Japan – Following your feet

Vajra – the thunderbolt

The term vajra is a Sanskrit word that is usually defined as “diamond” or “thunderbolt.” It also defines a kind of battle club that achieved its name through its reputation for hardness and invincibility. A diamond is spotlessly pure and indestructible. The Sanskrit word means “unbreakable or impregnable, being durable and eternal”. As such, the word vajra…

Japan is different – Pachinoko, manholes, vending machines, breakfast, shopping streets

Pachinoko – Japanese pinball Upon entering a pachinko parlour for the first time, the first thing that hits you is the fog of cigarette smoke. Inside you’ll find row upon row of pachinko machines and lots of noise, not least bells and cartoon voices. Mostly male players are watching silver balls bounce around (pachin refers to…

Japan is different – plastic food, queueing, hygene, public baths, stamp books

Continuing the the theme of differences, here are some more things that are very different in Japan. In this post I look at plastic food, queueing, hygiene, public baths and proof of visiting. Plastic food Many Japanese restaurants show the food they serve in their window, but it isn’t freshly made food, but plastic food.…

Buddhapada – footprints of Buddha

The footprints of the Buddha (Buddhapada) are one of the early representations of the Buddha. The Buddhapada are highly revered in all Buddhist countries, and symbolise symbolize the Buddha’s presence, as they are believed to be the imprints where the Buddha actually touched the ground. At the same time, the Buddhapada signify the Buddha’s absence,…

Ema – the Japanese wishing plaque

Anybody visiting a japanese shrine must have seen the characteristic Ema boards or wishing plaques, covered in writting or artwork. Originally a Shinto custom, and therefore common in shrines, but they can also be found in Buddhist temples. Ema actually means horse picture. Horses were considered the vehicle of gods and therefore horses were often…

Candles and Incense

Often in front of the main temple there is a candle stand and an incense burner. Before praying one lights a candle and/or incense stick. The offering of candles is to shine a light on the darkness of the world and create the correct path towards Buddha. Candles are an age old traditional part of…

Japan is different – taxi, futon, eating, distance and trash

I’ve already mentioned trains, toilets and white gloves, here are 5 more differences between between Europe and Japan. Taxi red and green The first time I tried to hail a taxi, they all drove past. As in many countries, Japanese taxis have a red and green light on the roof. I let the taxis with…

Torii gates

Torii, the iconically Japanese gateways that typically mark the entrance to Shinto shrines are ubiquitous all over the country, and are even used as a symbol on maps to mark the location of a shrine. The torii marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred. The torri above and below is an icon of…

Kannon – goddess of compassion and mercy

One of the most common figures encountered in Japanese temples is Kannon-sama, in English, the goddess of compassion and mercy and in Japanese as Kanzeon Bosatsu. Like Jizo, Kannon is not a Buddha, but a Bodhisattva, a being who is able to achieve Nirvana but delays doing so through compassion for suffering beings. Kannon is…

Japan is different – toilets

In the same way that Japan is at the technological forefront when it comes to trains, so it is with toilets. Warm toilet seats, integrated bidet with sprinkle or shower, water pressure level, positioning (and much more), automatic flushing when you stand up, and even a water sound simulator to drown out the sound of…

Shitenno – the four heavenly kings

The Shitennō are Buddhist protectors of the four directions. They ward off evil, guard the nation, and protect the world from malicious spirits, hence the Japanese term Gose Shitennō, literally “four world-protecting deva kings.” Each represents a direction, season, color, virtue, and element. They are almost always depicted wearing armor and holding weapons, and are…

Lanterns

Lanterns come in many shapes and sizes in Japan, as through the most of Asia. They are used in temples, on the way to temples, at festivals and not least in front of restaurants and peoples homes during festivals. The featured picture, above, is taken from my trip to Japan in 2014, where lanterns are…

Japan is different – trains

The Japanese love trains – no matter if it’s a ultra-modern high speed bullet train, or very slow local train – and local trains are very slow. You can see this in many different ways. Japan rail personel salute the incoming shinkansen, the platform supervisor salutes the leaving train. Train conductors bow and say hello…

Jizo – guardian of travellers, children, and motherhood

One of Japan’s most beloved deities, Jizō is the guardian of travellers, the hell realm, children, and motherhood. Everywhere in Japan, at busy intersections, at roadsides, in graveyards, in temples, and along hiking trails, one will find statues of Jizō Bosatsu decked in clothing, wearing a red or white cap and bib, adorned with toys,…

Omikuji – Fortune telling

At visits to shrines and temples, many Japanese draw a piece of paper called Omikuji, that tells their fortune for the next year. Omikuji has nearly 1000 years of history and is said to have started when people drew lots to hear a divine opinion on such things as predicting government decisions or choosing a…

Japan is different – white gloves

Something I noticed when travelling around Japan was the number of people wearing white gloves. Almost all drivers – taxi drivers, bus drivers and train drivers and conductors, most often, but not always wear white gloves. But it’s not only drivers- the police and postal workers also wear them. When I looked into it, there…

Shrines and Temples – how they differ

In difference to the West, the Japanese do not identify with a specific religion. In fact, there’s a common saying that the Japanese are born Shinto, marry Christian, and die Buddhist. Because of this fluidity, it’s not uncommon to see shrines on temple grounds and vice versa. The biggest difference between a Shrine and a…

Buddhist Statues

Nobody can have visited an Asian country without wondering about the many different statues at temples, in parks, along paths etc. Along the Shikoku 88 route, within the main hall of each temple, there is a statue of the main deity, which is considered to be the central religious figure of each site. A deity…

Godai – the five elements of Japanese culture

The word godai combines the kanji for five (go) and great (dai), the name for one of the fundamental concepts in Japanese culture, the five elements: earth, water, fire, wind and void. The gorintou is the three-dimensional representation of the five elemnents, perhaps best described as a stack of geometric forms: at the bottom the square representing earth; above…

Fudo Myoo – the immovable wisdom king

Myo-o is the Japanese term for Sanskrit “Vidyaraja,” a group of warlike and wrathful deities known in English as the Mantra Kings, the Wisdom Kings, or the Knowledge Kings. Myo-o statues appear ferocious and menacing, with threatening postures and faces designed to subdue evil and frighten unbelievers into accepting Buddhist law. They represent the wisdom of…