Posted on January 13th, 2010
By Josh
Recently, I had the good fortune to be able to go on a trip to Ise with my wife and a friend of ours. Ise is a very old and traditional place in Japan with a great deal of historical significance. It’s also very cold. Our main objective was a visit to Ise Jingu, the large Shinto shrine there. Apparently it was a good idea, because the rest of Japan decided to join us there. As anyone who has ever lived in Tokyo knows, it’s a very rare case indeed to go anywhere without a hazardously large amount of people. I had hoped that Ise, being far out in the countryside, would be different. It was not.
Continue reading A Trip to Ise
Posted on January 5th, 2010
By Josh
Hello again, and Happy New Year! It’s a bit late, I know, but in Japan New Year celebrations extend beyond just the 1st of January. I do use the term celebration rather loosely here, as the Japanese traditions surrounding the new year are much different from those of most western cultures. For example, there generally aren’t many countdown parties. For most people the sunrise of the first day is considered more significant than the stroke of midnight. As such, one tradition here is to climb Mt. Fuji New Year’s Eve night and watch the sunrise from the peak. I imagine this tradition is particularly popular with people who enjoy freezing and falling down a lot. But of course the festivities don’t end there!
Continue reading A New Year!
