.
Untuk ruangan,celup selembar kain katun kecil ke dlm larutan bawang putih,lalu gantungkan kain di beranda rumah.
Kandungan sulfur bawang putih dipercaya ampuh menolak nyamuk.
Semoga bermanfaat.

Wealth-4-Help said...

tanaman saya rosella, sekarang sedang diserang hama kutu putih. berapa kali dalam seminggu kita harus semprotkan ke tanaman agar dapat membersihkan tanaman dari hama kutu putih tsb ?

PESTISIDA ALAMI: DAUN TOMAT, BAGUS TAPI HATI-HATI.!

Foto: forums.gardenweb.com, Daun Tomat, hati-hati ada racunnya!

Daun tomat bagus sebagai insektisida dan fungisida alami, tapi perlu waspada dan hati-hati, sebab ketika daun tomat dipakai sebagai pestisida alami bisa bersifat racun bagi manusia. Gunakan sarung tangan, penutup hidung, dan mulut pada saat kita menyemprotkan ke tanaman.



Daun tomat bagus sebagai insektisida dan fungisida alami. Dapat digunakan untuk membasmi kutu daun, ulat bulu, telur serangga, belalang, ngengat, lalat putih, jamur, dan bakteri pembusuk.

Cara membuatnya sebagai berikut:

Pertama, ambil daun tomat kira-kira seberat 1 (satu) kilogram. Pakai sarung tangan ketika memetik daun tomat.

Kedua, daun tomat dimasak dalam 2 (dua) liter air selama 30 menit.

Ketiga, tambahkan lagi potongan-potongan daun tomat, batang tomat, dan buah tomat sebanyak 2 (dua) genggam, dan tambahkan pula 2 (dua) liter air. Aduk bahan-bahan tersebut, lalu biarkan selama 6 jam (1/2 hari).

Keempat, disaring dan tambahkan 1/4 batang sabun. Cairan telah bisa digunakan sebagai insektisida dan fungisida alami.

Semprotkan cairan ini setiap 2 (dua) hari sekali bila jumlah serangga pengganggu cukup banyak.

HATI-HATI:

• DAUN TOMAT KETIKA DIPAKAI SEBAGAI INSEKTISIDA DAN FUNGISIDA BERSIFAT RACUN BAGI MANUSIA.
• ADA UNSUR KIMIA YANG TERKANDUNG DALAM DAUN TOMAT MENJADI JAUH LEBIH PEKAT KONSENTRASINYA.
• KANDUNGAN UNSUR KIMIANYA ADALAH SENYAWA ALKALOID YANG DISEBUT ‘TOMATINE’ YANG TERDAPAT PADA DAUN DAN BATANG TOMAT.
• RACUN INI DAPAT MENYEBABKAN GANGGUAN PENCERNAAN YANG SERIUS.
• GUNAKAN SARUNG TANGAN, PENUTUP HIDUNG, PENUTUP MULUT KETIKA MEMETIK, MEMASAK, MENYARING, DAN MENYEMPROTKAN BAHAN INSEKTISIDA DAUN TOMAT INI.

Referensi:
Yayasan IDEP. 2006. Buku Panduan untuk Permakultur Menuju Hidup Lestari. IDEP Foundation - www.idepfoundation.org. ISBN: 979-15305-0-5 (dan sumber lain).

Komentar:

rohadi said...

Bismillah,
pak kalau saya ingin sekedar memetik daun tomat, apa juga harus memakai sarung tangan dan tutup hidung?

Terimakasih

KUNCORO said...

pak sob, setelah larutan pestisida jadi aplikasinya dicairkan/ditambah air apa langsung????????

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Mencacah Daun untuk Kompos

TIP AMAN MENCACAG DAUN BAHAN KOMPOS

Mencacah atau memotong daun-daun untuk bahan kompos adalah pekerjaan yang terkadang membuat stress. Bisa-bisa jari tangan kena bedog (bendo, parang). Saya pernah kena bedog sewaktu memotong bahan kompos. Masih untung tidak parah. Bagaimana cara yang aman?

Cara yang aman adalah dengan mesin potong. Bisa beli atau membuat sendiri. Desain mesin potong buatan sendiri skala rumah tangga bisa dilihat di artikel blog ini. Ada juga yang tetap ingin menggunakan alat potong tradisional, yaitu bedog, bendo, atau parang. Tetapi harus hati-hati sekali, salah posisi tangan bisa kecelakaan, jari terkena bedog.

Cara yang benar adalah posisi tangan yang memegang daun-daunan sedemikian rupa sehingga yang mengarah ke bedog adalah punggung tangan (lihat foto: posisi benar).

Cara yang salah adalah posisi tangan yang memegang daun-daunan sedemikian rupa sehingga jari tangan ’menongol’. Jangan melakukan cara ini, karena jari tangan bisa terkena bedog (lihat foto: posisi salah).

Semoga bermanfaat, dan tetap berhati-hati.

MOL sebagai STARTER Pembuatan Kompos

Sepertinya kompos lagi ngetrend baik di kalangan petani maupun ibu-ibu di kota besar.

Bagaimana dengan Kota Lhokseumawe?
Siapa yang peduli dengan sampah dapur yang ternyata bisa diolah jadi kompos juga.

Cara membuat MoL sebagai bahan STARTER untuk membuat kompos yang sederhana:

MOL TAPAI ATAU MOL PEUYEUM LEBIH BERSIH

Banyak yang bertanya cara membuat Mikro Organisme Lokal (MOL). Setelah diberi penjelasan bahannya dari sampah dapur yang membusuk atau bahan lain yang berjamur, kebanyakan mundur karena jijik, bau. Berikut saya membuat MOL yang relatif bersih, dari tapai atau peuyeum.

MOL adalah kumpulan mikro organisme yang bisa “diternakkan”, fungsinya dalam konsep “zero waste” adalah untuk “starter” pembuatan kompos organik. Dengan MOL ini maka konsep pengomposan bisa selesai dalam waktu 3 mingguan.

Dalam blog ini beberapa waktu lalu telah banyak saya uraikan cara-cara membuat MOL yang gratisan, yaitu dari bahan sampah dapur yang mudah membusuk, sayur kemarin yang basi. Bisa juga dari bahan lain misalnya keong sawah yang ditumbuk, buah nenas yang busuk. Tinggal pilih bahan yang paling mudah didapat disekitar kita. Setelah bahan dipilih dari salah satu di atas, kemudian dimasukkan ke dalam drum plastik, dan diberi air, hingga bahan tenggelam. Setelah 4 atau 5 hari MOL ini sudah bisa dipakai.

Selain untuk “starter” kompos, MOL bisa juga dipakai untuk “pupuk cair” dengan cara diencerkan terlebih dahulu, 1 bagian MOL dicampur 15 bagian air. Siramkan pada tanah di sekitar tanaman. Upayakan jangan mengenai batang tanaman. Untuk ”anggrek”? Karena anggrek ini tumbuh di pakis dan akarnya menonjol, saya tidak menyarankan dengan pupuk cair MOL ini. Nanti pakisnya di makan MOL dan timbul panas yang bisa mematikan anggrek. Jadi baiknya untuk tanaman yang tumbuh di tanah saja, dan tanahnya yang disiram MOL encer.

Kembali ke MOL tapai atau MOL peuyeum, saya sebut lebih bersih, karena bahannya juga bersih, dan tidak ada kesan menjijikkan. Bisa tapai singkong atau peuyeum ketan, pilih yang paling mudah didapat.

Pertama, siapkan botol plastik air minum kemasan ukuran besar (1.500 mililiter). Cukup satu botol kosong saja, tidak usah dengan tutupnya.

Kedua, beli tapai atau peuyeum, sedikit saja, soalnya butuhnya juga hanya 1 ons, lalu masukkan dalam botol tadi.

Ketiga, isikan air dalam botol yang telah berisi tapai atau peuyeum tadi. Tidak usah penuh, cukup hampir penuh.

Keempat, masukkan gula ke dalam botol yang telah diisi tapai atau peyeum dan air tadi. Bisa gula pasir atau gula merah, 5 sendok makan.

Kelima, kocok-kocok sebentar agar gula melarut.

Keenam, biarkan botol terbuka tidak ditutup selama 4 atau 5 hari. Selanjutnya, selamanya botol tidak ditutup, biar MOL-nya bisa bernafas.

Ketujuh, setelah 5 hari, dan kalau dicium akan berbau wangi alkohol, maka MOL telah bisa dipakai.

Kedelapan, kalau ingin ”beternak” MOL, maka ambillah botol kosong yang sejenis, lalu bagilah MOL dari botol yang satu ke botol kedua. Separoh-separoh. Lalu isikanlah air ke dalam botol-botol tadi sampai hampir penuh, dan kemudian masukanlah gula ke masing-masing botol dengan takaran seperti di atas. Maka kita punya 2 botol MOL. Bila ingin memperbanyak lagi ke dalam botol-botol yang lain, lakukanlah dengan cara yang sama.

Selamat mencoba, moga-moga sukses, dan buatlah kompos agar kita tidak membuang sampah ke luar rumah.

Posted by sobirin

Internet Marketing di kalangan mahasisa di Kota Lhokseumawe

Bagaimanakah tingkat penguasaan ilmu komputer di kalangan pelajar dan mahasiswa di kota Lhokseumawe ?

Dengan meningkatnya pertumbuhan warnet tentunya berbanding lurus dengan penguasaan di bidang komputer, tapi memang di Lhokseumawe belum ada survey tentang ini. Seharusnya ada yang peduli tentang hal ini mengingat semakit meningkatnya kompetensi menjelang diberlakukannya AFTA.

Adakah Prospek Sengon di Lhokseumawe?

Lagi butuh informasi tanaman sengon untuk Lhokseumawe, Aceh. Prospek bisnis dan analisa biayanya.

Menjamurnya Warnet di kota Lhokseumawe

Siapa sih pemakai terbanyak?

Pelajar
Mahasiswa
Pegawai
Umum

Apa yang banyak dilakukan dengan internet?
Searching/Browsing
Internet Marketing
Blogging

Perseus meteor shower in the UAE

Fenomena alam membuat kita selalu takjub dan merasa kecil di hadapanNya.

Seperti yang terjadi di UAE dalam bulan Agustus lalu. Dikutip dari sini.

I've never felt so duped before; I drove all the way out 3/4 of the way to Al Ain because everyone was ranting about some meteor shower.

So a friend and myself drive, drive some more, and drive some more, and eventually come to some small exit from the Dubai-Al Ain road. Where I had hoped to go would have been a pain given the current roadworks.
With hand painted street signs, no street lighting and almost no sign of civilization (except for the customary grocery every 1 km) I have no idea where I was. I actually looked at my GPS and none of the streets were on it at all, I was in the middle of nowhere. I may as well have been navigating through the empty quarter. Then I see a tree on the road.

Not just any tree. A tree in the middle of the road. Not knocked over. As in a tree growing in the middle of the road. The road has actually physically been built around the tree.

Following the road I come to some sort of a track... A camel race track! I drive into the sand a little and park my car, take out all the photography stuff and sit... and wait...

Click for larger copy



...and wait...


Click for larger copy
Waiting for the camera exposures is painful; an 8 minute exposure really is somewhere on the scale of time right up beside eternity.

Trying to see a shooting star (or whatever the technical term may be) is hard enough on its own, however trying to get a photograph of a meteor shower is like staring at a blank wall and expecting it to spontaneously combust. It's just not going to happen.

Even though I saw a few shooting stars it wasn't like there was some mass or continuous stream of them at all. that's what I call false advertising. I didn't even see any at the same time as my friend, leading me to believe they probably don't exist. There are barely any photos of them, and when you tell someone you've just seen a shooting star 9/10 will say "Really?" because it is really next to impossible.

Even though we were in the middle of nowhere, there was still a lot of light pollution. The light pollution isn't from any form of civilization it's from the damn moon!


The other immediate problem was from dust in the air. Visibility wasn't the greatest. I guess I got to see some shooting stars and enjoyed listening to some music while waiting around in the humid and warm (~30°C) weather. I did enjoy the drive out to the desert. I probably got to see 5-6 shooting stars in total, thats what I'd call false advertising.

Oni

Oni Profile

Horns: Usually two, one on each side of the head

Mouth: Large fangs

Skin: Either red- or blue-skinned

Face: Very scary-looking

Body: Wears tiger-skin loincloths

Strength: Very powerful

Possessions: Holds a large iron club

About oni

In Japan, the northeasterly direction has traditionally been called kimon, literally "the gate through which the oni passes," and so it was feared as the dwelling place of demonic spirits. Before modern times, the term for the northeast was ushitora, ushi meaning ox and tora meaning tiger. It was partly for this reason that oni have come to be depicted with horns on their foreheads, just like an ox, and wearing loincloths made of tiger skin.

Gentle on the inside

Oni are thought to be very powerful and fearsome ogres that can snatch people away from their families. But they sometimes use their strength to help people in need. They may look tough and mean, but they can also have a gentle heart. In a way, this makes them very human. Their terrifying appearance is actually used to protect people from evil.

Invisible power

Long, long ago, when most people in Japan lived in mountain or seaside villages, nature was a very powerful presence. Storms or other natural disasters could be very deadly. People lived in fear of these powerful forces of nature and other harmful events that could not be seen, which they regarded as being oni. There is a mention of oni in one of Japan's oldest history books, Nihon Shoki, which was written more than 1,200 years ago.

Visiting the "Oni Castle" (Kinojo)

In the town of Soja in Kibi Province (present-day Okayama Prefecture) stands a castle called Kinojo that was first built more than 1,000 years ago. It was believed to have been inhabited by oni, and the castle, which has largely been rebuilt, still stands there today.

It stands atop a 400-meter-high hill. Climbing up a steep mountain path takes you to a 2.8-kilometer stone wall surrounding the castle. There are four gates, one each in the east, west, south, and north, and the remains of buildings that are believed to have been storehouses for food and weapons also stand there.

The view from the top of the hill is breathtaking. You can see not only the Seto Inland Sea down below but also across the sea to the island of Shikoku.

This part of the country is famous as the setting for the popular folktale about how Momotaro, or the Peach Boy, slays oni who were causing people much hardship:

Once upon a time there lived an old man and woman. When the old woman went to the stream to wash clothes, she noticed a large peach floating downstream. From inside the peach a baby boy was born. The boy was named Momotaro and was raised with loving care by the old man and woman.

Momotaro grew into a strong, courageous boy, and he set out to Onigashima (Oni Island) to slay the demons that lived there. The old woman made millet dumplings for him to eat on the way. Before he reached Onigashima, he befriended a monkey, a pheasant, and a dog, who agreed to help him if Momotaro shared the dumplings with them.

This story of Momotaro defeating the ogres on Onigashima is a popular tale that everyone in Japan learns in childhood. This story is also believed to have originated in Okayama Prefecture, and local kids take pride in the fact that Momotaro hails from their region. Okayama is famous as a peach-growing area, and the Japanese word for millet, kibi, has the same pronunciation as the prefecture's old name (Kibi Province).

Millet dumplings are a popular souvenir item in Okayama. They are made by mixing millet powder with rice, sugar, and syrup. These bite-sized, soft sweets are so good that you can't stop eating them!

There is a museum in the city of Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, that features mechanical Momotaro dolls reenacting various episodes from the famous folktale.

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The Oni Sword Dance

Courtesy of Oni Museum

Onikenbai (oni sword dance) is a dance that has been performed in the city of Kitakami, Iwate Prefecture, in northeastern Japan for around 1,000 years.

Courtesy of Oni Museum

It originally began as a way of offering comfort to ancestral spirits, but it was later performed by soldiers either before their departure for battle or upon their return. The onikenbai is a powerful, masculine dance. Today it is performed in and around Kitakami by dancers wearing samurai costumes, often during the Bon Festival in midsummer or at various community celebrations.

Depending on the piece being performed, there are anywhere from one to eight dancers. Dancers usually wear a long-haired wig and an oni mask that is believed to bring good fortune. Masks come in five colors - red, blue, yellow, black, and white - with the dance being centered on the one wearing the yellow mask.

The dancers hold a fan in their right hand and wear a sword around their waist, stomping their feet and jumping up and down to the rhythm of drums, flute, and hand bells. The word kenbai is thought to derive from henbai, which means stepping firmly on the ground. The dancers stomp on the dancing area to drive out evil spirits that threaten to enter from the northeast.

Most children in Kitakami rehearse this dance from an early age and are proud of this local tradition. In this city, oni are not fearsome ogres but powerful beings that help protect local residents.

Zashiki-warashi Profile

"Guardian angel that watches over the house"
It's said that if a zashiki-warashi is present, the household will have plenty of money and live in prosperity.

Habitat: The back rooms of grand old houses.

May take the form of either a girl or a boy.

Age: From three to around ten years old.

Dress: White or blue kimono.

Takes pleasure in scaring people in the middle of the night and causing mischief. Loves to be in places where children congregate.

The back room, the innermost room of a house, is a special room reserved for honored guests, wedding ceremonies, and the like.

Back room

Zashiki-warashi sightings

Many tales of sightings of zashiki-warashi have been told, mainly in Iwate Prefecture.

Zashiki-warashi love to cause mischief by removing the pillow from under the head of a sleeping person. They also like to surprise people by laying cold hands on their faces and climbing on top of them while they're sleeping. When people catch sight of them, it's said, they smile sweetly and run away.

The zashiki-warashi makes noises like papers rattling, bites peoples noses, makes various sounds, and thrusts its long, thin arms though openings in sliding doors, reaching out several feet. It also drops teacups and chopsticks from the ceiling.

Forms taken by zashiki-warashi

Zashiki-warashi usually appear as children, but sometimes they also take the form of a black beast about 40 centimeters tall, frolicking and crawling along the floor. It's said they also appear as points of light or silhouettes on sliding screens.

Shobuke Miya

Many old folktales are told in the northeastern part of Japan, especially in the city of Tono in Iwate Prefecture. The pastime of storytelling is handed down from parents to their children. There are many kinds of stories, some dealing with kappa, some involving gods. There's a group of storytellers in Tono who share these old stories. One member of the group is Shobuke Miya, who grew up hearing these kinds of stories from her own father, a storyteller himself, and now knows more than 200 such tales.

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See the Future

• Getting Around by Personal Helicopter
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Today's Innovation

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• Lesson 1
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Young Artists

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• Shirakawa Junior High School; Gifu
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• Okonomiyaki Boy
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• Kids TV

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TENGU

Tengu Profile

“Mountain spirit”

Habitat: Deep in the mountains

Features: Red face and long nose; carries a cane in one hand, a fan made of feathers in the other

Footwear: Single-toothed geta sandals

Special powers: Can fly

About tengu

Tengu (long-nosed goblins) are spirits that live deep in the mountains. Over the years they have become associated with religious ascetics called yamabushi, who also spend most of their time in the mountains and undergo rigorous training there, standing under waterfalls and walking on burning fields. They do this because this is believed to give them mystical, supernatural powers. Tengu are usually depicted as wearing a cap and sash with pom-poms, which the yamabushi also wear. Yamabushi are followers of a teaching called shugendo (strict training), which developed in Japan more than 1,000 years ago.

Where tengu live: Mount Takao

About 50 kilometers west of central Tokyo stands Mount Takao, which is popular with hikers in the Tokyo area. It is also famous as both a training ground for the yamabushi and as a home of the tengu.

There are many strange legends about the tengu along Mount Takao's hiking path. One concerns the "octopus cedar." One day, the tengu in Takao were working to build a path to the top of the mountain when they came across a huge cedar tree with roots that were blocking the path. The tengu decided to pull the roots out the first thing next morning. But when they returned the next day, the roots were curled up like the legs of an octopus. The tree had decided to "behave" and pulled in its roots so as not to interfere with the work of the tengu.

Since then the "octopus cedar" has been worshipped by people who regard it as a symbol for the "opening of a path" toward good fortune, and it can still be found along the hiking trail today.

Another legend regarding Mount Takao is about the "laughing tengu." It is said that you sometimes hear the laughter of a large group of people when walking on the mountain, but when you turn around, nobody is there. Then there is the story of the "toppling tengu." You hear the sound of a large tree crashing to the ground, but when you go see it the next day, there are no fallen trees in sight.

There is also a folktale about tengu living on Mount Takao:

Once upon a time, there lived an old woman in a village at the foot of Mount Takao. She would always cook up rice and bamboo shoots for the tengu to eat.

One day, the old woman fell ill. Her son became worried and went to fetch some water from a hot spring far away. He tripped just before reaching home, however, and spilled all the water. He was very disappointed, but then he noticed water springing up from the ground. When the old woman bathed in this water, she became healthy again. Everyone in the village said it must have been the tengu who caused water to spring up as a way of saying thank you to the woman for all the meals she cooked for them.

Where tengu live: Mount Kurama

Mount Kurama is located north of Kyoto, one of the ancient capitals of Japan. A temple called Kurama-dera was built there some 1,200 years ago. The mountain is believed to have special powers, and it has been carefully preserved as a place of religious training and worship.

The innermost sanctuary of the temple is called Oku no In. It is around this part of the mountain that Japan's greatest tengu, called Sojobo, is believed to live. To get there, one has to travel along rocky roads, where the roots of giant cedar trees are exposed above ground. This is because the ground is so hard that the roots have been unable to penetrate it.

About 840 years ago, two samurai clans were competing for control of the capital. The Minamoto clan lost a major battle, and three young sons of its leader were entrusted to various temples. The youngest son, seven-year-old Ushiwaka-maru, came to Kurama-dera.

One day, Ushiwaka-maru learned that his father had been killed by the rival Taira clan. He vowed to take revenge, so he studied hard during the day, and at night he went into the mountains to practice swordsmanship. Along the mountain path is a spring called Ikitsugi-no-mizu (literally "water for catching one's breath"). This is where he is believed to have paused to rest during training.

The great tengu of Mount Kurama saw Ushiwaka-maru training hard every day and is said to have taught the boy the art of warfare. Ushiwaka-maru practiced very hard and became an expert swordsman. When he turned 16, he left Kurama for Iwate in northern Japan, where relatives of the Minamoto clan lived. There is a stone still standing in Kurama with which he is believed to have compared his height just before his departure.

KIDS: Folk Legends

Spooky Japan

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Click here to find out about some spooky stories from Japan.

TENGU
ONI
KAPPA
ZASHIKI-WARASHI

Miso Soup

Some different types of miso

Miso soup is made by mixing miso paste (a traditional flavoring) and dashi (stock). The paste is made by fermenting soy beans, rice or barley, and salt. There are different kinds of miso depending on the region, just like there are different varieties of cheese. The most common type of miso is a light brown color, although there are also some that are pale yellow and others that are dark brown. The soup can be prepared with vegetables, meat, fish, tofu, or any combination of these.

Dashi

Bonito flakes (left) and Konbu (right)

Dashi is stock generally made from konbu (kelp), dried bonito (a kind of fish) flakes, or both. To complement the taste of the miso, strong-flavored stock is used. Bonito flakes are now available outside of Japan, so try making dashi with them.

Ingredients

water	4 cups
Dried bonito flakes	2 cups, loosely packed (20 to 30 grams, or around half an ounce)

Bring water to boil. Add bonito flakes and wait for the water to boil again. Turn off the flame and remove the flakes with a strainer.

The dashi will look like this.

Notes

Concentrated stock is available at stores selling Japanese foods in granular, powder, and liquid form. You can use these, too, if you can get hold of them. While the amount you use will be different according to the type of dashi, figure on adding around two teaspoons for around three cups of wate

Fireworks Displays

Fireworks are a thrilling sight in the skies of summer. (Tokyo Metropolitan Government)

From late July to late August, fireworks displays are held in various parts of the country. This is a tradition that goes back several centuries in Japan. Watching the burst of colors against the nighttime sky can make Japan's hot, humid summers seem more tolerable.

Fireworks are something kids look forward to as a highlight of their summer vacation. Fireworks are hand-made by artisans, who devote most of the year to preparing for the summertime pageantry.

Fireworks first reached Japan's shores in the late sixteenth century, when they were brought over by Portuguese sailors. During the Edo period (1603-1868), craftsmen specializing in making fireworks appeared, and fireworks displays become a common summertime treat.

There are about 4,000 to 5,000 fireworks displays around the country during the summer months. Around 250 are large-scale events, of which 50 are held in and around Tokyo.

The most famous in Tokyo is the display over the Sumida River. It's also one of the oldest, having begun way back in 1733. It was called off in 1961 because of the huge traffic jams it caused and also because many new homes around the river made it too dangerous. It was revived, though, in 1978.

Some 20,000 rounds were fired in the 1997 show, and nearly a million people flocked to the old section of Tokyo to watch the display. Because the Sumida River is flanked on both sides by people's homes, the rounds fired were relatively small, measuring roughly 15 centimeters (6 inches) in diameter and weighing about 1.2 kilograms (2.6 pounds). They generally used about 75 grams (2.6 ounces) of gunpowder and reached 190 meters (207 yards) into the sky.

(Tokyo Metropolitan Government)

Major fireworks displays in outlying areas tend to be on a much bigger scale. An upcoming Niigata exhibition will feature a round measuring 114 centimeters (45 inches) in diameter and weighing 420 kilograms (930 pounds) - big and heavy enough to be mentioned in the Guinness Book of Records. When this explodes in the sky, the bursting flames will reach some 800 meters in diameter.

Some fireworks are specially designed so that when they burst they take the shape of flowers, animals, and waterfalls. A display in the city of Tondabayashi, Osaka Prefecture, is famous for the "Niagara," which rises to a height of 50 meters (55 yards) and stretches across the sky for 1 kilometer (1,100 yards)! It's the biggest "special-effects" firework in the world. The display itself is on a gargantuan scale, featuring some 120,000 rounds of ordinary fireworks.

Watching big displays is a lot of fun, but another way of enjoying fireworks is to ignite them yourself. A variety of fireworks are sold in stores. These generally aren't the types that explode in the sky but are sparklers around 50 centimeters (20 inches) long; they burn brightly and in different shapes when lit. They can be enjoyed with family and friends in one's backyard or on camping trips.