Kobe!
Today was my first time going to Kobe. I went with Bryden, my neighbor, and we wandered around aimlessly for four or five hours. It was hot and muggy, wh
ich I'm growing familiar with, though I don't think I'll ever be used to it.
The most interesting thing we saw while we were there is a shrine whose name I didn't catch. It had a bunch of little torii (the red, upside-down-U-shaped gates) and three different sets of koinu (part-dog guard statues that scare off evil spirits) that I found. The one at right is a rather slim kind that I haven't seen anywhere else, while the two at left are the more standard form.
Now, this may be a strange thing to notice, but I was a little bit perturbed to see that one of them (to the left of this paragraph) actually has a penis. His partner doesn't, so I have to wonder if the sculptor just did it to see if he could get away with it, or if that's for scaring off evil spirits, too.
Maybe I haven't noticed it before and it's really common on statues or something. This boar also had one, though I didn't notice until I was picking which pictures to post and which to toss. There was some English just out of the frame on the bottom, but we were in a bit of a rush by this point, I think, so I didn't stop to get that.
We did our best to figure out what this sign was for, but we were completely defeated. The windows of the shop were very small, so we didn't get a good look at what was on the inside, either. It's English, though, so at least it's cool, even if it doesn't make any sense. Right?
In other news, we saw an old woman wearing a shirt that read "too blessedness". Bryden thinks maybe it was supposed to be a toast like "to blessedness", but I pointed out that there are plenty of shirts that just say "SEXY" in the largest letters possible, so it's I think the standard humility doesn't apply because a lot of people don't understand. Maybe. Or something. We were on the subway, so no picture.
Sara and Bethany are convinced my camera makes people think I'm a terrorist or something.
We found some other Engrish, though, as you can see at right. The text reads
During this time of year, when you're wandering around, people will be wearing yukata (summerweight kimono) because they are very cool and breezy. Here's a token yukata girl. Don't worry, there'll be more with the fireworks pictures I'm putting up later.
We went to a ramen shop for lunch, and it was pretty decent. I got yakisoba and gyouza (meat dumplings, I guess?) and he got a fried rice set. After this, it was 3:30 or so, so we had to rush back so I could meet up with Ana to go to Fireworks. Also had to get a picture of Bryden for his mom, since she wanted to see his shaved head.
Yes, he even shaved his eyebrows.
ich I'm growing familiar with, though I don't think I'll ever be used to it.
The most interesting thing we saw while we were there is a shrine whose name I didn't catch. It had a bunch of little torii (the red, upside-down-U-shaped gates) and three different sets of koinu (part-dog guard statues that scare off evil spirits) that I found. The one at right is a rather slim kind that I haven't seen anywhere else, while the two at left are the more standard form.
Now, this may be a strange thing to notice, but I was a little bit perturbed to see that one of them (to the left of this paragraph) actually has a penis. His partner doesn't, so I have to wonder if the sculptor just did it to see if he could get away with it, or if that's for scaring off evil spirits, too.
Maybe I haven't noticed it before and it's really common on statues or something. This boar also had one, though I didn't notice until I was picking which pictures to post and which to toss. There was some English just out of the frame on the bottom, but we were in a bit of a rush by this point, I think, so I didn't stop to get that.
We did our best to figure out what this sign was for, but we were completely defeated. The windows of the shop were very small, so we didn't get a good look at what was on the inside, either. It's English, though, so at least it's cool, even if it doesn't make any sense. Right?In other news, we saw an old woman wearing a shirt that read "too blessedness". Bryden thinks maybe it was supposed to be a toast like "to blessedness", but I pointed out that there are plenty of shirts that just say "SEXY" in the largest letters possible, so it's I think the standard humility doesn't apply because a lot of people don't understand. Maybe. Or something. We were on the subway, so no picture.
Sara and Bethany are convinced my camera makes people think I'm a terrorist or something.We found some other Engrish, though, as you can see at right. The text reads
READY STUDY GO
FAVORITE THINGS
MYSTERIOUS FRIGHT TO ORIGINAL
DEPTH OF ANYTHINGS
BY PROGRAMING MASTERS
FAVORITE THINGS
MYSTERIOUS FRIGHT TO ORIGINAL
DEPTH OF ANYTHINGS
BY PROGRAMING MASTERS
During this time of year, when you're wandering around, people will be wearing yukata (summerweight kimono) because they are very cool and breezy. Here's a token yukata girl. Don't worry, there'll be more with the fireworks pictures I'm putting up later.
We went to a ramen shop for lunch, and it was pretty decent. I got yakisoba and gyouza (meat dumplings, I guess?) and he got a fried rice set. After this, it was 3:30 or so, so we had to rush back so I could meet up with Ana to go to Fireworks. Also had to get a picture of Bryden for his mom, since she wanted to see his shaved head.Yes, he even shaved his eyebrows.
Labels: adventuring, kobe, pictures
posted by William at
8/09/2008 08:38:00 AM
6 Comments:
I have more stuff to post, but I'm going to take a break and get some things done. Like, y'know, eating breakfast.
Also, yesterday was a very sweaty day. As in, I went through two and a half changes of clothes. It was hot.
Just as a note, I understand from some videoes that we saw in one of my Asian Studies class, penises on statues are not only common in Japan, but there is a...I think it would be referred to as a fertility festival...sometime in mid-April or something. In the town where this festival is held, there are many large statues of penises, and on the video we saw all kinds of phallus-shaped products such as popsicles that little children were walking along munching. There were children perched on some of the large statues (like you would see kids perched on old cannons in a military park or something).
It would have been REALLY strange in the US, but somehow it seemed rather, well, not ordinary, but perhaps natural to see something like that in Japan. The whole scene illustrated some of the major cultural difference in how Americans and Asians view this sort of thing. People there acted as if it was just another day to have a picnic with their families and celebrate and be glad for fertility, a major important part of existence for everyone. The little kids with popsicles kind of freaked me out, but in general, I thought the attitude of of happiness and celebration was rather pleasant. Besides, the Japanese seem to have festivals for every part of life, so it would be pretty lame if this significant thing was ignored.
Reminds me of my Japanese history class with Celia at WVC. She talked about a, like, prehistoric jade dildo she saw at a sex museum when she was teaching there.
Big time fertility stuff.
And knowing Celia, I bet she said it in ALL CAPS, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THE NAVY DOES, apparently.
I thought she was a cool teacher, but her tests were painful on the wrist, you know?
There being, Japan.
Yeah, I sort of thought as much.
Except, it's JAPAN. Because this is Celia we're talking about.
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