In the middle of the monastery was an enclosed garden. It was very green, very tranquil, a perfect place to contemplate.
I love the shapes and textures of the foliage. The Japanese have landscaping down to a fine art.
Tag Archives: japan
Koya San
I was lucky enough to stay two nights at a Shinto monastery at Koya-San, in the mountains near Osaka. I will post photos from Koya-San over the next few days.
Traditional vs Modern
Japan is truly a clash of cultures, where traditional and modern collide.
Just outside the gates of Meiji-Jingu, is the shopping precinct of Harajuku. On Sundays, teens from all over Tokyo come, dressed up.
And in another part of Tokyo, you can see sumo wrestlers strolling around, doing their day-to-day chores.
Kawaii
Japan is the land of kawaii or all things cute. One frequently hears a teenage girl squeeking, “Kawaiiiiiiiiiii!” as she finds something cute. The selection of cuteness is frankly nauseating at times. Here is a selection:
Peanuts collection at Snoopy World.
A shrine to Kerope.
Cute beverages. I think this was apple juice.
And finally, thousands of incarnations of Hello Kitty.
A Wedding or Two
Sunday is wedding day at Meiji-Jingu. Seems like there are plenty of couples/families willing to fork out their life savings on a traditional wedding.
Since the wedding-goers parade in the middle of the temple grounds, all the visitors got a sneak peak, too.
Prayerful Intentions
I liked the wooden prayer cards that hang in shrines all over Japan. At Meiji-Jingu, they were written in all sorts of languages, reflecting the diversity of visitors there.
Shrine
Once you near the Meiji-Jingu shrine, you are welcome to cleanse your hands and mouth before entering.
Sake Time
If only the barrels were full! These empty sake barrels outside of Meiji-Jingu seem to be a feature of shrines since I saw them in a few places in different parts of Japan.
I love the artwork on them – such attention to detail.
Revisiting Japan
It’s been two-and-a-half years since my trip to Japan, but I’ve still got many vivid memories of my month there. One of them was my visit to the Meiji-Jingu shrine. It is the most important shrine in Tokyo, set in the middle of some glorious parkland. The entrance, is a giant torii or gate, in the middle of a forested avenue.
I will post more photos from Meiji-Jingu tomorrow.
What does this mean?
A friend of mine who is in Tokyo at the moment took this photo at the airport. Some interesting things must be going on in these toilets.
Static and Silence 