So today I went to the Byodo-In temple to finish off Flat Stanley's trip. I didn't know how long I was supposed to keep him or how often I needed to do stuff, so I thought I'd end it with something cool that I could just pretty much take photo's of. It is located in the Kaneohe area, which is around 30-40 minutes away. I thought there was going to be a sumo demonstration there because there was a typo on the website, but there was actually a sumi-e demonstration - which is basically old Japanese style painting and kanji writing. But I got my name done and I bought a bookmark for Alexander to send back to him when I ship Stanley back. Urgh so much mailing, I'm going to just go to the post office tomorrow and get absolutely everything shipped at once!
Here's the letter I wrote Alexander's class:
Dear Class,
Do you remember how I told you that there is a lot of
Japanese culture in Hawaii? Today we went to the Byodo-In temple to experience
some firsthand! I wish we could have taken photos of the whole drive there
though, it was amazing!! We drove through the mountains, LITERALLY! We had to
tunnel through to get to the Kaneohe (kah-nay-oh-hay) area where the Valley of
the Temples resides. Most of the Valley is actually a cemetery filled with
memorials and remains of people of multiple faiths and beliefs, but nestled at
the end is the Byodo-In Temple. The temple itself is actually a smaller replica
of the original Byodo-In temple in Japan, which is very old and so famous, the
10 yen coin now has a picture of the original temple on it. Here, we saw wonderful
wildlife and learned about the temple and Japanese culture. Inside the temple, everyone has to remove
their shoes because in Japanese culture, shrines and temples are considered
holy. You wouldn’t want to bring dirt (and anything else that’s gross on the
bottom of your shoes) inside would you? It’s also a sign of respect for the
culture and for the shrine itself.
Upon crossing the bridge to the temple, we rang the Bon-Sho,
or sacred bell. It is said that when you ring this 6’8” bell that the unique sound
will clear your mind of negativity, create happiness, and give you blessings
and a long life. SO OF COURSE WE RANG IT! J
We also got to feed some koi fish. For fish, they have
incredibly long lifespans, on average about 50 years. Some of the larger fish
we saw were probably around 25 years old! But there were a lot of smaller fish
that I’m sure are much younger. The oldest Koi supposedly lived 226 years, but
there hasn’t been another koi fish to live that long. We also saw black swans.
The signs said that peacocks and turtles also made the Byodo-In temple their
home, but the only other animal we saw today was a Siamese cat!
The statue of Buddha was very large, way taller than any
grown up, and people had brought flowers and lei to put on the stands in front
of it. You could also light a stick of sandalwood incense in “purification and
prayer” if you wished. Since I’m made of paper, I shied away from it, but
Hailey lit one for the both of us. There was also a meditation area where you
could go and think and have some peace. In the old tea house, you can buy all
sorts of souvenirs, including miniature bon-sho bells and incense for your
home.
We had a lovely time in the zen gardens and we saw a tiny
shrine and were able to see into the “jungle” of the mountains in Hawaii. Talk
about relaxing and beautiful!
Until I see you again,
Flat Stanley J
You guys are getting way more pictures though!
I hope you like it! Love you all.
