paper cutting

This post is so late! I took these photos on Setsubun, a holiday in February to celebrate the coming of Spring (although it was still freezing!). There was a guy there who can cut any shape out of paper, completely free-hand. It was amazing! He took requests from the audience and would just talk away to the crowd while going totally Scissorhands on the paper, and five minutes later he would have made an amazing paper cutting. I was there with Mrs. Suzuki, a primary school teacher from Yoshida Nishi Primary School, and she called out a request for me! I was so happy because there were so many people trying to get the paper cuttings.

Dragon

For all the other paper cuttings he folded the paper in half so it would come out symmetrical. But this one he just cut as it is. After I saw this one I wanted it more than mine!!

Roosters

Someone requested this as it's the Year of the Rooster. So elaborate!

Moon bunnies

This is the paper cutting he made for me. It's a shrine.

Monsters Inc

For Setsubun, some people dress up as devils and everyone throws beans at them while shouting, "Oni-ha-soto! Fuku-ha-uchi!" (Out with evil! In with good fortune!) I got caught in the crossfire of a bean attack by some primary school kids...

the rude shoes

I got to school later than usual the other day, and saw a few teachers at the entrance checking the students' shoe lockers. In Japan students change into their indoor shoes at the entrance and store their outdoor shoes in small lockers. I asked one of the English teachers what they were doing, and she said that they were checking empty shoe lockers against that morning's role call. But she was carrying a big empty cardboard box and said that another job was to check that students were wearing their shoes properly and weren't squashing down the heal to wear them like slides. She said, "It's rude, so we collect the rude shoes and take them to the staff room." This is the little-known battle that Japanese junior high school teachers are fighting every morning... the battle against The Rude Shoes...

golden week

The holidays continued for me after the Fuji trip, with another whole WEEK off school! Well it's actually just the 3rd, 4th & 5th of May that are the public holidays making up 'Golden Week', but I took Monday and Friday off as well. Mum came to Japan for the first time on Sunday for a week. Here's our story...

golden week part III

We spent the last 3 days in Kyoto. We stayed at a really nice hotel, the Westin Miyako. While the golden and silver temples, Kinkaku-ji and Ginkaku-ji, are probably the most famous places in Kyoto, I really liked the shrine we visited on the last day at Fushimi Inari. And Mum and I both give two thumbs up to Heian-jingu, especially the gardens!

sunday, may 8th

The gates of Fushimi Inari

On our last day in Kyoto (and Mum's last day in Japan), we walked the paths of this shrine lined by hundreds of red gates. I liked it here a lot, because while most shrines and temples have set areas for visitors, we could just go wherever we liked here and explore all over.

Oi! 

The Gatekeeper - Mum and one of the guards of the shrine. 

Paper cranes at Fushimi Inari 

The Turtle Club

I tried to join but they said I wasn't 'turtley' enough.

A duck, a turtle and a carp.

Sounds like a fairytale, or a bad joke!

saturday, may 7th

Kinkaku-ji 1

The 'golden temple' lives up to its name!

2 

3 

Ginkaku-ji

The so called 'silver temple'. Lies! All LIES!

Sand gardens of Ginkaku-ji

The flat part represents the oceans and the other bit's the moon. I think.

Mum and the cone

I just like this pic. 

Money can't buy love,

but plenty of people seem to think it can buy you good fortune at a shrine!

'Kaze-no-yakata'

My favourite shop on Tetsugaku-no-michi (Philosopher's path) in Kyoto! It's so great! They have mobiles and spherical hangy-things made of thread with Japanese dolls inside.

Don't fall!

I'd been to Heian-jingu before, but I didn't know about these gardens hiding in the back! There was even a big pond complete with stepping stones - bonus points from me and Mum!

Here comes the bride...

There was a Japanese bride in traditional gear having her picture taken on this bridge. I wanted to take a photo, but who wants some stranger taking your photo on your big day! Actually, Mum and I didn't think she looked too happy. An arranged marriage, perhaps? (I have absolutely nothing to back that up, I just made it up!)

The bridge 

Keeping up appearances 

The red gate ('tori') down the street from Heian-jingu (shrine).