みんな~
おひさしぶり~!!
★★＼(； ；)オヒサ(； ；)／★★
試験の為に忙し過ぎ!!
Sorry for the lack of updates over the past month but I've been so busy with my upcoming exams, spending anywhere from 10-12 hours each day doing nothing but studying.
（；´д｀ ） トホホ
Please be sure to check back again for loads of new updates, now that my exams are over!!
(I have so many posts to publish but the exams did not treat me kindly. They're deprived me of all social and blogging life)
(_ _|||)
とりあえず，今日のトッピク~
鎌倉日帰り旅行!!
出発しよう~!!
ヾ(＠⌒▽⌒＠)ﾉﾜｰｲ!
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| With my classmates on the school bus |
WARNING: PICTURE FILLED POST
Anyway, I'll just let them do the talking and butt in only when necessary~!! ^_^"
This was our first stop though I can't remember the name of the Shrine.
>.<"
>.<"
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| Lotus Flowers |
I was very curious as to what they were setting up and stood there for 5 minutes or so.
In the end, I gave up.
I was completely clueless.
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| What are they doing??!! |
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| The customary cleansing ritual before we enter the shrine. Here our teacher is trying to take a picture at the same time as me. We probably have each other's face on the picture we both took. (￣￣▽￣￣) |
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| Barrels of Sake donated to the shrine. Why?! Are priests and monks allowed to drink?! It seems like a big waste if the Sake is left sitting there for decades. もったいないっしょ?! |
Ignoring the bimbotic comment above, the Sake barrels displayed outside the Shrine are merely replicas and are all empty. Companies only donate a small bottle to the Shrine and the barrels are merely a token of appreciation and recognition. The priests then use the bottle of Sake in religious ceremonies where they take a sip as a gesture of goodwill to the Gods.
Apparently Sake is the drink that binds and connects the Gods and normal humans.
Soon after walking past the barrels,
Guess what I spotted??
Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ
No idea??
Look closer!! ^_^
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| It's a Baby Minnie~!! ｖ（≧∀≦）ｖキャワイイ過ぎ~!! |
And here is where it gets interesting.
We were very lucky to be there when the daily ceremony started so I took a shot of every step that the priests took on the way down from the Shrine.
びゃははは (≧ω≦)ｂ
Why, you ask? Well...
I was just bored and this was the most exciting thing that moved in the place.
(Don't get me wrong, I'm just not much into temples or shrines as I've seen far too many of them in my lifetime to be fascinated any longer!!)
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| It's starting!! Woohoo!! |
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| I wonder how they manage to walk down the stairs in their heavy outfits and high heeled shoes. 大変そう~!! (゜ロ゜)ギョェ |
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| But they did manage it nonetheless. (Duh!!) ^_^ |
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| And away they go.... |
Now it's out turn to walk up to the Shrine!!
After briefly glancing around the interior of the shrine, the entire class decided to go for 御神籤s (おみくじ).
御神籤s are basically small pieces of fortune that you get after shaking a can filled with long sticks and a hole to release one long stick which contains the number corresponding to your fortune.
It's exactly identical to the ones you find in Chinese temples as well.
Obviously, it can't be very accurate for obvious reasons. If everyone's fortune is confined to only 35 different types or so, wouldn't the world be so very boring?
It doesn't make sense whatsoever but it was the fun-nest thing in Kamakura and it satisfied everyone's curiosities for a mere 150円.
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| The 御神籤 booth |
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| My classmates scrambling to get their fortunes |
Now, I've never believed in anything or anyone being able to predict my future.
For example, my parents kept holding on to the belief that I would one day become a very successful and rich woman in the corporate world, as apparently a few fortune tellers told them that.
Since then, they have tried to brainwash me into the wonders of the corporate world and even went as far as to insist that I study a professional course such as law or accounting, which ironically IS what I did but studying something I hated was more stressful than anything you can ever imagine. I even had bouts of depression and still have.
(Unfortunately I'm still in the process of accounting studies. Oh the horror!!!! （●´･△･｀）はぁ〜 )
What the prediction is couldn't be any further from the truth.
#1: I hate working in the corporate world
#2: I hate professional courses. They are so far from what I'm interested in
End of story.
Undoubtedly it would be great if the successful part came true but definitely not in the field that they insisted I work in.
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| Only got a 小吉 (Sho Kichi = Small Fortune). But it was way better than some of my classmates who got a 凶 (Kyo = Misfortune) |
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| Another type of 御神籤 which costs more than the previous one. This is 200円 each. |
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| A path that leads to a secluded forest. Everyone was too chicken to go there. (笑) I kid. It was raining very heavily and we couldn't venture out of the 御神籤 stand which has a shade above it |
Lunch time!!
┏ご飯┓φ(ω・＠)ｲﾀﾀﾞｷﾏｽ
which was already prepared and laid out on the table before we arrived.
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| Rice with Minced Meat and a Beancurd Sheet |
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| Different types of accompaniments |
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| Mushroom, Vegetable and Beancurd Soup |
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| They even gave us a small delicious bowl of soba!! |
I was actually so stuffed by the time I finished (and I'm a relatively big eater!!).
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| Japanese Tee. Hohoho. （ ´^ー^｀) |
Next on the itinerary: The 大仏 (Daibutsu = Big Buddha)
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| The interior of the Buddha |
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| Information on the construction of the Buddha |
I managed to persuade a group of Japanese primary school kids to take a picture with me!!
Woohoo!!
(笑)
Although, the main reason for the photo is a class assignment to take a picture with a random stranger during our trip.
I must say I certainly fulfilled the requirement by taking a picture with 12 strangers!!
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| Aren't they adorable? ξ＼(^。^ ))））） |
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| Entrance ticket to 長谷寺 (Hasedera) |
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| Ticket Machine. (Although, I didn't get a chance to try it as our tickets were pre-bought by the teacher) |
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| Words on the board: No smoking anywhere in the entire mountain. |
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| The Love Kuan Yin (A famous female deity who was originally a man. Long story. Google for more.) (笑) |
So what happens if you already have love and happiness?
Some guys started to touch the Love Kuan Yin thinking that they could get a 2nd girlfriend on top of the one they already have.
LOLx
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| A cricket!! |
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| I'm hungry!! Feed me!! o(´○`)o ｱｧｰｰｰﾝ♪ |
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| The entrance of a very scary looking cave |
The interior of the cave is pitch black,
save with a few lights here and there.
To continue on towards the next part of the cave,
you have to duck really low and walk across a dark tunnel to get to the other side.
An army full of mini figures of different types of Gods and Deities.
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| Kinda reminds me of Terracotta Soldiers. *shivers* |
I saw a wall of 絵馬 (Ema = Wooden Plaques).
Until now I still cannot believe that people from all over the world are THAT fascinated with Japan!!
Here's a Caucasian guy who obviously has a Japanese girlfriend or wife!!
And this is written by a 9 year old Japanese primary school child who wants to meet a K-POP idol.
(笑)
A very nice couple who wished for the happiness of another couple.
There's even one from Siberia.
Unfortunately they wrote a word wrong and left out the き in 大好き.
But it's amazing how people try and learn the language of another country.
I've always admired people who could speak multiple languages (like me!!).
Haha~ ^_^"
And here's one from Germany~
Unfortunately, though there are many nice and sincere wishes written down,
I found one which undoubtedly proved to be the worst wish ever,
obviously written by a money-minded Chinese.
Her wish was to strike the lottery.
Are you kidding me?! People come here to wish for meaningful things,
and I hate people like this who make nonsensical requests without wanting to work hard for it.
Ridiculous!!
（＃｀д´）ﾅﾆﾔｯﾂﾄﾝｼﾞｬｧ!ﾎﾞｹｪ!!
To help calm my anger after that,
luckily this was what I stumbled across on my way back to the bus.
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| A cute smiling statue of a monk |
I love Liz Lisa dresses soooooo very much.
びゃははは (≧ω≦)
a souvenir biscuit from our teacher on the bus back home~!!
^_^
今日は楽しかったな~!!
