FLOWER VIEWING

ISE GRAND SHRINE

Japan’s most prestigious shrine with a history of 2,000 years located in Mie Prefecture in central Japan. Ise Jingu is a shrine complex composed of 125 Shinto shrines centered on 2 main shrines: Naikū (inner shrine) and Gekū (outer shrine). Naikū is dedicated to the worship of Amaterasu, the sun goddess ranked at the highest level of all the deities. Pilgrimage to Ise Jingu gained immense popularity a few centuries ago, and it is still very popular as a must-visit power spot. The shrine buildings have been rebuilt every 20 years for 1,300 years, with the last renewal process being completed in 2013. It is done as a part of the Shinto belief of the death and renewal of nature and the impermanence of all things, and as a way of passing building techniques from one generation to the next.

FRESHWATER EEL

A black snake-like creature that spawns in the deep sea and grows in freshwater. Due to declining catches, unagi has become an increasingly expensive delicacy in Japan. It is typically served as kabayaki (grilled with thickened soy sauce), unadon or unaju (kabayaki on top of a bowl or lacquer-ware box of rice). Unagi contains a lot of stamina-boosting nutrients and thus is often eaten in summer to recover from fatigue. The unaju I ordered 20 minutes ago has yet to show up on my table. Being a typical Japanese, I patiently wait for the chef to carefully grill my unagi. I know that preparation takes time, but it’s well worth the wait.

BUDDHIST TEMPLE

A Buddhist temple also called “tera” or “o-tera” in Japanese. There are several tens of thousands of temples across the country with different features depending on the Buddhist school. Buddha statues are enshrined in most of these temples, which are visited and worshipped by many people, including non-Buddhists. At the temples, monks undergo training, including the shaving of their heads to indicate their resolution to disconnect from secular life. “Behave yourself, or I’ll shave your head and put you in a temple!” is a typical mantra of a mom of a naughty boy.

FIREWORKS

Japan’s summer tradition that uses explosive pyrotechnic devices to produce festive light, sound, and sparks for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. There are also small handheld hanabi that can be enjoyed with friends and family. Japanese hanabi is characterized by the perfect spherical shape it makes when exploding that looks pretty from all directions. Japanese people enjoy and relish hanabi not only for its spectacular beauty but also for its transient and ephemeral nature. “Ah, this could be the last hanabi of this year.” “Summer is almost over.” In Japan, watching hanabi can make people a bit sentimental, too.

SUSHI

Sushi is probably the most well-known Japanese food made of vinegared rice (“shari”) and pieces of fish and other food items (“neta”). There are many different types of sushi, such as nigiri, small rice balls with neta on top; makizushi, shari and neta rolled in dried seaweed sheets; and chirashizushi, a dish in which seafood, vegetables, etc., are spread over shari. Many people do not use chopsticks when they eat nigiri or makizushi.. Is it not considered bad manners in Japan. Interesting...