Japan Day 2 & 3

Okay, Day 2 was our first full day in Japan and we were busy! We started the day going around Akasaka and went first to the Diet Building. No, the Diet Building has nothing to do with food. The Diet is their main government building that houses their Representatives and Senators. The Japanese government is very similar to the British government. The Japanese do not have a king, but they do have an emperor. Both really don't have a lot of governmental power, but they are still considered important. The Japanese also have a Prime Minister and 2 Houses of legislators. While we couldn't take pictures inside the Diet, I can say that the building is very impressive with lots of marble and inticate designs. Oh yeah, it is super clean much like the rest of Japan.

We then went to Asakusa where there is a famous Buddhist Temple and Shinto Shrine. Shinto is the religion that is originally from Japan. It is based on hero worship and some nature worship. On the otherhand, Buddhism is from the Chinese and generally believes in a deity called Buddha.

After our sightseeing trip, our group watched a Kyogen performance. Kyogen is an old style of Japanese theater that have the actors talk in a very sing-song type of voice and dance in very controlled movements.

Day 3 was very informative. We spent the day mostly in lectures and workshops about Japan's economy and in a discussion by some of the top legislators for Japan. We also went to catch a baseball game with the Seibu Lions vs. The Hanshin Tigers. The Japanese are big fans of American Baseball and go all out at their games.

Lantern Floating in Hawaii

In preparation for my trip to Japan, I watched the 10th annual Lantern Floating Hawaii Ceremony held on Magic Island in Ala Moana Beach Park. The Lantern Floating is a traditional Buddhist ritual from Japan. The the candle-lit lanterns are sent floating on the ocean to honor our ancestors and to calm the "spirits" of those who have passed away. The lighted lanterns are meant to ferry the deceased "from the Sea of Delusion to the Shore of Salvation."

The Japanese Buddhist order that conducted the ceremony was the Shinnyo-en. In Japanese, "Shinnyo" means unchanging truth while "en" is a garden that is open for all. The order was founded by Shinjo Ito in western Tokyo in 1936.

Since it was held here in Hawaii, the ceremony clearly altered to accomodate the local Hawaiian cultural influence. Traditional kahiko hula and chants were highlighted in the opening ceremony along with performances by local performers.

However, the ceremony retained its Japanese roots with Taiko drumming and the traditional buddhist rites and chanting.

Over 1600 lanterns were launched and each lantern held written messages for those who have passed away from their loved ones. The lanterns were bought from Japan and put together by volunteers. All the lanterns were later collected from the water to be recycled.