Sigh, seems like age is catching up with me... The other day a lil boy at the tennis courts called me 'auntie' even though I was dressed in a relatively youthful-looking outfit... Hai, old = old huh, even dressing doesn't help... :P
Then this afternoon my "beloved" colleague gave me a most "flattering" nickname..."rou4 rou4". this is her second time telling me that I actually have arms that are nice to pinch... I rebutted that's cos she has been pinching ppl with bony, fleshless arms. HMPH! Though she tried really hard to make amends afterwards, I told her I'd remember her remark FOREVER. Actually I am relatively unaffected by her frivolous comment since I think that it isn't entirely justified, but you know, today the evil streak in me was itching to induce guilt in someone... :P
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Japan Winter 08/09 - New Year Special
Hee, finally got down to writing this 2nd post on Japan trip...Feel like I've had very decent work-life balance the past week, what with movies, tennis and chilling out with dear frens; some of whom I only see on yearly basis... :(
So after some 4 days of snowy adventure, the minshuku gang left the relatively uncrowded countryside and arrived in big-cityish Kyoto some 3 hrs later... Trip was planned such that we would spend New Year's Eve in Kyoto... since we could then witness the new year rituals/ festivities during Japanese New Year (正月 - pronounced as shogatsu). Kyoto was supposed to be MY destination, since I was clearly the most beguiled by guide books (they all hail Kyoto as THE quintessential Japanese destination). But lazy me clearly didn't do as much preparation as I should have, esp given my pre-trip enthusiasm... hee. Nonetheless, we got on fine (I think? ;P), and with the very extensive and tourist-friendly bus network, still managed to visit the key attractions Kyoto was famous for.
Apparently on New Year's Eve in Japan, most temples will ring the temple bell 108 times to "ring in" the new year... Apparently this is to curb the 108 mortal desires, which according to Buddhist belief, torment humankind. To witness this special bell-ringing, we set off at 10 something from our hostel to one of the more famous temples in the vicinity, Chion-in Temple... Unfortunately the buses headed towards our destination were all packed with the new year crowds, so we ended up taking a night stroll towards the temple....
Along the way we sighted hordes of people at the entrance of Yasaka Shrine (a pretty famous shrine in Kyoto)... Well, the original grand plan was to visit the temple and head over to a nearby shrine (the Japanese also have this tradition of visiting a Shinto shrine for new year... the first visit to a shrine for the year is termed 'hatsumode' and I guess it makes practical sense to do the temple ringing/shrine visit together...) Not so surprisingly, we were "immobilised" for a good half hour in the human jam while walking thru Yasaka Shrine and never made it to the temple... And so ended up ushering the new year in the middle of a human jam flanked by Japanese-style pasar malam stalls on both sides... ;)
Lanterns at Yasaka Shrine...
At the shrine, you can browse through a variety of new year merchandise for good fortune/health/warding off evil forces; from protective charms to... "demon-slaying arrows" (hamaya) :P
Or make a new year wish for your loved ones :)
More new year crowds at Fushimi Inari Shrine, late morning on Jan 1st (The one with the impressive tunnel of red torii gates)
This was also my first encounter with the omikuji (fortunes in the Japanese context, similar to what ppl do in Chinese temples here too), and the creepy omikuji machine... which we first chanced upon in a shrine in Takayama. We were curious what the machine does, and so I put in a 100 yen coin to test it out... This at once triggered the Japanese doll (originally positioned towards the fortune-seeker and standing right under the torii gate. she holds like a mini tray, i guess meant for collecting the fortune), who turns back into the temple-looking enclosure at the back.... We simultaneously screamed when that happened... Cos i mean, it was just kinda creepy... haha. When she like 'came out' again, we figured that the machine had run out of fortunes cos her tray was empty and there was nothing for us to 'collect'... Oh well, so no fortune for me. Both S and J were visibly relieved at the absence of any fortune, but somehow I lingered on... feeling a bit cheated... Our conjectures were subsequently confirmed by a staff who came out to put a "no more fortunes for the day" sign across the coin slot minutes after we tried it out...
Stole a shot of a Japanese lady reading her omikuji... I figured it must have been a decent one! We saw many Japanese tying their fortunes after reading them... but had no idea why... After reading up more on omikujis, I realised that there were many varying degrees of good/bad luck... And so you keep your blessings and tie your curses on the structures provided.... Makes sense i guess. Weird to say this, but the curses made a pretty sight... And so I was rather obsessed with them :P More omikuji shots taken at Fushimi Inari Shrine and temple in Asakusa...
Hee, stay tuned for the 3rd instalment of other random pics from my trip.... When I feel hardworking enough again :)
Hee, finally got down to writing this 2nd post on Japan trip...Feel like I've had very decent work-life balance the past week, what with movies, tennis and chilling out with dear frens; some of whom I only see on yearly basis... :(
So after some 4 days of snowy adventure, the minshuku gang left the relatively uncrowded countryside and arrived in big-cityish Kyoto some 3 hrs later... Trip was planned such that we would spend New Year's Eve in Kyoto... since we could then witness the new year rituals/ festivities during Japanese New Year (正月 - pronounced as shogatsu). Kyoto was supposed to be MY destination, since I was clearly the most beguiled by guide books (they all hail Kyoto as THE quintessential Japanese destination). But lazy me clearly didn't do as much preparation as I should have, esp given my pre-trip enthusiasm... hee. Nonetheless, we got on fine (I think? ;P), and with the very extensive and tourist-friendly bus network, still managed to visit the key attractions Kyoto was famous for.
Apparently on New Year's Eve in Japan, most temples will ring the temple bell 108 times to "ring in" the new year... Apparently this is to curb the 108 mortal desires, which according to Buddhist belief, torment humankind. To witness this special bell-ringing, we set off at 10 something from our hostel to one of the more famous temples in the vicinity, Chion-in Temple... Unfortunately the buses headed towards our destination were all packed with the new year crowds, so we ended up taking a night stroll towards the temple....
Along the way we sighted hordes of people at the entrance of Yasaka Shrine (a pretty famous shrine in Kyoto)... Well, the original grand plan was to visit the temple and head over to a nearby shrine (the Japanese also have this tradition of visiting a Shinto shrine for new year... the first visit to a shrine for the year is termed 'hatsumode' and I guess it makes practical sense to do the temple ringing/shrine visit together...) Not so surprisingly, we were "immobilised" for a good half hour in the human jam while walking thru Yasaka Shrine and never made it to the temple... And so ended up ushering the new year in the middle of a human jam flanked by Japanese-style pasar malam stalls on both sides... ;)
Lanterns at Yasaka Shrine...
At the shrine, you can browse through a variety of new year merchandise for good fortune/health/warding off evil forces; from protective charms to... "demon-slaying arrows" (hamaya) :P
Or make a new year wish for your loved ones :)
More new year crowds at Fushimi Inari Shrine, late morning on Jan 1st (The one with the impressive tunnel of red torii gates)
This was also my first encounter with the omikuji (fortunes in the Japanese context, similar to what ppl do in Chinese temples here too), and the creepy omikuji machine... which we first chanced upon in a shrine in Takayama. We were curious what the machine does, and so I put in a 100 yen coin to test it out... This at once triggered the Japanese doll (originally positioned towards the fortune-seeker and standing right under the torii gate. she holds like a mini tray, i guess meant for collecting the fortune), who turns back into the temple-looking enclosure at the back.... We simultaneously screamed when that happened... Cos i mean, it was just kinda creepy... haha. When she like 'came out' again, we figured that the machine had run out of fortunes cos her tray was empty and there was nothing for us to 'collect'... Oh well, so no fortune for me. Both S and J were visibly relieved at the absence of any fortune, but somehow I lingered on... feeling a bit cheated... Our conjectures were subsequently confirmed by a staff who came out to put a "no more fortunes for the day" sign across the coin slot minutes after we tried it out...
Stole a shot of a Japanese lady reading her omikuji... I figured it must have been a decent one! We saw many Japanese tying their fortunes after reading them... but had no idea why... After reading up more on omikujis, I realised that there were many varying degrees of good/bad luck... And so you keep your blessings and tie your curses on the structures provided.... Makes sense i guess. Weird to say this, but the curses made a pretty sight... And so I was rather obsessed with them :P More omikuji shots taken at Fushimi Inari Shrine and temple in Asakusa...
Hee, stay tuned for the 3rd instalment of other random pics from my trip.... When I feel hardworking enough again :)
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