went out to see some sights in tennoji the other day, and this place is famous for the shitennoji temple, the tennoji park and the zoo which we didnt have time to go into. will let the pics speak for themselves!
the big dome at the entrance of the tennoji park, and the other members of the 'expedition'
entrance to the zoo.. next to it was a flower/plant shop that sold really cheap plants! too bad we couldnt stop by again on the way back to buy plants.
this thing that everyone was sitting around..
everyday symbols of japan - vending machines and bicycles. there're really A LOT of both around.
we passed by a shinto shrine on the way to the shitennoji temple, but i didnt understand the instructions for putting up a prayer or i would have wished for something..
purifying yourself before entering..
the wooden pieces that you hang up after writing down your request..
the entrance to the shitennoji temple grounds. it's meant to be a buddhist temple, but this stone structure you see is in the shape of the gate outside shinto shrines, so i'm not sure as to why it's there. the grounds are huge, so perhaps there're shrines inside too.
it was really crowded as it's the month of o-bon, which is like a combination of our Qing Ming and Hungry Ghost festival. so lots of pple were there to pray to their ancestors and make offerings.
there were lots of small stalls like these. this one is for kids to have fun catching goldfish with a broken net.
i love the way it looks so japanese!
walked past a shop selling tombstones on the way to lunch..
my zaru udon lunch
inside the tennoji park - it's quite a huge park!
near the entrance are lots of animal statues:
and pink flamingoes:
there's also the symbol of osaka city
and a statue of a guy who needs to wipe his head:
by the way, a bird almost shat on me in the shitennoji temples too.. the main part of its poo landed on me - and it was a lot of shit - but my tshirt suffered a bit.
the sky was gorgeous
there's a japanese garden inside the tennoji park:
i only ever see rainbows overseas... i dont think i've seen a rainbow more than twice in singapore in all my 23 years living there, but i've seen 1 in london, a double rainbow in australia and now another one here in osaka
we then headed down to shinsekai, where all the shops in that area are. it's reminiscent of osaka a few decades ago, and i really love it as it's bright, vibrant and lively:
there're quite a few of these billi ken statues around whose feet you rub for luck.
the shop that sells puffer fish
tsutenkaku, the tower that is the landmark of shinsekai. it was a symbol of modernity back when it was initially constructed in the..70s or 80s?
i love the bright and colourful shops!
6 comments:
The stone structure typically seen at the entrance of a shinto shrine is called torii 鳥居. Syncretism is the main characteristic of Japanese religions hence a torii in Buddhist temple grounds like Shitennoji 四天王寺 is taken for granted for Japanese people. As you visit more Buddhist temples, you might discover that it's not uncommon for shinto kamis to be portrayed as local manifestations of Buddhist deities, known as the doctrine of honji suijaku 本地垂迹.
The colour scheme of the paper lanterns looks very Korean to me though. Lol.
wow thanks for the enlightenment! you really are the theology expert! perhaps you could explain more on what i'm meant to do when i enter a buddhist temple in japan because it's almost totally different from the ones that i'm used to visiting in sg :)
-- joanne~
Haha no lah, cos I've taken a module on Japanese Religions from JS Dept mah which I personally delved very deep into it during the course.
I'm not sure whether there are any Buddhist temple etiquette that are unique to Japan. Hmm... dress appropriately e.g. no bermudas, hotpants, mini-skirts, sleeveless clothes. Take off shoes when entering. - That should be safe and won't run the risk of breaking any taboos.
There are at 6 main schools of Buddhism in Japan so one Buddhist temple may be quite different from another in terms of religious practices.
For shinto shrines, there are certain steps, which the following link may be helpful to you.
http://int.kateigaho.com/aut04/kyoto-shinto-shrine.html
Check out the official websites of Buddhist temples in Japan. They are very beautifully done e.g http://www.shitennoji.or.jp/
You will get to know the often interesting history/origin of the temple (engi 缘起)and which school it belongs to.
Plus you know Japanese! Whereas for me, I normally infer the meaning from Kanji. Lol.
haha well i infer the meaning from kanji too! my japanese isnt all that great lahhh
thanks very much for the links! will definitely check them out when i have a little more time :) going off for summer camps from tomorrow onwards!
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