Butsudan field trip

I'm currently enrolled in a Buddhism class as the elective class each student gets to chose. Its certainly been interesting so far, however, because I haven't had any background in Buddhism, the first few classes had a steep curve in understanding what was going on. Nevertheless, we have to go on field trips as part of our curriculum; So far, we've been to Nishi-Honganji, a Zen Temple to meditate, two other temples in the area, and a village where they make Buddhist altars.

At first when I heard about this field trip, it didn't seem very interesting. It sounded like we were going to go to a factory, where each part of these altars is assembled, and then shipped out. I couldn't have been more wrong.

Getting there was a short trip on the train: two stops north of Hikone to Samegai. Then, a 15 minute bus ride to this remote village in the mountains. Getting off the bus, it seemed like every other small Japanese town I've seen. A mix between traditional housing, some small shops, and fields out past the buildings. A local resident met us, and first took us to the store where people buy the Butsudan.

Walking into the shop, the smell of incense and resinous wood wafted over us, and we were invited up to the showroom, where about 25 Butsudan were on display. I've seen butsudan in people's homes before, they usually fit into a closet, and have doors that fold out. Inside the alter, pictures of dead relatives, images of Buddha, incense, flowers, and candles are placed as memorials to relatives that have passed on.

 A small Butsudan like the kind found in many Japanese Homes

The Butsudan that we saw were enormous, about 7 feet tall, and 5 feel wide. Inside, a miniature temple was built as a replica of the home temple that the altar is built after. As the owner of the store was explaining to us, each Butsudan requires 7 types of crafts in order to be made: Frame makers, Alter makers, Lacquerers, Metalworkers, Goldsmiths, Wood carvers, and Gold Lacquer Painters. Many of the tradesmen lived in this village, and the rest of the day was spent seeing examples of craftsmen at their work.

Driving around the village in the bed of a pick-up truck, we went from house to house seeing Woodworkers, metalworkers, carpenters, and lacquers. Instead of a giant factory, each craftsmen worked from his own home, usually in a family workshop. Many of these trades have been passed down from generation to generation, from master to apprentice. At each stop we saw examples of their work, and it was all incredible. I wish I had taken more photos of each shop, but I felt somewhat awkward taking pictures without asking first. But I was able to get pictures at our guide's home, where he invited us to snap pictures with a 'Neko-basu' ('Cat bus' from the move 'My Neighbor Totoro') that he made.

From Butsu-dan Village

From Butsu-dan Village

Before the end of the day, our guide took us to a local playhouse that was built for the villlage's children.

From Butsu-dan Village

On our way there, some children were playing in the road, and as we passed them the stopped what they were doing and started chasing after the truck full of foreigners. They became our guides in the forest behind their playhouse, where they showed us the ropes they use for scaling the steep hills.

From Butsu-dan Village

From Butsu-dan Village

And on our way home from the treehouse, I took a video of our ride through the picturesque countryside.



Afterwards I was quite happy that I went on the field trip. Instead of just a factory mindlessly working on these altars, the entire village is involved to create them. Each one is a product of many, many man-hours of skilled work that has been honed through the generations. The lifestyle is peaceful and quiet (execpt for the occasional truck-full of foreigners), contrasting the busy and rushed life in the cities.

From Butsu-dan Village

Pictures

So two months into Japan I finally figured out a convenient way to post my pictures:

Enjoy!

Kyoto

Kyoto is a great place for a day trip: It only takes about an hour by train from Hikone, there are many great temples and shops to visit, and there is lots to see. So far I've been about 4 times, and I still want to go back and see more.

The temples and shrines are some of the most picturesque places in Japan. You'll be walking down a main shopping district and run into a pristine Japanese temple, centuries old. Just a few that I've been to are:

Fushimi-Inari

From Kyoto 4

Kiomizu-dera

From Kyoto 3

Higashi Hongangi

From Kyoto 2

Kinkaku-ji

From Kyoto 3

Sanjusan Gendo

To-ji

[picture to come]

And There are still 2 or 3 more that I would like to visit. Each one is unique, and I'm always impressed with the Japanese ability to design and maintain the breathtaking temple gardens.

From Kyoto 2

From Temples

From Tokyo

This past weekend I went to the Toji Market, an open-air market where you can find food, textiles, knives, art, and antiques. The market is only on the 21st of every month, and if you find yourself in Kyoto, I highly recommend going. You would want to get there very early in the morning, because the crowds get pretty bad after about 10 or 11am.

[pictures to come]

We went on a field trip with my Buddhism class to Higashi Honganji (East Honganji), a temple that is within walking distance from Kyoto Station. Our professor pulled some strings and they let us into parts of the temple that people aren't usually allowed to walk through. As we were walking through, the temple staff was setting up for a 'Noh' performance on the largest 'Noh' stage in Japan.

From Kyoto 2

From Kyoto 2

Throughout the rest of the temple, the Japanese screens were incredible. Paintings of life-sized tigers prowling in the forest, water-fowl resting on lake Biwa, and garden scene were some of the screens that we saw. Unfortunately because they are so old, we weren't allowed to take pictures.

However, we were allowed to take pictures of the zen gardens:

[pictures]

The shopping is pretty good too. A great place to go is "Teramachi" (Temple Street), there are alot of trendy shops ($100 for a flannel shirt), but its also a great place to go just to walk around.

From Kyoto 1

The first time I went to Kyoto, there was a dance festival going on outside one of the larger temples. Most dances were traditional Kansai (the 'state' where I live) dances called "Yosokoi", but there were also groups doing modern dancing. There were tons of people out to see the dancing and about 6 stages where groups were performing simultaneously.

From Kyoto 1

From Kyoto 1

From Kyoto 1

At night the city takes on a new light. The streetlight, cars, bars, and restaurants feel like the Japan you see in movies; the bustling city overcrowded with people. However, the night is also a great time to see the temples lit-up at night. Spotlights illuminate the buildings of "Kiomizu-dera" and many of the trees surrounding the temple are lit-up for the fall colors.

From Kyoto 3

From Kyoto 3

From Kyoto 3

To me, Kyoto is much more fun than Tokyo. Tokyo, although fun, was too busy and crowded to be fun. It didn't seem like there was that much to see in Tokyo besides the city itself. Kyoto is different, there are temples, a castle, art museums, parks and shops, without the frustration of traveling through a sea of people.