Today marks my second week in Japan. It’s was a good first week. I know in my last entry I said I would post again “tomorrow” with more pictures. Initially I thought I would write an entry about the rainy season. What I neglected to mention in my last post was that while I was running around doing my errands on Friday, it was pouring down rain. The rainy season in Tokyo lasts from about the second week in June, till the end of the third week of July. Since I arrived during the third week of June, I showed up just in time to catch almost all of rainy season. After Friday I thought I would dedicate an entire post to the rainy season. After all, it seemed at the time that rain would very much define my first month in Japan. Also, I really wanted to post a picture of a man riding down the street, on a bike, wearing a suit, holding an umbrella, in the rain. I haven’t gotten my picture yet (there is still plenty of time for that). However, since Friday, it has only really rained one other time. Actually, right now the weather is downright beautiful. The sky is clear and the sun is shining. As I passed my Japanese neighbor to do laundry (yep, laundry day is the one with the best weather) he commented, “いいお天気です,” literally, “It is good weather.”
So instead let’s talk about Asakusa. On Tuesday I met up with a very nice woman named Kaoru, who was introduced to me by an acquaintance back in the states. She took the time to show me around Tokyo a little First she showed me around a couple of small Shinto shrines in Koutou, an eastern section of the city along Tokyo bay. It was pretty cool. The second shrine had a monument in honor of sumo from the Edo period (approximately 1600-1860). She also showed me the portable shrine, each town has its own portable shrine. The shine itself was rather large, gilded in gold and had a couple of dog statues on it with diamonds for eyes. It looked like it would take at least 100 people to pick it up. More surprising still was that Kaoru informed me that the one for her town was even bigger and one of the largest around. After the shrines, Kaoru kindly treated me to some Japanese soba noodles. I am happy to say that I am off to a good start sticking whatever is put in front of me into my mouth.
Following lunch we headed over to Asakusa, which was clearly a much more touristy area. First, in the subway station we saw a much smaller portable shrine for Taitou, (if you are wondering Tokyo is divided into many smaller “towns”). Here she showed me the Sensou-ji, a massive Buddhist temple dedicated to the Bodhisattva Kannon. A bodhisattva is an enlightened person in Buddhism, in Japan they’ve essentially been deified. The gate that preceded the temple was massive and quite impressive.
http://picasaweb.google.com/102396568831353572903/6222010Asakusa?authkey=Gv1sRgCKys54q90qSNSA#5485508041052146898
Something that struck me as rather curious though was that at this Buddhist temple people were throwing money into what I can only describe as a large offering box, bowing twice, clapping twice, and then bowing a final time. But they also did this at the Shinto shrines, which is a separate religion. (80% of Japanese say they are Shinto while 80% say they are Buddhist, which is clearly more than 100%). I picked up my fortune while I was there. Your fortune is told by picking up a metal container, shaking it, and then withdrawing a single stick from a small hole. On the stick is a number that corresponds with a drawer and inside the drawer is your fortune. My fortune was big luck, the best you can get, although I’m pretty sure the guy in front of me got the same number. When people get bad luck they take the fortune, fold it up, and tie it to a tree (or in this temple, a metal stand). It has occurred to me now as I write this, that I really needed to take more pictures.
After Sensou-ji we took the picture below of me holding that rather heavy food stand, and then headed off to a traditional Japanese coffee shop called Starbucks. At Starbucks I discovered, to the horror of my wallet, that vanilla frappachinos are really really good.
My trip to Asakusa concluded with a department store and me picking up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in Japanese (I brought my English version with me). All in all it was a great day and I am very thankful to have met Kaoru.
Other than that I am still looking for a gym… must find a gym. Also, the driers in my building are way too expensive and ambulances thank you for stopping over a loudspeaker when they pass through intersections. Until next time, じゃね(bye).
1 comment:
Hey Barrett,
Can you believe that this is your grandmother in Ballsville? I'm getting up the world. I am using a computer! I enjoyed your blog. Wish we had some of that Japanese rain. You looked great in your picture. You look so much like your dad. I hope that you're happy in Japan. Love you very much. Grandmum
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