Japan (Animals)

Here begins the blogs on Japan. We were there for six weeks. The first four weeks were spent in the northern part of Honshu Island, Aomori Prefecture, in the city of Misawa, with our friends, Kamalene (one of my old student teachers), her husband, Mike, and their daughter Teniya, a high school senior. The parents work on the Misawa Air Force Base as civilians, and Teniya attends school there. 

We spent the first week riding bikes around the area and getting used to traffic being on the opposite side of the road, as well as the drivers being on the opposite side of the vehicles. We can't thank our hosts enough for providing us with a comfortable, safe place to stay and vehicles to use to explore the area (bikes and cars) while they toddled off to work and school each day.

Following our month up north, we took our second Shinkansen back to Tokyo to join a 10-day tour and visited the cities of Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima, Kyoto, and places in between. We were in a group of 40 (including the bus driver and tour guide) and now have friends in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and various places around the United States. 

A single blog post would be too long and cumbersome, so, in the spirit of my Nepal blog a few years ago, I will divide this one up into segments. As the saying goes: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.  

I present to you the animals we encountered in Japan:

Birds

Dragons

Dragons hold a significant place in Japanese mythology, symbolizing a complex array of powers and cultural values. Unlike the fire-breathing dragons commonly depicted in Western folklore, Japanese dragons are often associated with water, agriculture, and fertility.

The importance of dragons in Japanese culture can be observed in various aspects, including art, literature, and religious practices. They are seen as powerful deities and protectors, embodying both benevolence and destructive forces.

We found them in carvings at temples and shrines.

Insects

Koma-inu

Komainu are traditional Japanese statues that resemble lion-dogs and are typically placed at the entrances of Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. They serve as guardians, protecting the area from evil spirits and negative energy. Komainu are often found in pairs, with one having its mouth open and the other closed, symbolizing the beginning and end of all things. Their presence is a significant aspect of Japanese culture and spirituality.

As you walk through a shrine lined with red torii gates, you’ll likely meet a pair of stone foxes—calm, alert, and slightly otherworldly. Many folks assume the fox itself is the deity. Not quite. At Inari shrines, foxes are traditionally understood as messengers of Inari Ōkami, a kami associated with rice, prosperity, and, in modern life, the well-being of businesses and households. They serve as protectors of the rice fields and are believed to possess magical abilities, including shape-shifting.

Prayer Plaques

Shinto prayer plaques, known as ema, are small wooden plaques used in Japan's Shinto and Buddhist shrines and temples. They serve as a way for worshipers to write their wishes or prayers, which are then hung at the shrine as offerings to the kami (gods). Ema are typically used to seek blessings for various aspects of life, including love, health, and success. The tradition of ema dates back to ancient Japan, where real horses were offered to the gods. Over time, wooden plaques with horse images became popular, and later, various designs evolved. Visitors can purchase ema, write their wishes, and hang them at the shrine, creating a communal display of hopes and dreams. Ema has become a symbol of hope and connection to the divine, especially during times of need, such as the Covid pandemic. 

Tanuki Folklore

Tanuki are real animals. They are the Japanese raccoon-dog and are often depicted as small, doglike creatures with a rotund body, short legs, and a distinctive face. They are known for their playful demeanor and are frequently associated with good fortune and prosperity in agricultural settings. In folklore, they possess magical abilities, particularly the power to shape-shift into various objects and beings, which they use to play tricks on humans. 

Turtles

Zodiac