Silver & Gold

Hai Pineapple desu!

Sorry I have been a bit busy and haven't gotten around to posting lately.

Anyway, do you remember my riddle from the previous post?
Let me remind you: Why do people in Nara wake up so early?
I'll give you a few more moments to ponder this, the answer will be at the end of this post.

Anyway. After our trip to Nara where I spent a lot of timing chasing and barking at deer it was then time for Keri, her mama-chan, and I to pack up and head to our next destination. Kyoto!
Kyoto is maybe one of my favorite places in all of Japan. Why this is....I'm not too sure. But to me personally Kyoto really feels like the heart and essence of Japan, maybe also in a slightly stereotypical way, in that Kyoto really embodies a lot of traditional Japanese culture that people read about/see on tv that isn't necessarily true for every area within Japan. Again, in my opinion I feel like if I were turn it into a sort of analogy (sorry it will be an American based analogy as that is where I am from) Tokyo:Kyoto as Los Angeles: New York City. And just for a bit of clarification I mean that to me Tokyo represents the more modern and superficial representation of Japanese culture (aka crazy cool electronics, weird anime, crazy fashion and a ridiculously high consumer culture) where as Kyoto seems to be more refined and have a more traditional aire about it (while still being modern of course).

I could dedicate an entire novel to writing about my love for Kyoto, but instead I think it is about time I share some photos and facts about Kyoto. So here we go!

So Kyoto was initially the imperial capital of Japan, until 1869 when the Emperor was moved to Tokyo and became the new capital of Japan. As such, Kyoto is filled with so many beautiful temples, shrines, and gardens, a number of which are world heritage sites (I think the entire city of Kyoto should become a world heritage site, it is so lovely). I'm not sure if many people know this, but Kyoto was originally one of the locations that was selected as a target for one of the atomic bombs, but due to the insistence of then Secretary of War, Henry Stimson, Kyoto was later removed from the list. Likewise, Kyoto was very lucky to have avoided being a target for a number of air raids during WW2 and as such is home to some of the oldest structures in Japan.


Here I am at gin kakuji or the silver pavilion. Originally built as a retirement villa (complete with an exquisite surrounding gardens) that was later turned into a zen temple and now a top notch attraction in Kyoto. It was so nice to trot along through the gardens here, I highly recommend stopping by if you take a trip to Kyoto.




Here I am at kin kakuji or the golden pavilion that was likewise originally built as a retirement villa but was then turned into a zen temple. Unlike the silver pavilion that is not so silver, kin kakuji is covered in gold leaf.

While the pavilion at kin kakuji is more visually stunning, I prefer gin kakuji because of the amazing garden stroll.

If you visit Japan, please make sure you have a trip to Kyoto scheduled in as well, it really is maybe one of the most beautiful cities in all of Japan.

And now, for the answer to the riddle/joke:
Why do people in Nara wake up so early?

A: So if there is a dead deer in fron of their house they can drag it over to their neighbors yard (and call the Japanese coppers).
remember, these deer are heavily protected by the state government, if you harm a deer (say hit one while driving) you will pay a fine.

It is not really a haha kind of joke, but hearing our little old lady Japanese guide telling it to us really made me laugh out loud.

Pineapple

Nara via Osaka

Hai Pineapple desu!

Hi everyone! So from Dec. 26th until the 28th Keri, Keri's Mama-chan and I were staying in Osaka.
Maybe Keri will post a bit about Osaka, but I am going to make my post about Nara city (in Nara prefecture), a day trip we took from Osaka.
From 710-748 Nara had been the capital of Japan, so there are many beautiful temples and shrines in the city of Nara. The three sites that I visited were Kofuku-ji, Todai-ji, and Kasuga Shrine.



Nan'en-do at Kofuku Buddhist temple. Inside contains the Fukūkansaku Kannon, the doors of the hall are closed for the majority of the year, but for one day when people may come and gaze upon the Kannon. This is site no. 9 of the 33 pilgrimage sites throughout the Kansai area.


Here I am with the Great Buddha, or Daibutsu, housed in the Daibutsuden (great buddha hall) at Todai-ji temple. The hall itself is the largest wooden building in the world, and the buddha contained within is also the largest bronze Buddha statue in the world. His fingers are roughly about the size of an average sized person.


This wooden support post with the carved out center gives a scale of one of the Buddha's nostrils. It is said that if you can pass through from one side to the next you will reach paradise/enlightenment. I'm pretty small so it wasn't a tight squeeze at all, but after me a French fellow in his late 20's was squeezed/pushed/pulled through by a group of his friends.


Here I am posing with one of Nara's most famous residents: The shika (Deer)!
The deer in Nara are tamed deer that are allowed to roam about the city, shrines/temples, and roads freely. They number at roughly 1,000 within the city. According to legend, one of the Gods was carried to Nara on the back of a great white deer to guard the then capital of Japan, Nara. Since this time deer have been regarded as heavenly creatures that guard the city of Nara as well as the country of Japan.

Now, here is a riddle/joke that my Japanese guide told me:

Why do people in Nara wake up so early?

**Hint**
The deer in Nara are protected by the government if you harm/injure one of the deer you will be punished.

The answer will be given on my next blog post!

ふゆ やすみ

Hai Pineapple desu!

ふゆ　やすみ (fuyu yasumi) is Japanese for winter break.
This winterbreak I am a busy busy little puppy. So expect many updates to occur!
My winterbreak started on Dec. 24 (Christmas Eve). During winterbreak it is pretty popular for people to travel around since kids are on school break. Since Keri isn't teaching school we also decided to travel around. Even more exciting is that Keri's mama-chan is visiting Japan, and so we decided it was the perfect time to do a tour of Japan. So on the evening of Dec. 26th we all piled into Keri's car drove to the station and caught out local train to Hiroshima. At Hiroshima we then transfered onto a shinkansen, or bullet train. We caught the nozomi (which means hope or wish) super express, which is one of the fastest trains in Japan, at maximum speed it travels 300 km/h or about 187 miles/hr. Pretty impressive! Keri has used the shinkansen multiple times, but for Pineapple and mama-chan, it was our first shinkansen trip!


Mama-chan and I on the Nozomi express from Hiroshima to.....(it's a surprise you have to check my next post!)

Akioshido

Hai Pinapple desu!
It has been a pretty long time since I have last posted, sorry. The reason I haven`t posted lately isn`t because I have been up to nothing.On the contrary, I have been very busy, you see everyday while Keri is busy teaching genki students it is my job to be socializing with said genki students! All of the kids here love me from the most overly genki 小学校生　to the most jaded english disinterested 中学校生。But, I haven`t been able to post any pictures because the JET program is pretty strict about having pictures of students posted on the web.

But anyway, here are some photos of what I did a few weekends ago. I went to Akioshido, the largest underground caves in all of Japan, and maybe even one of the largest in Asia (?). And most amazing of all it is within the prefecture (kind of like a state) that I am living in!
It was super cool, it looked like a scene out of Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl.
Check it out!





Here I am posing near one of the many awesome rock formations within the cave. I think this one was named hill of a thousand rice fields. And trust me, they do look a lot like the rice fields here in Japan.




A view of the rice fields from the side.


Met a friend when leaving Akioshido


A really nice Obaasan (grandma) engraved this piece of limestone with the kanji for Akioshido and the date I visited.
She thought I was such a cute lil puppy!

Until next time!

Matsuri Time

Hai Pineapple desu!
So, while roaming around Yamaguchi-ken awhile back I had bumped into two friendly Japanese girls at the train station. I was a little bewildered because they were wearing these really pretty, traditional looking, Japanese outfits. After chatting with them for awhile it turned out that they were on their way to a matsuri (festival) in Hofu, a city kind of near Oshima (where I am living). They told me that it is very common for Japanese girls to wear these pretty Yukata's during a festival or when there is a bon odori or bon dance, which often takes place during the summer season. They explained that Yukata's are a more casual style kimono worn during summer. Unlike the more formal kimono which is made of silk, yukatas tend to be made of cotton which is perfect for wearing to the summer festivals since they are a less heavy and more...breathable(?) material.
I'm hoping that I can find a pineapple sized Yukata, so that when I go to a matsuri or bon odori I will be dressed in the proper attire!

One lucky puppy

Hai, Pineapple desu!
Hello readers. I still cannot believe what a lucky puppy I am. Somehow I have been so blessed as to have gone from one beautiful island paradise (hawaii) to another beautiful island paradise (Oshima). Although Oshima is lacking in the fast pace life style of Honolulu, in many ways this is also Oshima's strength. Unlike Oahu, Oshima still holds that isolated natural charm that can only come from lack of overdevelopment and mass tourism. Trees, flowers, and all other forms of nature take precedence here with small towns and communities peppered in between. This is probably my favorite part about the drives Keri makes around the island; I love sticking my little nose out the passenger window and enjoying the fresh air and natural beauty that surrounds me, it is still hard to believe that this is my home for at least another year, if not two!

Plush Puppies Can Travel Too

Hai Pinapple desu! As some of you may know I am Keri`s plush puppy friend.
Anyway, I have decided to start my own travel blog because, well you know, plush puppies can travel too. I have accompanied Keri on many of her adventures across the U.S. and across the globe, and do I get mentioned in her blogs, nope. So here we go, a place for me to post about my adventures and the places and people I meet.

For the next year I will be living and exploring and meeting the different areas and people of Japan. My new home is on Oshima island in Yamaguchi prefecture. I haven't seen any other plush puppies roaming the streets yet, but I have seen many neko-chans (woof woof desu). Hopefully I will make some new friends while here in Japan.



Speaking of new friends, here is a picture of me with one I have recently met. His name is Choruru and he is Yamaguchi's prefectural mascot. Choruru is an embodiment of the Yamaguchi kanji, 山口 (yamaguchi)。Can you see it? His green hair makes up the symbol 山 (mountain) and his white face is the symbol for 口. Cute, right? I think we will be very close friends!

I'm off to go and explore some more, so until next time!

Pineapple