Meiji Shrine and Yoyogi Park

It was Saturday and the rain previously scheduled to come today did not and even thought it was a bit on the chilly side, the sun was out.  I took advantage of the day and headed out to do a bit of site seeing that I have not been able to do yet and went with my friend and co-worker Wendy to visit Meiji Shrine and Yoyogi Park.

 

Meiji Shrine is the most popular Shinto Shrine in Tokyo. It is quite large and part of Yoyogi Park which is the largest park in Tokyo and a place that the locals and tourists flock to for various reasons whether they be to just hang out or to go to a festival.  Todays trip was to visit the Shrine and then head across the way to the Earth festival. 

 

Entrance to path leading to the Shrine

 

 

100 Barrels of Sake. The information sign suggests that the sake inside has been there for years and years but I read somewhere else that they are actually empty and remain outside of the shrine for symbolism and representation. Sake is used in a number of Shrine ceremonies and events throughout the year.

 

 After entering the Shrine you rinse your hands before continuing on into the section where the more sacred buildings are.

 

 

A few buildings. Several sell charms and traditional Japanese Shrine items that people can buy to leave at the Shrine as an offering or to take with them for continued luck and reminders.  I learned that arrows (Hamaya) are especially significant in Japanese culture and are used at Shrines to fire at the demons and ward off bad luck.  

 

I saw this lovely couple celebrating their wedding at The Shrine. This was the first time I had seen a couple in traditional Japanese Wedding clothing.

 

You can get your fortune told at the Shrine. From what I saw, you shake a wooden box full of sticks and then pick a stick out of the box. I couldn't see what was on the sticks but there is some kind of mark or indicator on it and you exchange it for a piece of paper that has your fortune for the new year on it.

 

People also write their wishes on wooden plaques and hang them at the Shrine. These are called Ema. You can buy an Ema with the zodiac animal on it or some other good luck picture or symbol. You write your wish on the other side and hang it on the display. Kiganbun is where you write a letter to the Shinto Gods. There is a box with paper and pencils available to write your requests.

 

 

There were long lines today that I opted not to wait in.

This building is an additional Temple used for various ceremonies.  People can come for weddings or to ask for blessings for their children or for other reasons. 

 

This guy was just outside of the park and was some kind of one man band but he kept talking into his microphone and wouldn't play anything. I didn't stick around to see if he was legit or not. He would probably sell more of his cd's if he would perform instead of talk.

Yoyogi Park entrance

 



 

There was an earth garden festival at the park today. There was food, music, and local artisans and vendors selling earth friendly products. It kind of reminded me of the Saturday Market back in Portland.

 

 

Painting for the kids

 

This couple had some nice jewelry and knitted items. I found a pair of mittens that I had tried to find back in the state - the kind where the top folds over your fingers. I found a lot of gloves back home that were that style but I wanted mittens and I found them today and they are super cute. I got 20% off too!

 

Teenagers attempting the Chinese yo-yo and plate spinning

 

This guy had some really pretty pottery items. Wendy bought a pretty bowl and I opted for a leaf shaped spoon rest and some gorgeous blue salad plates. Good thing he put his card in my bag because I got home and my leaf spoon rest was missing from my bag. :(

 

And what earth festival would be complete without an acknowledgement of The Grateful Dead and tie-dye.

 

We also went to a small exhibit that had some belongings from a former Japanese Emperor (Meiji). At the gift shop I bought a cute Japanese style tote bag to use for the gym and some cherry blossom tea. I will give that a try tomorrow.

 

 

Working it Out

I have never been the type of person who has cared about exercise or working out. I have always had the attitude that what you see is what you get as far as my looks go.  Back in April I put on a pair of shorts when I saw it was going to be a hot day. Well I guess I should say I tried to put on a pair of shorts because they did not fit. UGH!  It was evident I needed to do something about what I had gained and put on the previous two years.  So I started a healthy diet which totally sucked the first month. Seriously, it took some major discipline.  But I tried to stick with it and once I saw that it was working right away, I stayed motivated to keep up with it.  So by the time I moved to Tokyo, I had lost 25 lbs.  My goal was to actually lose 23 more on top of that. With my move to Japan, came a set back in the diet because I had to figure out where to shop and find things (I am actually still figuring some of that out). 

 

So after about 4 weeks I was in a place where I felt I could start up again. This was also the time I embarked on the Mt Fuji hike which I still look back on as painful and miserable experience but what I learned on that hike was that I could do physically hard things.  I could keep going when it hurt. I could push myself physically a lot farther than I thought I could. This was a really important lesson for me because at that moment I had decided I needed to exercise and just be more physically active.

 

  So I found a gym right near my work and happy day they had an English speaking trainer.  So I have been working with him since mid September.  Pretty much he just is someone I can have around for me to report to on how I am doing and to help me stay accountable. My trainer's name is Hara and he is a really good guy. Super fun to talk to and really kind to me. He actually studied exercise science in Wisconsin and is a CPT. I also like that he is around my age so I don't have to worry about some 20 year old trainer making me feel like I am an old lady or whatever.  So Hara is the guy in the pic with me at the top. Ladies, he is really nice and wants to date. Anyone interested? I will totally hook you up with him!

Anyway, since I have been here I lost the bit that gained from the move, plus the 23 lbs so I have lost a total of 48 pounds and hit my goal weight that I set back in May. I am down 4 sizes!

 

Okay so my gym is fine and I give names to the people that I see there.  First there is Jason. Jason is a woman. I call her Jason because in the locker room makeup hair area, she always has these paper face mask things on that remind me of the horror movies with that Jason guy in the hockey mask. 

 

Next there is quirky Japanese dude.  I see him about once a week. He is a short Japanese guy with bleached hair. When I first started at the gym, he saw me when I messed up on something or other and I made this face and stuck out my tongue in frustration and he thought it was hilarious. So after that he started saying hi to me and of course I said hi back. We eventually introduced ourselves in broken Japanese and English but then the guy starts speaking some Spanish to me and I was like, "what the what?"  So now when he sees me he says "Konichiwa Hermosa."

 

Okay so there is also undies in a bunch girl. This girl

 

walks around like her undies are stuck.

 

Also there is gross armpit hair man. This guy has huge holes in the armpits of his shirts and all his hair hangs out. So gross when it is sweaty. I want to vomit.

 

Next is hot new guy. I saw him on the treadmill just today. I have never seen him before. I must see him again.

 

Cat eye lady cannot work out unless she is wearing a bikini-esque style workout outfit consisting of yoga pants and bikini top. She must have full makeup on all the time and giant dangly or hoop earrings too.

 

Okay today I nicknamed a new lady. Her name is squid parts lady. I was changing and all of a sudden there was this really strong fishy smell. So I look up and she was giving a large bag filled with dead squid and squid parts to another lady.  Just right there in the locker room like it was the most normal thing. Half naked ladies exchanging money for squid parts in a giant bag of gross squid water right next to me.

 

Well I leave for the states tomorrow for all the holiday celebrations. I hope I can keep on track while I am away!

Kimono Booth

At the recent Winterfest event at my school, I decided to shell out a bit of money for something called the Kimono Booth. It consisted of professional make-up and hair artists that get you all done up and then you get to wear a traditional Japanese kimono to wear for some professional photos.  I thought this would be a good opportunity to actually be able to wear a kimono and to learn more about it. 

 

So first they did my hair and makeup. The whole place seemed to be set up like something you would expect back stage at a fashion shoot or show.  I had a seat and the girl started on my makeup while the guy asked me what I wanted to do with my hair. As usual, I had no idea what to do with my hair so I said, "Something classy."  Well after he was done he said, "There you go! Something classic!"  So I guess he didn't quite understand what I meant but in the end I was really glad he did a classic Japanese style to go with the Kimono. 

 

 

A bit hard to tell but this is the accessory table with hair pins galore.

 

 

Before shot

 

 Back of the hair

 

 

So the first part of the kimono I had to put on was the color. It is really stiff around the top and then the bands come down to wrap around you.  They also added a number of other bands around me and I am not even sure what some of them were for. I put on the kimono and after that there is a small belt that goes on to help cinch it up to match your height. Then they placed the obi which is the wide band of fabric around the waist. Obi's are really beautiful. Many people here collect them. I need to consider doing that. So after the obi, there was the traditional tie added around that and then additional fabric that goes on above the obi and is then tucked in so it peeks out of the top. All of these pieces add a lot of pretty colors and textures.

 

 

I wore the traditional socks but because I have huge American lady feet, there were no sandals that fit. I still put a pair on so it would look right but the back of my feet were hanging off the edges. Here are a few shots of the final product.  :)  I was being a bit silly and the photographer just kept shooting but apparently he thought I was quite funny. I think I was the only single person who signed up to do the Kimono Booth. Not a big deal really though. I definitely will do it again next year. I already have the kimono picked out!

 

 

 

Winterfest

 

Each December, The American School in Japan hosts an event known as Winterfest.  It is pretty much an international holiday celebration/fundraiser.  There was a bazaar with vendors from Tokyo selling items from various countries. They had food from a number of countries as well which was really good.  The event also included performances from a number of fine arts groups from the school such as the Taiko drumming class and the school choirs.  My cousin Hannah sang in the 6th grade choir concert and my cousin Lucas played the drums for the vocal jazz ensemble.  I really loved and was really impressed with the drumming. I took a video but the lighting is really bad so unfortunately it is not worth posting. :( 

There were a number of middle school and high school clubs raising money. I bought a shirt from the middle school future feminists, books from the scouts, and of course I had to support the drama club by getting a bit silly with my cousins for a couple of polaroid shots.

 

Other events and festivities included being able to get your nails painted, visiting Santa, photos at a Kimono Booth (see next post about that), bouncy house and games for the younger kids, bake sale, and a raffle.

 

Here are the student Taiko drummers. This was seriously impressive.

 

Here is a used clothing sale going on the lobby of the theater. 

 

 

Middle school gender equality t-shirt fundraiser. Got to make sure those ladies end up making as much as their male counterparts!

Need your ASIJ school spirit gear? There was plenty to be had.

 

 

Drama club Christmas Carolers.  Brings back memories.

 

Live music provided by student bands and performers.

 

 

6th grade choir with my cousin Hannah somewhere there on the front row. I must invest in a new camera so I get some good close ups.

 

Cousin Lucas playing drums in the far right corner with the vocal jazz ensemble. 

 

It was overall a fun day. Looking forward to going again next year. :) 

Adventures at the MLB All Star Game

For a number of years the MLB All Stars have come to Japan to play against their All Stars. The Japanese All Stars are known as Japan "Samurai."  Baseball is a huge sport here in Japan and the people love it. In Tokyo there are about 7-8 teams that compete against each other regularly. I am not sure about the Tokyo teams competing against teams in other cities but I am sure it happens. A few of the teams have American players. 

 

One of my coworkers had two extra tickets that she couldn't use so she offered them to me and my co-worker Wendy.  I got decked out in my Astros shirt and hat and we headed out to Tokyo Stadium.  The place was packed and there were a few Canadians and Americans spread out throughout the crowd. We had awesome seats 13 rows behind the dugout and so we got good views of the MLB players and all the action. We were also a section over from a large group of Dominicans that were had a lot of team spirit which was fun to observe. 

 

The band played the National Anthem for the United States and Japan before the game began.

 

The opening pitch was thrown by a man who was one of the first Japanese Baseball players. I don't remember his name though. There is a NY Yankees player, Ichiro, who was the catcher for the first pitch. Two Astros players, Carter and Altuve, were playing at the game. The Astros mascot (the green alien), Orbit, was the MLB mascot at all the games.  So it was nice to have Houston represented fairly well. 

 

 

Sorry this one is a bit fuzzy but this was the section across the field. The Japanese waved flags and had a band. They have all sorts of cheers and chants and the feeling at the game resembled more of an American college football game.

 

 

Okay this girl is one of many who work at the baseball games. She and about 100 other girls get all dressed up in a cute shirt and shorts and add flowers in their hair and then they strap on these huge backpacks filled with beer. They walk up and down the aisles selling drinks. Not a single guy sells anything in the stands.

 

Okay this pic isn't very good but see the backside of the lady in blue? Well she is an usher/trash collector. These ladies come around a few times during the game to collect all the trash. They have large trash bags and everyone in the aisles passes down their empty cups and whatever else.  Pretty much the stadium is almost perfectly clean near the end of the game since the trash is collected throughout. And remember during the world cup in Brazil when it was reported that the Japanese cleaned up all their trash before leaving the match?  Yes well that is what they do. They are a very clean people. The Japanese do not leave a mess behind for others to pick up.

 

 

Wendy and me at the end of the game smiling big because of the MLB victory over the Samurai. It was a really fun time. I did a bit of screaming and at times fit the stereotypical "loud American" but I really didn't care. There were a ton of foul balls and every time the announcer would say, "Please watch out for flying balls."  This would happen over and over and they would post it on the jumbo tv too. Every minute, "Watch out for flying balls. Watch out for flying balls."  I didn't think it was necessary to say it every freaking time. Also, it didn't make sense to announce it AFTER the ball was hit and in the foul zone. There were these two young Japanese guys sitting in front of us that seemed to think we were funny. It all made for some good memories.

 

 

Shrine Sale

This past weekend I went to my first Shrine Sale. These happen all over Tokyo at many of the larger Shinto Shrines. It is pretty much a large Antique Yard sale market type of thing.  It was good to go and get a feel for what is available and what to look for. You are expected to bargain with the vendors and lucky me they have dealt with enough English speakers over the years to communicate with me just fine.  The Shrine was quite beautiful. Hope you enjoy the pics below.

 

 

 

The colors of the leaves are very bright and pretty. Unfortunately my camera is kind of crappy so I don't think you can tell very well in these pictures.

 

 

 

There were some very pretty flowers at the sale. The Japanese LOVE flowers.

 

These are being propped up by paper plates so that they will bloom upward.

 

 

There were a lot of interesting items at the sale. Pottery (old and new), old coins, old records, old photo albums, fabrics for kimonos, statues, vases, tons of jewelry, etc...

 

 

 

These are Kokeshi dolls. They are extremely popular in Japan and people collect them. You can find them just about everywhere. They come in all sizes and sometimes in different shapes. They usually have different designs painted on the front with red paint. I learned to check the bottom for an artists signature to make sure it is an authentically made one instead of a reproduction factory kind. I bought several that I liked so I could start my own collection. I wish I had purchased some more of the tiny ones to use as Christmas tree ornaments.  Some of the small ones have bobble heads which is kind of cute.

 

 

This is some kind of strange carriage bike something or other with a giant pig head on the front. 

 

Anyone want an old grenade?

 

 

 

Throughout the year they have celebrations for children when they turn 3, 5, and 7.  It is known as The Schichi Go San Matsuri. The parents will dress their child up in traditional Japanese Kimono and take them to a shrine to pray and wish for their good health and prosperity. There were several small children there with their parents and grandparent for the event. They were so adorable in their traditional outfits.