A guide to recognizing Shrines and Temples

The two main religions practiced in Japan are Shinto and Buddhism. Most of the Japanese people don't identify themselves with one particular religion and participate in all kinds of rituals. The presence of those coexisting religions is visible in every Japanese city, town, village, district or even street. The places for practising Shinto are Shrines, while Buddhist rituals take place in Buddhist temples and are easy to distinguish just like a church and a mosque.

Shinto is a religion that originated in Japan in ancient times. Its main beliefs consider the spirits called kami, to be present in such elements of nature as stones, mountains, trees, waterfalls. The most famous object of this kind is the Fuji mountain. Shinto traditions are usually cultivated in shrines when it comes to blessing children, weddings or success in business.

Buddhism, which has its beginnings in India, was brought to Japan from China and Korea around the 6th century. Japanese people, usually meditate or pray in Buddhist temples. What is more, funeral ceremonies in Japan are held mostly in Buddhist temples.

The main features of Shinto shrines:

* overload of red color, which expels demons and illnesses

* most often, small shrines are collected in a big complex

* torii - one large red gate, usually followed by many more similar gates

* komainu - a couple of dogs or lions by the entrance gate

* temizuya - ablution place at the entrance for washing mouth and hands

* kami - statues representing particular spirits and holy animals

* ema- wooden plaques with people's prayers hanging on the wall


The main features of Buddhist temples in Japan:

* larger than shrines

* always containing a statue of Buddha and a place to burn incense or candles

* paper lanterns and paper decoration at the entrance

* a pagoda - a kind of reliquary for storing sacred elements

* zen garden

* nearby cemetery

Things that shrines and temples in Japan have in common:

* omikuji - small fortune telling papers, tied over tree branches after reading to make the fortune come true (if good) or to avert it (if bad).


The most recognizable shrines and temples of Japan:

Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto, famous for the countless torii - red gates, that cover the hiking trails of the mountain InariSan.

Todaiji ("Great Eastern Temple") in Nara, the world's largest wooden building. Reconstructed in 1692 is only two thirds of the original temple's size.

Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion) is a Buddhist Zen temple in Kyoto.

My Easter Holidays in Japan

My Easter Holidays 2010 were the 3rd that I've spent outside Poland.
Each of those 3 times I was missing the part of my family that was not with me but on the other hand it was also great experience to try and discover new things.

This year, I've spent Easter Sunday with Daniel at hanami, which is a Japanese kind of spring picnic and it's main aim is to admire the Sakura - Cherry Blossom. At the time of Sakura, Japanese people gather in the parks, bring loads of food and drinks, blankets, music instruments, cameras and enjoy their hanamis.

Probably, the most spectacular and enjoyable parts of Easter Holidays in Poland are egg painting and Easter bunny's presents. And that's a part of things that appeared on that day.
Accidentally, just before going to the Meijo Kohen park in Nagoya, we got toys from gashapon machines - vending machines distributing toys in plastic balls, capsules. As soon as we got them we thought that it's a funny Easter coincidence that they resemble eggs.

We waited with opening them until getting to the park. It turned out that Daniel's capsule was hiding stickers with different kinds of beetles (not the Beatles!), while my toy was a kind of keyring, which after pushing the button sounds more less like "Ai shiteruyo baby" (jap. "I love you baby").
In the park, we did egg painting. Actually Daniel did most of the job but my cherry blossom egg pattern also wasn't bad. I should mention here, that originally the eggs that I bought were called Onsen Eggs and we didn't realize what does it mean. After making a small research I discovered that there is a special recipe for Onsen Tamago - Hot Spring Egg.

During our Easter Hanami we've tried some new food.
The most interesting looking one, was a roll with some green tea dough on the top of it. It was rather sweet and tasted great with chocolate bunny.

Another thing was Strawberry Pocky. To describe it I should use a comparison with something that exists in Poland and usually goes with a beer as a snack - słone paluszki (pol. salt fingers/sticks). Both of them, Polish salty and Japanese sweet version, are sticks made of crunchy dough. Japanese ones, are covered with different flavours such as: chocolate, banana, strawberry and many more. Yummmyyy!!!
By the way, did you notice unbelievable Japanese packaging??? The box contains 12 sticks and each 3 of them are wrapped separately!

Last but not least, Takoyaki - the dish which was worth waiting in a queue for a while. As you may see, or not, it is baked and round shaped, served few pieces in a little wooden boat. Each of those round pieces contains butter, dough, vegetables, mayonnaise and a piece of octopus. The most funny part of it are the flakes called aonori, which cover the dish from the top. You may believe or not but, as long as the dish is warm, the flakes are moving. It gives an impression as if your dish was alive!

If you'd like to find out how do the Easter celebrations in Japan look like, check out Daniel San's last year post about his visit in Japanese and Korean churches.

Flea Market in Osu Kannon

Osu Kannon area in Nagoya is full of contrasts, named after the Osu Kannon temple nowadays, it reminds more of a shopping district than a sacred place. On the 18th and 28th of each month, a flea market is being held in front of the Osu Kanonn temple. Last weekend Daniel and I hanged around it for a while.

From what I`ve noticed, people are divided into those that like, or actually know how to do shopping in flea markets, and into those who would never buy anything there. At least that`s how it is in Europe. It might also seem that all flea markets in the world are very similar. The things that can be found there are the same kind of stuff - clothes, furniture, electronics, toys, paintings, coins, records, military stuff. Maybe it is not just me but I think that except a shopping place, they can be also treated as a great interactive museums.

In European flea markets, seeing pieces of armor from the II World War reminds me of people who were brave, who were fighting and who, in most of the cases, died because of that. However, when I saw a Japanese samurai helmet or a wig that probably belonged to some geisha a long long time ago, it made me stop thinking about samurais and geishas as of fairytale characters.

And so the things that used to present a great value, are unwanted and very often not only nobody wants them, but also nobody finds them usefull anymore. Flea markets do not show the fake history as it usually is in case of films, books or museums. They show it as it really was, remind about how everything passes and prove that one day even somebody`s most favorite tea cup will become nobody`s favorite.

Magic photo booth

What can be magical in taking a picture in a photo booth? Probably, most of people realized the fun of such booths after watching the famous film about adventures of a Parisian girl named Amélie Poulain, who was finding, taking, displaying or ripping into pieces such photos from the street photo booths.

Movie shots from Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain

Meanwhile, in the 1990`s a newly invented phenomenon - purikura - appeared in Japan. Literally, purikura means "printing club" and came out from shortening the japanese words "purinto kurabu". Nowadays, Japanese teenagers are crazy about taking pictures of themselves and their best friends in a bit different photo booths than those widely known all around the world.

What`s the difference between classic photo booth and purikura?

1) Classic photo booth`s capacity is officially 1 person, practically up to 4. In case of purikura booths it`s even up to 10 people!
2) Classic photo booth is much smaller, while purikura booths have 2 sections - one for taking pictures and the other one for editing them.
3) Pictures taken in purikura booth can be edited - starting from choosing the intensity of colors and the colors of the background ending with adding images, texts and other crazy stuff to them.
4) Purikura booths have an option of sending pictures to the customers` own mail accounts.
5) The aim of creating classic photo booths was rather serious - possibility of taking quick pictures for official documents, while the aim of doing purikura is simply fun.
6) One payment in classic photo booth includes 4-6 pictures, while in purikura it can be up to 60.
7) Prints from purikura have different shapes, sizes and sometimes they are even stickers. Classic ones don`t have any of those options.
8) The prices are similar.

How does purikura work?

Step 1
Find purikura booth - search for it in big shops or shopping centers.

Step 2
Make sure there are no people taking photos inside, then enter the booth.

Step 3
Put all the bags, jackets and the rest of unnecessary stuff on the left side of the booth.
Step 4
Make sure that you know where the camera is hehe
Step5
Insert coins - usually 400 yen (4$).

Step 6
As soon as you insert the coins, you will be asked to choose some kind of settings for your photos on the touchscreen. I suggest to make sure what will you be asked to choose before entering the booth, it should be printed on the outside walls.
In our case, Daniel and I had to choose between pastel or vivid and cute or beautiful. We`ve chosen vivid and cute. Later on it turned out that as the first one refers to colors, the second one refers to the so called "faces", that your supposed to make to the camera.

Step 7
Make a couple of "faces", as displayed on the screen.

Step 8
Edit your pictures on the separate screen.

Two people can edit different pictures in the same time! It is possible to add text, pictures, funny backgrounds or even eyelashes or ribbons.
And by the way, this part needs to be paid separately.

Step 9
Wait for the prints. The blue light informs that pictures are being printed.

Step 10
Pick up your pictures - usually 2 prints!
The pink light informs that the pictures are ready.

Step 11
Enjoy admiring your funny pics.
You can also cut them out immediately, there are always some scissors nearby.

For sure purikura is not magic but it is kind of magical...