まだ生きている？！

While the beginning of this week was awesome, I was certainly not prepared for the following five days.
Sunday- Bus tour around the Hokuso area of Narita (including a temple, old-fashioned historical city replicating the Meiji era, and a shrine)
I had signed up for the tour a while ago, when I overestimated the amount of time I would have in Japan. No doubt, I went with qualms, what with a passage to write about how to use cell phones (I barely even know how to use mine in English, let alone explain it in Japanese :P), a grammar test, and a presentation to prepare about trends in America.

Nonetheless, this is Japan! えいじゃないか。 Why not?! Just go and enjoy, bring the vocab list for my quiz along, and enjoy the ride. It was a bit of walking too, but even though I was tired from the home visit it was good exercise. And the tour was free (they even gave us presents at the end of the trip!)

First we visited Naritasan Shinshoji Temple.  Established in 940, it is the main temple of the Shingon (true word) sect of Chizan-ha Buddhism.  It is dedicated to Fudo Myouou, the god of fire, and every year it is visited by 10 million people.  Supposedly, there is a special exposition of secret buddha statues this year.
I find it fascinating that these structures are physically moved so that new ones can be built on that spot and continue to house the god that dwells there.  They moved the structures with rope made of women's hair (stronger than straw and more pure).

Just the front gate.  If I remember correctly, there is some purification involved with stepping over the threshold.I

 I got to listen to a chant that was later explained to me by my verbose Japanese tour guide that you can use it to clear your mind (or something to that effect).  I still really love Buddhist temples.  The feeling that emanates from the incense in the crisp Autumn air is unparalleled.  Once you enter, you really feel like you are in Asia.  The spacious temple is ornately decorated with lavish colors and offerings to Buddha.

This time, there was the goma (sacred fire rite), a mysterious temple service that commemorates Fudomyou.  A chief priest burns offerings as well as Goma sticks that symbolize earthly passions in order to enter a higher state of mind.

It was a good day to go for a nature walk in the temple precincts!

Afterwards was the Boso-no-Mura village from Meiji era.  There was a series of cottages with craftspeople exhibiting traditional lifestyles, making snacks and showing off tools.  It was more interesting than American history by virtue of being simple and less violent.

Traditional senbei (rice crackers) are stamped grilled and then dipped in sugar, soy sauce and sprinkled with various toppings.

Making creatures out of ...candy plaster?

Farms!

Green tea plants

I wanted to ask what this vine was since I see it everywhere.

 Daikon radish! I saw some people carrying them.

What is it?! Peapod-cucumber hybrid?

 

 The girl on the left is from Iran.  She was super precocious and spoke to everyone unabashedly.  Plus she was cute, and could walk on traditional stilts whereas everyone else kept falling down (myself included). 

 

Afterwards we went to Oowashi-jinja which included a shrine for parents wishing for healthy children and a fertility shrine for infertile mothers (apparently they requested it).  That shrine solely featured statues designed to induce fertility.  Shinto is so brazen and amazing.

Alas, I apologize for not taking pictures. Haha.

 As a side note, shrines (which are based on Shinto) have no statues (as kami are omnipresent) while temples have Buddha statues).  Both co-exist in Japan, as different philosophies can be tweaked to match each other (for instance, bodhisattvas can be considered as kami, although they are human in appearance while kami are traditionally natural).  I think this blend is a good approach for religion in general.  One can draw parallels instead of focusing on religions are dichotomies acting holier-than-thou.  I think a lot of people find this Japanese concept fascinating.

Anyways, when I returned from the long excursion, I learned from my next door neighbor that my second massive kanji test was Friday. Upwards of 600 kanji combinations... I hadn't studied at all.

(Completely unrelated, but I even ate this fish I bought at the convenience store for ¥100 to improve my brain, because I heard that fish oil is good for you.  I ate it just like that.)

So Thursday rolls around. I'm a little delirious from lack of sleep, but I think I can pass the kanji test if I try. I ask my friend if we have a quiz for my other class Friday. "Yes, it is quite long."

I return home.

It is six pages.

The longest for that class, I believe.

Haha =_=... the moral of the story is human beings are capable of anything. That or fish oil.  Either way, I think that knowledge trumps all of the vocab I crammed.


With that, I think I can try to be more Japanese.  For instance, being in Japan can make one feel rather pathetic as a human being, as everything is so splendid (the Japanese think of everything, and make very detailed agendas so everything goes as planned).  It was even difficult for me to enjoy a beautiful temple because I thought "This is unreal, I could never decorate this finely!" (Don't ask me why I aspire to be able to decorate a temple... it's more as a general example).
When I first visited Japan, I was really inspired to try and act more Japanese.  In the year or so that passed, I couldn't exactly accomplish that, so I felt a bit like a failure, and that I couldn't enjoy Japanese culture because it transcends my own abilities (how does one survive in a competitive country if they can't match the skills of those around them, let alone have the will power to do so)  But I think that in time, I can keep trying and messing up until I am one with Japanese culture.
Ommmm~ =_=