YouTube Video

I have been working on a blog post to tell you about some of the differences between Japan and the U.S. But it's not quite done - so in the meantime, here is an interesting youtube video about Japan. It's 11-minutes long, but if you have the time... watch it! It's pretty interesting how Japan differs from the rest of the word. It's somewhat controversial and subject to opinion, but from what we have experienced so far appears to be true!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgsbIfI0uIg

Worship

When you visit the Buddhist temples, it can be pretty confusing as to what you can/should do. Some people are bowing, others are giving money, some are sincerely worshiping, while others are just tourists and want to take pictures. There was finally a sign in English at one of the temples explaining the traditional steps for how to worship:

1 - Make a slight bow.
2 - Pace a monetary offering in the box.
3 - Bow twice deeply.
4 - Clap your hands slowly.
5 - And bow once deeply.

There are not many churches here in Nagoya. Joe and I visited a church a couple of months ago... it was held in a classroom, and there were only about 10 people there (including us). We're still searching for a church that suits are needs here, until then we watch sermons online from our church in Seattle each week. It's actually pretty cool to watch and follow the pastor's sermons online: http://www.marshillchurch.org/

Traditions

While visiting temples and shrines, we have learned about a couple different traditions in Japan.....

Waterfall. This is the Otowa Waterfall in Kyoto. People line up to fill their cup from the waterfall and drink the water. A sip of the water is supposed to cure any illness and bring good luck.

Fortunes. You shake the canister and turn it upside down to get one stick. The stick has a code on it, which represents what your fortune is. The staff replace your stick with a piece of paper which holds your fortune. "Keeping your wishes in mind, shake well this fortune box. Remember your number of the stick from the small hole. Show your number and have your good fortune." - quote from a sign at the temple.

Then you tie your fortune on a rack to bring good luck.

An area to tie your fortune at a different temple.

Wishes. You write your wish/needs/desires on the wood board, then hang it on the temple that represents the god you are asking (different temples are for different gods).

Yukata

I decided to join a sewing yukata class to make my own kimono by hand! A yukata is a casual light cotton kimono. It comes from the word "yu" (bath) and "katabira" (under clothing). I found out that it originated from warriors wearing it as a robe after taking a bath. Today, it's generally worn in the summer and to festivals by both men and women. There are many patterns of fabric available, and the outfit is generally accompanied by an "obi" belt and matching wooden sandals.

Most of you who know me are probably surprised that I decided to take a sewing class.... considering that I don't know how and never have sewed anything in my life (not even a button!). But I think it will be a fun learning experience, and I will have a souvenir to take home with me that I made myself.

Here is the fabric I chose! Solid black background, with pink cherry blossoms.

Pottery

My friend Mimi and I discovered two pottery towns near Nagoya: Tokoname and Seto City. Tokoname has a 900-year history of pottery and is one of the few historic pottery towns of Japan. Seto is also famous for it's pottery and ceramics - the main street along the river is lined with dozens of pottery shops. We had a great time exploring the towns and of course - shopping!

My new vases for Ikebana!

Love this pattern, and it should somewhat match our Fiesta-ware set at home. I especially adore the big bowls on the left with the matching spoons.... it's for ramen, but works fantastic for a big bowl of soup! I regret only buying two, so I'm on the lookout for more.

The color of these pieces caught my eye and I couldn't resist. They are so unique and will work great as serving pieces.

Atsuta Matsuri

Atsuta Matsuri is the largest festival held at this Shrine in Nagoya. During the day were martial arts and music performances. A parade of illuminated floats were the highlight of the festival in the evening, followed by an hour fireworks show in a nearby park. It felt like the 4th of July - thousands of people, vendors everywhere selling food and lite-up toys, and a great fireworks show!

The main entrance.

The paths in the park were lined with lanterns and vendors.
It was so crowded!.. which made it difficult to really enjoy it.

Lantern parade through the park.

Music performances. The kids playing the drums were very impressive!

Subway Museum

Each semester my Monday Japanese class takes a field-trip to a local place around Nagoya. Winter semester we went to visit Seto City for the doll festival (see post from 3/7/10). This semester, we went to the subway museum. We went on a tour of the factory, where we learned all about the maintenance of the train cars. It honestly wasn't that exciting to me, but thought I would share a couple of photos anyway.

Local subway train cards - they go through maintenance checks every few years.

My good friend, Mimi! We take Japanese classes together, study together, and go out for coffee/lunch frequently. We also have double-date-night to play cards with our hubbies every month. Her and her husband have traveled throughout Europe for Boeing - so we enjoy listening to all of their amazing experiences! She has also been nice enough to teach me some simple & delicious Italian recipes. It's been fun sharing stories and exploring the Japanese-lifestyle with her. :)