終わりなんて…無いんだよね。

I have returned home, and then headed back to Brandeis. I'm sitting here in my new room as I type this... my last post of the Study Abroad Chronicle.

帰国して、ブランダイス大学へ帰りました。ブランダイスの寮の部屋でこれを書いている。これは留学クロニクルの最後。

It's been quite a year. From the good times, the friends I made, the things I learned, the places I saw... and the bad with them, the failures, the mistakes. The fun I had going to karaoke with friends, and the shock of seeing news of the earthquake. The excitement with which I set foot on Japanese soil, and the frustration of being forced to return home.

この一年間．．．すごかった。楽しい事とか、新しい友達とか、習ったこととか、見たところとか．．．そして、悪いことも、失敗も、間違いも。友達と一緒にカラオケに行く時の楽しさと地震のニュースをみた時に緊張になる。日本に着いて楽しみにしてたことと強制帰国になって挫折。

I've tried to convey here on this blog what it's been like, and yet I know I've barely scratched the surface. Words aren't enough to truly explain how I've changed, or what studying abroad has been like for me. It's been an irreplaceable experience, that's for sure. I am a different person now than I was last summer, when I wrote my introduction.

このブログで、その気持ちを伝えようとしたけど、あまり出来なかったんだ。僕が変わった事は言葉でうまく言えない。確かに、かけがえの無い経験だった。今の僕は去年の夏の僕と違う。

And yet, what's different...? I'm not sure if I know. I mean, I know more Japanese. I'm more confident using Japanese. That's obvious. I've learned something from the classes that I took.

だけど、違いは．．．？僕も分からないかもしれない。まあ、日本語力はもっと高い。もっと使いやすい。それは明らかだ。授業で何かを習った。

Other than that, though, I don't think I can properly put it into words. All I can say, I guess, is that I'm really glad I was able to go to Japan. I really wish I could have stayed longer. And I know I'll be going back there one day.

でも、その他、うまく言えない。これだけ：日本で留学したチャンスがあって、うれしい。帰りたくなかった。いつか、日本へ帰る。

So then, what happens to this blog? Well, as far as the story is concerned, this is The End. I'm not going to be writing about going to Japanese classes at Brandeis and sending homework to my professors via email. Some of my assignments will show up here in some form (a friend and I are making a video, I'm working on a translation), and I'll probably start another blog at some point (relating to my translations), but that's it.

それでは、このブログは？まあ、物語として．．．これは「おわり」だ。ブランダイスの授業に行ったりメールで宿題を出したりするについて、書きたくない。時々、何かを書くつもり。たとえば、クラスメートと一緒にビデオを作って、僕は翻訳をする。そして、僕は新しいブログを作るかもしれない。でも、それだけ。

Even without that, though... even if this blog's purpose has been fulfilled, to call it the end... And that brings me back to the title of this post, which I left untranslated. Mostly because, as a title, it's hard to translate. But the concept isn't difficult.

それが無くても．．．このブログの目的は達成しても、終わりって言うのは嫌だ。

This isn't the end. I won't ever forget the time I spent in Japan. I'll have this experience for the rest of my life. And even after the last page of the book, the story continues. It won't continue here, no, but somewhere...

終わりではない。日本で留学したとき、いつまでも忘れられない。この経験はいつも覚える。そして、最後のページの後でも、物語は続くよ。ここで続かないけど、どこかで．．．

This isn't anything like The End. Until the next time we meet, everyone...

終わりなんて無いんだよね。みんな、また会える日まで．．．

途中En Route

Well, I'm writing this from San Francisco International Airport, so yeah. They have free WiFi.

サンフランシスコ国際空港で書くよ。無料、無線ＬＡＮがある。

So on the flight from Kansai, let's see... I wrote some fanfiction, finally got around to listening to Nanoha StrikerS Sound Stage X, listened to Vocaloids music (again), ate dinner and breakfast...

関空からの飛行機で、何をした．．．さあ、ファン・フィクションを書いたり、なのはStrikerSサウンドステージXをきいたり、色々な音楽をきいたり、晩ご飯と朝ご飯を食べたり．．．

What didn't I do...? Oh yeah. Sleep. According to my watch, it's 4 in the morning over in Japan. I should feel tired. Why don't I feel tired?

しなかったことは？ああ。寝るのは、忘れた。腕時計によると、日本で朝4時だ。眠いはずなんだ。なぜ、眠くない？

さいごの夜The Final Night

Within 24 hours, I will be on a flight back to the United States.

24時間以内、僕はアメリカ行きの飛行機を乗る。

If there is an upside to all of this, it's that leaving soon is a fantastic excuse for parties and missing homework. KCJS had a farewell party on Wednesday, and aside from our professors repeating the "mild sense of disappointment" thing that set me off earlier, it was good. There was food, and pictures, and reminiscing about the sixty thousand yen I've spent on a certain Gundam arcade game (totally worth it), and all sorts of other conversations.

まあ、もうすぐ帰るからこそ、パーティーがたくさんあった。水曜日でKCJSはパーティーがあった。食べ物を食べたり、写真をとったり、私の好きなゲームについて話したりした。

Plus, I've been to karaoke twice over these past two weeks. Rather than the massive parties with beer everywhere that have characterized my earlier karaoke experiences, these were much smaller affairs with a few close friends, a lot of good songs, and no alcohol in sight. And although I never thought I could like karaoke any more than I already did, well...

そして、カラオケを2回した。先のはたくさん友達を来てお酒を飲んだけど、今回は、もっと小さいし、お酒をぜんぜん飲まなかった。

Of course, it's not all fun and games. There's that little thing known as "packing" that's getting in the way, now that it's coming down to the wire. After devoting two packages to stuff that will be shipped home, I think I'll manage, somehow. Of course, I won't see any of that stuff for three weeks, which is why I didn't put anything I'll need soon in there. (I hope.)

でも、全部は楽しいのではない。ちょっと、荷作りしなければならない。僕は郵便で箱を二つ送るつもりだ。なんとか、全部を持って帰る。まあ、送るのは、三週間ぐらいかかるから、何か要る物を入れなかった。

... I think that's it. Not much to say about these last few days. The post office will come and pick up my packages tomorrow morning around 10, and the MK Skygate Shuttle will be here around 12:15. Tomorrow, I return to the United States.

これだけかな。あまり話さなければならないことは無い。明日の朝10時ぐらい、郵便局の人は箱を取りに来て、ＭＫスカイゲートシャトルは12時15分ぐらい来る。明日、アメリカに帰る。

And now, I can think of only one way to express my feelings. You see, it's not that I'll come again to Japan one day. Rather...

今、気持ちを伝える方法がたった一つ。「また日本に来る」はちょっと違う。

Someday, surely, I will come back.

いつか、きっと．．．日本に帰る。

拈華微笑Sharing Thoughts

Go read this.

これを読んでください。

I've had a link to that blog on my sidebar pretty much since I knew it existed. It's the work of one of my classmates here at KCJS. And now, she's put this feeling into words better than I ever could.

このブログを知る時から、ここでリンクがあった。僕のクラスメートのブログだ。そして、今、僕よりこの気持ちをうまく伝えた。

When I first learned that I had been accepted into KCJS, I was happy. It sounds like such a simple thing, and yet that doesn't suffice to describe it. I was looking forward to coming to Kyoto with all my heart. Hell, I started this blog in June, remember? I needed to do something with all that excitement.

京都アメリカ大学コンソーシアムに受かった時、うれしかった。簡単な事という感じがあるけど、本当の気持ちをうまく伝えられない。思いっきり楽しみにしていた。まあ、このブログは6月に始めたね。何かしなくちゃって感じ。

When I first got to Kyoto, everything was new and different, yet everything was the same. Daily life is daily life, no matter where you might go. And yet... there was "とまれ" painted on the (much narrower) roads, rather than "STOP", there were the school uniforms everywhere, there was the easily-recognizable chime of the school bell that sounds the same no matter where you go... Things I had seen in anime, but now I was living in that world.

京都に着いたとき、全部は違ってるけど、全部は同じ。どこでも、日常生活は日常生活だよね。けれども．．．もっと狭い道で「STOP」の代わりに「とまれ」が書いてあって、制服があって、学校のチャイムがあって．．．アニメに見たことけど、それは現実だった。

When the first semester ended, I realized I hadn't really suffered from homesickness at all. I love the United States, I would proudly use the word "patriot" to describe myself... and yet, I didn't miss it. Somewhere along the line, I had come to love this new country, and my life in it, almost as much.

秋学期を終わった時、懐郷が全然無かったに気づいた。アメリカが大好きだって、誇りを持って愛国者と名乗るんだって．．．でも、懐郷が無い。いつの間にか、日本や日本の生活も愛しないではいられなかった。

And now, I'm being forced to return home.

今、強制帰国になっちゃった。

"Disappointment" is indeed the wrong word. There's no one word, not in Japanese and certainly not in English, that could possibly suffice. Perhaps what I have written, what my classmate wrote, comes close to expressing something that truly cannot be put into words...

やっぱり、「残念」という言葉は違う。日本語でも英語でも一言で絶対に伝えられない。僕の書いたことや僕のクラスメートの書いたことで伝えられるかな．．．

And while it is true that this cannot compare to the hardships of those in Tokyo or Touhoku, I am in complete agreement with my classmate on this: dismissing it is damn near unforgivable.

最後に：こんな気持ちは関東と東北の人の苦難と同じではないと言うことは本当だ。だが、僕はクラスメートと賛成。見くびるのは、許せない。

確認Confirmed

The final day of classes is now March 23rd, and I will be required to move out of my homestay by March 26th.

I don't understand this at all. There is absolutely no reason for anyone here in Kyoto to be evacuated. And yet, we're being told to leave. Sure, it's only a 'suggestion'... one backed up by the removal of our places to stay in Japan, and the cessation of all classes. Really, do they think we're morons? They might as well hand down a direct order and have done with it!

I should have seen this coming though. Really, it started with the Department of Defense. They ordered their personnel not to travel to Japan. Never mind that Okinawa (to take one example) is completely unaffected by the earthquake or the nuclear plant, it's part of Japan. The State Department travel warning also suggests that U.S. citizens not travel to Japan, and advises those in the country already to consider leaving.

The worst part is, it wouldn't even have been all that hard for them to actually do it right. Here, let me take a shot: "We strongly urge U.S. citizens to avoid travel to the Kanto and Touhoku regions of Japan, including Tokyo and areas north. U.S. citizens in those areas should consider departing immediately." Rather, though, the State Department and Department of Defense elected to go with a policy that shows a staggering lack of information or care on basic geography, and now Columbia and KCJS are doing the same.

Japan's reaction to this disaster has been exemplary. In the face of one of the most powerful earthquakes ever, the country took action immediately, in accordance with the preparations that have been carefully laid over years of having to deal with exactly this kind of disaster. In the face of something that human engineering simply cannot stand up to without damage, the workers at Fukushima Dai-ichi have been working tirelessly to limit the damage as best they can.

And perhaps most importantly, the citizens have not been panicking. Surely, if anyone should be worried, it would be people in Kyoto, in Nagoya... and yet, people on the other side of the entire world are panicking! In New York City, in Washington D.C., people with no informed knowledge of the situation here in Kyoto, with no understanding of climate patterns or nuclear physics or basic geography, have decided that people in Kyoto, in Hiroshima, in Okinawa are in danger and should leave.

I don't understand.

悪ノ娘歌詞Daughter of Evil Lyrics

Somehow, it's always the evil characters that capture my attention. Not really sure why.

なんとなく、悪と呼ばれたキャラクターが気に入る。なぜか分からん。

Daughter of Evil
悪ノ娘

Lyrics/Composition/Arrangement: mothy (Evil P)
作詞・作曲・編曲：mothy（悪ノP）

Vocal: Rin Kagamine
歌手：鏡音リン

Lyrics/歌詞:

むかしむかしあるところに
悪逆非道の王国の
頂点に君臨するは
齢十四の王女様

Once upon a time,
there was a evil, unjust kingdom,
and at its head,
a fourteen-year-old princess.

絢爛豪華な調度品
顔のよく似た召使
愛馬の名前はジョセフィーヌ
全てが全て彼女のもの

Luxurious and gorgeous furnishings,
a servant whose face resembled hers,
a favorite horse named Josephine,
everything was all hers.

お金が足りなくなったなら
愚民どもから搾りとれ
私に逆らう者たちは
粛清してしまえ

If money starts to run low,
squeeze more out of the ignorant peasants;
anyone who disagrees with me
is to be purged!

「さあ、ひざまずきなさい！」
"Now, kneel before me!"

悪の華　可憐に咲く
鮮やかな彩りで
周りの哀れな雑草は
嗚呼　養分となり朽ちていく

The evil flower blooms beautifully,
shaded in brilliant color.
The surrounding pitiful weeds
can just become nourishment and rot away.

暴君王女が恋するは
海の向こうの青い人
だけども彼は隣国の
緑の女にひとめぼれ

The tyrannical princess fell in love
with a blue-haired person across the sea,
but in a neighboring country, he
was instantly taken with a green-haired girl.

嫉妬に狂った王女様
ある日大臣を呼び出して
静かな声で言いました
「緑の国を滅ぼしなさい」

Mad with jealousy, the princess
one day called her ministers to her.
In a soft voice she told them,
"That green land is to be reduced to ruins."

幾多の家が焼き払われ
幾多の命が消えていく
苦しむ人々の嘆きは
王女には届かない

Countless houses were burned to the ground,
countless lives were erased.
The lamentations of the suffering people
failed to reach the princess.

「あら、おやつの時間だわ」
"Oh, it's time for afternoon tea."

悪の華　可憐に咲く
狂おしい彩りで
とても美しい花なのに
嗚呼　棘が多すぎて触れない

The evil flower blooms beautifully,
shaded in the colors of madness.
Even though it is a pretty flower,
ah, countless thorns make it impossible to touch.

悪の王女を倒すべく
ついに人々は立ち上がる
烏合の彼らを率いるは
赤き鎧の女剣士

Finally, people arose
who felt they had to overthrow the evil princess.
At the head of this mob
was a female knight in red armor.

つもりにつもったその怒り
国全体を包み込んだ
長年の戦で疲れた
兵士たちなど敵ではない

As they planned, the piled-up anger
enveloped the entire country.
Endless fighting left everyone tired;
even the soldiers found they were not enemies.

ついに王宮は囲まれて
家臣たちも逃げ出した
可愛く可憐な王女様
ついに捕らえられた

Finally the palace was surrounded,
and the servants had fled.
The beautiful princess
was finally taken into custody.

「この　無礼者！」
"You ungrateful peasants!"

悪の華　可憐に咲く
悲しげな彩りで
彼女のための楽園は
嗚呼　もろくもはかなく崩れてく

The evil flower blooms beautifully,
shaded with the colors of sadness.
The princess's paradise;
fragile, transient, it crumbled to ruin.

むかしむかしあるところに
悪逆非道の王国の
頂点に君臨してた
齢十四の王女様

Once upon a time,
there was a evil, unjust kingdom,
and at its head,
a fourteen-year-old princess.

処刑の時間は午後三時
教会の鐘が鳴る時間
王女と呼ばれたその人は
一人牢屋で何を思う

The time of punishment was set at 3 in the afternoon;
the time the church bell rung.
She who was called "princess",
alone in her cell, what did she think of?

ついにその時はやってきて
終わりを告げる鐘が鳴る
民衆などには目もくれず
彼女はこういった

Finally the time came;
the bell rang out the end.
Ignoring the people below her,
the princess had only this to say:

「あら、おやつの時間だわ」
"Ah, it's time for afternoon tea."

悪の華　可憐に散る
鮮やかな彩りで
のちの人々はこう語る
嗚呼　彼女は正に悪ノ娘

The evil flower fell beautifully,
shaded in brilliant colors.
Off in the distant future, the people would say,
ah, she was truly a daughter of evil.

突然中止Sudden Interruption

While I can't find any official announcement to this effect, from what our professors have told us, the Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies has been informed by Columbia University that all activities will be suspended sometime in the very near future, certainly before the semester is over. The sense I got was that we will probably not be holding classes a week from today, and will have to go home early.

Words fail me. I just... I don't know what to say.

大地震Major Earthquake

Today, at 1446 local time, a magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off the eastern coast of Japan, approximately 80 miles east of Sendai.

本日、2時46分、M8.8の地震がありました。震源は仙台の東、約130キロ。

I am fine. Didn't even notice anything here in Kyoto. However, it's looking like there are going to be a lot of people who aren't going to be "fine". Exact casualties are difficult to pin down at this point... there are at least 200 deaths reported now, and that number will likely increase as time passes.

僕は大丈夫だ。京都で何も気がつかなかった。でも、死亡者とけが人が多い可能性が高い。正確の数はまだ不明だけど、死亡者の数は200人以上で、多分これから増える。

My heart goes out to the victims of this tragedy.

皆さんが大丈夫と祈ってる。

現代の歌姫The Diva of the Modern Age

Miku Hatsune is so cute!

初音ミク、かわいいな！

Okay. Got that out of my system. So yesterday, there was a concert: Miku Hatsune Live Party 2011, in Tokyo. Sadly I couldn't go to the actual event itself (I'll save random trips to Tokyo for the weekends), but I was able to go to the movie theater in Kyoto and watch the concert live from afar. And I'm very glad I did.

さあ。とにかく。昨日はコンサートがありました。それは初音ミクライブパーティー2011。本当のイベントは東京にあるから、行けなかったけど、京都の映画館でライブを見ることが出来た。本当にすごかった。

I got to the theater around 6:45; the show was supposed to start at 7. After meeting a friend who was also going to the concert, we headed into the movie theater. We got a free little glow stick and a tote bag when we went in, because it wouldn't be a Japanese concert without glow sticks to wave around in the air. And yes, we did. The movie theater was a field of little glowy lights during the entire concert.

僕は6時45分に映画館に着いた。ライブは、7時に始まる。友達と会って、映画館を入った。入る時、トートバッグとケミカルライトがもらった。そのケミカルライトはとても日本的な物だと思った。いつも、日本のライブで、みんなはそのライトを振る。私たちも。ライブ中で、たくさんのキラキラと光ってるライトがあった。

Why was this concert so cool, you ask? Simple. Hologram. The Vocaloids are not human beings, after all. We're referring to computer programs designed to synthesize voice, primarily for singing. I say "primarily" because Miku did greet us after her first song ("Good evening everyone!"), so she's certainly capable of "normal" speech, although it does sound a little awkward.

なぜそんなにかっこいいだと思うかと聞いた？実は、一番かっこいい点はミクだった。ホログラムだった。ボーカロイドは、人間ではない。声を作るためのコンピュータのプログラムだ。大体、この声は歌声だけど、普通の話すこともできる。というのは、ミクは、「皆さん、こんばんは！」と話したからだ。もっとも、ちょっと不器用だったけど．．．

Of course, Japan being Japan, said computer programs are given the face and form of a 16-year-old girl with bright blue hair that's probably longer than she is tall. According to the booklet I bought at the concert, Miku is 16, is about 5'2", and weighs less than a hundred pounds.

まあ、日本らしいプログラムだ。そのプログラムは、16歳の長すぎる青い髪の毛の女の子の形だ。パンフレットによると、初音ミクは、16歳で、158センチの高さで、42キロの重さだ。

... If they're trying to get me to see her as more "human", it's working. I mean, there's what I started this post with...

．．．「ミクは本当の人間」という影響を与えたかったら、よく出来たな。まあ、これの初めの文は．．．

ジオン公国軍の士官の生活The Life of a Principality of Zeon Officer

It's been a pretty good life, lately. Well, another promotion might have something to do with that. I am now a Captain (by Navy standards, so O-6). It's a testament to how good I've gotten with Bonds of the Battlefield.

最近、いい生活だったな。多分、昇格のおかげで。今、僕は大佐だ。戦場の絆の能力が上達した証だ。

Basically, ranks are divided into three broad classes. B class is the line troops (from Civilian up to Corporal/Petty Officer), A class is the NCOs and officers (from Sergeant/Chief Petty Officer all the way to Colonel/Captain), and S class is the flag ranks. Over the half year I've been playing this game, I've managed to get myself from a rank novice all the way up to the very top of A class.

階級は、三つのクラスに分ける。Ｂクラスはただの兵士、民間人から伍長まで。Ａクラスは下士官と士官、軍曹から大佐まで。最後に、Ｓクラスは一番上の士官（少将、中将、大将）です。僕はこのゲームをした半年の間に、大佐まで昇格した。

The way that works is detailed here, if you can read Japanese. Promotion requirements at first are simply based around pilot points, although you can get a chance to take the A class promotion test early if you're really good. In fact, I recently created a Federation pilot card, and I have already been offered that chance. I declined, because I can't play with other people in B class once I start the A class promotion test.

昇格と階級の詳しい説明はこちら。最初は、パイロットポイントは大切だ。でも、優秀なパイロットは早くＡクラスの昇格試験を受ける可能性がある。実は、最近僕は連邦軍のカードを作って、もうこのチャンスがあった。断った。というのは、Ａクラス昇格試験を受けると、他のＢクラスのパイロットとすることができないからだ。

At any rate, promotions in A class are based around grades. Every battle is graded, from the highest grade of S down through E. S ranks are extremely rare, as you have to get through the entire battle without getting destroyed even once to get one, and of course you need to do really well on top of that. E ranks are also rare, as you need to be destroyed four or more times in one battle to justify getting one.

とにかく、Ａクラスで、必要なのはランクだ。全部の戦闘はランク、つまり成績、をもらう。ＳランクからＥランクまである。Ｓランクはとても珍しい。一度だけ撃破されると、Ｓランクをもらえなくなる。Ｅランクも珍しい．．．四回も撃破されると、このランクをもらう。

So for the A class, the game looks at your last ten battles, and if your grades are good enough, you can get promoted. Today, I finally managed to assemble a set of ten battles that met the frankly brutal requirements for promotion to Captain: four As, four Bs, and two Cs. (Or higher; one of those As was an S, in my case.)

Ａクラスで、過去の10戦は大切だ。その10戦の成績はよかったら、昇格する。今日、僕はやっと大佐に昇する格条件が揃った。この条件は、四回Ａ、四回Ｂ、二回Ｃ。（以上もいい。僕の場合は、一つのＡはＳランクで揃った。）

It helped that the battle today was a 6v6 in Belfast, a harbor map that favors long-range nautical combat. (Some mobile suits are designed for underwater combat, although I honestly don't know what the in-game effects are.) You see, I'm actually kind of bad in smaller battles... I guess I'm better at taking advantage of a chaotic battle. And I finally had an excuse to try using my Gelgoog Marine.

一つの助かったことは、今日のステージ：ベルファスト、6対6。ベルファストは、広い港のステージ。遠距離の攻撃は抜群だ。海もあるから、水中で戦えるモビルスーツを使ったほうがいい。実は、僕は小さい戦闘（4対4）がちょっと苦手だ．．．大きい戦闘の混乱を使った能力があるかもしれない。そして、ゲルググＭを使うチャンスがあった。

It also helped that the enemy never even tried to shoot me when I played as a long-range bombardment type mobile suit the one time. Being able to destroy the enemy base without opposition is an excellent way to get an A, and the bombardment on the enemy mobile suits with cluster rounds didn't help matters. That was the S, actually.

もう一つの助かったことは、遠距離砲撃モビルスーツを使った戦闘に、敵は全然攻撃されなかったことだ。敵拠点を簡単に破壊するのはＡランクをもらう方法だ。その上、拡散弾を使って、敵のモビルスーツを攻撃した。その戦闘はＳランクの戦闘だった。

So yeah. I can now call myself Captain Zankou of the Principality of Zeon forces. Life is good.

それじゃ。ジオン公国軍のざんこう大佐と名乗れる。気持ちいいな。

伏見稲荷大社Fushimi Inari Shrine

（なぜか分からないんですが、これを翻訳したくない．．．すみません。）

Finally, I do something other than go to the arcade.

As is typical, the weather refused to cooperate. The fact that I could see snow falling when I got on the train at Kutsukawa should tell you how cold it was today. At least it was sunny when we got to the shrine itself; that and the hiking I did went a long way towards keeping the cold off.

Anyway. I went with my host mom to Fushimi Inari today. Apparently she has a friend who works at the gift shop there. In practice, that means "free stuff", and while it was a little embarrassing to be getting free stuff from someone I'd met literally a minute ago, I couldn't really get a word in edgewise to say "no thank you". Besides, the water came in handy.

You see, the actual main shrine at Fushimi Inari is at the base of a hill. I mean, it's called Mt. Inari, but it's not really a mountain. 233 meters is not worthy of being called a mountain, as far as I'm concerned. I did end up spending around an hour walking around up there, but I did a lot of looking around and praying at shrines along the way and other things that weren't "walk from point A to point B".

My host mom didn't even start up the hill. She got as far as the rear shrine before turning around. Of course, this was hardly the first time she'd been to Fushimi Inari, and the rear shrine is plenty far enough to see one of this shrine's major selling points...

 ... the Senbon Torii, one thousand of these easily-recognizable gates. (Apparently my host mom tried to count them once. Got up to around 300 before giving up.)

Frankly, after that I feel like not much happened. I mean, it's a shrine. I've been to plenty. There were the ema, the little wooden card things that you write a wish on and hang near the shrine. They were in the shape of a fox, since foxes are important at this particular shrine. You could draw to get a fortune; mine was excellent. There were protective charms; none really interested me.

There were these "Heavy-light Rock" things (Omokaru-ishi). Apparently if they feel light when you pick them up, then whatever you were praying for will be easily granted. I mean, they weren't impossibly heavy, I suppose. But now I forget what I was wishing for. Well, even if I remembered, I seriously doubt I'd share it here.

What else happened... Oh right. Cats.

So according to my host mom, people do abandon cats at shrines like this. Because they're, well, shrines, people don't just kill or chase away the strays. Divine messengers, and all that.





I of course realized none of this at the time. I was in my usual frame of mind. Which could probably be summed up as "here kitty kitty... aww cute kitty"... yeah, I have a weakness for cats. (Or there's this XKCD comic.)

It was an interesting little hike, and a cool shrine to be sure. But I worry that shrines are getting to the "seen it all before" stage. I don't know what to do about that. Other than find a few more (like, oh, Ise) just to confirm my suspicions...