We went to the onsen spa with a nickname implying that the hot spring waters make you beautiful (美人湯). Actually this time the weather was so nice that I cut out and hiked up a canyon along a river (摂津峡).

Our city Takatsuki (高槻市) is midway between Ōsaka and Kyōto. We can walk to two major train stations. The mountains are about a 20-minute drive. Takatsuki is little known, barely within the largest 50 Japanese cities, with a population of 350,000. There have been archaeological discoveries, moving the Yayoi Period back to 500 BC, a huge keyhole-shaped tumulus of a 6th Century Emperor, and an excavated factory that made his adorable terracotta figures. A thousand years ago this area was home to Heian Period aristocrats, then 400+ years ago there was a Christian Daimyō. By superimposing an old map onto a present one, I found that our land used to be home to samurai within the outer moat of Takatsuki Castle.

#Japan #lifestyle #history #nature #agriculture #river #photos #photography

Green and more green: the season of new leaves in Japan. At Kyōto Imperial Palace (京都御所) I went into the former residence area of Emperors. Plus, from the northernmost subway station in the city, I walked around Treasure Pond (宝ヶ池公園), where I spotted a shy doe, oh deer!

It was during this season that my haiku in Japanese was published in the national Asahi Haidan, with a circulation of about eight million households at the time:

若葉には　枝に世界が　回るやう　(全国版朝日俳壇)
To young leaves
The world seems
To spin on a branch

For criteria on making or judging real haiku in languages other than Japanese, read:
"Internationalizing the Essence of Haiku Poetry":
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323187189

Download my published haiku, the Bilingual Haiku Scroll (和英俳句の掛け軸), with some of my best Kyōto photos representing the four seasons:
https://researchmap.jp/waoe/works/30809211/attachment_file.pdf

#haiku #poetry #Japan #Kyoto #palace #pond #green #leaves #trees #Emperor #Imperial #garden #architecture #culture #travel #sightseeing #photos #photography

Retired in April, yet still have invited presentations in May, June, and July. The May presentation is designed for a study abroad program in Ōsaka to students from the ArtCenter College of Design in California:
"Entering the Japanese Religious Imagination"

This presentation is intended to inspire young people's imagination while outlining Japan's history and religions: Shintō, Buddhism, Folk Religions, and Syncretism (mixing and matching religions). It starts with what the earliest settlers over 30,000 years ago probably experienced, and then subdivides the periods of Japanese history to show their different character. There are photos of Buddhist temples, Shintō shrines, and major festivals of Kyōto. You can read three deeply moving legends after a slide of questions about the East Asian values and ways of thinking the legends represent.

Slideshow: http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.23466.32965

#Japan #religion #religions #Buddhism #Shinto #imagination #temple #shrine #festival

@religion @ @mythology

The unique Buddhist temple Otagi Nembutsuji (愛宕念仏寺) deep in a canyon in northwest Arashiyama in Kyōto has had a long and complicated history, but its distinctiveness today stems from the 20th Century when a head priest commissioned the carving of over a thousand stone rakan (羅漢, based on arhats, adept disciples of the Buddha). Each statue is unique, unlike the stereotype of Asians, and some are really funny. The moss in this shady side of the mountain also adds to their character, sometimes like hair.

#Japan #Kyoto #sculpture #travel #sightseeing #unique #Buddhism #funny #humor #photos #photography

Enjoy various scenes around Arashiyama, the area of Kyōto with the most nature and traditional Japanese architecture: 1) The legendary Moon-Crossing Bridge (渡月橋), 2) Yaezakura (八重桜), a late-blossoming type of sakura with many petals, 3) Traditional architecture deep in a mountain canyon, and 4) The little-known lookout over the river and gorgeous gorge.

#Japan #Kyoto #Arashiyama #nature #architecture #sakura #travel #sightseeing #photos #photography

The unique Arashiyama temple Otagi Nembutsuji (愛宕念仏寺) deep in a canyon in northwest Kyōto has had a long and complicated history, but its distinctiveness today stems from the 20th Century when a head priest commissioned the carving of over a thousand stone rakan (羅漢, based on arhats, adept disciples of the Buddha). Each statue is unique, unlike the stereotype of Asians, and some are really funny. The moss in this shady side of the mountain also adds to their character, sometimes like hair.

#Japan #Kyoto # religion #Buddhism #stone #sculpture #moss #travel #sightseeing #photos #photography

We visited a hidden Christian village (隠れキリシタンの里) in the nearby mountains, where the faithful hid their Christianity from the Shōgunate. They lived in remote areas, such as our city halfway between Ōsaka and Kyōto. The chapel museum (first photo) preserves their Edo Period history. They arranged with a Buddhist temple to give it their support in return for hiding their religious symbols among those of Buddhism.

Coincidentally, my previous post was about a Shintō shrine with a rare 3-legged torii gate, which some sources attribute to hidden Christians viewing them as the Trinity. However, the torii allude to the three-legged crow Yatagarasu, which I found goes back to Chinese and Korean mythology.

We also visited the nearby reconstructed factory site (史跡新池ハニワ工場) that produced early 6th Century haniwa terracotta figures entombed as companions of Emperor Keitai in the huge Imashirozuka Kofun raised-mound tumulus.

#Japan #religion #history #Christianity #Buddhism

@religion @histodons

My wife and our friend found an ancient Shintō shrine full of lore that was nevertheless deserted on a busy weekend in Kyōto. Konoshima Jinja (木嶋神社) or Kaiko no Yashiro (蚕の社) features a rare three-legged torii gate, symbolizing stability and a connection between the spiritual and physical realms. Going back as far as the beginning of the 8th Century, considerably before Kyōto became the capital, the shrine is mainly dedicated to silkworms, as silk has played an important cultural role in Kyōto's history.

The three-legged torii gate also alludes to the three-legged crow Yatagarasu (八咫烏), regarded as a divine messenger. Important Kyōto shrines like Yasaka Jinja and Kamigamo Jinja along with the Imperial family have associated themselves with the Yatagarasu, yet I found that the cult actually goes back to Chinese and Korean mythology.

Hidden Christians appropriated the 3-legged torii as the Trinity.

#Japan #Kyoto #Shinto #religion #mythology #architecture #history @religion @mythology

Today we got lost on a mountain road but ended up at a beautiful temple I've always wanted to visit. Katsuō-ji (勝尾寺) in northern Ōsaka Prefecture is primarily associated with the Shingon sect, and might go back to Kūkai or earlier, but it also incorporates Daruma (Bodhidharma, who transmitted meditation practices from India to China that in Japan became Zen Buddhism). Yet it is more like folk religion in Japan when people pray to Daruma to achieve their goals. As a testament, innumerable Daruma dolls have been left to decorate Katsuō-ji. The temple is photogenic and, untypical of Japanese architecture that blends with nature, more flashy in colors that appeal to Asian and other tourists. Similarly, chanting of the Heart Sūtra and other Buddhist scriptures is amplified, so the experience is more exciting than contemplative. Having a Shintō shrine in the Buddhist temple, however, is a syncretic practice harking back to Kūkai.

#Japan #Osaka #religion #temple #Buddhism #Shinto
@religion

Documented publication number 255 is confirmed, my short essay "What Intelligence and Genius Actually Are." Besides the magazine subscribers, only a few hundred readers have accessed the free English and Japanese (和訳) versions online, so you might not have enjoyed it yet. Feedback or sharing is most welcome!

"What Intelligence and Genius Actually Are": https://www.researchgate.net/publication/389489782
和訳 (Japanese translation): https://researchmap.jp/waoe/published_papers/49286705

And ... academic life goes on: in the discipline of bilingual education, Google Scholar counted these as citation number 615 of mine, in the abstract and methods sections of a paper by University of Valencia authors: "Data were collected by means of a questionnaire adapted from McCarty (2012a; 2012b)." They cite "Bilingual (英和) series Understanding Bilingual Education": https://works.hcommons.org/records/1f5gw-4xq85
Publications on Bilingualism: https://japanned.hcommons.org/bilingualism

#intelligence #genius #intuition #nature #Japanese #Bilingualism #BilingualEducation

Hiked along the slope of the Eastern Mountains of Kyōto (東山), first up to the little-known Himukai Daijingū (日向大神宮), a little Shintō shrine whose grandiose name borrows from the ancient and most-revered Ise Jingū after which its architecture is modeled. Then to the iconic Zen Buddhist temple Nanzenji (南禅寺), and along Philosophy Road (哲学の道) to the Silver Pavilion Ginkakuji (銀閣寺). Then as now there was a shortage of silver, even to the Ashikaga Shōguns, so the pavilion was never gilded, but with its similarlity to the Golden Pavilion Kinkakuji and topped by a phoenix, it is nevertheless charming. Sakura cherry blossoms at their best all along the way, with other spring flowers like magnolia and early-blossoming purple azaleas, made for a long and aesthetically pleasing hike.

#Japan #Kyoto #mountains #spring #sakura #cherry #blossoms #magnolia #azalea #flowers #Shinto #shrine #Buddhism #Buddhist #temple #hiking #architecture #phoenix #photos #photography

@religion

My wife went with me to Sakura no Miya near Ōsaka Castle where the river is lined by sakura cherry trees. The Ōsaka Mint (大阪造幣局の桜の通り) by the river features several varieties of sakura (most of these photos).

I was concerned that the need for a mobile phone barcode to enter the Mint could exclude most foreigners. This was the only crowd control I've seen this year. If they do that in Kyōto with constant loudspeaker warnings, people won't find the peacefulness they came there for.

My wife looked up the Ōsaka Mint Website on the spot and got the barcode, so we could get in. She took some photos of me, so you can see how I look in my old age, shortly after the catheter operation that fixed my irregular heartbeat. I could walk for over four hours, feeling great since returning home!

Open access publications: https://japanned.hcommons.org

#Japan #Osaka #cherry #trees #blossoms #river #sightseeing #hiking #nature #spring #tourism #photos #photography

South of Kyōto City, the major Shintō shrine closest our house is Nagaoka Tenman-gū (長岡天満宮), associated with the presence of the statesman-scholar Fujiwara Michizane (菅原道真) over a thousand years ago in the Heian Period. He was not the only case of being exiled wrongly by the Imperial court, followed by natural disasters, interpreted as the work of his angry ghost, then being deified as the Shintō kami Tenjin (天神) to supplicate his spirit. Thus the shrine is also called Nagaoka Tenjin (長岡天神). Students facing high-stakes exams have traditionally prayed at the many Tenjin shrines to this god of learning. Today, the large shrine grounds provide a place to walk and commune with nature as well as to worship and to hold hopeful events. Now is peak cherry blossom season, so here are four scenes where I often go for contemplative hikes.

Publications on Japan: https://japanned.hcommons.org/japanology

#Japan #Kyoto #Shinto #shrine #spring #cherry #blossoms #nature #hiking #photos #photography

@religion

A basic walk in Kyoto is from the Kawaramachi Station area along shops to Yasaka Shrine, then Maruyama Park (first photo). But instead of turning right toward the traditional shops along the slope and reaching the world heritage temple Kiyomizudera, I sometimes turn left and go along the slope to Chion-In (other three photos), the national head temple of a Pure Land Buddhist sect. Pure Land Buddhism has the most adherents in Japan, and this is a very large-scale temple for parishioners and members nationwide, rather than a sort of outdoor museum or monument like Kiyomizudera and most other major tourist attractions.

Everywhere in Kyoto and other prefectures is gorgeous during the fleeting cherry blossom viewing season, so any walking route with a lot of cultivated nature is rewarding to experience now.

#Japan #Kyoto #travel #sightseeing #hiking #nature #Japanese #Buddhism #temple #cherry #blossoms #photos #photography

Osaka is the most densely populated prefecture in Japan, and when I walk away from our house near City Hall, I soon get into a bleak industrial and residential area by the river Akutagawa (sound familiar from the literary prize?). However, as in many areas of Japan, elderly volunteers tend a long patch of greenery along the river. Limited to four photos, I cannot show the profusion of early spring flowers, but here are some scenes that show the atmosphere of colorful greenery.

Incidentally, when I was in the hospital I talked in Japanese with a muscular man in his early 70s who had had a heart attack and bypass operation. Since he had a house, I assume he had a family, but the photos he showed me were of the vegetables he grows in a rented patch. Unlike younger people who only seem to want convenience, the man reminded me of the values the elderly volunteers along the river are trying to pass on.

#Japan #Osaka #outdoors #flowers #spring #blossoms #nature #photos #photography

I've just retired from 40 years in Japanese higher education. I'm happy, however, because I'm completely healthy. I just had a catheter operation that fixed the irregular heartbeat that was concerning for several months.

I still belong to the EU-Asia digital partnerships grant project, and a long presentation on Japan to students from California is scheduled for May.

I'm already back to outdoor activities, as you can see with these photos of sakura cherry blossoms in the castle ruins park near our house.

#retirement #Japan #university #Osaka #health #heart #catheter #heartbeat #outdoors #cherry #blossoms #sightseeing #travel #nature #park #photos #photography

I've been taking care of our older son, who is in his mid-30s. You might think it would be the opposite with his old man, but this is Japan, and unconditional love can appear one-sided. He is an IT manager in Tōkyō and can work mostly from home, or from our home. Since he has been living in such an urban environment, I took him on a nice nature course in northern Kyōto City from Kitaōji along the Kamo River quite a distance north, to the great shrine Kamigamo Jinja, and then to the Kyōto Botanical Garden (京都北部の北大路駅↬鴨川沿い↬上賀茂神社↬京都府立植物園). In all we went over 12,000 steps, and our son also conked out when we got back.

Publications on Japan: https://japanned.hcommons.org/japanology

#Japan #Kyoto #travel #sightseeing #hiking #nature #Shinto #blossoms #humor #photos #photography

@LingF @philosophy

Shu-iro (朱色) or vermilion does strike a contrast with the sky or most greenery, except when it matches the autumn maple leaves. We see vermilion often in Shintō shrine torii gates, or the ink for stamping our chop.

Plum blossoms have always been harbingers of spring, and have been ubiquitous in Japanese arts and designed gardens for their beauty and resilience.

You tagged the philosophy group, but please be careful to be relevant. Symbolism is abstract or metaphysical in the West and India, but East Asian symbolism is more concrete, notably in haiku. I have discussed that nature symbolism in the following essays, linked from https://japanned.hcommons.org/japanology

“Internationalizing the Essence of Haiku Poetry”
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323187189

“This is Asia: Exploring the Contrast between East Asian and Indo-Western Ways of Thinking”
https://www.academia.edu/62511123 or
https://medium.com/anecdotes-of-academia/this-is-asia-377158919921

“Symbolism of Fire and Air in Greco-Roman and Japanese Creation Myths”
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/357511649

Kitano Tenman-gū (北野天満宮) in northern Kyōto City is a major Shintō shrine combining national treasure architecture and plum blossom viewing at its best in these photos. Please enjoy the humor of the last one.

1) the torii gate to enter the sacred space. 2) Pink plum blossoms. 3) Mini-shrine to a kami god. 4) Caught in the act ... of sniffing plum blossom fragrance. Some Japanese people do it, too, really!

#Japan #Kyoto #travel #sightseeing #nature #Shinto #blossoms #humor #photos #photography

The bamboo forest, mountain lookout, and other attractions of Arashiyama were all awesome to my guest visiting Kyōto (嵐山、京都).

#Japan #Kyoto #Arashiyama #travel #sightseeing #nature #bamboo #river #bridge #culture #photos #photography

Publications on Japan: https://japanned.hcommons.org/japanology