Sept. Update 6

TO K YO U PDATE 6

DOING OKAY

Its Been a Busy Month......

Hey everybody, Well it has been very busy for me. I have been working irregular hours lately. Some days start at 7am and go through till 11pm. Other days also

:))

start at 7am and I get a break until 3pm and finish the night at 11pm. The same hours will apply in October. Sometimes I get to go in later.. NOT OFTEN..

LOTS OF BROKEN UMBRELLAS

:()

:((

On Sept. 21, 2011 I had my first typhoon. Lot of rain and powerful wind tunnel winds knocking people down. Stayed safe at Burger King for 3 hours..... OK

Harajuku Shrine RE-VISITED. Made the trip back to see the actual shrine itself. This is not everything.

Came back to the Meji shrine in Harajuku..... and found a festival happening. Students were performing, but the spotlight belong to the professional dancers and singers being financially backed by the Japanese government and the Tokyo Metro company.

Ghost Tour BLOOD OF THE SAMURAI August 30, 2012

Most Famous Ghost Hill within Tokyo There are 7 Ghost Hills in Japan This one is in

Shirokane-Takanawa Station

Alley sized road used by the neighborhood during the daylight.

As long as three city blocks.

Not a traveled road during the night time. Belongs to the dead.. ooooooo....

This path leads to a Midway point in space. In such a space there is a Jinzo placed..

This Jinzo is the Lipstick Bodhisattva.

People---Mainly women go to her to ask to be beautiful.

The colorful decoration on the right ... Above the tour guide’s head is an offering. A woman made a 1,000 origami cranes as an offering to have the wish/desire fulfilled of becoming beautiful. Typical offering to do 1,000 cranes There is a powder puff and face powder on the alter.

People go and powder the feature they want beautiful on there own face.

I put powder on her checks and nose.....

Nearby is a Park... Continue up the hill and cross the street There is a turtle theme Once this area was next to the ocean....So, it was waterfront property... but over time water moved and man made intervention pushed the ocean further away.

In the center of the park there is a mound of dirt that created an artificial hill. It is believed that someone important was buried there. There is no proof, but the area is left untouched out of respect

There is a second set of steps that lead out of the park. You will come to to a wooden pathway that will have a fork. The right leads to the city street. The left leads to a shrine.

This shrine is unique because it didn’t get placed correctly The space or area use to be close to the ocean during the Edo period. However with the ocean waters moved it has caused this shine to be spiritually unbalanced

The placement has caused a demonic back door to be opened

This small shrine is placed in the back right corner behind the main shrine. It was placed at the axis point for protection. Supposedly this shrine has blocked the gate that ghosts can use to come and go....

Belief is that ghosts visit the shrines. It is not where they live.

Shrines with these smaller shrines placed at corners are blocking demonic doors or axis points due to changes in nature or man-made changes that altered the environment of the shrine.

Across the street and behind a large building is the Site of Martyrs 1623 were persecuted. 53 Christians on October 31, 1623 were put on crosses and set on fire. One was beheaded in front of the others to make the experience more horrific.

Fires were started 10 feet from the crosses to make the death even slower and scare Japanese people away from Christian religion. Long and painful execution to get Christians to renounce God. Some Priests did become Shinto/ Buddhist monks.

The company that owns the property leaves this marker out of respect, but does not state what happened here.

Edo period, lots of people died.

They do not call attention to Japan’s history of killing Gaijin---Foreigners.

PHOTOS F RO M T H E G H O S T TO U R

GUILLOTINE TUNNEL IT WAS IN THE HORROR MOVIE “CURE” FOR SOME REASON ALL PHOTOS INSIDE THE TUNNEL BECOME BLURRY OR MOVING. USED DURING THE DAY, BUT AVOIDED AT NIGHT.

Background

Jinzo is a statue that represents a Bodhisattva They are placed at intersections or crossroads where it is believed that these locations are drawing ghosts.

Jinzo is someone that achieved enlightenment, but chooses to remain on Earth/ physical world to help others reach enlightenment. They also help people move on into the afterlife and not become Hungry Ghosts.

Hungry Ghosts--concept is Chinese. It’s a spirit that cannot move on but is stuck on earth hungry, thirty, confused, scared, angry, and unable to reason. It forgot it was human. It only knows pain and torment Old Takanawa Road connects to Nihonbashi. Tokogawa Shogun outlawed Christianity. The Shogun developed a test to spot Christians.

Fiumia Picture Test Every year since 1623 people were taken to the government office and told to step on a picture of Mary or Jesus.

The picture stomp test Step on the image you PASS don’t your KILLED on the spot hesitate to long and be taken into CUSTODY FOR QUESTIONING In 2013, Martin Scorsese will release a movie about this topic.

Based from the book “Silence” Point of view is from the Priests in Japan during this time

Grave site of the 47 Ronin America translates this as Masterless Samurai--Their Master has to suicide himself by order of the government--Noble Class Japan refers to them as the loyal ones that avenged their Master’s wrongful sentence, killed the Nobleman responsible along with his army, then were given the same sentence as their Master which they followed out of respect

People go to the gravesite every December 14 to pay respect As you saw in a couple of the pictures, when you enter the graveyard there is sage to purchase and place at the gave.You can put the sticks at whichever Ronin you liked or give them all to one grave.

Some people place their sticks at the Master’s grave or at his son’s.

His boy was 16 when he followed in his father’s footsteps into the gave out of family honor.

This is an just unique. This was placed here as a gift.You pour water over the statues head. The water falls down into the hole. The falling water creates a Edo style musical tune--- Very crude but imaginative.

A song of respect plays each time someone pours water over the statues head.

The main shrine. I was on a ghost tour so we did not enter the building.

Exiting the shrine we went through an old neighborhood. After a block of walking we were at a city road.

We crossed it and walked up a hill.

At this park there a shrine tori walkway. There is also a locked door with an offering bowl outside. This is a verified location where 17 of the Ronins completed their sentence and committed suicide.

People leave flowers outside the door and peak through. The area is actually a lovely garden that is wellmaintained. No one is permitted to walk inside. It has been kept unchanged for over 200 years.

Ghost Tour is over..........

This is the prime example used to explain the Samurai Code of Honor-- Bushido.

In 2012, 47 Ronin will be a movie staring Keanu Reeves Hollywood’s take will be the Revenge of the 47 Samurai.. So maybe a lot of action

Ebisu Beer Garden, place of refuge when a typhoon hits, was having a Taiwan culture day performance. I caught some of it while on a break from work.

Unusual artwork I walk pass a lot in Ginza.

Just sharing.....

Below is photos of the Sumida River. For some reason all the photos that night were blurry after the ghost tour But made nicer art images Don’t you think so????

Found a foreign food market...... National Abzabu Supermarket Located in Hiro . Take Hibyia to Hiro exit 1 turn left walk straight past McDonald’s and a coffee shop. Across the street is the supermarket and a Baskin’ Robbins ice-cream shop.

You can find can goods-Campbell’s soup or refried beans, boxed goods- mashed potatoes, some frozen goods-hot pocket, and even a dozen tortillas. However the items will cost you everything I bought 2 Chicken noodle soup--- sick, makes me feel better 4 Tomato soup---- sick, helps when I can’t eat solid food--- microwave tortillas--- two dozen (I made the trip there) 1 Pickles for a sandwich 1 Best Foods Mayo for sandwich 1 box mashed potatoes 2 gravy mixes Japan 5,405 yen almost $60 USA Dollars------ Happy But had buyers remorse later, but needed food to live..... I’m still not use to the smells and food of Japan. Nothing tastes right. It’s the lack of USA food chemicals, salt, sugar, and artificial flavors Will save up to get more sandwich supplies later this month. I need American processed food

Across the street from the supermarket in Hiro is a large park.

It has a large walking path, a waterfall, a pond, and lots of places to sit The park is popular with people taking a break, artist drawing nature, photographers, and people getting some daily exercise. It’s close to the German Embassy. This is the park they use for their German Oktoberfest celebration.

A calm place. I took my McDonald’s lunch break there and snapped a few shots with my cell phone.

Japan Words to learn America has Quinceanera or Debutante Ball or Sweet Sixteen Party Japan has Seijinshiki--

no real celebration 20 year old boys and girls can go to city hall to be recognized America does New Years ResolutionsJapan-- Hatsumode where they go to shrines to discard their charms, especially the protection from evil charm.

The shrine destroys them and sells people the new charm for the year.

Tradition December 31 Party in the bars January 1 Go to a Shrine (No God to Confess to the next day. Shrine visit is a fresh start for the New Year)

January 2 Go to a Palace and pay respect to the Emperor January 3 Stay home pay respect to the family January 4 Go to Work

Tried the Denny’s breakfast to be social. I ordered the American breakfast which is a scrambled egg, a piece of bacon, one sausage link, and a side salad covered in creamy Thousand Islands.

Okay if your hungry, but the sausage link is a very questionable meat product. The salad is not a fresh high quality. for the 500yen or $6.25 USA might as well go to McDonald’s and pay 480 yen and save some change.

My biggest complain---- why is there no Turkey in Japan. I didn’t care for ham in america, but now it’s my only lunch meat choice......huh......

Hotdogs are a breakfast food....... not sure what it’s made from considering there is no beef in Japan. So, I’m not touching it ever...

There sort of is beef in Japan, but it’s pounded so thin. It’s not really a fulling meat or American meat.

I am really missing food..............

Since there were complains about me not being in any photos or in the updates.............. Here you go......... recent untouched photos It’s me.......

Enjoy as I tried a Sami photobooth photoshoot on the mac Sorry update, took a while I had to remove content.