Our Shrine

We are lucky enough to have both a Buddhist temple and a Shinto shrine in our neighborhood! Both shrines and temples are incredibly common in Japan and can be found just about anywhere you look. Shintoism is the indigenous religion of Japan and is as old as the country itself. It means "way of the gods" and is very nature based. Shinto recognizes that everything in the universe, including rocks, trees, etc, have a spirit. Even actions and different cycles of nature have spirits representing each moment. It is said that Shinto has over 8 million spirits or gods to assist with every aspect of life. This, of course, is a very simplified, quick explanation of Shintoism, as it is a very ancient, complex belief system that has evolved slowly throughout history. One of the biggest impacts on Shintoism occurred when the Koreans introduced Buddhism to Japan 1500 years ago. Buddhism has had a huge influence on Japan, with about 33% of Japanese identifying as Buddhist.

Currently, there is a movement to revive Shinto in its original form. Many people dislike how modernized Shinto has become, since now it is heavily mixed with Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. This type is known as Koshinto, which means "old shinto", and is dedicated to practicing Shintoism in its purest, ancient form before outside religious influence came to be.

Shinto shrines and sacred places are always marked with a torri gate. It is through this large structure that you enter the space. Before you can enter, you must cleanse yourself with water that is usually provided by a well near the gate. You use a ladle to pour water over your left hand first, then over your right hand, then you fill your cupped hand with water, sip it from your hand, swish it around your mouth and spit it out. The left over water is carefully poured on the ground and the ladle is placed back on the well.

When I visited our shrine, there were many beautiful things to see. I even found a cat there! He was napping in the bushes. I love our neighborhood - there is always something to explore!

Temple Visitor

There is a Buddhist temple in our neighborhood. I was walking home one day and looked up and a black kite was perched on the hand railing at the very top of the hill. The temple sits at the top of a very big hill, which has steps (a LOT of steps) going straight to the top. I stood there and watched the kite for several minutes, then he swooped down the length of the stairs and straight over my head. It was amazing!

Large Butterfly

I see magnificent butterflies here all the time. They come in wild, vibrant colors, and are more beautiful than any I've ever seen in America. I wish I could get pictures of them. I've never seen one light for a second; they are constantly moving and fluttering nonstop. This one I found in my backyard, puddling liquid from the rain-soaked concrete. I got one ok picture and decided to take a video instead. If you watch closely 9 seconds into the video, you can see the butterfly eject liquid from the end of its abdomen. Butterflies do this as they take in liquid and filter it through their body.



This is one variant of the Great Mormon butterfly, which is found throughout Asia. They are huge - this one was the size of my whole hand held flat. It was black with blue iridescent scales on its wings, and white spots on its head. It was beautiful! Click below for the video.

Beautiful Japanese Great Mormon Butterfly

Newest Addition!

We adopted two little girly rats! They are 19 months old and are named Nova and Nebula. We just got them yesterday, so expect more pictures soon!

And.... More Flowers!

I swear, every time I leave the house, new flowers are in bloom! Such vibrant beauties growing in gardens, along the streets, in planters, and even out of the cracks in cement. It's amazing! I loved the pink rose, but the purple flower really caught my eye. It was growing from a huge bunch of bulbs sitting in a bowl of water outside of a local shop. Even its leaves were gorgeous, and the flower reminded me of a peacock feather.

Eel - It's What's for Dinner

Kroger back home has the lobster tank, but our local Japanese grocery store has an eel tank!

Pretty Flowers

Found some more beautiful flowers out in town!