My Japan Adventure18829
 Where's his Bat-package?
|
Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Stop #6 Matsushima-jinja  Icon: Daikokuten |
||
| Post 401 • IP flag post | ||
|
Where's his Bat-package?
|
Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
Oops  Screwed up on Koami-jinja. Icon is Fukurokuju, not Benten. |
||
| Post 402 • IP flag post | ||
|
Where's his Bat-package?
|
Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Stop #7 Suiten-gū  Icon: Benten |
||
| Post 403 • IP flag post | ||
|
Where's his Bat-package?
|
Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by EbayMafia YES, it is. KFCs all over in Japan have take-out reservations coming in days in advance. It's not unusual for them to sell out completely, possibly even unable to fill all orders. It's pretty intense. Not that I have anything against the Colonel, and my chicken & cheese sandwich was nice, but dang. |
||
| Post 404 • IP flag post | ||
|
Where's his Bat-package?
|
Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Bronte I'm up on the 9th floor, and it's actually nice to have any view that isn't the wall of the building next door less than a foot away. I've had that 'view' so many times! As for the safety glass, I suspect it's required above a certain height due to potential glass breakage during an earthquake. This type of safety glass is all over the place here. |
||
| Post 405 • IP flag post | ||
|
Where's his Bat-package?
|
Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Today I completed the Nihonbashi Lucky 7. I pretty much did it because I could. To explain, most Lucky 7 pilgrimages in Tōkyō can only be completed in January. All over the rest of the country, Lucky 7s are open all year round - like the Lucky 7 in Hiroshima - but in Tōkyō they have become a New Year's tradition, and a lot of them are not open unless it's the first two weeks of the new year. That being said, there are a few that can be done at any time, and this is one of them. Most of the shrines in this Lucky 7 (it's all shrines in this one) are tiny little neighbourhood shrines. Sometimes there will be an event to attract a bunch of people, such as the crowd at Koami-jinja, though I never did figure out what the huge deal was. One of the shrines on the pilgrimage is not a small neighbourhood shrine, though, and that is the last one I went to, Suiten-gu. This Suiten-gu in Tōkyō is one of the main Suiten-gu shrines in the country. One of the deities enshrined at Suiten-gu shrines is the child Emperor Antoku. Emperor Antoku was at the center of what became known as the Gempei Wars. This was a bitter struggle between two families, the Taira and the Minamoto, each of which wanted to be the power behind the throne. The child emperor was the grandson of Taira-no-Kiyomori, and while Antoku was on the throne, the Taira controlled the country. The Minamoto wanted Antoku replaced by Go-Toba, and pushed to have him enthroned after the Taira fled the capital with the child emperor for his own safety. At this point, there were two emperors, and that could not go on. The war between the Taira and the Minamoto came to an end at Dan-no-ura, in 1185. The Taira were defeated, and rather than allow Emperor Antoku to be captured, his grandmother took the child and leapt into the straits at Shimonoseki and they drowned. It didn't take long before someone decided that maybe regicide of a five-year-old wasn't the best way to start a new era of peace in the Imperial Capital. Emperor Antoku was deified as a god of water and childbirth. Evidence of that was readily apparent at Suiten-gu in Tōkyō.   This sweet female kappa with her babies is where women pray for safe childbirth and leave offerings for Antoku. Today Suiten-gu was easily as busy as Koami-jinja was. Suiten-gu just has bigger grounds so people weren't lining up in the street.  I also went to Shitaya-jinja today, a shrine that's across the street and down the block from my hotel. Shitaya-jinja is another neighbourhood shrine, but it's bigger than the ones I went to in Nihonbashi. It may also have something Freudian going on with its torii gate.   The shrine itself is nice, especially for a neighbourhood shrine. There are some excellent details in some of the woodcarving, and the font - shut down due to COVID - has been converted into a colourful display.    Thanks to Shitaya-jinja, the goshuin-chō known as 'Ding-Dong' has been filled up and will no longer be returning to mothership. I have also managed to save my usual traveling companion any embarrassment that might have occurred when I whipped out my Ding-Dong for a goshuin in her presence. Ding-Dong is now Done-Done. Tomorrow I will be going home, and that is equal parts  and  . I will be leaving Japan, but I will be going back to my kitties.  I will have a few hours tomorrow (my flight takes off later in the day), and I hope to get a few things done. We'll see if I can kill my feet just one more time. I may also see about celebrating my trip by treating myself to a delicious Pepper Lunch!!! 🤤 |
||
| Post 406 • IP flag post | ||
|
Where's his Bat-package?
|
Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
Anyone curious about what the Ding-Dong goshuin-chō looks like should Google 'tagata-jinja goshuin-cho' and check out the images. Aside from mine being blue and all the photos I saw were of the pink one, that's what it looks like. Yes, I bought that. Even my mama knew. I went to Tagata-jinja on purpose to get one. It cracks me up.   🤣 |
||
| Post 407 • IP flag post | ||
 -Our Odin-Rest in Peace |
Jesse_O private msg quote post Address this user | |
| LMAO!!! Please, tell me it is going to be a carry on for your flight back!! |
||
| Post 408 • IP flag post | ||
|
Where's his Bat-package?
|
Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Jesse_O As a matter of fact, it is going in my carry-on. I try to keep my goshuin-chō with me rather than in my checked luggage, so there is that slim possibility that airport security will be getting a little surprise.  |
||
| Post 409 • IP flag post | ||
 Forum Crier
|
OGJackster private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I've heard of Elf on a Shelf but D___ on a Stick! LOL | ||
| Post 410 • IP flag post | ||
|
Where's his Bat-package?
|
Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by OGJackster One of my regrets is that I didn't find another Ding-Dong goshuin-chō when I went to the Kanamara Matsuri fertility festival. You wanna see some serious D***-on-a-stick, try googling Kanamara Matsuri.' The video footage will have you rolling in the aisles. 🤣 |
||
| Post 411 • IP flag post | ||
 Hmm... Moderated again!
|
figment private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Is there somewhere we can nominate @Byrdibyrd for Forum Member of the Year for taking us all on this fantastic journey together? You'd get my vote anyway. Thanks again JB, this has been really fun! | ||
| Post 412 • IP flag post | ||
|
Where's his Bat-package?
|
Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by figment Aww, you guys are gonna make me have the happy tears! I've been having the best time over here, and sharing with y'all has been a big part of that.  |
||
| Post 413 • IP flag post | ||
|
Where's his Bat-package?
|
Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
Today is my last day   but I'm still going to have some fun.Saw this advertisement for Christmas chicken from the SECOND most popular chicken vendor (says so in the ad  ), the Family Mart chain of convenience stores. When KFC sells out, this is where to go! |
||
| Post 414 • IP flag post | ||
 I have a problem with fattening women up.
|
Bronte private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Much like everyone else, I am greatful that you took the time to share in your adventures. I even shared your adventures with my non comic book buddy and she thought it was cool as hell you invited us all on this ride. She asked what the hell kind of forum is this anyways? Comic books, food, japan, secret santas.... didn't have a response for her at the time but I guess a "pseudo family" away from home? | ||
| Post 415 • IP flag post | ||
 It gets old smelling it everytime I go outside my door.
|
Nearmint67 private msg quote post Address this user | |
Here's thinking of you @Byrdibyrd  |
||
| Post 416 • IP flag post | ||
 I live in RI and Rhode Islanders eat chili with beans.
|
esaravo private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @Byrdibyrd - Thanks so much for sharing your trip with us! Have a safe trip home. Maybe you can watch the movie Bullet Train on your flight back. | ||
| Post 417 • IP flag post | ||
|
Where's his Bat-package?
|
Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @Bronte @esaravo @Nearmint67 I had such a great time on this trip with my pseudo-family ! Love y'all!!!  It's supposed to rain here this evening. Check out the amazing cloud formation.  |
||
| Post 418 • IP flag post | ||
|
Where's his Bat-package?
|
Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I'm on a Keisei Skyliner about to leave for Narita Airport. In a few hours I'll be on my plane back to LAX. So sad that my Japan trip is pretty much over , but I'm looking forward to a happy kitty reunion, despite the fact they'll shine me on for a little while first. I may do this again next year, too. Looks like I may be going in March. We'll see. |
||
| Post 419 • IP flag post | ||
|
-Our Odin- Rest in Peace |
Jesse_O private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Okay, I have to agree with everyone else. I have really enjoyed you taking us along on your trip to Japan. It was great to wake up in the morning and read about your latest adventures. I especially loved all the pictures of the temples and shrines!! I seriously cannot thank you enough for doing this. Going to Japan is not a reality for me, so I really enjoyed seeing another culture through your eyes. I hope you have a safe trip back. I'm sure your kitties have missed you!! |
||
| Post 420 • IP flag post | ||
|
Where's his Bat-package?
|
Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
This tiny goshuin is a 'mamé goshuin' (bean goshuin). These are relatively new and I got this at Akiba-jinja Shrine this morning. The miniature goshuin-chō came from a gatcha machine (!!!) years ago. It was just a novelty at the time.  Since then, some shrines/temples have been making mamé goshuin, so now I have a use for the mini goshuin-chō! |
||
| Post 421 • IP flag post | ||
|
Where's his Bat-package?
|
Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @Jesse_O I'm so happy everyone came on my trip with me. It would have been lonely all on my own! I'll have a few more posts, but after that it'll probably be next year and my next trip before I do this again. Of course, if anyone has any questions, I'll be happy to answer at any time. I gotta say, one thing I am really looking forward to is being able to step out my door without a mask on! Oh my word. I just stayed in three different hotels and yet no one at any of them saw my face. It's a little surreal now that I think about it. |
||
| Post 422 • IP flag post | ||
|
Where's his Bat-package?
|
Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
| In case anyone is wondering, I'm unclear on the state of a collectors' market for goshuin. Goshuin are supposed to be a record of the recipient's visits to shrines/temples, and they aren't meant to be in the possession of a person who did not earn them. That being said, there are various ways in which goshuin can become rare. The reality is that if there aren't enough of a thing for every person who wants it to have one, a collectors' market is virtually inevitable. Naturally, very old goshuin are very rare. They've been around for a couple hundred years or more, so there is very likely a collectors' market for them, especially since the original recipients are long gone. Goshuin that are limited in some way will also be rare. For example, anniversaries will often be marked with an anniversary goshuin or an anniversary stamp added to an existing goshuin. Either way, it's something that will only be available for a year or so before it's gone for good. Another example would be a special goshuin for an icon that is usually hidden, but is being displayed to the public for a short time. A few years ago, Daikaku-ji Temple in Arashiyama put a sacred sutra written by Emperor Saga on display. This is a regular event that happens only once every 60 years. I was there for that and saw the sutra. I received a goshuin for my visit. That goshuin is obviously not something you're going to see everyday. Another way for a goshuin to become rare is through misadventure. This doesn't happen very often. Some years ago, Sensō-ji Temple in Asakusa in Tōkyō changed how sales of temple items - such as goshuin - were handled. They used to have a booth on the approach to the main hall of the temple. They changed that and instead of a booth, they put the sale of items in an unused hall on the grounds: the Yōgō-dō Hall. At that time, they added a new goshuin to the ones already available; a goshuin for the Yōgō-dō. Not long after this, the stamp used to create the new goshuin broke. Until it was repaired, no one could get that goshuin. Not long after they got a new stamp to replace the broken one, the new one broke, too. That was seen as a sign, and the broken stamp was not replaced a second time. This meant no more goshuin for the Yōgō-dō. That goshuin was available for only a very short time. I know about it because I have one that I acquired in 2010. I just don't know if mine was made using the first stamp or the second one. These are some of the ways a goshuin might become a collectible. What the value of a rare goshuin might be I don't know, but it will be driven by supply and demand, like any other collectors' market. They'll only be worth as much as someone is willing to pay for them. |
||
| Post 423 • IP flag post | ||
|
Where's his Bat-package?
|
Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by esaravo LOL! If it's available, I just might. |
||
| Post 424 • IP flag post | ||
|
Where's his Bat-package?
|
Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
Boarding now, what a zoo!!! Signing off from Japan! Byebye for now.  |
||
| Post 425 • IP flag post | ||
 Collector
|
scratchtasia private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Byrdibyrd Is that the green tea flavor I see? |
||
| Post 426 • IP flag post | ||
|
Collector
|
scratchtasia private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Byrdibyrd From what I've gathered (and I don't claim to be the authority), translated western comics aren't much of a thing in Japan. There have been scattered attempts, so you can find examples if you look hard enough in the right places, but it doesn't seem to have taken off. The Marvel and DC characters are primarily known through the movies and TV shows. Peanuts and Snoopy are very popular, but I don't know if it's because of translated strips or TV specials or just some "kawaii" thing. There is so much manga that maybe there's little appetite for imported and translated comics. I found a couple of western-style comics shops in Tokyo online, and I'm hoping to visit at least one of them before my trip is over. But I haven't done that yet. |
||
| Post 427 • IP flag post | ||
|
Collector
|
scratchtasia private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Byrdibyrd Every time I'm on a train, I hear the English announcements for stops and then I listen to the Japanese announcements and try to hear the same place names. It's not always easy! |
||
| Post 428 • IP flag post | ||
|
Collector
|
scratchtasia private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Byrdibyrd Oh my gosh. Finding a restroom in Tokyo has occasionally been a challenge. I have almost chosen KFC just for that. I also kind of want those Snoopy mugs they're promoting right now. |
||
| Post 429 • IP flag post | ||
|
Collector
|
scratchtasia private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @Byrdibird has flown from Japan, but I'm still here and I may file a dispatch every now and then until I leave. I left off the other day with my arrival in Fussa (outer Tokyo), where I am now sharing a small apartment with my parents. Much time has been spent getting everything situated, planning meals, and visiting the new grandchild/nephew. But we're also trying to give the new parents (my brother and sister-in-law) some breathing room. Reflecting these domestic concerns, maybe I'll use this post to share photos of a few products I've encountered. First up: Japanese cat litter. I thought my cats back home might like to try out some Japanese cat litter, but then I thought about how heavy and bulky it would be in my baggage. Sorry, kitties. I'll try to find a different souvenir for you.  I drank one of these lightly alcoholic pear drinks and it was delicious. I've got a couple more in the refrigerator now.  I saw some Peanuts-branded soy sauce at the grocery store.  It was unclear to me whether or not this Appletiser drink was alcoholic. It was right next to some alcoholic drinks in the café where I ordered it. After drinking it, I don't think it was alcoholic, but it sure had a tasty apple flavor. Would definitely drink again.  And then there was this blue soda I found at a convenience store. I could not tell what flavor it was, but I decided to give it a try. When my brother saw it, he said it was something to do with grape, but to me it had more of a bubblegum flavor (and smell). It wasn't bad, but I probably wouldn't opt for it again. I did like the slogan on the bottle: "Go with your study." Hmm.  Baskin-Robbins is doing a holiday promotion with Sanrio featuring the characters My Melody and Kuromi. A friend of mine at home loves My Melody, but I don't think ice cream would survive the long trip back.  And of course Japan is the only place I've been where you can get fresh-squeezed orange juice from a vending machine that selects an orange and squeezes it in front of you. I have not tried it, but I may yet! It seems almost Rube Goldbergian.  |
||
| Post 430 • IP flag post | ||
This topic is archived. Start new topic?