Ise Grand Shrine

What's a year living in Japan without visiting the most sacred Shinto shrine of them all?!

Worthless, according to my colleagues!

Another road trip with Ema and her friends, and I finally made it to Ise Grand Shrine (aka Jingu) earlier this month.  Jingu was established in 4 B.C. (yup, over 2000 years old!) and consists of 125 sacred sanctuaries.  (Even at 10 yen a pop that's a lot of money in order to pray to the Shinto gods!)  Thankfully, we're only going to pray to the 2 main shrines: Geku and Naiku.

We are starting at the Temizusha, where we must rinse our hands and mouth in ritual purification.  I'm an old pro at this process by now. 

Kerri and Sachiyo ready to walk through the first of three torii gates leading to the shrine.

Here's a pic of the same area from New Year's Day I snagged off the internet.  INSANE!! 

Everyone goes to pray for good health for the new year. 

The final torii gate of Gaku, the Outer Shrine.

Jingu is considered to be the spiritual home of all Japanese people, and most make the pilgrimage to Jingu at least once in their lifetime. 

This year they are on target to break the annual attendance record of 8.5 million visitors. 

One of the "lesser" sacred areas of Jingu. 

(I find these type of shrines completely puzzling.)

Kerri and Sachiyo throw their yen, bow, clap, and say their prayers. 

When asked, I told everyone that I prayed for cooler weather.  They just laughed at me and told me I'm supposed to pray for good health or a husband.

Kerri and Ema at lunch time. 

They took me to a famous sashimi (raw fish) restaurant, but I ordered fried shrimp.

Sashimi lunch for the others.

Walking through the steamy streets of Ise.

There was a taiko drum festival going on!

Puffer fish and dried squid for sale as a snack.

We decided to get soybean curd (tofu) flavored ice cream instead. 

Cool... but not exactly tasty!

Kerri and Ema under the traditional Japanese straw roof, which helps keep out the sun and heat.

Walking to the next shrine Naiku, the Inner Shrine.

The thing I like about Shinto shrines is you must stroll through the forest to get to them. 

(Buddhist temples are often tucked into busy shopping areas in the middle of a city.) 

This is a little more peaceful and serene.

Approach to the Naiku shrine.

Beautiful scenery. 

You don't see enough Japanese flags in Japan, especially compared to the national pride that America has!!

After leaving this "power spot" (I read an article about this on my recent Japan Air Lines flight... silly me for originally thinking they were saying "power sport"), we were fueled with energy granted from the Shinto gods and decided to make one more stop on our road trip...

BBQ: Nagoya Style

On Sunday I decided to join a BBQ hosted by my volleyball club.  We haven't been playing vball too much lately since it's been so hot, but we still need an excuse to get together and see each other.

First off, the obligatory weather check... the temperature was 96, and the heat index was a blistering 109!! 

I seriously considered not leaving the safety of my air conditioned apartment, but after a week in China I really missed speaking English!

BBQs are a big production in Japan.  If you want to do any type of grilling, you have to go to a public area.  Generally, you have to pay and reserve these areas.  We found a park with fire pits that did not require a reservation, so we decided to give it a try!

After a 10-minute walk to the station, 20-minute train ride, and another 10-minute walk, we arrived at the park. 

Here is our grilling station.

I volunteered to keep an eye on the smoldering charcoal and our belongings while everyone else trekked to the grocery store. 

It wasn't a gracious thing to do.  I just thought I might die of exhaustion if I had to walk anymore and especially while carrying heavy bags of food!

I made the right decision.  The store was further away than they expected, and they were gone over 1 hour. 

No worries though.  I had the cute baseball boys playing soccer on the hill to keep me entertained.  In addition, our Japanese grilling neighbors gave me some of their freshly cooked food (yaki soba) probably because I looked so sad sitting all by myself!

Our classy seating area consists of "leisure seats" (aka lawn tarps). 

Notice there are more empty picnic tables over yonder, but most people in Japan don't mind sitting on the ground!

Here's a few gals eating their kabobs. 

(Where do you think I got the ubiquitous peace signs from in all my pics?!)

The roasted marshmallows on skewers were a real hit!  Obviously, they don't have chocolate bars or graham crackers in Japan for s'mores, but someone thought to buy cookies with a chocolate center.  Twist them off and put a gooey marshmallows inside... Pure Genius!!

I will admit that I had a few marshmallows, but every time I got close to the fire pit, I felt like my skin was going to melt off!

Someone even brought their miniature pug with them!  Although she's tied to the tree, she never moved an inch.  (Probably because she was overheating)

We stayed until the sun went down... you know, 6 o'clock!!   Then the mosquitoes came out with a vengeance and drove us all away.

Here's our crazy group of BBQ/volleyball enthusiasts!!

China: Baoding

Moving on to Baoding, where the headquarters for our potential customer is located.  Amazingly, things seem to be even cheaper here.  Lunch for 7 people (we picked up a few more on the way) was $15 total!  And 2 nights in a classy hotel was around $100.

I literally never had any idea what we were doing or why we were at an office. I tried to listen to Jacky's translation in Japanese, but for the most part it was a lost cause--everything was in Chinese or Japanese. Even the itinerary mailed out before we left was in Japanese, so I could read times that we were scheduled to do "stuff", but I didn't actually know what the purpose was!!  (We had lots of things planned like: meeting with potential Transfreight China carriers, greeting current Mitsui partners, scouting locations for a Transfreight office, looking for a parking lots for tractor trailers, manufacturing & warehouse visits, and of course, our potential customer meeting.)

We were quite a sight to see though.  In Baoding, we had a convoy of 3 identical black cars.  (Why we didn't stick with the minivan and add a car to transport the new members is beyond me...)  Imagine seven people stepping out of these 3 black cars all wearing black suits in rural China.  The basic difference was that the men each had a different color tie, and my suit had a skirt.  Regardless, we commanded a certain "presence".  In fact, when we were touring an auto factory, the people on the line would actually stop their job to stare at all of us!  (Not for a moment, either.  The staring lasted until we walked away...)  Ummm, hello, we're here to see you how you work!  LOL.

Driving in China is pretty crazy.  Not up to India's standards, but close at times.  The main issue was that infrastructure is half-built.  You'd be cruising on a decent 8-lane road, and then suddenly it would turn to dirt with cement pipes in an interscetion and no lanes, signals, or right-of-way!!  When merging into traffic from a parking lot, our driver never once looked, stopped, or yielded to oncoming traffic.  It was totally bizarre!  I also saw a few cars and trucks going the wrong way on the nice divided roads, and no one even seemed to bat an eye at it!!  Tag and I would just look at each other and roll our eyes!

Here's more classy food presentation.  Chinese people really like to dig out and eat the cheek meat of the fish.  They say it's the most delicious... I think I'll just take their word for it...

I had some other interesting foods this trip like pig ear, duck bone (flavored with salt), and plenty of black seaweed (you know, the kind that boosts my magnesium and lowers my stress!).  I even had some soup that smelled like and tasted like Spaghetti-O's... Yummy!!  Dessert was never served.  By Friday, I was really dying for a biscuit cookie, spoonful of ice cream, even mango pudding!  Anything that might contain some sugar!!  Overall, Chinese food is much oilier than Japanese food and much tastier.  I was well fed, even without chocolate.

The final night, we had dinner with the potential customer and celebrated with the customary Chinese wine.  This "wine" is actually liquor with a proof that ranges from 80-120.  Strong stuff for sure.  They weren't going to make me drink it, but I did so voluntarily (you know, anything to close a deal... well, almost anything...).  The guys didn't have a choice, since it's actually a Chinese ritual to have a drinking "battle".  It was clear but tasted and burned going down a lot like brandy!  Before taking each mini-shot, you must "challenge" someone else at the table to drink with you.  (Generally someone from the opposing company.)  The eldest members are picked on the most, supposedly out of respect.  The men from the opposing company declared me a "strong drinker and good with my chopsticks"... like I haven't heard those two comments before!!  By the way, there were no hangovers from this crazy drinking battle.  Had I know that earlier, maybe I would have had even more "wine".

At one restaurant I heard the "Happy Birthday" song playing, which I thought was awesome.  The first time... then they continued to repeat the song the duration of the meal.  Apparently, this was the background music.  Tag and I were cracking up.  I guess they really don't know what the words to that song means!!

Maybe they are not good with the alphabet in general.  I was registered as "Keirer" at the hotel.  This was the name taken straight from my passport.  How you get one word "Keirer" from "Kerri Lynn Green" is still puzzling to me!!

Baoding was a much smaller town, yet it seemed to be more polluted than Tianjin.

As much as I complain about the hot weather in Nagoya (by the way the heat index is still 96 right now and it's 10pm), at least the thick air I am breathing in Japan is clean.  This polluted air had me blowing black snot out of my nose all week :(

Cool dragon at the entrance of our hotel.

Oh yeah, another reason to be happy to be back in Japan? 

Decent bathrooms. 

In China all they had were squatty potties.  (No handicapped stalls at the end with normal toilets like Japan.)  Even at restaurants, hotel lobbies, and company visits they did not offer toilet paper, soap, or a way to dry your hands.  Good thing I come prepared with tissues at all times so I didn't have to drip dry!!  The TP thing seems so basic to me.  I can't believe no one in China thinks they should provide this item!

And what is it with Asia and hard beds?  I could have thrown a towel on the marble floor of the bathroom and been just as comfortable.  No wonder these people like massages so much.  Their backs must be really jacked up...

At one point during our trip, I saw a store called "one yuan store".  (Yuan is Chinese currency.)  I really, REALLY wanted to check this place out, but we never had any time.  I had images of things dirt cheap, like crazy toys with lead-based paint or hand-stitched Nike shoes.  That place could have been a total gold mine since 1 yuan is about $0.15!!

China: Tianjin

Welcome to Tianjin! China's third largest city.  Tianjin is in the northern area, unlike my visit to Guangzhou in January, which is in the southern area.

Tag and I were met at the airport by Jacky, my fellow Mitsui trainee for the first 2 months I was in Japan.  We were greeted with a Buick "Shanghai" minivan, and I was delighted to see that they drive on the right side of the road!  I even saw a few Buick Enclaves, and it made me excited to be reunited with Clifford (my big red car)!

Not all of the cars in China are cool though... check out these crazy turquoise taxis!!

Tianjin is known for gouza (dumplings), so the first meal we had was entirely of a variety of dumplings.  I never know what I'm going to find inside one of those babies, but pork, beef, or veggies, they were all delicious!  I think it's better than actually seeing the food! 

Most food in China is quite tasty, as long as you don't see any faces or ask what it is!!  On Tuesday they served us a giant pot of boiling sakana (fish) to share. I took my portion and was not too happy to realize that the bones were still in it. The Chinese guy next to me decided whatever he didn't want to swallow (bones, etc.), he would just spit out directly on the tablecloth in front of him!!  While eating my fish, I glanced at the pot and thought I saw an eyeball.  Sure enough, they must have just dumped a couple of whole fish in the boiling pot. Upon closer inspection, other people had fins and tails and a giant head on their plates! I guess I should consider myself lucky that I only found a few bones.  Jellyfish was also served with every meal, but I declined to eat it.  I've has enough of boiled rubber bands for awhile!

Things are cheap here. A nice lunch for five was less than $30 total. My room service dinner was less than $4. I got a massage at the hotel spa for less than $50. (Although Jacky recommended I go to a local massage establishment since they were less than $3 there, but I declined.) 

The massage was a little wacky.  They made me take a shower beforehand (not a bad idea since no one knows what deodorant is here either). Talk about a full-body massage... it even included my breasts and buttocks! This may have been weird before I started bathing naked in public, but by now this wasn't so shocking to me.

So far everyone I've come across has terrible English. (Shame on me for not even attempting to learn a few words in Chinese before I left!) The extent is "hello?" and "OK?", which made the massage quite interesting. And I wasn't sure what I was really going to get for my room service dinner because it took 3 people to take my order of "fried rice with shrimp". I bizarre thing to me was that the menu was in Chinese, Japanese, and English, so that's how I knew what to order!  Eating in restaurants in person is so much easier because I can point to the menu.

In general, I don't like the attitudes of the Chinese people. They are rude to each other... cutting people off in traffic, nearly running pedestrians over even when they have the right of way and are even in the crosswalk, blowing smoke in my face, pushing on to elevators before people have a chance to get off, and answering their cell phones (all with loud obnoxious rings) in the middle of meetings. It seems that no one has heard of "silent mode" or the concept of "letting it go to voicemail"!

I had forgotten about the terrible air quality in China since my last trip in January. There is smog everywhere because of major air pollution. I can only imagine how much worse the situation is going to get as the country keeps on expanding, selling more cars, etc. Some people on their bicycles even have nets over their entire head. I don't know if it's to protect from the bugs, smog, dust, or what?! Out my 6th floor hotel window I can barely see one block. Oddly enough morning and night have the worst visibility. I guess the sun tries to poke through during the day.

 

The smoking doesn't help the air pollution either. Everyone smokes everywhere, which means even I reek like an ashtray when alone in my smokey hotel room. Meeting rooms, offices, elevators, restaurants, cars, there is no non-smoking area that I've seen!

Construction is rampant since this is a growing city, but unlike Japan or US, you will never find a orange barrel or construction barricade. There are just piles of construction material in the middle of the highways (yes, seriously), and workers walking all over the road as if there is no traffic. I watched one guy stand on a pallet and then have a forklift raise him to the second level of a building under construction. Also, no hard hats or other protection equipment... what happened to the Safety First motto?!

Tag keeps making fun of me because it's not sunny, yet I always have my sunglasses on outside. The one time I decided not to wear them, I got a face full of dust and grime that I was trying to blink out of my eyes for the next 20 minutes. So I've decided to just be an American diva and not take anymore chances with the wind!

You can't drink the tap water in China, so I am back to brushing my teeth with bottled water. Also, the Chinese prefer everything hot or room temperature, so couple that with the "no ice policy" and I had to say good-bye to cold water for 5 days.

The internet through the hotel is highly regulated, and I couldn't access a lot of the sites I normally would, including facebook, blogspot, or google. I was accessing some things through my mobile phone, but Tag told me his personal cell phone bill was $2000 last month because he used the internet a few times to email his wife when he was here!!  That's insane!!  So I stopped that activity in order to same Mitsui some coin.

Check out this carrier car!  I was so impressed by it's efficiency, carrying 10 pick up trucks at once.  Then Tag noticed that there is also a police car in front of it, so maybe there is an overloading issue!!

Here's another full load.  You see this kind of stuff all over the streets of China.  They are big into the recycling business.  I thought it was just garbage they were hauling around, but it's actually cardboard to be recycled into paper.  Most overseas containers bound for the US come back to China filled with cardboard or plastic bottles.  I had no idea!!

Tag has been in China for over 7 weeks in the past 6 months, and he's never seen a blue sky or the sun due to pollution!!  So when we woke up on Wednesday to clear skies I had to take a picture of it!  It was like a miracle after all of my complaining!!

More to come as we move to Boading for the second half of our trip!

Oh, the funny things I see!

Here's more great things I see in and around Nagoya.

A whole new reason to pop your collar. 

This shirt has a hidden fashion message!

Yes, that's right... leggings for men, and their catchphrase is "No Leggings. No Life!!" 

Guess what all the men in my life are getting for Christmas?!  LOL 

(Dad's going to look really good in those blue camouflage ones!!  And Mike--how do you feel about pink lightning bolts?!)

I've gotten so used to squatty potties over here that I didn't know what to do when I came across this toilet.  I tried hovering but my leg muscles aren't what they used to be...

And what's with this tower of toilet paper?  Most days I'm lucky if the public bathrooms even provide TP, and this place buys it in mass quantities...

Special yellow subway train commemorating Nagoya's 400th anniversary!

Mini sandwiches from the convenience store. 

I no longer wonder why the Japanese don't like to eat sandwiches... it's because they are terrible at making them!  Let's throw one slice of meat and mayo between white bread and call it good?! 

By the way, this was Tarynn's breakfast on one of our trips.  I wouldn't buy this (or eat it for that matter)...

Japan sure does know how to ruin pizza. 

"Let's throw a bunch of seafood and green cheese on here and see if anyone notices, okay?"  Barf!

Milk cartons in Japan. 

They love to make everything cute!

Here's a trippy poster for Tokyo Disneyland. 

They should have a section called "Psychedelic Land" at the park!

I was wondering exactly what is so "Wild" and "Health" about Coca-Cola Zero, but then again this nation does consider OJ and PB to be sweets, so go figure...

Wild Health and sexy leather!  Roooaaarrr!

A truck advertising... umm, I don't know. 

Maybe swimsuits or maybe something else.  It's hard to say.

"Enjoy your lifestyle with love pets". 

Wow.  Where can I get myself a "love pet"?

Well if I had a "love pony" at least I'd know where to take him to get clean...

A message posted on the bulletin board at my apartment. 

The last line is my favorite. 

Apparently it's NOT appropriate to go "on a drunken rampage in the hallway". 

I wish someone would have told me that sooner.  It probably would have cleared up a lot of confusion!

Pepsi Twist?

Seriously, do they even sell that anymore?!  Not in this vending machine anyway... 

How old do you think this sign is?

Hahaha!!  Unmistakably "Where's Waldo" in Japanese!! 

I found this little treasure in the international library I go to.

I'd like to invite these boys over to play Wii with me!!

Seriously, look how adorable and fashionable they are!!

Wait a minute... I've started to see these same 5 boys all over advertisements. 

My best guess is they are some kind of Japanese boy band, but no one has been able to confirm or deny that for me. 

Maybe they just like to use the same 5 male models in all ads in Japan?!

Oh, the funny things I hear!

Here are some random bits of conversation I've had with local Japanese people that I thought were unbelievable or simply humorous! 

Seaweed and its many health benefits
What's the reason why so few Japanese people are bald? 

Because of their diet rich in seaweed!  I did some research on this on, and it seems there are many fans of this theory.  In fact, there are even a few high-end salons in California and New York that specialize in seaweed diets in order to strengthen hair and provide natural shine. 

Now whenever I see an old person (man or woman) with thinning hair in Japan, I think to myself they must not have eaten enough seaweed as a child!!

People are always trying to convince me to eat more seaweed.  The latest thing I've heard is that black seaweed is rich in magnesium, and I should eat it because magnesium will reduce my stress.  The only thing stressing me out these days is the heat, so I asked what I could eat to cool myself off. 

Wrong question... they promptly fed me tofu ice cream.  Yes, that's right, soft ice cream flavored with soy bean curd, which is also very healthy and cool on a hot day!  (But I wouldn't exactly describe it as tasty.)

I'm thirsty!
Japanese customs dictate that you order drinks after the meal rather than before or during.  Instead of the ever-popular coffee or tea options, I often order orange juice after lunch.  This also causes a few looks and giggles because OJ (like peanut butter) is considered a "sweet" in Japan.  And leave it to the American to always be "unhealthy".  I've tried to explain that orange juice is rich in vitamin C, but they look at me like I am crazy.  (The only juice thought to be "healthy" in Japan is unsweetened vegetable juice.)  But in my heart, I know my friends and family would be impressed by me drinking any OJ that didn't also contain gin!  (If anything, isn't orange juice healthier than Coke, which is some times also on the list of beverage choices in Japan?!)

Let's go play "Power Sports"
There are many activities called "power sports" in Japan.  The name makes me think of engaging a powerful machine, like a boat, motorcycle, or ATV, but that's not the case.  "Power sports" in Japan are activities that grant you "power" once you have completed them.  Some examples include:

• Visiting a shrine because you are granted (perceived) "power" from the Shinto religion
• Hiking to Yourou Falls (which I did in November) because the falls are said to cure blindness and ensure health
• Touching trees on sacred land (like Miyajima Island)

Based on all of the activities I've done these past 10 months, I figure I am a pretty "powerful" by Japan's standards!

Bugs can determine the seasons
When we were out sightseeing this weekend, the cicadas (giant noisy bugs) were especially loud and bothersome.  My co-workers tell me that the noises they make are determined by the season.  Particularly, the cicadas have a seasonal sound for early summer, mid-summer, and late summer.  Much to my dismay, the noisy sound we heard on Sept 4th was the mid-summer chirping, so I am told we have a long way to go with this weather.  The cicadas have not even deemed this late summer yet!!  I wanted to cry when they told me this, then I just figured it was an old wives tale.  But after some research online, it does sound like that actually may hold some truth.  Cicadas do make different sounds based on the seasons :(

Where is Kerri's sunburn?
People keep asking me where my sunburn is, especially after a day at the beach or walking around outside.  Apparently Japanese believe there are two shades of Caucasians: red & white.  After I explain that I wear sunblock at the beach or before going outside, they still look confused.  The Japanese use sunblock.  They know what it is, but some where along the line they were taught to think it doesn't work for Caucasians!!  They honestly don't believe I can spend a day outside, sunblock or otherwise, and not turn red!!  I seriously have this conversation at least once per week... it's so bizarre!

Beware of the sun
One other interesting tidbit about the sun is that in addition to higasa (summer parasol) that women like to use, many also wear long gloves.  I could never quite figure out what was up with the long gloves because they still leave much of your arm above the elbow unprotected from the sun.  I finally asked and was told that women are trying to prevent wrinkled hands!  Apparently wrinkled hands are quite unattractive according to Japanese school of thought.  Wow!  Personally, I can think of at least 10 others things that are more unattractive in women, but that topic requires a whole new blog...

Singing in tune means you can pick up a foreign language
I've also learned that being bilingual and a karaoke fanatic may go hand-in-hand.  Being able to sing in pitch or being musically trained often helps people in learning a foreign language.  Nearly everyone I meet in Japan loves karaoke (and more importantly are actually good at it!), and they are all bi- and tri-lingual!!  Maybe that explains why I'm having such a hard time learning a new language... I can blame it on being tone deaf!  LOL.

Where in America are you from?
When I tell people I am from Michigan, they immediately recognize it and say "5 lakes".  Schools in Japan teach children about godaiko (Japanese for "5 big lakes") in America.  They can name Lake Michigan but are at a loss for the other 4 lakes.  (Still pretty impressive since I'm betting most adult Americans can't name even 1 of the 47 prefectures in Japan or name any of their lakes.) 

When I tell people I am from Kentucky, the next comment is always something to do with Kentucky Fried Chicken!  I was recently told by the COO of my division that I shouldn't eat at KFC in Japan because they are owned by Mitsui's main competitor, Mitsubishi Corporation (the trading company, not the Motor Company).  I find this so hilarious because Mitsui and Mitsubishi are two huge trading companies and indirectly own everything in Japan, and it's tough for me to keep track of what I should and should not patronize.  For instance, 7-11 in Japan is owned by Mitsui, but another convenience store Lawson is owned by Mitsubishi.  In addition, they each own a beer company, but darn if I can ever keep them straight!!

Make sure you have a Designated Driver
Japan has some of the strictest drinking & driving laws in the world.  (Google the details if you are interested.)  They have zero tolerance and steep penalties.  Combine that with ample, convenient public transportation, and Japan has all but eradicated drinking & driving.  The penalties are so severe that passengers of intoxicated drivers are also fined.  Good to know that if I ride with an intoxicated person who is caught by the police, my fine will be a minimum of Y100,000 and a maximum of Y500,000 (which is between $1,100 - $5,500)!

Ever met a surviving terrorist hostage?!

I heard a fascinating story from my boss (until July 1st) in Japan, Ken Kataoka.  With his many years at Mitsui he has been assigned to positions in several different countries.  Shortly after he arrived in Peru in 1996, he was at party at the Japanese Embassy that was attacked by terrorists.  Kataoka and other Japanese party attendees were taken hostage!! 

The "Japanese Embassy" hostage situation of 1996 was obviously a national story, and you can check out the details on wikipedia.  Although the situation lasted 126 days (over 4 months!!), Kataoka and other "less important" hostages were released after only 2 weeks.  The Peruvian government built a tunnel under the embassy and finally rescued the hostages and killed some of the terrorists. 

Kataoka ended up working and living in Peru for 5 more years.  I was shocked by this whole story because you can bet if I were taken hostage shortly after arriving in Japan just because I was an American, I would not have stayed here to complete my full assignment!  Kataoka defends his actions by saying that he did get "hazard pay" from the Japanese government and Mitsui for the stress and inconvenience of the situation.  He didn't say the amount, but he did say that those who were hostages for 126 days received much larger amounts, and one man even bought a new house with his money!!