Fushimi Inari-taisha and Todai-ji Shrines

Today was another exciting and culturally diverse day in which my group went ‘shrining’ and hit up all of the local shrines in Kyoto and Nara.  The first shrine we toured was in Kyoto and called Fushimi Inari-taisha.  This shrine was dedicated to a fox (kitsune) who is a messenger of the shrine.  The terrain was very steep and full of stairs and torii.  Making the hike to the top wasn’t easy but we made it very far and learned a variety of shrine customs along the way.  For instance, we learned the purifying ritual of cleansing your hands with clean water before entering a central shrine.  We also learned that’s it’s extremely important to take off your shoes and use provided slippers when entering certain shrines in order to preserve the architecture.  Learning these things made me feel much more connected to Japanese culture and how to act accordingly in a foreign country. 

The second shrine we toured was in Nara and contained the world’s largest Buddha statue!  It was interesting to tour it and learn how the temple itself helped deliver Buddhism across Japan.  The reason the statues were built is to help connect the students with the six schools of Buddhism.  Supposedly many people would bring gifts and donations to give to the main statue in order to show their thanks and praise.  Though the shrine is now mainly used as a tourism spot, we learned that many modern day Buddhist practices and ceremonies are still carried out there today.  It’s astounding to think that such an old building that was originally designed as an extension to the Buddhist schools would have such a diverse amount of visitors today.  

Overall, I was very happy that I had an opportunity to visit these shrines because it exposed me to Japanese culture and worship.  It also taught me a lot of Japan’s main historical points and both shrines were extremely unique in the fact that they were used for a variety of different practices.  I look forward to seeing more of Japan’s culture in the future!

Kobe University

Today my group made our second university trip to tour Kobe University!  In comparison to Keio University which we toured earlier, Kobe is very small, and is a public university for those wishing to specialize in foreign studies and language learning.  However, after conversing with the university’s president, we learned that attending a public university as opposed to a private university is much more valuable on a resume in Japan.  Public universities require higher academics in students in order to be accepted and often hold more networking opportunities than private universities.  In addition to that, public universities are immune to the bribes that some private universities receive.

Welcome to Kobe!

Though Kobe had a very small campus as compared to Michigan State, it had a very warm atmosphere and very friendly students.  While conversing with the students, I found that the majority that I talked to all worked part time jobs and were extremely diligent in their studies, some knowing more than three languages.  Some had just arrived months ago and were already using near fluent English.  Other students mentioned that they spent their free time on the weekend attending cram school.  You can tell by the students kindness and rigid work schedules why Kobe is one of the top universities in Japan!

After a brief campus tour, we stopped by a nearby shrine for some photo shoots.  Here is Dan Losh and I with our good friend American-san in the background:

Afterwards, we went out to eat at a vegetarian restaurant and enjoyed vegetable pizza, tenpura, cheese fondue and strawberry shortcake for dessert with two of our tour guides.  It was truly a fun day that presented a variety of cultural experiences.  It’s been a week since I’ve come to Japan and I never want to leave!

Trekking the Tokyo Tower

Today our group trekked from Keio University all the way to the famous Tokyo Tower!  With its intricate metal structure, our professor joked how it was like a Japanese version Eiffel Tower.  The top of the tower gave us an absolutely amazing view of the landscape of Tokyo just as expected, and also contained a variety of interesting things to see, such as a Mystery Rock, a mini shrine, and a plethora of gift shops.  Some of the souvenirs were ridiculously tacky, like light up Tower keychains and silly stuffed dogs, but some of the stores carried anime merchandise like the Ginama and One Piece figures below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our group had a fun time exploring all of the floors and finding souvenirs for our friends and family back home.  We also visited a local shrine and park nearby Tokyo Tower to broaden our cultural experience.  Here is a photo of my colleague Dan Losh and I on the top floor:

 

Overall today was a relaxing day and we finally had a break from all of our company visits.  I’m looking forward to having more fun days like this where I can bond with my colleagues and tour the beautiful sights of Japan!!