The content of TKE blog will be preserved in the following place without further upgrades. (just preservation)
http://tokyokawaiietc.wordpress.com/

Thank you!
Kirin

When I went on hiatus last time, I noticed I needed a place where I could express my joy of writing, because at that time my job was to translate something technical and inhuman written in English into Japanese…So I returned to TKE. I needed human words and I needed to feel joy from writing. But since I changed jobs, I’ve experienced joy of translation into beautiful easy-to-read Japanese. Now the theme is not something technical but it’s about marketing, sales, management, leadership, investment…business, and I like that. I can learn these themes while translating them.

What happened is that I don’t feel like doing extra PC work after I come back from work. Translation work requires PC work all day long and all I want to do at home is stay away from computer as much as possible. Yet, I have many emails to reply to everyday. OK, that’s fine. But as to blogging…I think it’s finally incompatible.

I’ve never imagined the day will come like this when I say I will quit TKE forever. This is not a free blog. When I don’t update it frequently, it doesn’t earn from advertisement and thus it can’t afford hosting eventually. It’s not happening now, but I can easily imagine that. Sadly I don’t feel sad so much, which is because my interests are not for TKE any longer. I miss those days when I was a lot more enthusiastic about running TKE. But things change. My job or life changes as well. So I’d rather take it as a natural change.

The asset I made through TKE is definitely FRIENDS!
I wanted to write a post about visiting them on TKE but without waiting for such days, TKE may be closed down.
Too much PC work makes me tired. From now on, I’d continue email correspondences with some friends rather than exchanging comments with many readers.

I have no other choice. I want to focus on my translation work. I totally enjoy the process of creating and writing Japanese from what I get in English. I never experienced this before. Writing has always given a special experience to me since I was a kid. Now I feel something similar from translation when the script is something spoken by human not like a technical manual or something.

It doesn’t mean I close down TKE next morning or within this month. But in a few months, it’s possible.
(When TKE is closed, TKE email address is also disabled. And I have already closed my facebook and twitter accounts too. I may continue Youtube only but I’m not sure that either.)

Finally, thank you for reading TKE and allowing me to experience it.
It was a great experience!
Keep in touch via email if you stay as my friend.

Love,
Kirin

I was unable to cover all the country names in Kanji, but it seems each country has its name in kanji version.
This page may have your country in kanji version.

Yet, please don’t misunderstand that every country in kanji is recognizable in Japan.
If you wish to remember country names in Japanese, do it in katakana when the country has both names in katakana and kanji.

Hope you enjoyed the video!
Kirin

There’s a famous zakka shop (zakka means daily goods in Japanese) in Shinsaibashi, Osaka. That’s Tiger Copenhagen! This is the only store we have in Japan. Yes, the very first store in Japan isn’t located in Tokyo, but in Osaka! The store is so famous for its popularity, because people make a long long line to come into the store for shopping. Well that was the news I heard when the store opened and I didn’t think the line is still long even today!!

I was accompanied by my Osakan friend who hasn’t felt like checking this store out until that day with me because of too many people’s waiting all the time.

When we got there, we were shocked to see many people making a line, waiting to get into the store. A security guard told us, “Here’s the end of the line. I think you’d wait for 40 minutes or so.” I’d give up waiting if I were alone but having my long-time-no-see friend with me, I thought I could chat with her while we were waiting.

As it turned out, however, 40 minutes was not necessary. The line moved so quickly and I guess we only waited for 10 or 15 minutes. So this is a picture I took from inside the store. Still many people waiting, huh?


I’ve never been to Copenhagen and so I have no idea how the original shop looks like, but speaking of this store in Osaka, I have to say it’s not shopper friendly! Why? Well, it’s sort of difficult to explain this, but we, the shoppers have to go one way because the goods are displayed along with a series of arrows. So what happens there is…like there is a long line of people inside the store too that moves into only one direction. So when you want to skip a certain area because you are not interested in those goods, there’s no way you can do that. You have to wait until the people in front of you move forward.

I made a big mistake, which I noticed when I was on upper floor. I didn’t pick up a shopping basket that was only available at the entrance of the store. I only noticed that after I reached the upper floor. This is nothing serious at any other stores, but in this store, it means I had to move reversely in the flow of the people. Against the people moving forward, I had to go back, weaving my way to go back to the entrance, and after I picked up the basket, I had to take extra unnecessary time and effort to wait for the people moving forward again because there’s no shortcut, only one way to get back to where I was in the upper floor.

It’s quite useless, very inconvenient and totally nonsense to the shoppers!
As for the goods there, I’ve noticed there are too many boxes. Some are cute but some are not.

Some cute containers, too. As for stationary, I saw some black and white simple notebooks and etc. But then I’d prefer MUJI. Some had a sort of kawaii pictures on, but that was not really my taste.

Oops, this sounds like I’m complaining, but not really. I found some really cute zakka as well. I bought some as souvenirs to my friends and to myself.

I also saw something weird and funny. This is connected to an iphone or a smartphone. How would you like to use such a thing? Do we need it? lol

They sold some really cute shopping bags for 50 yen or so. I liked a few of them!

My overall experience of first time shopping at Tiger Osaka was honestly something like this: I might want to come back there one day again but not for the next few years even if I lived in Osaka. I don’t think the shopping experience and what I can get there is competitive to those of other stores. I mean, some goods are really cute there but some similar goods can be purchased at a 100 yen shop, a 300 yen shop (such as 3 coins) or a MUJI or whatever others. Being Japanese kawaii seeker, I also perceived the cuteness they had (such as a post card, notepad and etc.) was slightly different from ours. I could easily imagine I’d get cuter one at a shop like OUTLET, FrancFranc or SWIMMER for example.

Have you been to Tiger in your country or in Copenhagen? How was your shopping experience then? Was it better than mine? Did you find something kawaii there? Share with us your experience!

I can’t believe today has come without having updated any posts on TKE! I’ve been on holiday since 22nd of December…so that means I’ve been free for nearly half a month! I was planning to do this and that but why anything has not done yet at this moment???? @____@

I know why, because I have been busy with social life; meeting up with friends, attending a seminar, visiting my grandmother in Osaka (haven’t posted about it either!) drinking, inviting friends, shopping, negotiating with my bank in the U.S (my bank account was regarded as unclaimed property due to its inactive state), replying to emails and greeting cards and etc. Now I have only today and tomorrow before I restart working on Monday. BTW, I will go drinking with my friends tonight…-___- oops…

This is a sushi plate I had at Midori sushi restaurant. I’ve never seen the restaurant without people waiting in a long line. It’s that popular in Tokyo. It was raining and very cold when I visited there with my father in December. While we were waiting outside of the restaurant (we went the one in Ginza) one of the waiters kindly handed each of us a disposable kairo to warm up. How nice!!

The sushi plate was priced 2600 or so and it was very good! I think the price was reasonable considering the quality, and I am convinced that’s why people line up!

I’ve got to go….
I have no idea if I can really continue on blogging in 2013.
But even if I have to stop it, you can feel free to email me!

I wish you all the best for 2013!!! ^__^
Kirin

I’m sure you know Boo.

He is tagged as ‘world’s cutest dog’.

He looked like this through ‘accident’. His long hair was such a mess that it was impossible to comb. The groomer said the only way is to cut his hair short. At first, Boo’s owner was upset when he heard that, but when Boo was done with his haircut, he looked really cute!

For some reason, I keep thinking Boo is Japanese. ^^”

This guy is famous! He even has his own photobook!

But Boo comes from America!!

I was surprised because I was quite sure this guy was from Japan…then I found this:

“Wan!”

Ok, this cutie is definitely from Japan because he “wan!”s instead of “woof!”s.

Meet Shunsuke, the cutest dog in Japan!

Both dogs are Pomeranian and they look like baby cubs to me! I’ve seen Ena chan’s Pomeranian before! She has a black Pomeranian and he is awfully cute as well.

For more doggie cuteness, you can ‘like’ these guys on their Facebook page!

Boo

Shunsuke

Which dog do you think is cuter? ^^ They sure do look like stuffed toys!

===end of the post===
Kirin’s opinion:
Kawaii~~~~~<3 Thank you Apple for sharing this. I saw Shunsuke on a dog magazine cover and I’ve also noticed this ‘hair style’ for Pomeranian has become popular lately. <3 <3 <3 I liked the Shunsuke’s picture with the red ribbon. (But I’m still a doting mother to my own dog Pi-chan. lol)

I still wonder what the best balance is between life and work. But anyway, I’ll write up freely like a diary.
I’ve worked for a domestic company (that means Japanese company) for the past…nearly 6 months or so, and unexpectedly it was such a FUN experience to me. I made a few good friends from work, which was not easy when I was working as a freelancer (as a house renovation planner). Those days, my ‘friends’ were more likely to be friends for benefit. We met for exchanging useful information for work or to share knowledge or experience of work. That was fun while I was engaged in the work, but our friendship was over when I quit that job. I noticed then that there was no reason to meet up with them when I have no more renovation work to share with them. Also I clearly noticed the friendship was based on benefit and without the topics about work, there has not been any particular topics that I feel like talking about with those friends. That was not a genuine friendship, after all…

Although I was shocked to see how company employees are working, it was yet, a fun experience as a whole. Japanese firms are unique in some ways, especially when they are compared with American or even European ones. There are pros and cons for every aspect, but one of the good points about Japanese companies in general is that a whole company is just like a family. Employees are like one big family. That’s why senior workers will try to educate junior workers. They are willing to help the followers to learn, grow up and contribute to the company, even if they sacrifice their own time or work.

Unlike western companies, Japanese companies are still having difficulties in dismissing their employees, no matter how the western culture has affected our society in some ways. Long time ago, we had no idea of dismissal in Japan, thanks to life-time employment system. It’s been said that life-time employment has been dead and we also have to be prepared for layoff, but as a matter of fact, regular employees are relatively protected from dismissal except for some special cases in Japan. If an employee does not do something really stupid, he will probably keep employed till his retiring age.

I believe that such culture and climate of Japanese firm definitely help generate family-like and friendly atmosphere in the office, especially when it’s relatively a big corporation like I’ve been working for. I really felt comfortable interacting with almost every co-worker in the office. (The bad aspect of such company is that people still think working long hours is greater than working efficiently or complete the work before the fixed hour.)

My job contact with this company is to be terminated, and my next job contact will start from January and it’s a Japanese venture capital company. I think their culture is very different from the current one. My working hour is shorter because I wish to stay more time with Pi-chan and do something for myself at home.

Now I’m thankful to the company for what I experienced in the past 6 months. 10 years ago when I was working as a company employee, I really hated that. That’s the main reason I started to work as a freelancer. But now I find myself more flexible, generous, and thankful, which is why think I no longer feel hatred, anger or irritation. I even feel a bit sad for leaving the company in a few days.

It was because I changed that irritation could have become appreciation? Have you experienced something like this?

Japan has the highest number of Michelin star restaurants, with 317 across the country, beating France, long regarded as the home of fine cuisine. Osaka is blessed with 88 one-star, 15 two-star and 5 three-star Michelin restaurants, which makes it the fifth most Michelin-restaurant populated city in the world. The bustling city is Japan’s third largest and is known as “Japan’s Kitchen”. You’re really spoiled for dining choices when visiting Osaka.

Let’s start with the three-star restaurants; Fujiya 1935 and Koryu were promoted in 2012. Fujiya 1935 is also ranked number one on Tripadvisor, so scientifically that has to be the best right? Well, by all accounts it is definitely a contender, however, it is worth noting that Fujiya has lost a star in the 2013 ratings. Fujiya is a small, intimate restaurant that was established in 1935 (hence the name). It only has a handful of tables, Fujiya is a Spanish-Asian fusion restaurant that serves technical masterpieces and all for a reasonable 13,500¥ (£100).

Fujiya 1935 (トリップアドバイザー提供)

A warm welcome awaits at Koryu, where the chef is happy to give you an interactive experience and explains each dish if you sit at the open kitchen bar. Dishes include chilled yuzu and baby eel sorbet for the adventurous and sublime miyazaki beef. Booking at the 3 star Hajime restaurant can be a bit hit and miss and can only be taken over the phone (gird your loins for the long distance phone call charges). If you have the patience it will be worth it however. The 8 course tasting menu comes highly recommended.

北新地 弧柳 (トリップアドバイザー提供)

Taian is a hidden 3 star gem, although you will need to trust your chef as the staff isn’t multi-lingual. Most dishes will be a mystery, but for the bold diner, this will be an exciting adventure. Kashiwaya is a Ryōtei restaurant that serves modern Japanese food and is located at the Relais & Châteaux hotel. With dishes like puffer roe boiled in sake in turnip soup, you can be guaranteed an authentic meal in a traditional setting.

Kahala is buried amongst an entire strip of restaurants, but this two-star restaurant is often cited as one of the best in Osaka, beating its three-star rivals. It is a Kappo restaurant, where the master chefs have around 15 years experience of cutting, boiling and seasoning fish rather than cutting for sushi. Kahala is expensive at 30,000¥ (£225) per person, but this cult restaurant is where food meets art. You can enjoy a potato paper-chain, carved from a single potato, as well as their speciality, 5 barely seared layers of Iga beef. Delectable!

For tempura, head to the two-star Yotara Honten which was established in 1921. The fourth generation chef creates tempura from onion (Negi) and Osaka shrimp (Shirasa Ebi). The house specialty is Taimeshi, a sea bream rice dish. The tempura, taimeshi and soup will set you back just 4,000¥ (£30). Gyuho is a two-star Kaiseki restaurant found in the Kitashinchi area of Osaka and is a must for meat lovers. Exotic dishes include sashimi heart, tongue and liver. Or the stew-like shabu-shabu – meaning swish-swish for the sound of the meat cooking in the pot. For a full-on meat feast here, expect to pay 25,000-30,000¥ (£190-225).

The one-star La Baie French restaurant has a coveted 5 ‘couvert’ spoon and fork symbols for decor, comfort and service. You’d expect such a level at a Ritz-Carlton restaurant though. The traditional European decor is all wood panelling, chandeliers and fine art. The twist here is that the modern French cuisine is created with local Japanese ingredients. Definitely worth a try.

To see the latest results for the 2013 Michelin Guide, click here.

If any of these restaurants are enticing enough to bring you to the bustling city of Osaka, then be sure to book a room at the five star Swissotel Nankai Osaka, situated in the heart of Namba.

===end of the post===

Kirin’s opinion:
It’s said Osaka is a city of “Kuidaore” that means people there are particular about foods. I also hear that a restaurant that serves so-so dishes may survive in Tokyo but never do in Osaka. Yet, I think there are also many restaurants in Tokyo that are highly rated in Michelin Guide. ^ ^

Ryotei or Kappou are the type of restaurants that are often used for client dinner and so it’s paid by company, and it’s not for ordinary people to just go eat a dinner easily. ^ ^;; (To me, I can’t afford 20,000 or 30,000yen or even 10,000yen for a meal per person! haha!!)

Yet I still receive a few inquiries and purchase requests of the pelvis pillow once in a while.
I’ve wanted to write an updated post about it when I’m back from hiatus and now I’m finally doing this.

In fact, the Kotsuban Makura (pelvis pillow) I introduced in the previous post was not very durable, which I found out some time later. The material was so weak that it could easily happen that the pillow ended up with making a hole that loses air. Actually that’s what happened to mine. (Sorry if that also happened to those who bought it from me. I of course wouldn’t have sold them if that had happened to me earlier. But it happened to me after a while, which was after I sold several pillows. )

Also as time passed, several people seemed to have gone through the same experience as mine, according to the reviews of the product. I think that’s why the maker started to make an upgraded version of Kotsuban Makura at a higher price. I bought it because I wanted to continue this diet. I felt clear difference between before and after in 2 weeks, but since the pillow had a hole, it went useless and my just-lie-down exercise has stopped since then. (My waist also went back! :S)

So this is a new version! (The cover of a book looks a bit different. I broke a box to make it less bulky. So this is a small instruction textbook that came along with the pillow.)


New pillow is a lot more durable as its material seems to be a rubber or plastic…I’m not sure what it is, but it’s very much different from the previous one!). It comes with an air pump.

(A bonus picture with Pi-chan looking at them curiously. ^ ^;;)

There is a hole from which air is put. This hole is magical because it’s open for inflation but no to deflation.

So it doesn’t loose air as it is. It doesn’t need a lid or something to cover the hole.

I no longer can compare this with the previous version because I threw it away when it got broken, but I guess the shape, length or width are almost the same. The big difference between this new version and the previous one is a material and also I remember the previous one had seam joints which were most likely to make holes as it’s used normally.

The instructions are easily illustrated like this.

Speaking of the ways of exercise, I believe the previous book introduced more different exercises. But I think it’s more important to continue it everyday as if it’s a part of life habit or something than to do many different exercises but end up with being tired of or bored of them eventually.

I’m not sure if there are still any readers who want to purchase this improved version of the pillow for toning. But if YES, please contact me via contact form. Normally I wouldn’t be able to go to a post office as it’s open only while I’m engaged in working. But I’ll have a holiday season and also I may be able to handle shipping (going to post office) when my work is not too busy.

There are many interesting things and good products that I find in Japan. I want to help purchase and ship them for TKE readers only, which is why I don’t do this on eBay. I only want to do this for someone who basically trust me. That’s why payment should be in advance and no guarantee for your satisfaction of the product as it should differ from one to another. No guarantee for miss or loss of the parcel if you don’t choose EMS shipment (with a fee for insurance). I can add some English translation for the important part (instructions) for you, though.

I’ve been using this improved version of Kotsuban Makura for a few months now but I also walk for 25 minutes to and from the 2nd nearest train station every morning and evening to commute. So I’m not sure which exercise makes difference. ^ ^; Yes, I mean I get slimmed-down, not only my waist line but also my face line, around my neck, upper arms and maybe thighs?? I can feel the difference and I want to keep that habit for an everyday thing. ^ ^;;

===Apple’s post starts from here===

Hi!! This is Apple!

I’m really happy that Kirin decided to go on with TKE. I’ve been meaning to write but have been busy.

Firstly, it feels like a long time since I’ve been to Tokyo, so I can’t write much of Tokyo places or trends for now. I went to Kansai in Spring this year, so I thought of sharing some interesting places I’ve been to when I was there. I wrote some articles (Shirahama & Kobe) early this year just after coming back from my trip, but I think maybe they were not interesting because nobody really left any comments. T^T Haha!

Ok, anyway, today I’m going to share with you one of my favourite places in Kansai!

It’s Kyoto!!

Being a city kind of girl really (I love Tokyo!), I’d initially thought Kyoto would be dull to me. My boyfriend was very excited though.

One of the places we visited in Kyoto is the famous tourist attraction, Kiyomizudera (清水寺)! Kiyomizu (清水) means clear water, or pure water. The temple is so named as there’s a waterfall of pure water within the complex.

Fun Fact: Not a single nail was used in the entire wooden structure of this temple!

Being Spring, we’d expected a scenery like this:

Source

 However, this was what greeted us:

We were too early for Sakura! T^T

Anyway, we were there because I wanted to see Jishu Shrine (more on that later), but we couldn’t find it anywhere.

We walked around and found ourselves here.

These are Jizo statues. They are dressed in coloured clothing for Spring!! It was an amazing sight to behold.

Jizo is the the protector of children and travelers, and while my boyfriend and I were standing there in awe, we came to a decision to go back to the main entrance of Kiyomizudera where many tourists were gathered at and search for Jishu Shrine again!

There’s no free admission to the various temples in Kyoto, we realised soon enough. I was reluctant to pay 300yen each to enter Kiyomizudera, as I’d really wanted to see Jishu Shrine instead, and wanted to save my money to enter that should it need an entrance fee too. Also, on our way to Kiyomizudera, we had already spent 100yen each entering a mysterious place!

It was like this: We were near to the entrance of Kiyomizudera and we saw many people at this little counter. A man was also giving out plastic bags to visitors to put their shoes. Visitors climb down a flight of stairs, where you couldn’t see where it led to! And then there’s another flight of stairs where visitors come back up.

My boyfriend and I were so intrigued! We had no idea we needed to pay for it until we asked the man giving out the bags what this was about.

Turned out it’s Zuigudo Hall!

Zuigudo Hall is a pitch black basement underneath the temple and is named after Buddha’s mother, Daizuigu Bosatsu. The basement was designed to symbolise a mother’s womb.

In the middle of the basement, there’s a large stone with the Sanskrit word ‘womb’ carved onto its front.

When I asked the man what this was about, he explained to me enthusiastically but I could only make out the words “make a wish with your hand touching the stone while walking around it”. In my excitement, I forgot to tell this to my boyfriend.

As we walked down the stairs into the basement, it gradually got darker. The pathway is narrow and can only admit one person at a time.

When you reach the bottom of the basement, IT’S REALLY REALLY REALLY DARK. You wouldn’t be able to see A THING. You wouldn’t even be able to see your fingers.

Note that they enter people constantly, so there are people in front and behind you. You wouldn’t dare to stop walking because then, you would be blocking people behind you. And you will only dare walk slowly because there are people in front of you. You can hear them, but you can’t see them!

At first when people just got down to the bottom of the basement, they all went, “I can’t see anything!” “It’s really dark here!” “Yabai!” “Oh my, really? Is it safe to walk like that?”

I was scared too. I was wondering if there’d be more stairs, and you really didn’t know how big the place was and how it was structured. I was also afraid I would never find the exit.

I began fearfully but gradually relaxed when I suddenly felt safe. There was a thick rope you could hold onto to guide you along the way. It became quieter as you went deeper into the basement. Everyone probably started to relax too upon knowing they’re safe.

When I saw the tiny glow of the stone, and made out other people’s hands on it, I did the same thing as them, putting my left hand onto the stone. The stone was smooth and cool, and you just made your way around it while making a wish. At a point of time, you will notice the hand in front of you removed from the stone. You just do the same thing and follow the person in front of you out. I have to say, you still wouldn’t be able to see the person in front of you. You could see his/hand while it’s still on the stone because the stone had a faint glow of light.

Actually, while in the darkness, I trusted a lot on my instincts. It was a really interesting experience. I even wished the journey was longer! Haha! Now that I know that this basement actually represents a mother’s womb, I just feel that it’s a really meaningful place to visit!

My boyfriend was behind me when we went in, but I waited ages for him to come out from the basement! Just when I started to feel worried for him, he was ‘born again’, out from the mother’s womb! I asked him what took him so long?! Apparently, he lost his way when he reached the stone. I think he walked around the stone one million times. -____-”

And he didn’t know we could make a wish while touching the stone! Hahahaha! I laughed for the longest time.

When we were excitedly chattering about our experiences, a handsome Caucasian man approached us and asked in the most fluent Japanese ever whether we could help him with reading his lot.

The lot was written entirely in difficult Japanese that even Japanese themselves might not understand. I only recognised that his was an average lot. Or was it? I only remember that he was very handsome.

Ok, I have to remind you that I was actually writing about finding Jishu Shrine. After many failed attempts of trying to find our way, I decided to ask a personnel there where Jishu Shrine was.

Ah, I have decided to throw in a Japanese lesson here!

Excuse me, how do I go to Jishu Shrine?

すみません、地主神社はどやって行きますか？

(Sumimasen, jishu jinjya wa doyatte iki masuka?)

すみません Sumimasen means ‘Excuse me’ or ‘Sorry’.

地主神社 Jishu jinjya is the place I wanted to go: Jishu Shrine. 神社 (Jinjya) is the word for Shrine.

どうやって Douyatte means ‘How’.

行きます Ikimasu is an action verb which means ‘to go’

か Ka is just a question marker.

Basically, if you want to know how to go to somewhere, you just use this form:

すみません、(place you want to go) はどうやって行きますか？

Sumimasen, ________ wa douyatte ikimasuka?

Or, if you think it’s too rude to just ask someone how to go to somewhere and you are the type who prefers being a little bit vague, you can just use this:

すみません、＿＿＿＿　へ行きたいのですが。。。

Sumimasen, ________ e iki tai no desuga….

It’s like, “I’m sorry, I’d like to go to ______”

* -たい -tai means want.

How to use: Drop the -masu of the action verb (for e.g. 行きます ikimasu), and replace it with -たい-tai. So it becomes 行きたい ikitai.
Likewise, if you want to say you want to eat something.
Eat: 食べます (tabemasu)
Want to eat: 食べたい (tabetai)

Trust me, they will understand what you are trying to ask.

Simple right?

Tricky part is actually when they answer you of course. Haha!

Well, if you are not very proficient in Japanese, this is what you can do. Get a paper and pencil/pen for them to maybe draw out the answer for you? I got lost in Tokyo once, and the policeman guided me back to my hotel using paper and pencil to draw a simple map for me.

Or! You can learn some words to understand briefly the directions you will receive. Look out for these words:

まっすぐ massugu (straight ahead)

左 hidari (left)

右 migi (right)

左に曲がる hidari ni magaru (to turn left)

右に曲がる migi ni magaru (to turn right)

遠い tooi (bad news. haha! sorry sorry! It means ‘far’.)

近い chikai (good news yay! It means ‘close’.)

近くに chikaku ni (Usually used like this: コンビニの近くに konbini no chikaku ni. Which means somewhere near the convenience store. yes, conbini コンビニ means convenience store, but I think you know it already. ^^”)

隣り tonari (next to)

前 mae (in front of)

後ろushiro (behind)

I really wanted to just write about my trip, but I ended up giving a Japanese lesson. -__-” Sorry if it bored you! Well, anyway,

I asked the personnel and he told me that it’s inside Kiyomizudera, so off we went to purchase tickets for entering

THE.

KIYOMIZU.

TEMPLE.

That’s my boyfriend’s awful fingernail.

It was actually really fun inside the Kiyomizudera!

For one, it’s HUGE!

There are a lot of things you can do and see once you go in.

Oh! By the way, before you enter the temple, you will see this right outside the entrance:

Source

I overheard this Taiwanese tour guide telling his tour group something interesting! In Chinese, we call our tap 水龙头 which literally means “Water Dragon Head”. Chinese dragons are strongly associated with water. It was a popular belief among the Chinese that it’s the dragon (Ying Long) in the sky spewing out water that gives us rain. So, in ancient China, many taps are carved into Dragon’s Head mimicking the myth of the Dragon, hence the name.

There’s another story that says when China first received Japan’s invention of a fire-extinguishing water pump, the huge amount of water that can be pumped out reminded them of the dragon, so they named all water-flowing faucets as such.

One of the first things you will see as you enter Kiyomizudera, is many people trying to lift these 2 heavy poles up. These poles are meant to demonstrate how strong you are, proving your worth to protect this temple.

It’s really heavy. 重い omoi!!!!

This entry turned out to be very long! I haven’t even started writing about Jishu Shrine!  Ok, my laptop is running out of battery, so I will stop here for now. Stay tuned for part 2, where my boyfriend and I finally find Jishu Shrine! Jishu Shrine is very interesting!!!

It’s the famous shrine where you pray for all things regarding love. Many interesting things in there I want to share with you! I hope you enjoyed reading this post. ^^

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Kirin’s opinion:
Thank you Apple for sharing your interesting experience with us. It may sound weird to you all, but I’m a Japanese who is not very familiar with Kyoto myself. When I tried to enter Kiyomizudera when I visited Kyoto for the first time in many years, I was too late for its opening hours. I may have visited there at a time of school trip but already forgotten…:p

Apple, I like your Japanese lessons. I can’t even think of what kind of phrases are wanted.