Day 6 - Mt. Fuji was shy today

Sleeping on a futon on a tatami mat in the room with 4 other people was not the best way to get sleep (especially when you have some snorers in the room) so I was a bit tired in the morning. That's okay, it was totally worth the experience. In fact, the whole gang of teachers were a bit slow moving in the morning before heading to another school to watch math instruction.

We began the day with a traditional breakfast...it was like unwrapping gifts at Christmas. Every little bowl was a wonderful surprise. We then boarded the bus and observed two lessons (Grade 1 and Grade 5) before doing some sightseeing on the way back to Kokubungi.

The first stop was at Takeda-Jinja Shrine in Kofu-Shi, Yamanashi. This is a very famous Shinto shrine built in 1919 to enshrine the spirit of Shingen Takeda, a famous leader from the area.





When entering a Shinto shrine during the 6th and 7th month, you go through a woven circle made of grass called a chinowa as an act of purification of misdeeds, impurities or bad luck. First you go through and walk around to the left, then you go through again and walk around to the right and then, finally, you can walk through to the shrine.



Another purification ritual was to use the wooden dippers to pour water on your left hand first then the right hand. Then you change the dipper back to the right hand to pantomime drinking water with your left hand. Then you hold up the dipper so the water drains over the right hand before placing it back.


Hanging around the shrine are wooden plaques called "ema" where you write down your prayers or wishes and hang them where the kami (spirits or gods) can receive them. They hang at the shrine until they are burned as a ritual at special events. This is a symbolic liberation of the wish from the writer.








We left the temple and drove up and up toward Mount Fuji. It was an overcast day so we were hoping to catch a glimpse of the mountain but, as our Japanese leader said, "Mount Fuji is shy today." We had caught a glimpse in the distance the first day but no luck this day.


We walked through the gardens along the lake and enjoyed the calm beauty (surround by hundreds of tourists).

 Mt. Fuji should be right there....

No matter, it was still a beautiful place to see the mountains and amazing plants. Fingers crossed that I see it on my way to or from Kyoto. Wish me luck!







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