My Japan Adventure18829
 I have a problem with fattening women up.
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Bronte private msg quote post Address this user | |
| For some reason, I didn't think Japan had any real farm land. Go figure. Is there any pictures of bullet train? Is it ultra modern looking? |
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| Post 126 • IP flag post | ||
 Where's his Bat-package?
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
Here's an interior shot from the bullet train I'm on right now. Very modern and comfortable. A really nice way to travel. As for farmland, if there's flatness, it's usually farmland or city. There's only so much flatness that hasn't been developed in one way or another. |
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| Post 127 • IP flag post | ||
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I have a problem with fattening women up.
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Bronte private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Nifty Kinda looks like a cross between an airplane and star trek. |
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| Post 128 • IP flag post | ||
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
| It really does. Very similar to an airplane interior, but with legroom and seats not made only for very trim people. | ||
| Post 129 • IP flag post | ||
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
Very pleasant park here. Never been to this part of Nagoya before.  |
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| Post 130 • IP flag post | ||
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I have a problem with fattening women up.
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Bronte private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Very pretty. I notice that a majority of your photos are clean. Meaning without a bunch of litter. Is the country a generally better kept place than usa? |
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| Post 131 • IP flag post | ||
 Hmm... Moderated again!
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figment private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @figment is very much enjoying this vicarious vacation. Thanks JB! | ||
| Post 132 • IP flag post | ||
 -Our Odin-Rest in Peace |
Jesse_O private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Byrdibyrd I would find it so hard to walk away from there. |
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| Post 133 • IP flag post | ||
 It gets old smelling it everytime I go outside my door.
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Nearmint67 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @Byrdibyrd awesome.... looks (and I imagine) sounds quite tranquil near the small waterfall. | ||
| Post 134 • IP flag post | ||
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It gets old smelling it everytime I go outside my door.
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Nearmint67 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @Jesse_O right.... | ||
| Post 135 • IP flag post | ||
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Where's his Bat-package?
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Bronte Things are tidier here, no question. There are still things like seedy areas in town and places that attract graffiti and vandalism, but people who do that are so reviled by the rest of society that it just isn't as prevalent in Japan. |
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| Post 136 • IP flag post | ||
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Where's his Bat-package?
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @figment You're welcome! I'm enjoying having the long distance company.  |
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| Post 137 • IP flag post | ||
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @Jesse_O It was a pretty park with clean, shaded benches and my feet wanted to stay but the almighty Itinerary said I had to go.  |
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| Post 138 • IP flag post | ||
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Nearmint67 It's particularly nice because Nagoya is a very large and urbanised city. It makes nice places like this park even nicer. |
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| Post 139 • IP flag post | ||
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
| On my way back to Ōsaka now. I'll be digging into my lovely bacon, cheese, and onion croissant soon. 🤤 | ||
| Post 140 • IP flag post | ||
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
They'd have to be in order to tackle all of my hair. |
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| Post 141 • IP flag post | ||
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
I'd give their music a listen. |
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| Post 142 • IP flag post | ||
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
Today was chicken-with-head-cut-off in Nagoya Day. I took a bullet train to Nagoya, and from there I took a local train out to a more suburban area. I didn't do it so that I could get stared at a lot, but that did happen. Anyway, the little cluster of shrines & temples I was looking for were in and around a very pretty small park with a pond and some nice trees with fall colour. Very happy to have found that. My first stop was Toyokuni-jinja Shrine. There are Toyokuni-jinja Shrines all over the place. They venerate Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of the three great unifiers of Japan (along with Oda Nobunaga - the guy who Nobunaga'd Enryaku-ji Temple and steamrolled through Mii-dera to get there - and Tokugawa Ieyasu). This one, however, is special because it is on the location where Hideyoshi was born. Also on the location of Hideyoshi's birth is Jōsen-ji Temple.  It's a Buddhist temple, so it's not going to venerate some Japanese dude, regardless of how illustrious or important to the history of the nation he may be, but the temple still manages to rev its enthusiasm into high gear. One thing I noticed early on were the highly unusual guardians for the temple. Temple guardians, frequently taking the form of Komainu (lion-dogs) or some other type of animal, are stationed to the right and left of the temple's gate, or entrance, etc. At Jōsen-ji, I saw these.  That bulbous weirdness looking like some veggies your momma tried to force you to eat back in your younger days are gourds. The gourd was the standard for Hideyoshi's retinue. I'm afraid that in this instance, they are not striking much fear into my heart because if I were to threaten the temple in some way, the worst they could do to me would be to roll off their rocks and maybe trundle over my foot. Ouch. How about I prevent that by purifying myself properly so I can formally approach.  According to signage, this is the well-spring where Hideyoshi was bathed after he was born, and his afterbirth has imbued the water with power. Okay. Is there anywhere else I can purify myself?  Oh. This water is also empowered by Hideyoshi's... something-or-other. I know it's supposed to be a representation of water trickling out of a gourd, but that's not what my eye is seeing. So now I have a choice. I can purify myself in Hideyoshi's afterbirth, or in Hideyoshi's winky water... or I can face the terrifying wrath of The Gourds. I chose the afterbirth, in case you were wondering. Next on the list and the last in the area around the pretty park is Myōgyō-ji Temple. Unlike the previous two, this temple has little to do with the birth of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Instead, it's the birthplace of Katō Kiyomasa, one of the great military leaders who was a contemporary of Hideyoshi's. Kiyomasa was a very power ful samurai, not to mention very moneyed up. At the time (late 16th ~ early 17th centuries), he had one of the highest incomes ever from the domains awarded to him for his service, expertise and loyalties. The temple is a nice, smaller temple, but it has a very impressive bronze statue of Kiyomasa on the grounds.   At least I didn't have to purify myself in something questionable. Anyway, back on another local train to travel even further out into the wilds of Nagoya's suburbia. This time I'm in search of something a bit different.  That big slab may not look like much, but it marks the location of Arako-jō Castle, a 16th century castle. Why do I care about a flat spot where a castle used to stand? It's the birthplace of the famous military leader, Maeda Toshiie! Another contemporary of Hideyoshi and Kiyomasa, Toshiie wasn't quite as successful as Kiyomasa, but he was still a force to be reckoned with, and he had an uncanny knack for siding with the right folks when conflicts arose, though he was at odds with Hideyoshi for much of his younger days. While I was in the area, I also popped over to Arako Kannon-ji Temple. I did it pretty much because it was there.  For a temple in a location that can't possibly get much foot traffic, it was actually a nice place. Once I got done there, I got back on a local train and went to downtown Nagoya. There I went to Banshō-ji Temple, which is located inside a great big shopping arcade, and I have to say, this temple really knows how to decorate.   While having someone born here would be in keeping with the theme, it's actually who is interred here that makes it nifty. This temple is the resting place of Oda Nobuhide, the father of Oda Nobunaga. Moving along, I walk a few blocks to the adorable Miwa-jinja, another rabbit shrine.    That last one was formerly the font used for purification (much nicer than afterbirth or wee), but it was shut off due to COVID, and now the basin has been occupied by bunnies. Miwa-jinja is known for going above and beyond with their goshuin, and this is what I picked up there:  The calligraphy is written and the red stamp is just that, but the rest is actually needlework stitched onto the paper. You may notice the rabbit is holding an arrow. The location where the shrine is built used to be an archery range back in the 16th/17th centuries, so the shrine has two themes: rabbits and archery. For this reason, archers who want to pray for skill or victory in an archery competition come to Miwa-jinja to pray. It was around this time that my fitbit went off for the second time that day and I decided I should call it quits. I went to a bakery that sold savoury baked goods and grabbed a couple goodies to eat on the train. The bacon, cheese, and onion croissant was delicious, but I had my regrets all the way back to the hotel. I must have spent at least an hour trapped in that mask with my own onion breath. Tomorrow I'll be in Kyōto, doing the headless chicken run again. We'll see how well I can do.  |
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| Post 143 • IP flag post | ||
 I'm waiting.... (tapping fingers).Splotches is gettin old! |
Nuffsaid111 private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Byrdibyrd This is why I have so much trouble with European travel from the U.S. - legroom. I'm 6'4" and my legs inevitably cannot fit without significantly contacting the seat in front of me. So I'm forced to sit sideways. I don't know what these airlines are thinking... seriously I don't. For a typical 2 - 5 hour trip within the continental U.S. - no problem. I can handle it. For a trip to Europe (7+ hours from NY) - big problem For a trip to Asia - I might as well bury myself 6 feet under instead of attempting that. |
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| Post 144 • IP flag post | ||
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Where's his Bat-package?
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @Nuffsaid111 There's no question that air travel is very tough on tall people and chubby people. Very uncomfortable and no alternatives aside from throwing A Lot of money around for 1st class seats. It's not like it rarely happens, either. They cram a bunch of people into those economy sections, and I promise they have a couple dozen tall/plump people in every single flight and they all have a crappy experience. It's not okay. |
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| Post 145 • IP flag post | ||
 Miss Chanandler Bong
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jake private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Byrdibyrd Catching up on your amazing thread! What kind of seals are these (below)? My wife received these a while back. Any idea what they say in Japanese? Their meaning?   |
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| Post 146 • IP flag post | ||
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by jake Those look like art pieces to me. They're both very pretty. The first one looks like it might be a saying of some kind. I'll see if I can get my Chromebook to type in Japanese tonight. If I can I'll look it up. The second one I can do right now. That's the kanji (Chinese symbol) for 'dream.' That one is very nice! |
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| Post 147 • IP flag post | ||
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @jake I can get part of the saying, but I may need my kanji dictionary at home to get the rest. The first line - the one on the right - says 'flowing water does not grow stagnant.' The second line is '(something) person does not age.' I just can't get that kanji without my dictionary. The online sources are great, but as soon as something is a little unclear, they're not much help. |
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| Post 148 • IP flag post | ||
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Miss Chanandler Bong
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jake private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @Byrdibyrd Sweet! We have had them on our walls and I never knew what they said. Google Translator doesn’t convert kanji to English lol. I asked my wife but she doesn’t know Japanese either. Thank you for de-mystifying the mystery!! | ||
| Post 149 • IP flag post | ||
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Miss Chanandler Bong
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jake private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @Byrdibyrd just looking at the context, (something) might be analogous to “A lifelong learning”, “An active”, or “An enlightened” person… | ||
| Post 150 • IP flag post | ||
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by jake That sounds about right. The complete saying being: "flowing water doesn't grow stagnant, enlightened people don't grow old.' I'd still need to check on the one mystery kanji, but I think that's correct. |
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| Post 151 • IP flag post | ||
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
| On a train now, headed for Kyōto, one of my favourite places in the world. One of my first stops will be Fushimi Inari Taisha Grand Shrine. | ||
| Post 152 • IP flag post | ||
 " . "
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Davethebrave private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by jake I think it’s an active or busy person doesn’t age. |
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| Post 153 • IP flag post | ||
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Davethebrave Also an excellent possibility. I really do need to ID that mystery kanji. |
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
Lucked out at Fushimi Inari Taisha. It was a total zoo, but part of the reason for that was because they were performing rituals. This is a quick photo of the head priest offering o-sake (sacred rice wine) to Inari-sama, the Shintō god of rice and prosperity. This shrine is the head shrine of all the thousands of Inari shrines in the country.  |
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