Special Water and the Way of Praying

This describes a water tub.

There is this in the shrine. The use of this water is not drinking, (but if you want to drink, it is O.K.!),but washing your hands before you pray to Japanese God for anything.

The reason why Japanese do that is to purge themselves of sin. When you pray to God, you absolutely put your hands together in front of your face. At the time, if your hands become corrupted and you pray to God with these hands, it is very rude at God in Japan. Therefore, you must wash your hands when you pray to Japanese God!! If you forget to do that, your wish does not come true!!

Next, I will explain the way of praying.I got the information from my grandmother.

At first, you throw in a coin into a offering box. Next, you have to bow once and clap your hands twice before you pray. After praying, you do not forget to bow once. That's all!!

Next time, you have the opportunity to go to the shrine, let's try do this!!

Toyohashi Shrine!!

This picture was taken in my hometown, too. It shows Toyohashi shrine.

Usually, nothing happen in this place, but once a year in October the festival is held there. At that time, neighbors come here and see a lot of fireworks. However, the fireworks that are played in this place are a little bit different. The way of fireworks is that people hold a cylinder tha t was rolled with rope and the fireworks are fired from the top of it. It is not that everybody can do this fireworks. People who can do fireworks only take part in chounaikai.

If you want to do fireworks, please join chounaikai!!

Park♪♪

This picture was taken in my hometown, Toyohashi, Aichi. Have you ever been to Aichi? ;)

This picture describes a park, but this park is not usual!! Usually this park is used by a lot of childen who come to the park with their mother rather than father. At that time, their mother talk with each other about neighbors while they watch thier children play. Especially, they talk about not so good content, in short, rumor!! The rumor easily spread over the town because they talk to their family about the information taht they get in this park, and their family speak to their friends.

So, please be careful not to do something bad when you come to my hometown!! ;)

Koinobori

This picture is carp-shaped streamer, in Japanese "koinobori". Koinoborio is a mark that there is a boy in a family and they tell the God that please protect him from somthing bad. In additoin, a carp is the creature that can live in any conditinon, even if they are ont only in a crean stream but also a pond. For this reason, display of koinobori means the wishes of family that children will grow up strong as a carp. Moreover, the Chinese tradition describes that the carp climbed in a fast river, rose in waterwall and transform into a dragon. These are the explanations of carp-shaped streamer!!

First Sunrise on January 1st in 2008

This is my first contribution about Japan!!

I will explain the left picture. This picture was taken on January 1st in 2008. As you see this picture, it is sunrise. However, it is not just usual sunrise, but special one because it is the reason why this was taken on Jan 1st. Why the sunrise on Jan 1st is special is Japanese think if you see the sunrise on Jan 1st, you have good things in that year. Therefore, in Japan, the sunrise on Jan 1st is viewed as a bringer of good luck. So if you come to Japan on Jan 1st, I recommend you to see the sunrise. You might have good things ;>