5th Visit to the Temple and All I Got Was This

My 2017 Fortune

This morning, I walked the back road to my office and, swung by the temple, again.

Food tents, were all zipped up; that was a good indicator, nobody would be at the shrine.

So, I walked down the lane, to check things out. Only a few people were there.

Acting like I knew what I was doing, I went over and washed my hands.

A family of four, was on the temple steps, showing children, what to do.

When, they got done praying and tossing coins, they stopped at the bottom of the steps.

Knowing, they would be reading their fortunes, I walked away from the scene for awhile.

It must have been, 10 minutes or longer, before they got done. I'm patient, sometimes.

Once, they departed the scene, I was the only one there and, did my thing.

Bow, climb the stairs, kneel in front of the altar and, all that stuff.

Then, I actually put my hands together, pointed towards the sky and, squinted my eyes.

It's sorta dark inside the place and, I wanted to see if, anyone was watching me.

Then, I said, "Whatever god is around here, make 2017 a year of world peace. OK?"

The sign, on the donation box says "20 Yen" but, I tossed in 50, cuz, that's the way I am.

Opening the Written Oracle

That would be "Fortune" if, you were wondering what an "Oracle" might mean.

The ritual is normally performed on the grounds of the temple. I do things differently.

If, you get a bad fortune, it gets left behind, tied to a tree or anywhere at the temple.

Knowing, I never have bad fortunes, I took mine to work and, opened it there.

That way, I'd have a camera handy, to shoot the thing and, show everyone.

The Japanese version, I posted over on Facebook, for folks to see.

Does Anyone Believe This Stuff ?

Anyhow, they say my fortune, this year is excellent. And, I got some free advice.

All I have to do is, be strong willed, modest, faithful and patient.

Everything else seemed alright, until, I read the last few lines.

See, I really ain't planning on getting pregnant or doing anymore marriage proposals !

Along the Road There's a Legend That Was Told

Beside the Okukubi River

 

 

It isn't very often, I walk on the eastern side of this waterway.

When I do, it seems like there's always something new to photograph, besides wildlife.

The water bull pulling an oxcart full of tourists on a sunny day was an interesting shot.

Some brand new signs along the way, seemed to tell an important story.

A Buddhist monk, snakes and some farming near the mangrove forest were on other signs.

So, I took photos of everything that day and got the story translated into English.

My assistant, Mami Sakiyama is going to be a photojournalist someday.

Let me tell you, "That ain't no bull."

The article, Folktale from a River in Okinawa, was her first attempt at something like this.

It was sent to Stripes Okinawa last night and, got published today !

Travel Photo: The Striker for a Buddhist Bell

Close-up View of the Business End

 

 

This should you give an idea of what is used to ring the bell at shrines over the New Year.

Doing some research on the temples and shrines, proved interesting.

A survey done by the government of Japan discovered this in 2002:

Total persons, registered as Shinto followers at shrines: 106 million

Total persons, registered as followers at Buddhist temples:  95 million

The total population of Japan at the time:  120 million

When you add 106 to 95, it comes out to something like 201 million. Right ?

The explanation for this discrepancy, may be found in Japanese Buddhism Today.

Or, you can take my word for it. Some people practice both religions.

Another little goodie, I found for you is this video.

Some people get classes on how to ring the bell loudly !

Having Sort of a Butsumetsu (仏滅) Day Today, Groan

One of Those Days in Japan

 

Today, it would have been better if I had just never got off the futon.  Ouch.

A Butsumetsu (仏滅) is the term used for a bad luck day.

You'll have to excuse the mess my desk is in.  Piles of inspiration keep getting piled on it.

Luckily, I cropped the rest of the office out of this photo.

Nobody really needs to see half of the junk scattered around the place.

When I came in this morning, I found this escaped science project, I had been working on.

The little critter, (I'm not sure what it is) is back in confinement, now.

We'll just have to wait and see if the cocoon hatches.

It hasn't moved in hours.

It could be dead. Or, I could have re-captured an empty cocoon.

And, whatever it is, may be crawling around in here, somewhere.

At any rate, I got tired of watching, nothing happen.

So, I decided to update my National Geographic Your Shot profile.

Totally unaware, that I was having a Butsumetsu day, I got online and started doing stuff.

Over at National Geographic, you can do all kinds of neat things to your profile.

Like, I took this picture of my camera waiting for a boat to appear on the scene.

They let you make any background you want, to spiff-up your profile photo.

So, that's what I did.

And, you can hook up links to your Facebook, Twitter and Google accounts.

So, I did that, too.

If you go over there to see me, just be careful about pushing social media buttons.

Some of them say stuff like 404.  That's an error.

Or, Sorry, this page isn't available.

Groan.

Now, I like to look at the bright side of things, most times.

The day is almost over and I have never had two days like this, in a row.

So, everything should be alright tomorrow.

That Butsumetsu stuff is really from Buddhist beliefs and I'm not a Buddhist.

Just, Butsumetsu things happen to me every now and then.


 Learn more about those days you shouldn't get out of bed at the links below.


Japanese Calendar Wiki 

Good & Bad Days in the Japanese Calendar

Travel Photos: Sōgen-ji (崇元寺) Arched Stone Gates in Naha

Formerly a Buddhist Temple

 

Built sometime during the reign of King Sho Shin 1477-1526, only the walls remain.

The buildings and grounds were destroyed during the Battle of Okinawa.

The three arched stone gates are probably what most people photograph.

There isn't much to see, besides a public park, beyond them.

It only took a minute, to get some close-up shots of the stonework.

Soon, I'll be going back down that way, to take more photos of this historical monument.

There's a real gem of a Then and Now, waiting at  Sōgen-ji (崇元寺) for me.

As soon as the weather and Naha traffic cooperate, we'll getterdun.

A Buddhist Church That Tickled My Fancy

That You Tube is the best thing that came along since they invented canned beer.

Just a few minutes ago, I found this Buddhist Church video.

It made me run and grab a six-pack of beer out of the refrigerator.

A popular song in Okinawa, Japan is Ojii Jimanno Orion Beer.

They were singing the song, on stage, at the Gardena Buddhist Church.

Shucks.  I've drunk enough (lots) of that stuff in my lifetime.

I may have been declared a saint, three or four times over, already!

 Where the heck is Gardena, anyway?

Kin Kannon Temple on New Year's Day 2013 (Photos)

Kin Kannon Temple in Okinawa, Japan is just one of the eight major shrines.

It would be nice to get photos from all of them on New Year's Day.

The year of the snake (2013) started already, by the Gregorian calendar.

But, the Lunar New Year (Chinese) isn't until February 10, 2013.

So, I may be able to catch a few of the other sites in the next couple of weeks.

This Buddhist Temple is within walking distance of my home.

There weren't too many people waiting to get in when I arrived.

That made it easy for me to move around and snap photos to show you.

There are all kinds of trinkets you can buy for good luck.

Some folks hang the gadgets on the rear view mirror of their car.

 

Other people tie the stuff to trees at the temple, along with their paper fortunes.

Here's a photo I shot, of a girl tying her fortune before I got permission.

The second photo, I took, after getting her mom's consent.

Neither of the photos will be sold but, I like the unauthorized (candid) shot better.

Model releases are required in this business, especially for minors.

When the lines leading into the temple started growing, it was time for me to leave.

Years ago, I learned, you aren't supposed to pass gas in church.

And, I figured this place was like a church, to some folks.

So, I hurried on out of there.

Then and Now (Photos) Kin Kannon Temple Okinawa, Japan

This photo of Kin Kannon Temple was taken in 1966 by photographer Donn Cuson.

Here is a photo of Kin Kannon Temple taken yesterday afternoon.

Other than Coca Cola and Pepsi vending machines, a cell phone tower and a satellite dish antenna (far left) for the Buddhist Monks to watch TV, the place hasn't changed all that much in the past 46 years.

This temple was built sometime back in the 16th Century as the result of a Buddhist missionary being rescued from a typhoon-wrecked ship by the people of Kin Village.

There are more spirits on these temple grounds than all the other spiritual places I've visited in my travels around the world !



Then Photo was taken with a Canon 7

Now Photo taken with a Canon G12  



NOTE:  It has been brought to my attention that some folks interested in following this Then and Now Series are experiencing difficulty locating the posts.


In the near future a Then and Now page will be created to make things more reader friendly.


Please, bear with me on this.


There are a few of us Ryukyu Cameramen, really excited about this project.


We are traveling all over the island of Okinawa, Japan doing whatever it takes to identify, locate and recompose those photos on the REMEMBERING OKINAWA Website.

It is a work-in-progress that requires plenty of outdoors exercise, research, patience, and time but, we are determined to document every recognizable site we can find.  It's a blast !


Shooting these photos from the same perspective as the original is our goal and that can be a real challenge, at times.

We have received some excellent support from members of local communities in identifying the THEN sites when we tell them it is to obtain a NOW photo, 50-60 years later. 

It dawned on me,  just this week,  we should take photos of the process we go through in making this series.  The smiles we encounter on the faces of Okinawan people, the methods we use looking for a certain location, how we get there and some of the trying, hilarious or dangerous situations we get into to take a photo, are all part of the story.  A book could be written about it but, we are cameramen, and busy.


The good old Google Search for "Then and Now Photos Okinawa" works fine, for now. 
As soon as I get ten in this series of blog posts complete,  a Then and Now Page will be created.


More Then and Now Photos

A Pile of Laughing Buddhas for Travel Photo Thursday

          Here's a whole pile of laughing Buddhas for TRAVEL PHOTO THURSDAY APRIL 21, 2011.

There's no telling what the story behind this collection might be. I'll have to do some further investigation. 

Not that I'm getting all religious, or anything like that, in my old age. I just like Buddhist stuff.

This one guy, Dali Lama XIV said, "KNOW THE RULES WELL, SO YOU CAN BREAK THEM EFFECTIVELY".  Sounds like a reasonable plan, to me.  So, that's what I try to do.  I know all the rules in Okinawa, Japan.

Now, I don't know what happened to the person or persons who started this collection of Buddhas but, I'll be snooping around to see if I can find out.

They don't look too shabby in the photo at the top of the page, except maybe, for the one on right side of the roof that got knocked over. 

When you zoom-in for a closer look, it appears they've been neglected.  Or, could it be they were all mud wrestling and they're laughing because they took those big sticks on their shoulders and knocked that one Buddha out ?

This pile of Laughing Buddhas is located on the left side of HWY 84 about a mile past the Nago City Pineapple Park.

Buddhist Statue of Shinran Shonin in NYC: Give It Back !

Here is a photo of a Statue of Shinran Shonin I took yesterday. It's something I've seen a few dozen times as one of my friends whizzed by while driving and I always wondered what it was.

It sets back off the highway in a secluded park near the ocean so, you don't see much other than the top portion of the figure silhoutted against the sky when you're in a vehicle.

On the way to do some shooting at the UNESCO: Zakimi-jo (Castle) Museum I was griping to Rusty (driving) about how I'd rather be anywhere than indoors with my camera. It was cloudy outside but, not raining when we cruised on by the statue this time. "Hey, let's go check that staute out" I said.

A quick U-turn and we were parked and grabbing our camera gear to do some shooting.

Whenever I see something in English displayed, like this, I have to shoot a photo of it. It helps me do the research afterwards and it's always handy having it filed right along with the rest of the day's photos.

Now, I don't know how most people feel about it but, for some reason, I tend to put more stock in what I read engraved in stone than the things I find on the internet. Consider me a Neanderthal.

It just seems, to me, it'd be easier, if you were a liar, to put stuff online, than to etch it on to a stone.

Today I went and GOOGLED the Statue of Shinran Shonin and found out WIKIPEDIA is at the top of the list but, there's a whole bunch more places that know all about this figure, too.

It seems Shinran Shonin was born in 1173 and at around nine years of age went and got trained as a Buddhist Monk. To make a long story short, he is somebody important to people who practice Buddhism.

The same type Statue of Shinran Shonin you see in my photo taken in Okinawa, Japan can be seen in front of the New York Buddhist Temple on Riverside Drive in Manhattan, New York.

It survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. So, somebody decided, "Let's take it to New York" !

Huh ?  I wonder if it ever occurred to to anyone it might be a nice gesture to give it back ?

New Year 2011 Bamboo, Girls and Fortunes in Okinawa (Photo)

After waiting in a long line at the Buddhist Temple in Kin Village Okinawa, Japan to get their fortunes for 2011 on a slip of paper these girls tied the paper to the bamboo growing on the Temple grounds. That's what lots of people do. They tie the things on anything they can reach.

Not me, though. After I stand in line for an hour and pay my nickle for a fortune, if it's a good one, I take it home with me and hang it on the fridge with a magnet so I can read it every once in awhile. It's not really a nickle; it's five yen. I guess that's a bit more than five cents these days.

Now if the thing says I'm going to have bad luck in the coming year, I'll stick it in a tree. Then, get back in line at the Temple and keep spending nickles until my luck improves. It beats gambling and you don't suppose a Buddhist Temple would be trying to scam folks, right?

When those girls hang their fortune in the bamboo, I'm not so sure they know what they're doing. Either that, or they really know what they're doing. Like, maybe their boyfriends have lots of nickles. Or, maybe, they just don't have a fridge to hang the things on. What do you think?

SEE MORE OF OKINAWA, JAPAN ON MY WEBSITE