Imagine being all surrounded by water, everywhere you look right outside your front door. To go anywhere, you must take pull the boat around and paddle. Going to school requires a 10 minute paddle. Need veggies for dinner? Better…
My first exorcism at Fukagawa Fudo Temple
Today, I went to my first exorcism. The Buddhist ceremony at Fukagawa Fudo Temple was one of the most fascinating hours of my trip so far. Viewers sat in rows behind the priest and when the chanting started, you could…
One Month of Travel – Update
I realized the other day that we are almost at the one month mark of our travels. In some respects, packing up and leaving Portland feels so distant but at the same time, the trip feels like it is flying…
Pretending to be Samurai
The past couple of days, we pretended we were samurai and nobles hiking the Nakasendo Trail. Many centuries ago, the Nakasendo Trail was a main thoroughfare between Japan’s old capital of Kyoto to Edo, the city currently known as Tokyo. …
Thousands of Torii Gates at Fushimi Inari Shrine
Today, I learned the color of vermilion. Apparently, this orange–red color is so disliked by evil spirits that many shrines and places of honor in Japan are painted in this bright orange color. Today, we went to Fushimi Inari shrine…
Feeding Deer at Todaiji Temple
Today we went to Todaiji Temple, home of the largest bronze statue of Buddha in the world and one of the largest wooden structures in the world. The temple is in Nara, about an hour south of Kyoto by train. …
The Golden Pavilion
We got to go to Kinkakuji today. Also called the Golden Pavilion, Kinkakuji is a Buddhist hall on the north side of Kyoto containing relics of Buddha. Formerly a retirement villa for Shogun Askikaga Yoshimitsu, the top two levels of…
Great Days on Miyajima
Miyajima is known for one of the quintessential images of Japan… the floating torii gate. While the torri gate does not actually float in the water, the iconic image of the torii gate surrounded by its own reflections in the…
Hike to Mitaki Temple and the Bamboo Forest
We did a fun hike yesterday to the top of Mitaki (Three Waterfall) Temple. An employee at our hotel told us about it, and boy was it a real treat! We left Hiroshima station, the prefecture’s largest station and a…
Visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial
On Wednesday, we visited the Hiroshima Peace Park, including the Atomic Bomb Dome, the Children’s Peace Memorial, the Flame of Peace, and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. It was very moving and very powerful for all of us. It is…