And the other side...Meiji Jingu
As you stand on the bridge with the cosplay girls (and occasional boys) you see this:
This is the torii that leads onto Yoyogi Koen, or Yoyogi Park. Inside is the shrine to Emperor Meiji, who was the first emperor of modern Japan.
As we walked in we saw this young girl in beautiful traditional clothing...we soon realized it would not be the last person we'd see dressed this way, much to our delight.
And yes, it is quite clear from her face that she's had just about enough of being posed for pictures by her father (and various strange gaijin.)
Not exactly sure what these are but I thought they looked really cool:
Soon after this you reach the next torii:
and not too far after that you reach the entrance to the shrine. This next building
is where you was your hands and mouth to purify them before praying. You then pass through one more torii
and then you are inside Meiji Jingu.
This is a horrible exposure (damn cloud cover) but you walk through this, stepping over the threshold and not on it, to enter.
Unbeknownst to us, the shrine is a very popular spot for weddings and there were several going on during our time there.
Apparently in this formal portrait, smiling is not allowed!
This is a better look at the bride's dress:
And from behind...
A more intimate portrait
Her hair deserves a closer look. It's stunning. If that's really her hair, I can't imagine how long it took to get done up like that.
I snapped a shot of these Shinto priests walking through the shrine. The entrance way above is on the left of this picture and the main shrine is to the right.
These blocks are prayer cards that are hung under a sacred tree. The Shinto priests bless them and make sure the spirits receive them. I saw prayers written in Japanese, Chinese, Korean, English, French and German to name just a few languages.
I love this photo of a young boy posing for his mother. This photo could be from the Meiji Era...if not for the top of the line Nikon in mom's hands. This sort of dichotomy is common in Tokyo. You often see women in kimonos talking animatedly on their cell phones.
More beautiful traditional costumes...the arrow she is carrying has meaning as well, but I'm sure exactly what it is.
The main shrine:
I think the look on this girl's face is the reason why we have children...pure, unconditional love.
One more married couple, they are actually allowed to smile now!
posted by Jeff D @ 3:38 AM
5 comments
5 Comments:
Those big cylinder look like sake barrels, but they don't say sake on them! I think they might still contain sake though. Hahaha...
In Japan, I think it's considered rude to show teeth in photos, so the formal photos are usually done without smiling.
I will make a return trip to investigate. That would be a whole lot of sake, I cropped that picture somewhat.
Given how many people have bad teeth here, that custom does not surprise me in the least.
I second the "sake barrel" info. Those are found at most of the larger shrines around Japan. From what I've been told, businesses and individuals will offer sake to the gods as thanks for good luck or good fortune.
I can't tell what's written on them, but it could be a sake brand name or possibly a business name.
Great shots in Harajuku, too. I just heard that Gwen Stefani song for the first time today... I think if I had to pick I'd prefer looking at the cosplay girls as opposed to listening to that yodelling again.
Kampai,
Mike
I hear ya. Much bigger fan of No Doubt than of Gwen's solo stuff.
I don't think the barrels would say "sake" because "o-sake" is the generic Japanese term for alcohol. My Japanese teacher was saying that Japanese people don't refer to it as sake but as "nihon-ju or nihon-shu." I'll ask her again on Monday.
They also can't stand that Americans pronounce it "sa-key" which in Japanese would be "saki" and hence not the same word.
I've heard the same thing about the "sa-kii" issue, so I quickly adapted when I moved here and call it "sake" correctly now. I think the Japanese have different words for sake when it is served hot versus cold, too.
I still prefer shochu... it's stronger than sake but is still smooth on the intake.
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