Japan 2019

Thursday7November

Waking up at Hotel Lore Shinsaibashi.

First visit of the day to the small Namba Jinja temple.

Religion in Japan is equally divided between Buddhism and Shintoism. The line between the two is sometimes very blurry, as symbols of both religions can be found in temples. The basic difference, however, is simple: Buddhists follow the teachings of Buddha, while Shintoists worship a plethora of gods called "Kamis".

Before presenting themselves before the temple, the worshipper must purify themselves ("O-harai") with a ladle ("Hishaku") and water available in basins called "Chōzubachi".

With the help of the ladle or hishaku, the worshipper washes their left hand, then their right hand, and finally their mouth.

Another inseparable element of Shintoism: the Ema, a wooden plaque where the worshipper writes a wish or prayer for the Kamis (Shinto gods). The equivalent of Christian ex-votos.

Etymologically, Ema means "horse picture" because originally the drawing of a horse adorned the wish written on the plaque. Now, many other drawings accompany the piece of wood. Here, we recognize a red "daruma," which represents the monk Bodhidharma, founder of the Zen branch of Buddhism. When the figurine is red, it serves to ward off evil spirits...

The Daruma also gives way to the wild boar and the Shinto priest.

In front of the temple, you will always find a large box with a grid closing it. Oh no, it's not a barbecue, it's a "saisenbako"!   This good-sized piece of furniture placed at the entrance of the temple is there to receive offerings from worshippers. Indeed, the generous donor will throw one or two coins into this box, and only then can they come and ring the temple gong with a large rope.

Before ringing the gong and after the offering, you will also need to greet the gods by notifying them of your presence by clapping your hands twice.   If in doubt, follow the explanatory sign for the said ritual...

If your wish is to acquire a Ferrari at a lower cost, then things are well arranged because you just have to cross the adjacent street to enter the dealership provided for this purpose...  

Big city rhymes with subway. Here we are at Shinsaibashi station.

No crowds here. The Japanese reputation is confirmed. People who want to board the train line up single file on each side of the door, patiently waiting for passengers to exit. Inside, it's a monastic silence. Few people chat amongst themselves. Everyone remains quiet in their own space, glancing at their smartphone or vaguely looking at their feet or those of their neighbor opposite... glasses.gif

We arrive in front of a shōtengai, the name given to long, completely covered shopping streets, a common feature in Japan. Here we are in front of the Tenjinbashi Suji one.

The street is 2.6 kilometers long with no less than 600 shops of all kinds...

The Shinto Tenmangu Shrine is dedicated to the kami Tenjin, the god of literature and scholarship. Many students therefore come here to maximize their chances of success by imploring the deity to remove all possible obstacles...

Entire walls of Ema plaques, so many difficult tasks for the kami Tenjin to execute. yes.gif

On the right, an origami paper garland, and more precisely a garland of a thousand cranes or "senbazuru".

"The legend of a thousand cranes says that if one folds a thousand paper cranes in a year, held together by a string, one can see their wish for health, longevity, love, or happiness granted. For the wish, luck, or health to come true, one must make the senbazuru for a very specific person and say a prayer with each completed crane." © Wikipedia

The temple with the saisenbako in front, where the worshipper will have placed a coin before bowing and clapping their hands.

Sake barrels. This alcoholic beverage, the result of rice fermentation, is very useful for toasting with friends but becomes sacred within a temple... The liquid is used as holy water in various Shinto rites.

We find the purification fountain, "Chōzubachi" and its ladles "Hishaku".

We will encounter traditional ceremonies almost every time in each of the temples we visit. Here, a child in ceremonial attire follows the instructions of equally well-dressed adults. The one in the photo on the right is the priest, or Kannushi, recognizable by his eboshi headwear.

Tip and trick to not lose the little ones you're in charge of: dress each of them in an identical, brightly colored headwear, easily visible from a distance... glasses.gif

Snake, dragon, and rabbit, the 3 guardians of this house but also signs of the Japanese zodiac adopted from the Chinese zodiac.

A small gallery of little scenes from traditional Japanese life.

The staging is masterfully enhanced by small figurines dressed in traditional clothes tailored to their size.

Each temple has its "suzu", the gong that is rung with a thick rope to attract the attention of the Kami gods.

Other inseparable symbols of Shinto temples are foxes (which we had seen in the flesh on Hokkaido Island), representations of the god Inari, guardian of homes.

The two Inaris are adorned with red cloth bibs also called "odarekake". This additional accessory adds a protective dimension for infants to the statue.

And there you have it, a second Shinto temple visited, and it's not the last! For now, we're heading back to the Tenjinbashi Suji shōtengai.

We take the Morimachi subway line to reach our next visit, Osaka Castle.

Osaka Castle is undoubtedly the city's most beautiful jewel. We arrive via the large square and its fountain.

In the distance, beyond its moats, the immense silhouette of the 16th-century edifice makes itself desired.

The moats are lined with Japanese cherry trees (Prunus serrulata). While people often come from afar for their beauty when they are in bloom in May, November is not to be outdone with its autumn colors.

Japanese people do not hesitate to wear their finest clothes when visiting temples or other architectural heritage sites.

Ah, we find the numerous schoolchildren here. Their yellow caps will serve as a landmark in the upcoming crowd...

The castle moats with the Osaka Business Park district in the background.

We approach the castle, which grows larger as we get closer.

The 5-story building is 58 meters high, elevated on an enormous base of large stones.

Compulsory uniform for female and male students.

While the first castle was built in 1583, it was rebuilt in 1620 after a fire. The irregular stone blocks are laid without mortar...

Here we are inside the castle, transformed into a museum. Here, small figurines recount the siege of the castle during the summer war in 1615.

After 3D, 2D.

On the 5th floor, the balcony becomes accessible to enjoy the beautiful panorama of Osaka city.

Japanese castles do not have gargoyles to adorn their roofs but "Shachihoko", a mystical hybrid animal with a fish body and a tiger head, here clad in gold... glasses.gif

Photo on the right: Osaka Museum of History

On the left, the Osaka-jō Hall performance venue. On the right, the Baseball field, one of the main sports played in Japan.

Photo on the right, the forty-ecu tree, a majestic Ginkgo biloba facing the castle.

Lunch break at Kitashinchi Toriya restaurant with its breaded chicken and soybean sprouts served in its sizzling cast iron dish, which reminds me of the succulent "Sizzler" dish I enjoyed so much in Nepal... yes.gif

A few streets crossed during our peregrination.

The old red tram. No. 502 to be precise...

Next stop, Osaka's Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine. This shrine venerates the three Sumiyoshi kami. It is the largest of its kind in Japan. We arrive via the red arched bridge ("taikobashi" in Japanese), which is at least 400 years old.

This tree is adorned with a "shimenawa", a sacred rope made of rice straw indicating to passersby that we are entering a territory dedicated to the various Kami gods.

The vermilion color, leaning towards orange, is characteristic of Shinto temples; it certainly contrasts with their natural setting of more vegetal hues.

The usual "Ema" ex-votos, wish plaques intended for the Kami gods of the site.

A small warehouse where small statuettes in disarray await to be placed on the stalls of the shrine's shops.

Like Ema plaques, we also often find "omikuji", strips of paper tied to a support. The paper bears an oracle or prediction drawn by lot beforehand in the shrine by the Shinto devotee. Omikuji means "sacred lottery"! That's what you call practicing your religion by pure chance! chuckle.gif

Contrary to appearances, we did not return to the Tenjinbashi Suji shōtengai but to another shōtengai, that of Kohama Shopping Street.

The sun is about to set, so we're going to take advantage of the coming night to watch the city light up. To do this, we'll gain some height by ascending to the top of one of Osaka's many towers, the Abeno Harukas tower. And not just any tower, as it's the tallest skyscraper in Japan at 300 meters! But be careful, it's not the tallest building; that's in Tokyo with the SkyTree tower and its 634 meters!

I leave my camera's shutter open for a few seconds so that the car headlights draw a river of yellow and red lights in one of the city's main arteries.

The panorama can be observed from 2 floors of the building. The first even offers a small wooded park.  

We were only on the 16th floor... Let's fly up to the 60th floor at 300 meters high!   The ascent is made by an elevator with a glass ceiling to appreciate the rapid climb...

The change of perspective is radical, the skyscrapers have become tiny and the small lights cover the entire city.

We are not yet on the 60th floor but on the 58th... We still have to go up two floors to get a thrill at 300 meters high by letting ourselves swing into the void attached to chairs!    

One tower is not enough for us. We take the subway again to reach Umeda Sky which will offer us a nice view at 173 meters.

Arrival at the foot of the Umeda Sky Tower.

The two towers are joined by a 360° observatory platform reflecting in the tower walls, giving the illusion of 3 luminous rings...

Here we are at the top, almost at the height of the Moon, which honors us with its presence.

Osaka Station, the nerve center of the district with its business areas and its share of buildings that go with it.

The lights of cars and trains cross the Yodo River (Yodo-gawa in Japanese) which flows through the city from East to West.

In the distance, the luminous trails of planes landing at Osaka's second airport, 10 kilometers away, are added.

Cheer up! And above all, lock them up!  

Return via Osaka Station.

Then by Umeda Metro Station.

Tomorrow, we will take the train to reach the old city of Nara to spend the day there!