לשנה טובה ומתוקה

24 Heisei ... 2012 A.D (or C.E if you want to be really P.C.) ... 5773? 

As many of you know, the Jewish high holidays have recently come and gone, and we have now entered the year 5773 of the Jewish calendar. With pomegranates and apples with honey, I brought in the new year 7000 miles away from my Brandeis family by venturing alone to nearby Kobe to visit the synagogue there (one of just three in all of Japan-- the other two in Tokyo).

pomegranates ripening down my street

I hadn't yet been on a train by myself in Japan, so I was a little nervous to get to Kobe and back in one piece. I don't have a phone here, and while I personally LOVE the newfound freedom that comes from being 'unplugged,' I know my housemates were more than a little worried for my safety. But getting to Kobe is a relatively simple process since it only involves one transfer, and I made sure to study the kanji (japanese characters) for the stations and trains I needed beforehand. While the whole trip only takes about 45 minutes from my house, I gave myself a huge cushion by leaving 4 hours before services started. I was really glad I did, too, because it meant that I got to conquer the city on foot, and Kobe was a really exciting place!

kobe

Kobe has a lot of the same vibes as San Francisco, I feel. It has a spunky energy, and an international feel that I hadn't yet experienced anywhere in Japan, despite the fact that Osaka is a much larger (and presumably more international since it's a MAJOR port city of the world) city than Kobe. I saw Vietnamese, Moroccan, Indian, German, Thai, French, Korean, Dutch, Russian (these last two are completely undiscovered territory for me... I didn't know that either the Netherlands or Russia were particularly known for a distinct cuisine...), and even Mexican restaurants. I passed Argentine tango cafes, Russian tchotchke shops, and French patisseries up the wazoo. And while French bakeries seem a staple in every Japanese neighborhood, including my own, these ones actually looked authentic and served more than Japanified "French" pastries. Even the architecture was so much more of a mix of styles than I had previously seen.

Needless to say I was surprised by Kobe. And in addition to all I just mentioned, it was there that my rosh hashanah religious adventure began. I will now take you on a photo tour of my religious journey around Kobe (and later Nara). I should disclaim, however, that I did not PLAN to hit the religious sites either, but merely happened to stumble upon them on my afternoon stroll.

ikuta shrine

As I wandered around the neighborhood near Sannomiya station, I came across Ikuta shrine, the most well-known shrine in Kobe. It was a beautiful place, and I took a moment to ritually pray there (the way I described in my previous post about Kishibe shrine), towards the back of the shrine where it wasn't so busy. There was a little forested area with a babbling brook, and places to meditate and reflect. So I was sitting and thinking when I heard the bittersweet notes of the hichiriki and shou instruments coming from within the main shrine (if you don't know what these are, look up some youtube gagaku videos or something because they're amazing and oh-so different from their western reed instrument counterparts). So I followed the music and wandered over to the main shrine, where I realized that a ritual offering was in process.

daily ceremony

This shrine, originally built in the 3rd century A.D., is dedicated to Wakahirume, the goddess of the rising sun. Having gone there just before the new year dawned seems somehow fitting to me---particularly since this year, the new year came earlier for me than it most likely did for you, by many many hours. And I happened to go there when ritual rites were in procession, too, which was a real treat.

From there, I wandered uphill towards the mountains, and I came to the storefront of Halal Foods of Kobe. I heard some men on the street chat in Arabic before getting into a taxi and driving off. And as the sound of their car faded, I again heard the sounds of religious ritual. This time, however, it was the hauntingly beautiful sounds of the Islamic call to prayer. Goosebumps running down my arms, I followed a strong male voice down a side street until I came upon the Muslim Mosque of Kobe. The voice came from within the mosque, but its echoes boomed out and down the street in either direction. I stood outside throughout the Adhan, looking at the face of the stunning building, and then made my way down the street.

muslim mosque of kobe

 In what would continue to be an extraordinarily intercultural rosh hashanah, I found myself in a really tiny shrine on a sidestreet, and then exited out onto a main road. I followed the road for a good 10 minute walk, simply taking in the city, and of course, stumbled upon this church. While the little shrine and this Baptist church didn't literally call out to me like the others did, at this point I was just in awe of the fact that my stroll had turned so interfaith. :)

baptist community church of kobe

At this point, I decided to work my way to the synagogue, since services were starting in about an hour, and I still had no idea where I was really going. But of course, as I was making my way, I heard these church bells ringing for daily mass at the Catholic church, and had to backtrack two blocks just to find them.

catholic church of the holy spirit in kobe

When I arrived at the Jewish Community of Kansai's Ohel Shlomo Synagogue, it was nearly sunset, but I was able to capture a few shots inside before the holiday started (and one is no longer allowed to take pictures). I was welcomed by a boisterous crew of Japanese, Israeli, American, and Russian Jews, who greeted me with warm and open hearts and made me feel nearly as welcome as I feel at Brandeis. And while the services weren't as spiritually invigorating as at Brandeis, particularly since as a woman, I was separated from the service by lace screens (it's a Sephardic Orthodox temple), the meal and company were much appreciated, and the new year started off right.

rosh hashanah feast fast approaching

 The next day, because my housemate Iyo had invited us along to visit her family in Nara, I didn't go to services. I was a little bummed, but I also really wanted to meet Iyo's family and see her hometown, and not wanting to miss out on any experiences in Japan, I thought it best to skip out. It actually turned out great, because I personally was still able to feel heavenly presences everywhere we went that day.

yoshiki-en garden

What god wouldn't want to spend the day lingering in this beautiful garden (free to foreign tourists, so you should all clearly go!)?

moss garden 

traditional japanese thatched roofs

Nara is primarily known for two things, however: deer and Buddha.

The deer within the city of Nara are famously domesticated, and roam the streets freely without a care in the world. They tend not to pay humans much mind at all, so walking down the streets, I felt like I was roaming in an enchanted forest, and I felt so lucky to be there. The deer do, however, tend to pay attention to you when you buy them deer treats, like Amber did.

affectionate deer

I do have to say that they're really cute. And I want one. But in the Shinto religion, these deer are the messengers of the gods, so there presence here is more than just fun and reindeer games.

deer of nara

And why Buddha? The answer lies within the sacred walls and hallowed halls of Todaiji temple, a huge Buddhist temple structure and UNESCO World Heritage Site in Nara.

todaiji temple main hall

 When you visit Todaiji, you enter successive realms through successively larger gate structures, until you reach this main hall (HUGE, in case you can't tell from the tiny ant people scattered across its base). There, you ritually light incense and then enter the main hall.

incense ritual

I closed my eyes as I entered... keeping them shut tight for a few seconds until I was sure that my sun-sore eyes would be adjusted. When I opened them, this is what I saw (below).

the daibutsu himself

I knew that the giant Buddha (Daibutsu) was going to be big, but nothing could have prepared me for how big it actually was. Or at least seemed. A full-grown man is about half the height of that hand there. And when I saw the entire structure in person standing at the base, I couldn't help but be in awe of how tiny and relatively insignificant I am. However, I personally believe that I wasn't simply placed here by happy accident. So all of these religious and intercultural experiences I had this rosh hashanah, where I thought I might feel disconnected, further affirmed my belief in something larger than life, and made me excited for the year to come. לשנה טובה ומתוקה

daibutsu 1 and 2

 And to top all of this spirituality with an ounce of hilarity, on the way back home, Iyo's ex-boyfriend Kohei, who was our chauffeur all day, got pulled over when we were back in Osaka on the way back home. He totally ran that red light, but I'm not complaining that he didn't get a ticket. For all he did for us, taking us around and showing us the sights, he deserved some GOOD karma for his actions... but I guess that's just not the way the gods wanted it.

red light green light

To any of you who may have been alarmed last week when the page was down--not to worry. Google simply thought that my page was being hacked, when in reality I had just signed in wrong. Everything is fine, and as you now know, I am still blogging.

Also, I hope that if you haven't already (and you don't speak Japanese), you will take a moment to read my last blog entry in English (as translated by the google translate gadget to your right). Scroll up to the top of the screen and first select any language of your choosing. When the page refreshes and shows my blog in whatever language you chose, then the top item on the scroll down menu will then become English (since the blog is no longer actually in English). I personally found the translation hilarious, and possibly a great improvement to what I actually wrote in Japanese. Please Enjoy!