WOW!!!! This whole website is in Japanese here in Japan (duh!) so if I do any funky posts it's because I have no idea what the site is trying to tell me. I was so surprised when I filled in the sign up forms correctly. Thank God web sign up sheets almost always ask for the same information.
Anyway...so this is my first blog and I must admit I've never been a fan of them in the first place (seriously who the hell cares what I do on a day to day basis) but since I now live in beautiful Maizuru, Japan (pictures will come as soon as I get my new digital camera) I thought some of my friends and famiy might be interested in reading about the adventures and mishaps I get into here.
Well I'm a big city girl so Maizuru is the smallest city I've ever lived in so far (pop. about 90,000 people) and I must say it's comforting to find that most small cities are the same no matter where you go. Starting out with the fact that everyone knows everyone! Even though I've only formally met about a hand full of people, the word has already gotten out that there is a tall 5'9" Black woman wandering the streets. Not too many people stare at me directly (and when they do I smile and continue on my way) but I can tell some are interested in finding out who I am. On my second day here I decided to grab my iPod and take a long walk through the city (occassionally strutting along the way to the music of Rilo Kiley and Seal). It felt nice to get out and confidently not care if people thought I was weird or intriguing but truly enjoy the fact that I was in Japan, a path I never thought I was going to take a year ago. :-)
While on my walk I came across my first Buddhist temple. At first I didn't know I had arrived at a temple because there were these long stone steps (like the ones you see in Kill Bill Vol. 2) that lead straight upwards blocking my view of what ever layed ahead. Of course there were signs at the bottom in Japanese saying "This way to the temple" but because I can't read Japanese (yet) I had no idea where I was going when I decided to take my first step. The steps were high and kind of steep so my thighs really got a workout. And while walking up them I thought of the Steps of Repentance at Mount Sinai. I wondered if the reason they make the steps leading up to temples so physically challenging is because it's an act of repentance people must take before praying to the Buddhist gods. Like you must sacrifice a little of yourself (which in turn causes you to become humble); teaching people the ultimate lesson of how you must first give before you can ever receive. Hmmm....
I didn't stay long once I got to the top because people were praying and I didn't know the proper etiquette on how to present myself at a Buddhist temple. So I decided to leave and will come back later when there is no one around and also take some pictures to show people back home.
Well I think that's enough for now. I of course have more stories to tell (and will!) But for now I'm going to get ready for my first day of teaching (on my first day of work I just did observation) and hopefully all will go well. Thanks for reading and take care!
4 件のコメント:
so now you can really navigate in an entirely japanese environment in both the real and virtual world! i wonder there must be some way to change the language setting in blogger? (or you're using a japanese computer?)
you're experiencing something opposite to what i felt when i first set foot in the U.S. (in LA actually) six years ago...hardly did i see any people except some uncomfortably open space. i was not even in the suburbs! i found myself lost in the weird layout of the city and the lack of people on the street.(now i'm getting used to it and slowly finding the beauty in most situations...). having adjusted smoothly, 90,000 seems a huge population to me.
I really like your interpretation of the steps to the temple. i think i have learned something about the steps somehow back in school. I remembered when i was small, we used to walk, or better say climb, up to a temple which can only be reached by taking steep steps. The "hardships" of climbing the steps would open up to a stunning view of the temple and the view from the little hilltop where the temple is situated. But I never got to "feel" it. I just took it for granted and hope my parents could finish what they needed to do and so we could go home! Thanks for your sharing :)
Wish you all the best with your upcoming teachings!
Taihen omoshiroi, Daryn-chan! O-genki desu ka? It will be interesting to you to contrast Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. I was once told, when I lived in Tokyo, that Japanese are born Buddhist and die Shintoist. Both religions intermingle inbetween.
P.S. The above is from Steve, getting ready for winter in MN.
I never got into the blog thing either, but it is a wonderful way to connect with many and far more personal then xeroxing and mailing letters. Besides it's cute that we all have ?????? after our names. I am so excited to see how my name will post.
I just found out I may be teaching in the east mid 09. If this is true I will try to spend a week in Japan to connect with you in Tokyo. Till then, we have this virtual thing. As promised, I will raise a glass of Barolo to you from Florence.
Sending Autumn wishes, support and love from MN- Eric
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