Shirotori Garden, Nagoya, Japan
This is my first experience of a proper Japanese Garden, and it was at the Shirotori Garden, where previously the closest I got to see one was a bonsai garden. This garden was designed to represent paths running along the banks of streams and ponds. The man-made mound is meant to represent Mt Ontake, the second highest volcano in Japan, and the stream running through the gardens is the Kiso River. The garden is typical of a Japanese design where it is a miniature of what an ideal garden should look like. The area is about 3.7 hectares, but it was very pleasant to walk around. As with any Japanese gardens it had a Seiu-tei (tea ceremony complex) consisting of a tea ceremony house and a Shioiri-tei (tea room). This was one main reason why I visited this garden today as it was the Spring Romanticism event, one of the few annual special events the garden holds. They have special tea ceremonies, markets and a garden concert. I did enjoy a short cut version of a tea ceremony – I sat down and got served my Mancha and sweet. The proper tea ceremony takes up to 3 hours and I came in the middle of one (and I didn’t make a booking!) nonetheless, I enjoyed my Mancha and sweet. Tea ceremonies dates as far back as the 9th century. I am also reading The Way of the Tea by Aaron Fisher, which tells about the history and stories of tea. It is an interesting read and lets me understand where this sublime practice of enjoying such a simple beverage originated.
Tea hosts in their lovely kimonos
The tea host warming the water for tea
My Mancha and sweet
The tea ceremony for the public was at the Shioiri-tei (tea room) in an open garden. The Seiu-tei (tea ceremony house) was a beautiful complex of tea rooms designed after an image of a swan “Shirotori” flying down to rest it wings.
A welcome entry to the Seiu-tei
The tea ceremony house
Beautiful artwork display
This is my favourite
Inside the Seiu-tei features artwork of special events celebrated at the moment – this one is for Kodomo-no-hi
All around the garden elements typical of a Japanese garden such as stone lanterns, basins, bridges, rocks and sand, trees and water are visible.
Kusunoki-bashi
Yuhin-tei
Kami-no-ike
Mountain stream
Chozubachi, a wash through that flows into rocks
Suikin-kutsu, where sounds are made from the water
There were entertainers
carps all over the many ponds
As it was the 5th of May, Kodomo-no-hi is celebrated all over Japan and there would be fish banners hanging from apartment balconies, houses, temples and here at the park.
An elephant made out of hessian cloth entertaining the children
There was a market as well
pottery lesson
making grasshoppers from palm leaf
you can feed the carps
have tea with your girlfriend
learn valuable lessons from grandpa
or just resting
I had a most relaxing, wonderful day at the Shirotori Garden. Mental note to self, I must come back in Autumn, when all the Japanese maples change colours as well as for a proper tea ceremony.
Tagata Jinja Honen Matsuri
The Honen-Sai festival is celebrated in Japan to ensure a plentiful harvest for each year. I first encountered this wooden phallus a few months ago in a temple at Koh Samui, which is venerated by local members of this community as a magical object, although it is only a symbolic image evoking themes of fertility. This tradition of replacing the old wooden phallus with a new one is celebrated every 15th of March here at the Tagata Shrine, as well as all over Japan, since the early part of 1930’s. Tagata Shrine itself is believed to date as far back as 1,500 years ago.
The legend of the Honen-sai is believed to have survived a widespread ritual to ensure agricultural and other forms of regeneration, including those of individuals searching for spouses, being cured from a disease or wishing for a child. This ancient ritual is related to the fertility ritual similar to those known worldwide especially those from India and ancient Dionysian processions of rural Greece. Although some fanatics worshipped the phallus itself, the main idea behind this festival is that of fertility – agricultural or otherwise.
When I came to Nagoya about a month ago I couldn’t believe my luck – Honen Matsuri is celebrated nearby at Tagata Jinja! When I first met this wooden phallus I never imagined I would experience the actual festival to celebrate its importance to this society. The procession itself was not that long, about a mile, from either a Shimmei or Kumano shrine and takes about a couple of hours to get to the Tagata Shrine.
A Shimmei Shrine.
Villagers preparing for the festival.
A herald scattering salt to keep the path ritually clean.
The guide I read about the festival said that a Herald scattered salt on either side of the pathway to ritually clean it for the arrival of the procession. But this herald was giving out salt to viewers for the upcoming swig of Sake!
Representatives from other villages.
Another representative from the village. Mind the platforms!
Musicians playing ancient court music.
Women carrying the wooden phallus.
Some fans could not help themselves!
These phallus-bearing women are part of the custom of Yakudoshi, which said that traditionally women aged 36 lived an unlucky year. The twelve men carrying the palanquin are aged 42, also believed to be a time in a man’s life to be extremely inauspicious and needed protection – therefore the men and women partaking in the carrying of these phalli would merit from the magical powers by carrying the phallus itself.
Priests accompanying the deity Sarutahiko-no-okami. He is at the front of the procession as he is thought to have played a mythical role as the deity who led the descent from heaven to earth of the Sun Goddess - Amaterasu.
Sakaki, a sacred tree adorned with paper amulets.
In the olden days at the end of the procession the Sakaki tree was ripped apart by people wanting a piece of the sacred amulets, branches or even leaves as a token of the magical powers to take home and bury in their properties near the water gate or the rice seedling nursery to ensure fertility and prevent disaster. Now, as you can imagine, when you combine magical powers and crowds it became rowdy – people were chopping the branches off with knives. So 30 years ago this part of the procession was prohibited.
Members of the procession distributing sake - a favourite part of the festival!
Then came the chest of food offering - perfect accompaniment for the sake!
Takeinadane-no-mikato, the visiting "husband" deity of the Tagata shrine's principal deity, Tamahime-no-mikoto.
Tradition has it that the women held a higher status in the society. When they were married they were not required to leave their household to join their husbands in their marital homes. Instead of the couple living together the husbands visited their wives. The Tagata Jinja is believed to be the spot where the, now deity, Tamahime lived. Takeinadane was a local prince espoused to Tamahime who, unfortunately lived a short life, leaving his wife with two children and father-in-law to look after the surrounding areas.
The main event of the procession - a 13 foot long and 620 pounds wooden phallus.
And there it is in its full glory!
The wooden phallus is carved from a single Japanese cypress tree as they believe that newly made objects are thought to possess more purity and vitality. Every year a new phallus is carved, purified in a solemn ritual, carved by a master craftsman using traditional tools and wearing ritually-pure clothing. The previous year’s wooden phallus is sold to private homes or businesses wherein they will be placed in their personal altar and celebrated with personal rituals. Imagine coming home to a 13-foot wooden phallus!
The festival was a mixture of anticipation and sake-reeking crowd. I was quite excited about this one as it was my first festival, of the hundreds, celebrated in Japan. It showed me how traditional this community is. I am looking forward to more Japanese celebrations of life! Here are other images during the festival.
Kampai!
Where you from? Where you going?
“Where you from?” and “Where you going?” are the two questions you get asked all the time by any Balinese on the street. They are not being inquisitive or nosy, they use this to know where you belong on their big mental compass. Liz Gilbert, on her famous book about being in Ubud, explained this quite well. Balinese people are village people, they live within their group and knows where everyone was, where they came from and where they were going. So when you bump into someone on the street, or anywhere around Bali for that matter, you will get asked these two questions.
Here are some wonderful images whilst walking along the streets of Ubud, Bali.
These were some of the many images captured in a matter of a couple of hours walking around Ubud. Everywhere you turn you are welcomed by so many beautiful sights. All you need to do is get out there and open our eyes (of course your camera shutter as well!)
Faces of Cambodia
Cambodia…Siem Reap to be specific, very rustic and mystical. The people were very warm and friendly. Considering the atrocities these people went through, from the not so ancient past, their spirit seems to remain strong and positive.
Our Weird and Wonderful World 