Nagano trip

Nagano trip

To all my "regular" readers, my apologizes for being so sporadic! Things are getting very busy what with studies becoming more demanding and weekend events cropping up. This past weekend was devoted entirely to a Yamasa run trip to the Nagano and Gifu prefectures. It was a packed trip from Friday after classes to Sunday evening, so studies were a little behind at the start of the week. Rather then write a long narrative of the trip I've just posted a link to the pictures and added a few captions. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, enjoy these instead, please.

Oshogatsu - New Year's Eve

Although I’m back in School at Yamasa once more, I promised to write about the lovely experience I had on Oshogatsu, New Year’s Eve. It had been a cold and mostly grey day in Kyoto and I had been tourist-ing around since 8 that morning. Gion had been a bit of a disappointment, as had been the closed castle and the garden at Ryoanji, so I was undecided as to whether I would make the effort to go somewhere to see the New Year being rung in. Back at my little ryokan, the only dinner available was udon (noodles), but I was making the best of it, when the hotel owner sat down to chat with me. She must have thought I looked lonely there all by myself. I asked her what people did to celebrate the year’s end and she told me about the ringing of the bell in the temple. I asked her where was the nearest temple, as there are no busses after 8 or 9 to that part of town. She assured me there was one just a little ways up the road. She drew me a rudimentary map and I thanked her and returned to my room. I was still not sure it was worth the effort, but when I Google-mapped the temple and found that it really was close, about half a kilometer away, I decided to go.

I set out on foot at about 11:15. When I arrived at the temple I was surprised to find only a few people standing around a bonfire that was being built, from what I had heard, I was expecting a crowd. The big bell was lit up, as was the temple itself. I greeted people and got the expected strange looks, but soon the woman standing next to me struck up a conversation and asked me where I was from. When I said “America” she immediately brightened and told me that her daughter had just returned for the holidays from America where she is studying. Soon Keiko was introduced to me. Her American English was good. She had clearly been studying in the States for a while. She seemed happy to explain things to me, and from then on she and her mother took me under their wing and made sure that I was shown what to do.

On Oshogatsu the tradition is to ring the BIG bell 108 (then one more) times to ring out the earthly desires that weigh us down in life, thus starting the New Year fresh. The head priest at the temple later explained at length how the number came about, but besides it involving old traditions and scriptures, I didn’t get much of the explanation and Keiko found it hard to explain as well.

At the temple each person who comes t ring the bell goes to the temple first and gets a little wooden tablet with a number on it, a receives a little gift of tea and a blessing from the temple staff. The number is your turn at ringing the bell. The little tablets are collected in order until all 108 and the final have all been rung in. I did this with Keiko, who explained to the Buddhist monk, head priest, (what should I call him, I don’t really know), how it was that I was there, as it was just people who were affiliated with the temple in some way that had showed up that night. He was very welcoming. As the night went on, there were less and less people there, but the bell had not been wrung enough times yet, so we started to take second and third turns at the ringing it. Soon every one who was left was taking another turn and another turn, each ring counted with the little tablets. My new friends explained that every year is different. Sometimes there are plenty of people to ring in the year and other years, like this one, people have to take many turns. Since Keiko’s father was head of the lay people for this temple, her family was staying to the end, so I stayed too, and helped ring in the year.

When we had finally made the count, it was about 1:30 am. The bonfire had burned down low and only an handful of people were left, so Keiko and her family invited me to join the for a cup of tea up in the temple. While we were sipping our tea and listening to the explanation of the 108 rings, others were scurrying about putting things away and packing up. I was just thinking it was time to excuse myself when they invited me to join them for more tea with the group in another building.
“ This is a good opportunity for you” they said and seemed to be happy to offer it to me so I accepted. In a building attached to the temple we were seated at low tables, the Head monk sat in the middle of the U, with Keiko and I, her mother and father and another woman on one side, and 5 or 6 men on the other. We were all served a special New Year’s sweet and macha tea (green powdered tea) by kimono clad ladies. Once every one was served the priest gave a short speech, a hope for the coming year I took it to be, then he handed out presents to each of us, me included! These consisted of the little board, ema, that one usually writes a prayer or wish on and leaves at the temple, and a little package with a backscratcher and an ear pick (cleaning tool), all decorated with signs of the new year which is the year of the bull or ox, depending on how you translate. I asked what I should do about the “ema” since I wouldn’t be there to bring it back and the priest said to take it home and put a wish on it and bring it back next time I came to Japan! I was very touched that they should include me in this small but very special gathering! I thanked every one and asked that we take a picture of the group, which we did, but my hosts took it with their camera, so I am waiting to see if they will remember to send it to me! After many farewells and thank-you’s, I headed back toward my hotel on foot, but was soon picked up and dropped off by one of the families from the temple. My head was still spinning with amazement at how the unexpected can be so wonderful. I felt it was a very special opportunity indeed.

If you’re interested in learning more about Japanese New Year’s celebration check out this web site:
http://mothra.rerf.or.jp/ENG/Hiroshima/Festivals/27.html

Nara and Mount Inari

The first three pictures of from the New Year's celebration (oshogatsu) and the rest are from Nara, the first capital city of Japan.

Nara, Japan

Here's the link to my latest pictures from Kyoto. I want to write about my very special New Year's Celebration but that will have to wait till I have a bit of time, in the meantime here are some pictures so you have some idea of the places I visited.

Fushimi Inaritaisha Shrine and Mount Inari

Arrival in Kyoto

I'm pretty tired so have put some captions on the photos from today's major events and will leave it at that. See you tomorrow.

Kyoto day one

Shinkansen!

Riding the worlds fastest train for the first time, WOW. And I nearly missed it! You can never estimate correctly the time it takes to navigate a train station in a foreign land. The hotel clerk thought 20 minutes would be fine. I thought that sounded reasonable, but no! When I got to the station, I thought I knew where the underground tunnel was to the shinkasen side, but I got turned around. When I found the tunnel it was twice as long as it was when I arrived two days ago.( Have you noticed how that happens?) I got to the bullet train side with 10 minutes to departure. Dragging my heavy suitcase behind me I looked for the correct gate or platform but this was not immediately evident. After finding the gate, the ticket man said I needed all three of my tickets, not just the one that said Himeji on it, so I had to go fishing through my suitcase to find the other two that I had stored for safekeeping. By the time I got through the ticket gate it was 5 minutes to departure and I still had another escalator to ascend. As I reached the platform the train was pulling in. I had a reserved seat so was looking for car 7. Time was short so I entered in car 6 and by the time I got to my seat in car 7 the train had left the station!

I have a window seat but we’ve in a tunnel most of the time since leaving the station. You can tell this baby is going FAST! There are tantalizing glimpses of countryside between tunnels, less then a second to see the sites! As fate would have it I’m on the landward side and the best views are on the seaward side, or am I just thinking the grass is greener on the other side, as usual? Ah, a town, lots of blue tile roofs. Gone. More tunnel.

>>>>>>>
When I got to Himeji I wondered around a bit before I found my hotel. I couldn’t have my room until 2:00 so I left my bags and headed for the castle. I walked most of the way through a huge arcade filled with shops of all sorts and all lit up for the holidays. When I came out the castle loomed ahead of me, high, white and magnificent. I approached leisurely, savoring the expectation of seeing this legendary building. When I reached the moat and the Edo period gate I was confronted by a large sign in both Japanese and English. The castle is closed on December 29 and 30. The only two days that I will be here, they decide to close the place, for what I can only guess. From the faces on the crowds, I was not the only one surprised by this news. Not only the castle, but the nearby park and formal garden, the botanical gardens and just about everywhere else a tourist might go was closed. Well, on the bright side, the weather was great and until this evening my camera was working! Since there was little else to do, I walked all around the castle and took pictures from every angle. I also took pictures of the cats! Yes, cats. What a surprise to find that the parks around the castle are home to dozens of wild or at least un-owned cats who seem to be well fed by the visitors to the area. They are sort of like the deer on Miyajima, only you are allowed to feed them.
Forgive me for post so many pictures of the White Heron ( or Egret, depending on your translation, the word is the same in Japanese).

Himeji

Miyajima

I arrived in Hiroshima late last night and spend most of today on Miyajima, one of the most spectacular places in Japan, (according to the guide book). It really is hard to describe and it's late so I'll just plop in a link for some pictures I took. My camera is acting up and seems to need a cleaning so I wasn't very happy with a lot of the pictures and I have to apologize for taking so many of the famous red Tori gate, but it is sooo picturesque and I have wanted to see it for a long time. The deer are cute and are everywhere. You are forbidden to feed them and really shouldn't pet them, but everyone does. The males are more aggressive and will eat your map right out of your hands if you don't watch out!

Miyajima

Okinawa

I can’t believe that I’m already on a plane heading back to “Honto” Japan, as the Okinawans call the rest of Japan. My five days with Takeshi and his family were just fabulous. They treated me like visiting royalty and family at the same time. Takeshi took five days off from work just to show me around and what a great job he did. I saw so many spectacular places. Here are a few: 1) the worlds second largest aquarium with the worlds largest tank holding not one, but three whale sharks who they are hopeful about breeding! 2) countless beautiful beaches with coral sands and turquoise waters ( when the sun was shining), 3) the restored ancient palace of the kings of the Ryukyu Kingdom, Shurijo, as Okinawa was called before it was annexed by Japan in 1879, 4) The Peace memorial to the dead from the Battle of Okinawa that ended the Pacific War for Okinawa in 1943, this was a place to reflect on the great suffering and death caused by war, 5) the Okinawa World theme park which also had a spectacular limestone cave through which we walked for 800 meters, only a fraction of the 8 kilometers of caves there! 6) and a not be forgotten trip through a “real” Okinawan market, Makishi Public Market, which reminded me a bit of Thailand’s open air markets. Here I tasted the alcohol made with a poison snake (poison removed) fermenting at the bottom of the bottle, vat, or jar. I was also tricked by Takeshi into tasting pig ears! This was disguised as some tasty unknown substance. The vendor who was giving me samples of sea grape (umibudou) seaweed, then offered me some other things. After I ate this sort of crunchy but good tasting stuff they asked me what I thought it was. I thought might be another seaweed, but they announced with glee that it was prepared pig ears!!! I think I just escaped eating pig’s feet too!

Throughout my visit I was treated to delicious food, both at Takeshi’s home and at famous restaurants and cafes. Delicious sushi, fresh sashimi from a little restaurant 20 feet from the sea where the fish was caught, yummy udon (noodles) that only cost 200 yen, fresh fruit and Okinawa’s favorite Blue Seal ice-cream, the list goes on and on. Okinawa is full of English names and English signs, the result of years of American rule and the continued presence of thousands of American military personnel living on and off the many bases still operating here.

Shoko, Takeshi’s girlfriend, could only get off one day while I was here. She went with us on my first day on the island. Megu, Takeshi’s sister is a high-school English teacher. Her year-end vacation started on the 26th and she left on that day for Canada and a 10 day vacation! Talk about a change in climate! It was 78 F. in Okinawa today!

Here’s a link to some of the pictures I took:

Okinawa