A little late...

So, I know it is a little late to be posting this but, I took a few photos of our apartment. The downside is they're all taken with my cell phone so the quality of the shots are a little crummy.

I also have a few pictures of some school lunches I eat and a pizza we ordered the other day.

Kyoto 3

Now if there are any learned people on Buddhism reading this blog and know better than I do, I appologize if the information I am giving is wrong. Now, as I have been told there are certain things that people need to go to do in thier lifetime at these Buddhist temples/shrines maybe to make it to the other side or something like that. As with any culture, back in the day it wasn't too uncommon in Japan for small children to die before they got very old. As a precaution to this, I guess the Japanese take thier young girls to these shrines around the ages of 7-10(?) where they dress them up in pretty kimonos and have them recite some type of prayer or something or get something like a blessing from a Buddhist priest. Well, unfortunatley I don't have any pictures of these little girls that we saw at the shrine but, there were a handfull of little girls all dressed up. I do have a picture of Ayumi when she was little doing this though and it is dang cute! Anyways, this was one of the things we witnessed at this temple.

Now somewhere in the pictures I have a shot of a few little trees covered with paper. I think these are maybe prayers that people are petitioning the Buddah with and somehow tieing them to a tree works in this cause. Pretty neat looking none-the-less. This place is also known for housing one of the biggest (if not the biggest tori (Buddhist gate) in Japan. I do have a shot of that, you'll see strattling the road. ***This just in! I have been told by some students that people go to these temples and write thier sins and weakpoints on these little papers and by fastening them to the tree, receive forgiveness or are able to forget them. Anyways, enjoy the pictures. Onto the next place.

A few years ago in college I read a book named entitled The Tale of Genji about a young aristocratic playboy written a thousand + years ago. I think it is credited with being one of the worlds oldest novels. Well, our journey in Kyoto took us that a temple named Rozonji where the author Murasaki Shikibu is said to have probably written part of it. While at the temple, on display are old authentic copies of the novel. I don't think any originals exist but, pretty old copies. This place is where the photos of the Japanese garden were taken.

The final place we visited this trip was a place called the Abe shrine. This is the picture of the star fountain and the one with Ayumi standing by a gate. Japan is a pretty superstitious country. A thousand years ago a guy name Abe no Seimei was famed for being a demon slayer of sorts. Apparently he was able to remove possessing demons from people and did all sorts of healings. Well, this shrine was build shortly after his death and then, redone a few years ago after a successful release of a movie based on his life. Too bad because the shrine now feels like a cheap advertisement for the franchise and not the cool, creepy superstitious atmosphere that you think the place would have. It was fun to go and see it though. There you can pay to have priests assess your person and maybe remove spirits.

Well, that was all we had time for this last trip. It was fun but, as you can imagine walking from place to place was a bit tiring. Kyoto is beautiful but, too big to hit in one day walking. I'll try and update this blog a little more often!

Kyoto Part II

So, here we are at the temple. As you can see in the pictures it is very beautiful but, a little crowded. Aside from the views, the thing that drives the crowds to this temple is its water. I think the name Kiyomizu comes from the words kiyomeru which means cleanse, purify and mizu which means water. At a particular part of this temple there are three streams of falling water which each grant an attribute to the drinker upon consumption. I think one stream is wisdom, one is health and the other for physical beauty or happiness... something along those lines. There was a long line to get to it plus, I wasn't to interested in pressing my lips against a cup which has probally seen more milage than Paris Hilton. Well, enjoy the pictures of that.

After having our fill of that place, we decided to start back down the streets and back on our self guided tour of Kyoto. At the base of the temple I was suprised to see three monks standing there chanting while begging for money. Thier way of chanting is probally the coolest thing I have ever heard. I had heard recordings of it but, this was the first time I had seen it live. They have these sutras which are written in old Japanese which they speak from memorization all in a low voice at the exact time. It is hard to explain but, I will see if I can find an audio copy of it and post it on the blog somewhere. As soon as I had left the temple, I was a little upset with myself that I hadn't used the camcorder function on our camera. Well, away from the monks and down the tourist streets.

We next headed for an area in Kyoto named Gion which is famous for its Geishas. I imagine that had we been there closer to dusk it would have been a bit more lively but, apparently come night this place is full of Geishas with thier clients going in and out of bars, taxis etc. The only photo I have is of somones backside which has been included in the slideshow.

Next we started to walk to another famous place in Kyoto, the Heian shrine. Heian is the name of a time period in Japanese history. I find this period most fascinating but, not too many people know of it because it was a few hundred years before the Samurai/Ninja time periods Japan is famous for. Here is what I have dug up on the place from the net:

The Heian Jingū (平安神宮) is a Shinto shrine located in Kyoto, Japan. The torii before the main gate is one of the largest in Japan, and the main building, or shaden (社殿), is designed to imitate the Kyoto Imperial Palace.

The Heian Jingū was built in 1895 for the 1,100th anniversary of the establishment of Heiankyō (the old name of Kyoto). The shrine is dedicated to Emperor Kanmu and Emperor Kōmei. The former moved the capital to Heiankyō, and the latter was the last before Emperor Meiji, who moved the capital to Tokyo.

The Heian Jingū hosts the Jidai Matsuri, one of the three most important festivals of Kyoto. The procession of this festival begins at the old Imperial palace, and includes carrying the mikoshi (portable shrines) of Emperors Kanmu and Kōmei to the Heian Jingū.

Now don't that just sound interistin'?

I'll have more pictures and explantions tomorrow.

Kyoto I

When I was a little boy, I can remember seeing on TV the blockbuster hit that had all the kids in school talking, Big Bird Goes to Japan. You know the one where he out bows the old lady? Anyways, in that movie he ends up in Kyoto where he meets some little girl who ends up being some princess from the moon (not to be confused with the life size, creepy, dancing monkey... that was Big Bird Goes to China. Well ever since watching that movie, I had always wanted to go to Kyoto; which is probably one of the biggest national/international tourist spots in this country. This past Saturday, we made the trek.

I don't want to explain all the history of the city, nor do I think anyone would care but, will include for starters this little snippet from the Internet on the city.

Kyoto was the capital of Japan and the residence of the Emperor from 794 until the Meiji Restoration of 1868, when the capital was moved to Tokyo. During its millennium at the center of Japanese power, culture, tradition, and religion, it accumulated an unparalleled collection of palaces, temples and shrines, built for emperors, shoguns, and monks.

Whenever you are looking at a book on Japan and it shows those old stereotypical Japanese pagodas and wooden buildings more likely than not, those pictures were taken in Kyoto. Anyways, as the article says, this place was the center of Japan until America forced Japan to open its doors to western trade and the capital was changed to where it is now. With that being said, you can imagine that there is a lot of culture and architecture to be had there. Because we are so far from anything, we had to wake up pretty early in time to get there in time to have any time to see anything. Try saying that three times fast. We got up Saturday morning around four, so we could leave the house and be at the train station by five-fifteen. As you can see in the pictures, the station looked pretty busy. Well, three transfers and three hours later we found ourself pulling into Kyoto around nine in the morning.

After a few minutes of getting settled and finding our bearings we took off to a place called the Sanjusangen-do which is famous for having over a thousand of the same statue in this building all surrounding an even bigger, exact same statue... only bigger. All made of wood and all (once) covered with gold leaf. Very cool and very interesting. Taking pictures inside is forbidden but, here are some snaps I stole from the net.




As can be said with any photo taken, these don't do the site any justice. I am not quite sure the tie but, somehow Buddhism has a relation with Hinduism and some of the statues in this building are Hindu gods adopted into the Buddhist teachings. Maybe like how when the Romans took over the Greeks they merged their religion with the Greeks, or something along those lines. A place I would have loved to had taken pictures but, I guess in my memory will have to suffice for now.

Next we took a little walk to a famous place called the Kiyomizu temple. For lack of being able to write anything creative about it I will copy and paste an entry of the place from wikitravel and then write my comments underneath.

Kiyomizu-dera (清水寺). This temple complex, with a spectacular location overlooking the city, is a deservedly popular attraction, approached by either of two tourist-filled souvenir-shop-lined streets. Highlights of the temple complex include;

* The main hall's wooden veranda, supported by hundreds of pillars and offering incredible views over the city.

* Jishu-jinja, the love-themed shrine selling countless charms to help you snag the one you love, and featuring two "love stones" positioned around 18m apart which the lovelorn must walk between with eyes closed to confirm their loved one's affection.

* Otowa-no-taki the temple's waterfall, which gives it its name (Kiyomizu literally means 'pure water'). Visitors stand beneath the waterfall, and collect water to drink by holding out little tin cups.

Anyways, I have a few pictures of this place in the slide show at the top but, still have a lot of pictures to be added so, don't think that those are it, because they aren't. Anyways, got to run to class. Will write more later.

Tennis

I think I have mentioned it a time or two in this blog but, monthly I teach an adult English class at the local community center with Shelley, the other JET here in Isobe. These members get together every Wednesday at a city run sports park and play tennis, and from what I hear have been doing it for a few years. Well, I was invited to attend with them a few weeks ago and being constantly sick was always unable to make it. Although I still have a bit of a scratchy throat, cough and a stuffy nose, last night I went along, which I regret to say is probably the first decent bit of exercise I have gotten since coming here.

The event went from seven-thirty through nine-thirty and in spite of being a bit chilly went quite well. I didn't have any cold weather exercise clothes so I wore some sporty pajamas and I don't think anyone knew. Tennis was rather fun and having only played a hand full of times in my life did pretty good. I warned everyone before starting that I was really inexperienced but, was able to catch on quickly. I think a lot of it had to do with all the Wii tennis matches against dad and my brothers. It was a fun time and I think I will go again.

Japanese Schools

I thought it would be interesting to write a little bit about Japanese schools because they are a little different than what those of us in the States are accusomed to. I think the first thing that strikes people with being different is the school uniforms that the students are requied to wear. This starts from Jr. High school and goes up through graduation. I'll try and find some pictures to accompany this post but, in the event that I don't I'll briefly try and describe what they wear. I teach at two schools and both have differnt uniforms but, for the most part, the boys are in navy slacks and white collar shirt at Suisan and charcol-plaid with white collar for Shima. Now that it is cold, the students are required to wear thier jackets which for Shima make them look like the stereotypical ivy-league college student we see in movies with thier slacks, jacket and school insignia on the front. The Suisan jackets are dark navy to match thier pants and looks more like a military uniform than slacks and blazer. The girls at both schools are required to wear a uniform skirt; colors matching the boys' colors. The top being a white collar shirt. I once heard someone describe the Japanese schoolgirl uniform as having been designed by someone with a fetish for little school girls- which is how the uniforms make them look. It is hard to describe these uniforms but, hopefully looking at a picture you'll be able to make sense of these words.
In the States, students have seven periods with lockers to store thier stuff inbetween classes as they go from here-to-there. In Japan, students stay in the class where it is the teacher who changes each period. You still take all your classes with the entire class (there are some students that do go to other classes for some periods my observations show that this is not very common... at least at where I am teaching.) In the states, where it is the students that come to the teachers room, the teacher has a little bit of freedom/motivation to decorate the room to make it warm, comfortable and applicable to the content of the class. Because here, the students are the ones staying... the room has an atmosphere of a prison more than a classroom. Note that this comment is bias because having grown up where decorated rooms is the norm to me that is normal making this seem odd.
Another intersting thing that happens here is at the beginning of class, the class leader will yell out (in Japanese) "Stand" upon which all students stand up. Next he/she yells "Bow" to which all students bow to the teacher and the teacher bows back in return... then class starts.
Back in the day students would go to school on Saturday, with school being the only day off. Back in the day wasn't too long ago either being that I think Ayumi was required to go when she was in school too. School here has six periods as opposed to the seven I grew up with. After lunch or after school, there are about twenty minutes in which the students are required to clean the school. They sweep the halls, haul out garbage, erase the chalkboards, etc. This is done daily at Shima and Suisan I don't ever see. Still figuring it out.
Students here in Japan are not allowed to have color in thier hair nor any piercings while in class. The are forbidden from using hair wax/gel in thier hair. I think makeup is off limits but, I still see students doing it... I don't this this is enforced too strictly.
School starts at 8:45 and goes until around 3:30. Immediatley following school starts clubs which go until around 6:00-6:30 where the kids will either go home or go to a cram school to learn more stuff. Japan is strict and all I can say is I really had it good when I was growing up!

Darn that cosmic force!

It seems like I always have something going on in my life since getting here worth writing about yet... never find the time to do it. Last week I've got a story to bring a tear to your eye. It all takes place last week; last Tuesday to be exact. Normally on Tuesday and Friday mornings I take off here around twenty to eight to head over to the station to catch the train and then the boat to get down to my school. I don't know what it was but, some cosmic force interrupted the flow of my life to the extent that I found myself leaving the house like seven minutes late; and by cosmic force I mean laziness- sleeping in. Anyways, if i miss this train, I miss the ferry and the next one doesn't come for another hour-forty minutes so I dare not be late.

Well, so here I am at seven forty-seven with four minutes to catch the train. I sprint to the train station darting up the stairs where I meet a student I teach at Shima high school. He tries to talk to me and I tell him I am sorry and must run to catch the train. I purchase my ticket and can hear the sound of my train arriving at the platform, meaning I have only a few seconds before it leaves. Little did I know these next few seconds would be some very short life altering seconds. Well, I grab my ticked and head down the stairs. I don't know what it was but, guessing it was that same cosmic force which held me in bed long past my due time. I could feel the wind blowing through my recently cut hair when suddenly I feel my feet go out from under me. Thankfully I was alone on the stairs and, as far as I am aware the only witness to this blunder. Well, I suddenly found myself flying forward and instinctively rolled into that fetal position my mother had trained me to use so many years ago. Well, I don't know much of what happened but, somehow in the course of about four or five stairs I had somersaulted and landed back on my feet. I'm not aware that I had made any noise during the scuffle but, apparently did because at the bottom of the stairs were two of my students who said they had heard something but didn't know what. I decided to keep my cool and act like nothing had happened. I checked my clothes for holes and jumped onto the train (amazingly I made it!)

I sat on the train processing the happenings of the last few moments when I saw the old lady across from me was staring at my hands. It was at this time that I realized that all the knuckles on my right hand and a few of my left were bleeding. I am sure not knowing that I had just taken a spill down the stairs she probably thought this weird foreigner had just pummeled somebody before jumping on the train. Well, I reached into my bag and the only thing I could find was my face wipes I carry so, wiping away my wounds I had the nice stinging burn thanks to the alcohol. I pulled out my phone to check the time only to find that apparently it was the phone that had broken my fall because it was bent in half and the screen was completely shattered. I could see nothing on the screen but, somehow could still dial Ayumi with my speed dial. Anyways, broke my phone. This was no ordinary phone, I could watch television on my phone, I could listen to MP3's on my phone, I could surf the net and download streaming... this phone was nothing short of a miracle. The good news is that the phone was insured so, I took it to the store and in about two weeks I should get a new one... being that it was my fault (or some unknown cosmic force) I am responsible to pay some money but, that is what happened last week.