Skip to main content

Danielle- Narita Temple

Narita Temple


Hey, everybody! So I'll be moving from Chiba to Saitama this upcoming Monday, and so in tribute to my beloved Chiba, I decided to make this post about my favorite temple there, Narita-san.


Narita-san Shinshoji Temple has become one of my favorite temples in Japan for a couple reasons. One, because of the beautiful hilly roads on the way there. Just look at this round-a-bout way I took to get there! This is why I prefer walking whenever possible!


Once you get closer to the temple, there are also a bunch of little shops on the Omotesando selling eel, and traditional crafts, and rice crackers, proving to be a great place to do some window-shopping.


Two, because the location is wide, open, and I can really feel the historical sense of Japan here (Narita-san was founded in 940) without the crowds of people all over. And BEHIND the temple is an absolutely gorgeous forest area with different trails that I've treked from start to finish. It is a popular temple, but I can always find some quiet place where I can walk and spend some time enjoying the tranquility.



BONUS!
Also, since I've been going to a lot of temples lately, I've learned how to use the ritual water cleansing (temizu) before entering a temple. First, wash your left hand, wash your right hand, take water in your left hand, wash your mouth, then wash your left hand again, and you're done! The gods will be pleased that you're all freshened up before going to visit them. :)

Oh, and also, this past week was "Golden Week", where everything is pretty much closed in Japan so people can take it easy. For my golden week, I took a trip to Kamakura (by the ocean) to visit some more temples and do some hiking. Once I get all those pictures sorted out (I went crazy, per usual), maybe I'll show you next post~

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Sama Otsukare!!

Sama お疲れさまですした! 韓国の文化おしえてくれて감사합니다!! Nos vemos en cualquier parte del world!👋💫 Wait for the last Sama blog very soon!  サマのラストーのブログ待って下さい!!👐 Sama,いってらっしゃい!

Hayley- Life goes on

Life goes on Yesterday, I was able to go into work for about half the day.  It was great being there, but it struck me how tired everyone looked.  It wasn't just them though. . . I know I looked tired too.  The emotional toll of the past days has been very draining.  There is so much going on, and so much uncertainty as events continue to unfold.  No matter where you turn, there is something to remind you that life is not as it should be. I look at my laptop, where BBC News' Live Stream reminds me of the unfolding situation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.   I think of the rescue efforts in the north and all of the people who are living in temporary shelters.    And yet, looking outside this morning, life appears to be normal.  The sun is shining, people are riding by on their bikes, and the kindergarten bus shaped like a giant dachshund just drove past . . . to all appearances, life is normal.   ...

Stephanie-こんにちは!Konnichiwa! Hello!

こんにちは!Konnichiwa! Hello! My host sister Asuka and I in 小えど, Japan Hi everyone!  My name is Stephanie, but in Japan I've already been given the nickname  Su-chan  す-ちゃん    (su from Stephanie since the Japanese pronunciation is su-teh-fah-nee, and -chan is added to the end of a name when you are speaking to a younger person or a friend), so you can call me Su-chan! I am one of the five Hippo interns working in the LEX headquarters office in Tokyo this year. In addition to me, from Wisconsin, the intern team is made up of Tino from Mexico, Sakun and Ken Ken from China, and Hiu-chan from Korea. It's great to have such an international group!    Before coming to Japan I attended the University of Wisconsin and graduated with a degree in fine art. During that time I also worked for Wisconsin 4-H International Programs, which is how I first learned about Hippo through the 4-H/Hippo summer and yearlong exchanges. Last summer I had the opportun...