Fushimi Inari Jinja

Sometimes I ashamedly reflect back onto what little I knew of Japan before moving here two years ago.  At that time my knowledge of Japan was something like this:

Sushi-Raw fish.  Totally un-appealing. (Now I love it.)

Geisha-Cans of pineapple…?  Fancy ladies with white faces?  (Just read this book-fantastic.)

Sumo-Really, really fat wrestlers. (Recently went to the Tokyo tournament-amazing!)

Ninjas-Stealthy dudes all dressed in black. (Still don't know much about them...)

Godzilla-Huge green lizard that terrorizes Tokyo. 

Anime-Really strange cartoons. (I LOVE studio Ghibli films!)

And so on. 

Fortunately, I have now learned a tremendous amount about Japan.  (In fact, I strongly believe now that living abroad is one of the best things one can do.  There are few experiences in life that are as challenging and rewarding.)

Some of the only images in my mind of Japan and its culture came from the movies.  Most recently, The Memoirs of a Geisha. 

During our time studying at Yamasa this past August, we took a few trips to Kyoto during the weekend.  One of the most iconic images of Japan-that I knew of because of The Memoirs of a Geisha-is located at the Fushimi Inari Jinja (a “Jinja” is a Japanese Shinto Shrine).  

The iconic image associated with this film happens when the main character (as a child) runs through the forest of torii to the reach the shrine where she makes an offering and prays.  This now famous scene was shot on location in Kyoto at the Fushimi Inari Jinja. 

I had been hoping to visit this shrine for some time and was delighted when the trip was scheduled.   

Lantern and gateway at the entrance of the shrine.

The main shrine building

The Shinto Inari god (Kami in Japanese) is the deity of good fortune and rice.  At every shrine dedicated to the Inari god, you will find images of foxes.  The fox-the messenger of this god-plays a significant role in the stories surrounding the Inari god. 

A fox at the entrance of the shrine.

Wooden foxes people can purchase, draw on a face, write a petition and leave at the shrine.

It is believed by those who practice Shintoism that making offerings to the Inari shrines is important to their success in business.  The number of torii at Fushimi Inari Jinja is directly related to this.  The large torii are purchased-usually by companies-as an offering and petition for continuous good fortune.  The big torii are extremely expensive. 

A map of the whole complex.

A sign depicting the prices of the torii.  The most expensive one, with the current exchange rate, is over $16,000.00 USD.

Regular folk can buy their own (much smaller) torii for their petitions.  

Unfortunately, we did not have time to make the entire walk through the torii forest.  This turned out to be a good thing… As we were walking back through the torii, thunder began to rumble in the distance.  Just as we reached the parking lot, it began to pour.

The thunder rolling in...

Visiting Fushimi Inari Jinja was one of the highlights of my summer.  If you ever visit Kyoto, it should be on the top of your list. 

Ogigahama Beach

The glorious, cool, salty ocean.  Off the coast of Wakayama.  We went to Ogigahama Beach.  It was beautiful. 

A relaxing way to spend a lazy summer afternoon in Japan. 

Weekend Trips: Mikatagoko, Obama (the town)

One of the great things about studying at Yamasa for us was the proximity to new places.  We live very close to Tokyo-which is wonderful-but we love traveling and exploring other parts of Japan. 

Yamasa offers fantastic weekend trip opportunities.  We took advantage of one over night trip and two day trips during our time there.  Unfortunately for us, the first trip-the overnight one-included lots of traffic which resulted in cutting about half the original itinerary.  (One of the later days trips made up for what we missed.)

The first place we visited on our overnight trip was a National Park in Fukui Ken called Wakasa Bay Quasi.  According to the sign, these are “Wetlands of International Importance” and serve as breeding grounds for several types of invaluable fish. 

Map of the Mikatagoko area.

One of the attractions is at the top of one of the mountains.  We rode a lift to the top where we had an fantastic view and saw some interesting attractions:

The lift.

You could buy a lock, etch a message on it (usually a romantic one), and then lock it on the railing. 

There were virtually thousands of locks on the railings!

Little clay discs you could buy, write a messgae on and hurl over the railing into the forest.

Karl throwing his wish.

Kabuto Mushi-all of my elementary students are obsessed with these beetles.

Kabuto mushi eating a sugar jelly.

Map and view from the top.

Our second stop for the day was a brief drive through the little coastal town of Obama in Fukui Ken.  When President Obama was elected in the United States four years ago, this little town suddenly experienced world-wide fame. 

Our day ended back in Kyoto.  We had a full kaiseki meal at a restaurant in the Gion district.  During the summer the restaurants along the Shirakawa River set up special decks that float above the river.  This provides a cool relief from the oppressive humidity of the Kyoto summer. 

The dinner was delicious.

Yamasa: Take 2

Here’s a question:  Am I the only one who feels that no matter how much I study and practice a new language, I just will never learn enough?

When we moved to Japan two years ago (I know, right!?  Two years already!), I knew next to no Japanese at all. 

That was daunting.  I feel slightly less daunted now…but it took basically the full two years to reach this point. 

Yikes.

Last year we invested two weeks of our extremely hot and sweaty summer to studying Japanese at this wonderful place called the Yamasa Institute.  Though I feel my Japanese skills significantly improved during our two weeks stay, I found myself wishing I could stay much longer. I felt (and still feel) that I had just barely scratched the surface of understanding. 

Yamasa is a language school specifically designed for foreigners to come to Japan and study Japanese.  A variety of courses are offered.  We did the SILAC program last year and are signed up for it again this year.  All courses offered are intense immersion classes-almost no English (or any other language) is spoken. 

Besides the primary classes, private and smaller classes are also offered.  This year in addition to the SILAC course-which is around 23 class periods per week-we are signed up for  three CALL seminar classes per week.  Also, instead of staying in the dorms or apartments, we have signed up for a homestay.

I am hoping that with all of the classes, the homestay, and the studying, that my Japanese will significantly level-up during our four week stay. 

It’s time to get my Japanese game on!