My Japan Adventure18829
 Where's his Bat-package?
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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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Where's his Bat-package?
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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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Where's his Bat-package?
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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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| Post 154 • IP flag post | ||
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Where's his Bat-package?
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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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| Post 155 • IP flag post | ||
 To answer your question, no, this is not where the comics go to die.
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MutantMania private msg quote post Address this user | |
I wish I could visit another country...I'm lucky if I get to visit another city  I wanna see @Byrdibyrd in one of those pics  |
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| Post 156 • IP flag post | ||
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
Today was a Golden Arches kinda day. Meaning that's what was there when I felt like it was Food Time. This is my Bacon Lettuce Burger. It was pretty good. The toxic green in the cup is melon soda which a lot of fast food places in Japan have on tap. |
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| Post 157 • 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 MutantMania I dunno about selfies!! We'll see if I manage to get a reflection in a shot.  |
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| Post 158 • IP flag post | ||
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
| In the States, this would NOT be how to attract customers to your beauty establishment. | ||
| Post 159 • IP flag post | ||
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
I suddenly have a higher opinion of Louis Vuitton. Who knew they did Lego. |
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| Post 161 • IP flag post | ||
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Where's his Bat-package?
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
Spent some time in Kyōto Tera-machi today. 'Tera-machi' means 'temple district.' Back in and around the 16th century, temples were very powerful and they didn't always behave as if the rules applied to them (hence all the nonsense involving Mii-dera and Enryaku-ji). As a way to curtail that power and influence, the Powers That Be decided all temples (excepting a select few) would move to a single area in town so that (a) their lands could be confiscated - some had A Lot of land - and (b) they could more easily be controlled and surveilled. These areas of town became Tera-machis. In order to serve pilgrims and visitors to the temples, thriving market districts sprung up in the Tera-machis, and many of them are still that way to this day. This is the entrance to the shopping arcade in Kyōto's Tera-machi district. On the left is the gate to Honnō-ji Temple, one of this Tera-machi's most prestigious temples (more on Honnō-ji later). This is Yata-dera, one of the little temples inside the shopping arcade. It is said to have been founded by demon-hunter and exorcist Ono-no-Takamura with the help of Jizō, Buddhist god of travelers.  |
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| Post 162 • IP flag post | ||
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
Was only able to get a quick photo of my Mario train before it left the platform. |
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| Post 163 • IP flag post | ||
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Today involved going to a lot of places, some very memorable and some not so much. Let's just stick to the memorable, shall we? I headed to Kyōto this morning after a late start (woke up in the middle of the night, finally got back to sleep, woke up an hour later in the morning than I'd planned). My first stop was Fushimi Inari Taisha Grand Shrine, head shrine of the thousands of Inari shrines in Japan. It's a beautiful shrine, and if you've ever seen photos of rows upon rows of red torii gates that form tunnels along paths, those photos were very likely of Fushimi Inari. This time, the place was very crowded, more so than usual. People were there to watch some sacred rituals being performed, and I stayed to watch the offerings of sacred rice wine to Inari-sama. Here's the main gate and one of the buildings behind the main hall. They were some of the only photos I got that didn't have a hundred people in them.   My next stop was a much less popular place but nonetheless very important: Goryō-jinja Shrine. This shrine was built to deify the vengeful spirits of angry ghosts who did or might plague the capital of Heiankyō (the name of the city of Kyōto while it was the capital of Japan from 794 ~ 1868). Chief among these 'onryō' (vengeful spirit) was Imperial Prince Sawara. Prince Sawara was the brother of Emperor Kanmu, the Emperor who founded the city of Kyōto. Emperor Kanmu first moved the capital from Nara to Nagaokakyō, though Prince Sawara opposed the move. When the new city's administrator was assassinated, Emperor Kanmu suspected Prince Sawara, though many believe he was mistaken. Prince Sawara was banished and he later languished and died - whether he committed suicide or was assassinated remains a mystery. After this, the Imperial household was plagued with misfortune, and it was believed that Prince Sawara, furious at having been falsely accused, was the source of the problems. The solution was to elevate Prince Sawara's earthly status to that of an emperor. He became Emperor Sudō - the only time the posthumous title of emperor was ever granted. His spirit was deified, and Goryō-jinja venerates the deified spirit of Prince Sawara/Emperor Sudō. Sometime during all this, Emperor Kanmu decided to move the capital again, believing Nagaokakyō was now cursed. He founded the NEW new capital city of Heiankyō, which would later become the city of Kyōto. Goryō-jinja was a nice shrine, but it would have looked better had its gate not been completely hidden from view by tarps and scaffolding due to an ongoing restoration project. The building itself, however, was just fine.  I headed for Kyōto's Tera-machi not long after my visit to Goryō-jinja. Upon entering Tera-machi, the first thing that appears is the gate to Honnō-ji Temple.  I've been to the temple many times. It's very noteworthy because it's where Oda Nobunaga was assassinated. I hadn't originally planned to go there, but thanks to my previous visits I knew they had a public restroom, so I ducked in. It was good that I did so, because as it ends up their treasure hall was exhibiting a famous sword from Nobunaga's collection. This is a huge deal, so I checked it out. Thanks to my well-timed bathroom break, I saw a cool exhibit and was able to acquire this:  This ass-kicking goshuin is for the exhibit (check out the red swords cartouche in the middle) and features a stylised portrait of Nobunaga. After my visit to Honnō-ji, I went to Hōzō-ji Temple. I had a couple of reasons for wanting to go there, and also for wanting to go specifically today. Hōzō-ji is another one of those places that go above & beyond with their goshuin. The temple also has a small shrine to Benten, goddess of the arts, on their grounds. Their particular Benten icon is one of her more rare incarnations in Japan: Eight-Armed Benten, a female warrior goddess. You can go pay your respects to her in the little shrine in the temple's garden whenever you like, but you can only get a goshuin for her on the 7th day of the month. The temple itself is small, like almost all temples in the Tera-machi district, but it's front garden is pretty and the Benten shrine is picturesque.   Note the buckets of water and that you have to go over a bridge spanning the garden's pond in order to reach the shrine. Benten is also a goddess of water and purification, and her shrines are often found on islands or near bodies of water. She had a knockout goshuin, and it's for both her and the temple's principal icon, Amida.  I couldn't stop there, though. The temple is built on the grounds of the residence of a famous artist, Itō Jakuchu. He and his works are also venerated at the temple. They had a seasonal special for him that I couldn't pass up, and another goshuin that celebrated one of his most famous pieces, the two skulls.   After Hōzō-ji, I went to Tako Yakushi, which means 'Octopus Yakushi.' Yakushi is the Buddhist god of medicine, who legends say transformed himself into an octopus to save a priest's ailing mother because a meal of fresh octopus was supposed to work wonders for her ailment. This temple venerates Octopus Yakushi. It even has a wood carving of an octopus that you can touch and then touch your hand to a part of your body that could use healing. Just try to exercise discretion because you're in a public place, not to mention a sacred space.  Not much else of any note happened today. Not quite sure what I will do tomorrow because I'll have to check the weather. I have two destinations on the Sea of Japan side of Japan, and it's been raining practically non-stop there. If I get a window tomorrow, I may be going to Amanohashidate. If not, I may spend a day in Osaka. We'll see! |
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| Post 164 • IP flag post | ||
 -Our Odin-Rest in Peace |
Jesse_O private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I just have to say that I greatly appreciate you taking the time to share your pictures and knowledge with us as you go through your travels. I love seeing and learning new things. I absolutely love the artistic nature of Japan!!! I wish America had more art in public. | ||
| Post 165 • IP flag post | ||
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-Our Odin- Rest in Peace |
Jesse_O private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @Byrdibyrd I have a few questions if you don't mind. Do these temples and shrines charge for admission? Or is it like a free will donation? What is the size of these goshuins? I get that there are one or two page goshuins, but are the pages standard from one spot to the next? Thanks. |
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| Post 166 • IP flag post | ||
 Miss Chanandler Bong
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jake private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Byrdibyrd You don’t see that every day; a place of worship in a mall. I have seen a Church built on top of a gas station though. Did the temple exist prior and they built the shopping arcade around it?  |
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| Post 167 • 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 Jesse_O Some shrines/temples charge admission, but it's usually pretty obvious you're getting something for your money. I paid admission at Mii-dera, but the place is huge with some of the structures being original and over a thousand years old. If you're going somewhere with A Lot of expensive upkeep, you're going to be paying admission. There was admission to Taima-dera, too, but with those beautiful gardens, that's no surprise. Admission is usually anywhere from a nominal 200 yen all the way up to 1,000. A lot of these smaller places I've been going to on this trip are free. As for the standard size of the goshuin, they're similar in size to one of those big index cards. About 3"X5" or so. If they are written directly into a goshuin-chō, they'll be appropriately sized for the book. A lot of shrines/temples give out 'kakioki,' which are pre-written goshuin that you paste into your goshuin-chō with a glue stick. You always pay for goshuin. They are a way for shrines/temples to raise money and they're very important for the places that don't charge admission. The cost of a goshuin is usually 300 to 500 yen. Those really fancy ones I've been getting are 500 to 1,000 yen. |
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| Post 168 • IP flag post | ||
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by jake The temples came first and the shopping district came next. Last was the structure of the modern shopping arcade. The Tera-machi district in Kyōto is particularly interesting in that it has a number of small temples in it. Some Tera-machi districts in other cities don't have all that much 'tera' left. They've converted to all shopping. |
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| Post 169 • IP flag post | ||
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-Our Odin- Rest in Peace |
Jesse_O private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @Byrdibyrd I did some converting and 200 yen is $1.47, 300 yen is $2.20, and 1000 yen is $7.33. That's what it is today anyway.That is actually quite a bit cheaper than I was expecting. I figured at least $10 for the simpler goshuin to $50 for the larger ones. Know this is not your first visit there, you must have an impressive collection of goshuins. | ||
| Post 170 • 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 | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Byrdibyrd This is neat. And impressive. It seems to go for a long way. A person could spend a weekend checking all of this out. And these goshuins are really great pieces of art.   Makes a person do an @SteveRicketts Ripped jaw drop  |
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| Post 171 • IP flag post | ||
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Jesse_O I'd have to check, but I've been collecting them since about 2006, which is long before they became trendy about six years ago. I know I have over a thousand. If you can get ones that are done by hand in front of you, it's amazing to see. |
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| Post 172 • IP flag post | ||
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @Nearmint67 LOL! Yeah, it's a really good-sized shopping arcade and you could take a long time checking it all out. It goes for a few blocks and has a couple of side streets and even another arcade like this one runs parallel for a couple blocks. Great place to go on a rainy day because so much of it is covered. |
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HAmistoso private msg quote post Address this user | |
| There are Super Mario themed trains and Temples inside arcades? This close to booking a flight... | ||
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by WMorse Come on over!  The yen has tanked so hard that everything is really cheap. |
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 Forum Crier
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OGJackster private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Byrdibyrd Any cheap Pokemon collectibles? |
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| Post 176 • 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 OGJackster I'm sure there are some somewhere. They have to be cheaper here than in the States, because you aren't paying import fees buying them here, and like I said, the yen has really tanked. |
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Forum Crier
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OGJackster private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Byrdibyrd The older graded Japanese cards are hot stuff right now. |
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
Today's yummy french toast breakfast with a nice cup of Vienna coffee that was billed as 'wiener coffee' on the menu (which meant I just had to try it). This breakfast set me back about $5. |
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| Will there be sushi at some point? | ||
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