Wait... day 8 in a 7 day challenge. Say what?

I'm stea—borrowing this idea from @tinypaleokitchen who borrowed it from @tanglebranch. Seeing as how I wasn't allowed to talk about any of the photos I posted in this challenge, I wanted to take a moment to talk about them now.

Starting off...

The train system of Japan is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because you can go literally anywhere in the country relatively cheaply without need of a car. This is fantastic! But a curse because they are often very busy and people are always running to and fro as if missing their train would be the end of the world (even though another one is coming in just five minutes).

loud rumble
i feel the train
speeding past

But still—overall, I love these things. I use the trains nearly daily. Best part: In the evening, pull out a beer and drink it on the train going home. It is a bit frowned on if you do this during the day or if it is too busy, but at night it is tolerated so you will see many businessmen nursing a cold one on that return train. What a relaxing way to travel back home after a long day working.

Speaking of good ways to unwind, another one is to fold some origami.

folded crane
what are you
thinking

Origami—paper folding—is a well loved art in Japan. Every kid practices the art, and many adults do as well. You can find packs of 40-50 sheets everywhere for around ¥100 each, making it a cheap hobby. Cheap and fun!

The crane may be the most popular fold and it's certainly the best known one. I always carry some smaller sheets of origami paper with me in my Field Notes notebook and often pull out one to fold when I am on the train. Most people look at me as if I'm insane—crazy foreigner—but occasionally I get a knowing smile from someone.

folding paper
a butterfly
is born

Hey, did I mention beer yet? 'Cause there's beer.

When you think of alcohol and Japan you probably immediately think of saké. Stereotype. Everyone also wears pinstripe suits, black-rimmed circle-framed glasses, and carries a camera. Except for the ones carrying two swords and dressed in kimono.

Hollywood has a lot to answer for.

Contrary to that vision, the most popular drink is beer.

nectar of the gods
hic—wait
what was i saying?

At least once a month or so, many offices in Japan will have drinking parties. Anyone who can't weasel their way out of it (which is almost no one) will take a trip to the local pub and drink together with co-workers and bosses, often in a private room. There are limits, but in general what happens in this room stays in this room, so talk becomes a little freer between employees and superiors. It's considered a good office bonding experience.

Beer may be the most popular drink, but saké does have its place.

These are barrels of saké. Nice designs, eh? In addition to being a good drink, saké plays an important role in Shinto, the country's native religion.

powerful
old gods of Japan
enjoy their drink

Saké is considered pure and sacred and therefore it is offered at various shrine functions, including purification rituals.

Shinto is all about purification. You wash your hands as soon as you enter a shrine—you are suppose to wash your feet and clean your mouth too, though neither of those are very common these days.

at the shrine
i wash my hands
with old water

Shinto is not really a religion in the same way that any Western religions are. It is more of a collection of local traditions and superstitions. This is one of the reasons you see this next structure practically every other block in Japanese cities.

symbol of japan
bow, and
enter the divine

I'm sure you all know the torii gate. The torii gate marks a Shinto shrine. According to tradition, a shrine ground is a place where our world and the world of the gods meets. That is, the two realms overlap in this area, allowing us to interact with the gods. At larger shrines there are often many torii gates, each one marking the entrance to a more holy area until we reach the main shrine building.

The rope hanging from it is a shimenawa. You see sumo wrestlers wear these too. They are suppose to prevent evil, so the purpose here is to prevent evil from entering the holy shrine.

Lots of evil prevention devices, eh? There's also this guy...

He or she (or it) a komainu, which is the Japanese way of saying Korean Dog. Technically Goguryeo, which was one of the Korean kingdoms in days of yore. Komainu always appear in pairs, one with mouth open (ahn) and one with mouth closed (uhn). This represents the sacred syllable OM (ॐ). They typically flank the main shrine building as a final ward against any evil that has managed to penetrates that far.

friend komainu
your teeth
need cleaning

In English we call them lion-dogs, which reflects their history a little better. In India it was said that the Buddha's teachings were like a lion. That idea eventually made way to these statues, which eventually found their way to Japan, and jumped religions becoming a Shinto thing. But I hear snores in the audience so that story will have to wait for another time.

Finally that brings us to tatami—my favorite.

Tatami are straw mats that are used for flooring in traditional Japanese homes and other buildings. If you have ever practiced karate, judo, or any other Japanese martial art, your dojo probably used these for the floor.

laying down
i fall asleep
soft tatami

They are soft and nice for walking, sitting, or sleeping making them the perfect flooring. When they are fresh they have a wonderful smell, as well. But there is a bad side: They are expensive!

Looks like I'm out of photos. Hope you learned something. See you next article!

❦

If you enjoyed this post, please like and resteem. Also be sure to follow me to see more from Japan everyday.

I post one photo everyday, as well as a haiku and as time allows, videos, more Japanese history, and so on. Let me know if there is anything about Japan you would like to know more about or would like to see.

Who is David?
	David LaSpina is an American photographer lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time.