A bit of Japanese to a nice small hotel
by SLLiew
When in Hakone area, most of the hotels were fully booked and I managed to get to a nice small hotel because I could speak some Japanese then. The travel agent assured the hotel that I could speak Japanese and will not be a problem.
Some of these Japanese hotels are off limits to foreigners. Mainly the staff do not speak good English and for example, I have to walk to the nearby bath place for a Japanese hotspring bath which may be totally difficult to explain to a foreign tourist unaccustomed to Japanese public baths.
So knowing some Japanese or travelling with a local Japanese will get you to small better hotels in Japan.
Wash your hands
by KevinMichael
A common easily practiced custom when coming to a Shinto shrine is to wash one's hands.
Do not stick your hands directly in the water. Using the cup provided. Pour water into the palm of one hand and then do the same for the other. Be sure to do so, so that the water does not go back into the main pool, but into the gutter instead.
Hayama, some say the Saint...
by Pavlik_NL
Hayama, some say the Saint Tropez of Japan. Here the emperor has his summerhouse (heavily secured) and the bay is a perfect place to enjoy the Pacific ocean and a few lovely beaches. Here mostly the (wealthy) Japanese spend their holidays and only a handful of tourists. Only danger of this place is that you might not want to leave it anymore.
Daibutsu...Great Buddha
by dancinbudgie
The Great Buddha is a bronze statue, cast in 1252. As you can see from the pictures it is enourmous! (13.5 metres tall). It is of course, the star attraction at Kamakura, and so very crowded. I think if you want to view it quietly you would have to get up very early in the morning!
Go see the BIG Buddha (Daibutsu)
by KevinMichael
Kamakura's Great Buddha is located at Kotokuin Temple in Kamakura city. From Kamakura station it is only a short 15 minute bus ride (or 30 minute walk). The bronze statue is that of Amida Buddha. Amidism, one of Japan's many schools of Buddhist thought, contends that through devotion to Amitabha & recitation of his name, one can be reborn and live a happy life until one finally reaches Nirvana. This school of thought is very common throughout Japan. One of it's most famous mantras is chanted as "Nama ami dabutsu". Sorry, I can't translate this. I've heard it recited over and over again at a number of different Buddhist ceremonies.
*Personal note: As an optimist, I'd rather just keep coming back again. I'm not looking forward to Nirvana as... I think it sounds like being dead forever.
Regardless of whatever your beliefs are, this is a holy place. In the very least, out of consideration for what the temple represents and for all that hold it with the deepest regards, it is best to be respectful.
*one other note: Regarding Buddism, belief isn't necessary. Whether you believe or not. If it's real, then it'll happen whether one believes or not. Reality's construct is not set by the mind of the believer. "What is" is regardless of the mindset of the believer. {Not really a religious point, but more so, a point of logic}.
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Hase Temple cave
Daibutsu
The Kannon-do Hall of Hasedera
The Great Buddha
