Interpretations, Shrine Etiquette & Fashion (by Maura, Kara & Mary)

The three of us started our day with breakfast, then a walk to the rail station so we could meet our dad and his students at their ryokan. We're getting better at understanding the trains. They're pretty easy to use and they're spotless, too.

Students Walking from School to Train Station

We met a small group and made our game plan for the day. We started at the Yasukuni Shrine (a Shinto shrine created by Emperor Meiji to commemorate people who died in service to the emperor during his reign), then went to the Yuskukan museum (military museum covering the Meiji Restoration through the end of World War II), then took a train to Harajuku district (fashion district) and went to another shrine. 

We saw some really cute school children  walking to the train station. What caught our attention (besides the cuteness) was that they were riding the train by themselves. Our parents just let us start walking to school alone, so we're noting this for the future.

Yasukuni Shrine

Yasukuni Shrine

This shrine is important and sacred to many Japanese citizens since it is said to house the spirits of those who sacrificed their lives for the Emperor. It's also controversial because it enshrines 1,000 people who were convicted of being war criminals (including 14 from the World War II era--called the "Pacific War" here). You may have heard about this shrine because Justin Bieber got in big trouble earlier this year for bowing in front of it, and President Obama skipped coming to the shrine during his visit to Japan last month.

We didn't go into this shrine, but spent some time people watching and resting our feet!

Yuskukan Museum

Japanese War Plane

The museum was really cool. We watched a 45-minute film in Japanese about the of the history of conflict both in defending territory and expanding borders. The exhibits were in English and Japanese, so we were able to follow along.

One important thing we learned was that history looks different depending on your perspective. The Japanese view of the Pacific War (WWII) is much different than what our parents learned about in school and what we'll probably learn. We read about Allied trade sanctions against Japan, which had always gotten 90% of its natural resources from outside the country. According to what we read, Japan went to war over access to resources--basically, it was an economic decision. The museum didn't mention expansionism and we didn't read anything about alliances with Germany and Italy. So we came away thinking that--as with most things in life--the truth must lie somewhere in the middle.

Wall of Sake Leading to Meiju Jingu Shrine 

Meiju Jingu Shrine & Yoyogi Park

Next, we took a train to Harajuku and headed to the Meiju Jingu Shrine, which is in a beautiful park. On a hot day, it was paradise! It is dedicated to the spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shoken, who lived until 1915. The original shrine was destroyed during WWII, but it was quickly rebuilt.

In addition to Western tourists like us, we saw a lot of Japanese people at this temple, especially parents with babies, older people, and pregnant women.

Shrine Etiquette

When you go to a shrine, you bow at the entrance then purify yourself. There's a place to do this in front of every shrine--you take a dipper, dip it into water, pour water over one hand, pour water over the other hand, and take some water into one of your hands and drink it. Now that you've washed away any impurity, you can enter the shrine area. You bow before you walk in, walk over a threshold (never stepping on the middle step), then approach the shrine. When you do, you make an offering (toss coins), clap twice loudly, then pray. It's a pretty cool ritual to watch and to participate in. When you are finished praying, you bow, walk backwards until you reach the steps, then turn around. Before you leave the shrine entrance, you bow one more time.

Passing by Mirror around Harajuku Station

Harajuku Neighborhood

Harajuku is the fashion capital of Tokyo. (Mom says that we heard about this in the US through Gwen Stefani's song "Harajuku Girls" in the 1990s, and that you'd see a lot of these stores on 5th Avenue in New York.) We went to a few places and saw some cool outfits, but we didn't take many pictures. 

Our Chicago friends might think it's funny that the longest line in town was for a Garrett Popcorn shop, which recently opened.

We visited on Monday at 5pm, so we think it may have gotten a bit more interesting at night. But we were beat, so it was time to grab some dinner, head back to our apartment, play some cards, and get ready for Tuesday adventures.

More Photos

Statue in front of Yasakuni Shrine

Entering gates to Yasakuni Shrine 

Prayers flutter at Meiju Jingu Shrine