The Byodo-In Temple

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.