An Invitation . . . then more of Japan, including Mt. Fuji

First . . . the Invitation.  The beautiful and huge Salt Lake LDS Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah, is opening to the public from April to October 2027.  Six months!  It will probably not be open to the public again in my lifetime.  If you can go, please do!  It's free to tour but it's best to book a ticket online because 3-5 million people are expected to visit.  For more information, see the CNN article below (and the very interesting embedded video):

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/28/us/lds-temple-renovation-salt-lake

If you have trouble accessing CNN, here is what I have learned:  Canadians have full access to read CNN online for free.  Americans can read a limited number of articles per month before paying and then only certain articles.  Citizens of other countries may also be able to read for free since CNN reaches about 200 countries.  Interesting that it's not free for Americans, and yet is an American broadcasting company.

Back to the temple . . . The temple took 40 years to build in the days of the early church members' poverty.  It was started in 1853 and was dedicated in 1893.  Since then (and until now), it has been open only to faithful members of the church. 

In its day, it was an engineering marvel.  Now it has undergone extensive renovation, including a major seismic upgrade.  It can now safely withstand earthquakes even if the ground shifts 5 feet in any direction.  It has been renovated to stand through the Millenium!  Again, see the above article and watch the video for more information.

Now for the Japan pictures . . . 

This is to remind me to tell you how awesome the toilets here in Japan are.  The controller pictured here works the built-in bidet, (pronounced bi-day' since it's a French word) which cleans you off however you want it to.  Just press and water sprays where you need it.  Gentle and warm.  ALL toilets have built-in bidets -- in the train station, in restaurants, in hotels, in homes. 
A taxi driver told us that all tourists tend to mention how wonderful the Totos are.  Toto is a brand name for a plumbing company that produces "Washlets," the Japanese toilets.

Today we've taken the train from Kyoto to Nagoya.  LeRon spent much of his time in Nagoya.  First stop on this very hot day is the Nagoya Castle.  LeRon is standing by the wooden watch tower.  A now-dry moat surrounds the castle compound and massive sloping stone walls provide a strong foundation.

The main keep of the castle compound is beautiful.  We couldn't go in it because it has become unstable due to recent earthquakes.  We are content to just look at it.  

The compound was finished in 1612 but many of the buildings, including the keep, were destroyed in 1945 during World War II.  It was rebuilt in 1959, but this time out of concrete instead of wood.  Apparently there are plans to reconstruct it in wood as was the original.  Notice those gold figures on top of the keep.  See below for an explanation.

The golden figures (shachi) on the top are of two mythical creatures, one male and one female.  Each has the head of a tiger and the body of a fish.  Apparently it symbolizes wealth and power.  Originally, before the WWII destruction, the creatures were made of pure gold.  Now they are just gold-plated.

Interesting how the stone wall around the keep was made with just a jumble of large stones with small ones stuck in the cracks.  Hard physical labor.  LeRon is always interested in how things are built.

From Nagoya Castle we caught a taxi to drive us to the areas LeRon served in as a young missionary.  At the time, 1972-1974, there were no meetinghouses.  Members met in rented buildings or in homes.  LeRon was excited to see a modern chapel here in Nagoya.

All of his "knocking on doors" has paid off and now there are many chapels in Nagoya and throughout Japan.  When LeRon was here, there was only one stake in all of Japan and now there are multiple stakes and 5 temples operating, under construction or announced.

LeRon tried the church door, and surprisingly, it was open.
(Because we have a lay ministry, church buildings are only open when members are there.  There is no paid staff and church leaders have regular jobs in addition to their church duties). 

LeRon had a short visit with this member.  It was fun to hear LeRon speaking Japanese so I videoed him (see below).
I am always amazed when I hear his Japanese (and his Cebuano here in the Cebu Temple) because his French is atrocious!

I'm looking from the church to the surrounding neighborhood and our black taxi waiting for us.  Our taxi driver, Ken, was interested in why we were here and what we were doing.  We were able to share the joy of the gospel with him.  Always nice when someone is open to talking about religion.
Then back to the train station to pick up our roller bags and be off to Shizuoka, another city that LeRon spent much time in on his "young" mission.

We're at the Shizuoka Sengen Shrine Complex.  It's a Shinto religion shrine, complete with beautiful Torii Gates.  Elder Torrie is pictured, ready to enter the Torii Gate.

There are 26 structures in this huge Shrine complex.  Gorgeous colors and swooping architecture.  So different from western or European architecture.

We assume these young women in white may be mikos -- part or full-time shrine assistants who assist the priests and who perform ritual dances and prepare ritual items.  We should have asked them.  They were young and seemed so happy to be there.

These hanging round things are Shinto charms.  The wooden plaques are for writing prayers or wishes.  For a few yen, you can buy one.

And these are fortune-telling papers.  Pay and pick.  Good for you if you get a good fortune.  If not, you can hang it back on the rope for the next person.

It's so hot this evening.  I've taken my hat off so the breeze can cool down my wet head.  Such a beautiful shrine behind me.

Many people here are devoted to their religion.  This woman came to bow and pray.

This Shinto Shrine complex is huge.  We're at the bottom of about 130 stairs.  Can I do it?  And where does it lead?  We won't know unless we do it.  But it's hot and humid.  But yes, let's do it.  There's a chain to hang on to.

The stairs are reminiscent of El Castillo pyramid in Chichén Itzá in Mexico that we saw many years ago when our oldest three were very young.  It was so steep that it made me dizzy.  Even hanging on to the rope, I couldn't do it.  I just froze while my young kids scrambled up like there was no problem. 
This stairway was not so steep, but still a hard climb for an old body.

At the top of the stairs there were more stairs and more shrines and more lanterns, lit now that it is approaching evening.  

We're back in the city now, shopping at a fruit market that had the most delicious mandarin oranges we have ever tasted.  Honestly.  No exaggeration.  They were the sweetest and juiciest ever. 
We bought a few and then went back the next day for many more.  We ate them like candy.  When we went back the second time, the shopkeeper greeted us with a very low bow, meaning very great respect.  We bowed back and LeRon told him about his experiences as a young missionary in Japan years ago.  The shopkeeper was impressed with LeRon's Japanese.

Now we're trying to find a restaurant that appeals to us tonight.  This one has live clams and other fishy things you can choose from.  Not tonight.

Can you believe it?  Of all the restaurants . . . Denny's?  LeRon was looking for a particular Japanese dish and google said that Denny's had it.  So here we are . . . at Denny's.

So interesting that a western restaurant was so . . . Japanesey.  Miso soup.  Rice.  And what LeRon had been searching for . . . omurice -- basically a Japanese omelette with eggs, chicken, rice, sauce.  It was okay but not as good as the young starving missionary remembered.

We traveled on the Shinkansen (known in the west as the Bullet Train) several times.  Comfortable.  Quiet.  Fast.  It travels up to 300 kmh (about 200 mph).  It has never had a fatality and is on time to within seconds.  Great way to travel!

Here in Shizuoka, LeRon spent much time as a young missionary, finding people to share the gospel with and having great views of Mt. Fuji.  In the summertime, Mt. Fuji is often covered with cloud so we weren't expected much.  But . . .

For about 30 seconds, we actually saw Mt. Fuji not covered in cloud.  Being from the older generation, we never thought to take a picture with LeRon's phone right then.  No . . . silly us, we rushed back to our hotel room to look out of that window.  And by then, it was in cloud again.  But we really did see the whole thing, not covered in cloud.  Yes, in the far distance, it's true.  But we saw it.

We're now on Mt. Nihondaira near Shizuoka.  We thought we were taking the chair lift (called a ropeway here) to the top of the mountain so we could see Mt. Fuji.  Instead, we were already at the top of the mountain (but still couldn't see Fuji) and the ropeway was taking us DOWN the mountain.  Whoever heard of a chair lift taking you down first and up last?

But at the bottom of the ropeway was an amazing complex of shrines called the Kunozan Toshogu Shrine.  LeRon was right when he told me that by the time our few days was over, I would have had my fill of temples and shrines.  So true.

Beautiful intricate decorations.

Red (they call it vermilion red), green, gold, yellow, and white are sacred colors in Shintoism.  You can see all of those colors in the picture.  The yellow vat is, according to Google Images (which is an amazing tool, by the way), says that it is for putting out fires.

Sister Torrie by small Torii Gates.

Click to enlarge to see the beautiful colors and intricate paintings.

I am running out of descriptive words.  These shrines are awesome!

Here's a close-up of the carvings and paintings.

And wow . . . the colors and carvings just get better and better.

For a small price, you can buy an ema, a wooden plaque on which to write your prayer or your wish.  Then you hang it back on the wooden rack.  Eventually all the emas are ritually burned in a special ceremony, sending the prayers to heaven.

Animals are revered as gods or as messengers of gods.  So interesting . . . a blue and white spotted lion.  Lion dogs often guard entrances to shrines.

Last look at this shrine for LeRon. 
Even though we are Christians, we can and should learn about and respect other religions. 
A 1978 proclamation by our church leaders states that all people are sons and daughters of the same God and that “the great religious leaders of the world such as Mohammed, Confucius, and the Reformers, as well as philosophers including Socrates, Plato, and others, received a portion of God’s light. Moral truths were given to them by God to enlighten whole nations . . . "

LeRon absolutely loves stone lanterns.  They are so typical of Japan and seeing them brings back such happy memories.  And he simply thinks they are classy.  I can foresee one in our yard soon!

Here's a couple of the delicious mandarin oranges we foundered on.  The shopkeeper said they were from Hokkaido, the farthest north Japanese island.  We will be going there soon.

And on the left are the most delicious egg sandwiches.  We were so surprised to find that egg sandwiches in a convenience store (a konbini) here were actually very good (as opposed to those in western convenience stores).  I asked google why.
The secret is in the Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise.  It's made with only the yolk of the egg (not the whole egg), with particular vinegars and MSG.
And the bread is a soft, very delicious white bread with the crusts cut off.

LeRon remembers using Kewpie a lot on his mission.  It almost reminds me of Miracle Whip Salad Dressing, but a little milder.  Much better than western-style mayonnaise.  Those egg salad sandwiches were so delicious.

We're in our 20th floor corner suite.  Windows on two sides giving us fantastic views -- if you like cities, that is.  LeRon's getting ready to eat our delicious egg salad sandwiches.

Here's my picture of our view of Mt. Fuji that I took from our hotel window.  Zoom in and you will see it in the clouds just behind those twin towers (center back). 
In the video below, I am showing our kids views from those floor to ceiling windows.

Night view from our windows.  If we could see Mt. Fuji, it would be right there in the center back.  We slept with the curtains open.  Lots of nightlights!

Next stop will be Tokyo for 24 hours, then the shinkansen (bullet train) north to the island of Hokkaido.  The shinkansen will take us in a long tunnel -- about 54 km (34 miles) long -- with 23 km (14 miles) of it under the sea.  It's longer than the Channel Tunnel but the undersea part is shorter.  Kind of creepy to be in a tunnel for that many miles.

Our Japanese Adventure is half over.  We're looking forward to a cooler Hokkaido.

Kiyomizu-deru in Kapital and Kultural Kyoto . . . lots of "K's" today

Kyoto is the kultural (I mean cultural) hub of Japan.  It was also the kapital (I mean capital) of Japan for over a thousand years.  Today we're going to visit the Kiyomizu-deru, an amazing World Heritage site. There are actually 17 historical locations in Kyoto, all grouped together under one single UNESCO World Heritage name -- Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto.  Lots of "k's" today.  Just trying to be silly.

Be sure to click on the pictures to enlarge, especially so you can see the gorgeous red pagodas.

We're heading up a very touristy street toward the Buddhist Kiyomizu-Deru.  Lots of fun shops with all kinds of Japanese memorabilia.
Buddhist places of worship are generally large temple complexes.  This Buddhist complex is very "complex," covering about 32 acres.

First look at the entrance to the Kiyomizu-Deru.  It's hard to get a good picture facing into the early morning sunlight.  I tried to catch the Japanese flag unfurled in the breeze so you can see the red sun.  Japan is known as the "land of the rising sun."

Gorgeous three-story pagoda within the Kiyomizu-Deru complex.  The wooden structure has been lacquered with vibrant colors.

Kiyomizu-deru means "pure water temple."  It was built next to the sacred Otowa Waterfall which has flowed for over a thousand years.

The main hall of the temple juts 13 m (43 ft) over the floor of the valley.  Tradition says that if you jump off it, and survive, you will be granted your wishes.  But the practice was banned in 1872, thankfully.  Before that, 234 people were recorded to have jumped and 200 apparently survived.  I wonder if their wishes came true . . . and how many broken bones or heads they had.

   There is a Japanese saying, "Kiyomizu no butai kara tobioriru," meaning "to jump off the stage at Kiyomizu", which translates in English to "taking the plunge" or "taking a leap of faith."

I'm standing on the main hall of the temple of Kiyomizu-deru.  This huge building was built without using any nails.  It has survived for hundreds of years.

Now from that main hall, we are looking down on the Otowa Waterfall.  What?  You can't see a waterfall?  That's because it comes down the hill and into that building below the colorful red building.  You can see people lined up to take a drink from the sacred waterfall, hoping to receive a blessing.  

We feel blessed already, so we didn't drink from the waterfall.  And anyway, the line was much too long. 

See below for a video of others seeking blessings by striking a drum with a huge drumstick.  So interesting.

Ah . . . at last you know I am here.  LeRon loves this place so is taking more pictures than usual.  Usually it's me, clicking away.

Can you see that beautiful pagoda amongst the wonderful foliage?  Pagodas are part of Buddhist temple complexes and are used to house sacred relics.

I was curious as to the differences between pagodas, temples, and shrines.  This is what I learned:

Pagodas:

• Multi-tiered towers
• Primarily Buddhist
• Built to house relics

Temples:

• Large houses of worship, often with many buildings
• Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism
• Has main prayer hall, graveyards
• Used for community worship; funerals

Shrines

• Small, sacred spaces
• Shinto religion
• Special entry gates, such as torii gates, to divide worldly from the sacred
• No graveyards; no funerals held

Now on to more pictures of this delightful place . . .

Huge golden lantern hanging in the temple.

I'm inside the temple with people lined up to strike the drum (as in the far above video.)

This Buddha's hand positions represent the sharing of spiritual knowledge.  There are many different Buddha hand positions or hand gestures that represent a multitude of things.

The Buddha is housed in this ornate and colorful pavilion.

Gorgeous ceilings too.  Nothing is spared to provide a place of beauty.

Stone basin and wooden dipping spoon to use for purification and prayers.  Following is a video of me doing the purification.  As I watch it, I can see why I never became an actress.  The minute the camera is turned on me, I become very awkward.  Actually, I look like the little old lady that I have become and that is embarrassing.  But really, I wanted to be respectful.

View of the main hall from which people used to jump to gain blessings (or broken bones or death).  You can see some of the 130 wood pillars that hold up the building that stands 13 meters (43 ft) above the ground.  They didn't use any nails.  Instead they used interlocking wooden joints. 

The Tabernacle of our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in Salt Lake City was also built with wooden joints and no nails.  It was finished in 1867, the year Canada became a country.  So 159 years for both.

The main statue is of Jizo Bosatsu, who is known as the protector of children, travelers, and the unborn.  Worshippers place the red bibs or aprons to protect against evil.

This time the pagoda is made of stone.  Most pagodas are made of wood and house sacred items or writings.  This stone pagoda is solid, with 11 stories.  A Buddha is carved on the lowest story.

But I still like the wooden pagodas, lacquered in vibrant colors, the best.

And LeRon loves any kind of lantern.  This one has a stone base and a bronze lantern.

Now we're walking in the extensive woods surrounding the temple complex.  Here's a torii gate with stone foxes guarding a stone altar.  Lots of stones here.

More stones . . . pilgrims stack stones as a memorial to their ancestors.

Last look at the Otowa Waterfall with its three streams of water.  Each stream represents a different blessing -- one for academic success, one for love, and one for health.  You get to choose.  But only choose one or two.  If you drink from all three, you are considered greedy and you won't get any blessing at all.  And on a side note, I wonder if they clean the wooden dippers between drinks.

And last look at the gorgeous pagoda.  The colors and ornamentation are stunning.

On our way to finding the nearby Kodai-ji Temple, we discovered a War Memorial.  Not made of stone this time, but of concrete and steel.  It was built to honor those who died in World War II, both soldiers and civilians.  About 3 million names are listed inside the memorial.  

Being interested in WWII -- I had an uncle who landed on the Beaches of Normandy and survived, and LeRon had two uncles who also survived the war -- I researched the approximate numbers of deaths in several countries in World War II:

• Russia -- 26-27 million soldiers and civilians
• Germany -- 6-8 million soldiers and civilians
• Japan -- 2-3 million soldiers and civilians
• Great Britain -- about 454,000 soldiers and civilians
• United States -- about 417,000 soldiers
• Canada -- about 45,000 soldiers

That's a lot of people who were sent to live in the Spirit World, and all because tyrants wanted to take over the world.  War is so awful.

Within the Kodai-ji Temple complex is this darling cute historic Japanese tea house, complete with thatched roof and round window.  Apparently it's called the "Cottage of Lingering Fragrance."  

I never smelled any lingering fragrance, but I wondered:  Did it come out of Lord of the Rings?  Was it a cute Hobbit house?  We got to see real Hobbit houses in New Zealand in 2023.  Well, real in that they were real for the filming of the movie.  An amazing place to visit and highly recommended if you go down under.

The Kodai-ji was another gorgeous Buddhist temple.  The painted rafters support the curving roofline and the chain is . . . you guessed it (or maybe you didn't), a downspout called a "rain chain."  Who knew?

A closer view of the downspout rain chain and the decorative rafters.  Why is architecture in the west so ho-hum?  Let's get a bit more color into our lives!

Another Buddhist Temple, this time the Kennin-jin Temple, which is the oldest Zen Buddhist Temple in Kyoto, which has a LOT of temples.  We didn't go inside this hall because I knew we would have to take our shoes off and because of my diabetes, my feet are not happy without shoes.  Plus we were beat from walking in the heat and high humidity.  But we should have gone inside.  I have learned that inside is an amazing painting on the ceiling.  True, it's not ancient, having been completed in 2002.  See next photo, which was taken from the internet.

The artist spent two years painting these twin dragons in a building in Hokkaido (where we will go next week) and then mounted the painting on the ceiling of this Dharma Hall in the Kennin-jin Temple complex.  In Zen Buddhism, dragons represent wisdom, protection, and balance.  Apparently as you look up at the dragons, their eyes seem to follow you.  Wish we would have seen it.  Another time.

But we did see this very interesting statue -- what is it?  A Buddha riding a pig?  No, it's not a pig.  It's a wild boar.  If you touch it, it will bring you success or good fortune.  We should have touched it.

We're ready for another adventure in eating.  What is under that beautifully lacquered dish?

It's unagi.  EEL!!  Eel over rice.  Actually quite delicious.  Doesn't taste fishy.  Sort of like soft beef.  We've eaten a lot of interesting things on this trip . . . gold leaf . . . unagi . . . and later we will eat shark!

We're walking the streets, killing time until our 6 p.m. geiko show.  More on that later.  But here, LeRon is demonstrating how he used to go "knocking on doors."  Only he didn't knock.  He called out, "May we come in?" in Japanese of course.  The home owner would then slide open the door and either welcome them in, or he/she would slam (or rather, slide) it shut and tell the missionaries to go away.

LeRon says that this street looks like what he remembers!  So fun to be here.

Another street reminds LeRon of his old missionary days.  He left Japan about 52 years ago, having served a 2-year mission from 1972-1974.  (Then he came home and I found him and he married me in 1975).

Three white hanging cloths indicate that a shop is open for business.  Yes, the door is open too, but the cloths prevent dust and wind from blowing in and they block sunlight.  You just duck under them and enter the shop.

LeRon saw these straw ornaments everywhere when he lived here.  They are rice-straw talismans that protect against evil.  LeRon thought the wooden placard gave the name of the family.  But google says that "The wooden placard usually reads Somin Shōrai Shison Kamon" (蘇民将来子孫家門), meaning This is the house of the descendants of Somin Shōrai.  According to Shinto folklore, the deity Susanoo-no-Mikoto promised to protect Somin Shōrai's descendants from plagues if they displayed a straw marker."
So now we know what it means.

But LeRon says that houses often had a wooden placard, similar to this, displaying people's addresses.  So we think that sometimes it was an address and sometimes it was a talisman against evil.  Stop . . . you're both right.  (If any of you oldie-goldies remember the Certs advertisement. . . Certs is a breath mint.  Certs is a candy mint.  Stop. You're both right.  Certs is two mints in one!  Remembering this ad shows my age.)

What?  The Rosetta Stone in Japan?  No, not the Rosetta Stone (which was an ancient Egyptian stone that helped to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs -- and which we have seen in the British Museum in London).  But it is ancient and it is inscribed with ancient history -- not Egyptian, but Japanese.

Our very long and hot day ended with a cultural show in the Gion district.  Music, dancing, comedy, and a tea ceremony.  But no pictures allowed, sadly.  This one was snatched from the internet.

Sometime in our later afternoon (and before the above show, we wandered through a very small bamboo forest.  Bamboo is intriguing to us because it grows so quickly.  (Nothing grows quickly in Alberta).  We have seen bamboo in many countries in our travels.

Tomorrow we will take the train to Nagoya and then to Shizuoka, where LeRon spent a lot of his time as a missionary.  In Shizuoka, he often saw Mt. Fuji.  And yes, we too caught a glimpse of Fuji -- for about 30 seconds before the clouds covered it again.  More on that next time!