More Mt. Takao Pics fm March 4 Hike

I got distracted the other day and forgot to put up any of the scenic pictures of Mt. Takao. Now I am trying to distract myself from thesis work (anyone know where I can outsource formatting my bibiography and text citations?)

I remember hearing a professor in Japan say once that Buddhism is for birth and death and Shinto is for everything in-between. I have been corrected on that, seems like Buddhism is mostly for death according to some of my friends. Because people pay A LOT of money to a temple in Japan (usually Zen Buddhist) to get their loved one a Buddhist name to last throughout eternity. I guess if it is going to be good for all that time it makes sense that there is a hi premium no?

Most of the holidays tied to certain ages (5,7, 9, and 20 seem to be the big ones I know of) and certain times of the year are mainly Shinto traditions.

My general rule of thumb is the torii (gates) is red then its usually a safe guess that its a Shinto Jinja or Shrine rather than a Buddhist Tera (Temple). Often times near Shinto shrines you see folded paper designs like in the picture below around trees. I am not sure what the meaning is but Shinto shrines often have big trees near them so I am assuming it has something to do with the nature-based orientation of the religion.





















This picture I like because of the fading glow of the afternoon sun.
















This is something you often see in Japan at a shrine. People going to visit shrines (or temples I think too) often buy for a dollar or two a mikuji - or fortune. If your mikuji is bad then people often tie it to a tree as a way to get rid of the bad luck, or maybe leave it at the temple so that you don't have to take it home! This place got smart and has made a place for people to tie their bad luck fortunes so that the trees don't suffer. I remember at one temple in Nara they actually made a bilingual sign saying don't tie your bad fortunes on the trees, but like other things in Japan its a rule people break.















While Japan is an orderly and rule-abiding society I have found there are two rules that you can definately break and people do ALL the time. When it says no bike parking in front of a big department store, everyone parks there! Where I live there are just too many bikes to be dragged and taken away, and it would be far too much work for the police anyway. The other thing is that people will turn in your wallet if you drop it on the subway and maybe not even take out the money BUT if it is raining outside they will steal your umbrella on the sly - funny huh?

Ok back to Mt. Takao...this little shrine has a lot of giant geta (traditional style sandals) around it. We saw these in other places around the mountain too, I am not sure what the meaning is but thought it was interesting. I have some geta myself but they are considerably smaller and though not more comfortable they are a must do when dressed up in a yukata (summer kimono) for hanabi matsuri (fireworks festivals)!
















On the way home, Anni and I chatted most of the way back but Goo (Megumi), Ryan, Agnes, and Uyanga took a cat nap before we arrived at a cool new Mexican restaurant we discovered in Nishi-Ogikubo 4 stops from our stop (Musashisakai station). Margaritas were flowing.....a great end to a fanstastic day!