06.08.11 Ise-jingu

Around 11 AM today, I met up with Maki, Mao, Chan, and Hanako so we could make the long trip to Ise-jingu. Ise is the name of the town, and a jingu is basically a place where the Japanese go to pray to their ancestors, specifically people who have died in wars. Ise-jingu is the most famous jingu  because it is dedicated to the goddess Amaterasu, who, according to legend, created Japan. Her sacred mirror is also rumored to be kept in the shrine. Although there is some controversy surrounding jingu, they are a part of Japanese culture so I was interested in going to see it.

Because Ise was pretty far from Nara, we took the limited express train, which is more expensive than a normal train, but also much faster. It's kind of like taking a coach bus. The chairs were extremely comfortable, and there weren't many people so we were able to relax and talk freely with eachother. It took us about two hours to reach Ise, and from there we took a short bus ride to the old city that precedes the Ise Grand Shrine. We walked around the various shops, stopped to listen to some Japanese drums, and then ate udon for lunch. It was really fun to walk around because all of the buildings were in the old Japanese style and had been there for many years. We all ate street food on the walk up to the shrine and generally enjoyed the gorgeous weather.

Chan and I on the train

Mao and Maki

Hanako

When we finally reached the main gate to Ise-jingu, Maki instructed us on the proper etiquette for entering the shrine. We bowed at the entrance and proceded to walk for about twenty minutes through a series of gates and walkways until reaching the area where everyone was praying. It was a lot smaller than I thought it would be. Maki asked if I was okay with visiting the shrine since I'm a Christian, but I assured her that it wasn't a problem. (I simply prayed to Jesus instead of... well, whoever the Japanese pray to.) We stood before a white curtain, and people tossed money into a bin before bowing twice, clapping twice, praying, and bowing one final time. Maki explained that the amount of yen you threw in would correspond to how many people you would have the chance to meet in that year(?). I didn't fully understand her explanation, so maybe I'm wrong. In any case, we all showed our respects before making the long walk back to the entrance. We saw a store where the temple sold special charms. You could buy them for a variety of things, such as health, success, relationships, etc. I didn't buy anything, but a couple of the other girls did. When we finally left the shrine area, we bowed one more time at the gate and returned to the old village to look around and visit the shops.

Udon restaurant

Main entrance to Ise Jingu

Good luck charms sold at the shrine

Some stores near the shrine

Area where the sun goddess' mirror is supposedly kept

By the time we left, everyone was tired from all the walking we did. Because we took the normal express train on the way home, it took us three hours to get back to Nara. I slept on and off the whole way back, and groggily returned to my dorm a little after 8 PM. From there, I met Bea and Yoonkyung so we could discuss our August travel plans. It's somewhat stressful to be thinking about August when it's only June, but since we have to buy plane tickets to Korea and what-not, we need to plan everything now. As I result, I didn't get any homework done, but there will be time for that later. At least, I hope so.

I was able to experience a very interesting part of Japanese culture today, and although I don't adhere to any Shinto beliefs, I was honored that my Japanese friends invited me to go.