Prayer Flags

祈りの旗

Colorful

You may have seen those colorful prayer flags in some pictures of Nepal and Tibet. They are found in many places in Nepal.


They say that flags seen in Tibetan Buddhism and have a long long history and root in ancient India.

As I learned that Tibet Buddhism affects Nepali traditions this much, those flags are also from Tibet.

Tarchor

They are called "Tarchor" which are in five different colors.
Each of them represents;

Blue symbolizing sky or space.
White symbolizing air or wind.
Red symbolizing fire.
Green symbolizing water.
Yellow symbolizing the earth.

In vertical displays, the yellow goes at the bottom and the blue at the top.

カラフル

色とりどりの旗、ネパールやチベットの写真で見たことがあるのではと思います。ネパールではよく見かけます。
旗は長い歴史があると言われていて、チベット仏教のものですが、ルーツはインドだそうです。
そう、チベット仏教はネパール文化にいろいろ影響してるように、旗たちもチベットから来たのね。

タルチョー

タルチョーと呼ばれるこの旗。5色あります。それぞれが意味をもっているそうで、

青は「空・天」
白は「風」
赤は「火」
緑は「水」
黄色は「地」

縦に並べるときは、黄色が一番下に来て、一番上が青です。

Old and New

新旧

Konpira Gu in the middle of buildings

As you know, Tokyo is one of the biggest city in the world.

While we see skyscrapers, we can see a plenty of old temples and shrines in Tokyo.

Sometimes they are seen at the same time as blow.

integration of a modern building and an ancient shrine 

This shrine is built in the middle of Tokyo where is near the governmental area, Sakurada-mon, Konpira Gu. The Torii of it is standing out with its unique animal statues on itself.

Zojoji Temple and Tokyo tower

Behind of the temple, we see a tall building. 

a beautiful combination of new and old things

They are Tokyo Tower standing 333 meters high and Zojoji Temple standing next to Tokyo Tower. The temple was built in the year 1393 initially. And it was moved its present location in 1598. The contrast of the modern architecture and the ancient architecture is awesome.

Sushi restaurant

お寿司

luxury food, Sushi

As you may know, Sushi is one of the representative Japanese food.
It is one of the traditional food. Since the Edo period, Japanese people have been enjoying eating it.
Sushi is kind of expensive and fancy food. If I have sushi at a "real" sushi restaurant, I would say "I treated myself for fancy dinner tonight".

But they say that Sushi used to be a fast food like Macdonald's back to the Edo period. They used to be sold in street stall.

Sushi grew cheaper and entertaining 

We have Kaiten Sushi restaurants while we have expensive fancy Sushi restaurants where the plates with the sushi are placed on a rotating conveyor belt.

At fancy Sushi restaurant, we sit at counter seat in front of Sushi chefs and order and a chef serves.

a Sushi chef

But we see chefs over a conveyor belt , even we can't see them at Kaiten Sushi restaurants. And Sushi will be conveyed on the rotating belt. We need to pick up Sushi we want to eat by myself. Sushi at Kaiten Shushi places are made by special machines, not human chef mostly. Kaiten Sushi places are kind of a fast food shop.

The first Kaiten Sushi restaurant was opened around 1960. When I just wanted to eat "Sushi like", I visited Kaiten Sushi places some times. Because they were less tasty than ones at fancy Sushi but much cheaper.

Sushi covered go around in a restaurant

However I realized recent Kaiten Sushi places are very entertaining too! Lately I visited a Kaiten place for the first time in the past 10 year to learn it.

We see no chefs there and can order what we want from the spacial device equipped with each tables, other than Sushis coming up on the rotating conveyor belt.

Desert plates are conveyed around as well.  It is fan to see them sliding forward on the belt.

Your orders are conveyed on another belt in front of you.

Prayer Wheel （Mani Wheel ）

マニ車

Prayer wheel is from Tibetan Buddhist. You would see them in Ruddiest temples in Nepal. There are some kinds of prayer wheels, hand-held small one , large one as like in the pics.

According to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, spinning such a wheel will have much the same meritorious effect as orally reciting the prayers.

They do spin large ones. I did. I joined an uncle spinning a large one. I didn't need to push it strong because he did. If I tried to begin spinning only by myself, it would have needed me more power....

When I saw a large one for the first time, something came in my mind. Yes this.

This is bell in Japanese Buddhist temples. We don't spin it but ring it. Doesn't it similar Mani wheel?

マニ車は、チベット仏教のものです。ネパールのお寺にいくとあります。手で持つタイプもあれば、写真のような大きなものなど、いくつかの種類があります。

チベット仏教によれば、車を回転させると、回転させた数だけ経を唱えるのと同じ功徳があるとされています。
もちろん大きなマニ車も回します。回しました。先におじさんが回していたので、その勢いを借りて回しましたけど、自力だったら重たかったんじゃないだろうか・・。

初めて大きいマニ車を見たとき、或るものを思い出しました。そう、これ。
日本のお寺にある鐘です。まわすんではなく、つくんですけどね。似てますよね・・？

Swayambhunath ~ A lot of ..... in Monkey Temple

沢山の .....

small temples and statues

Swayambhunath is a religious complex consisting of stupas, small temples and monuments and images of deities. You will see many statues surrounding the most famous huge stupa after you climb up the stairs.

Swayambhunath complex

monkeys

And you will see a lot of monkeys... of course.

stealing foods offered....

houses

You will see the overwhelming scenery of residential areas from the top.

 a lot of houses are spreading out

小さい仏堂と像

スワヤンプナートは、ストゥーパや小さい仏堂やモニュメント、像の宗教的な複合施設です。階段を上りきると、有名な大きなストゥーパを取り囲む沢山の像が目に入ります。

おサルさん

もちろんさるたちも沢山・・・

住宅

頂上からは圧倒される住宅地の風景が目に入ります。