The Bishamon Temple

 This little statue in a box with doors was hidden in the shadows.

 The main altar was in the middle, of course. I did not find out which sect runs the temple, so I do not know what types of ceremonies are held here.

 On the outside poach there were metal lamps to hold candles.

 This is looking from the main building back toward the covered passageway.

 This is the main gate and the covered passageway as seen from the front of the main building.

 This is a closer view of the gate.

 

This is the roof of one of the smaller buildings.

The Bishamon Temple

 Someone had shoveled all the snow off the roof of one of the temple compound buildings.

 This is one of the two guardians of the temple. The stand inside special spaces on each side of the main gate. Most temples have such warrior kings as guardians and some of them are true works of art. This one was interesting because it was wearing a straw skirt-like object. This is very similar two what the sumo wrestlers wear when they are fighting, in shape only, of course, because the sumo costume is made from starched silk.

 Near the temple, there is a Shinto shrine. It is the building in the background in this picture. I did not enter it's grounds but plan to if I ever return to Yurasa.

 The long roofed passage leads to a fountain and to the entrance to the main temple on the right and a smaller shrine on the left. I assume that the reason for the roof is to allow access through the deep snow.

 Because of the depth of the winter snows, over two meters while I was there, the various statues and structures are protect with poles, in the same manner that gardeners protect their trees.

 This is the main temple building. The vertical wooden supports are apparently put up in the fall to help support the roof when heavy snow adds to its weight. Also, notice the air conditioners, an indication that this area is hot in the summer.

 This little shrine is dedicated to Shotoku Taishi, the founder of the Japanese state. He lived about 1500 years ago and modernized Japan by bringing in ideas from China.

At the end of the roofed passage there is a large statue of Bishamon atop a fountain. In front there is a large pool with cups for drinking the water and a bucket for washing your hands. The round objects on either side are candle holders. This must be very impressive at night and lit only by candle light. There is a very good article about Bishamon, or Bishamonten as he is also known, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vai%C5%9Brava%E1%B9%87a. Bishamon is a very strange deity because he is like a patron saint of warriors, but basically Buddhism is pacifistic. In Japan, however, Buddhism was adopted and modified by the warrior, samurai, class so that it supported the militaristic culture.

The Bishamon Temple

 On my last morning at International University of Japan, my friend Tony picked me up and took me to the station. We planned it so that I could visit the Bishamon Temple and then we could have lunch together before my train left. On the way to the temple, we stopped so that I could take pictures of this old store.

 What they are selling are snow hats. They are the traditional style hat, made from reeds and pyramidal in shape. The are smaller versions of the had that I wore during my Ohenro pilgrimage.

 While taking the pictures, I notice a really old style fire hydrant.

 We parked in the temple parking lot and, as I got out of the car, I noticed this statue. The sign in the doorway says, Watch out for falling snow!

 This is the narrow road that leads to the temple. The temple gate is just visible in the distance.

 The temple is on the side of a hill. This is one of the buildings, maybe where the priests live.

This is the main gate. The workmen are putting up protective walls for the Naked Man Festival that will be held in another week.

On campus for the last time

 Hnin, my favorite facilitator, wore her native Myarmar clothes to class on day. Later that day she was going to address a group about her country.

 One of the UNIQLO students wanted to have a picture with me at the certification and goodbye party.

 A beautiful sunset with an approaching snow storm.

 For one of the groups I taught, instead of role playing a dinner party, we actually went to a restaurant and shared a meal. There were five students, five facilitators from Ghana and India, myself and an administrator. Considering it was officially a class that I got paid for, I had a wonderful time.

 We all sat at a single long table. As the ranking member, in terms of age, education, and being a faculty member I had to sit in the middle.

 Another incredible sunset.

 The choice of meals on my last night on campus. Notice that they are hallal, in other words they are okay for the Islamic students to eat.

 This is my desk and my very comfortable chair where I spent a lot of time preparing for classes and using the internet.

 On my last morning in my apartment, I looked out a window and discovered that a bug had come to say goodbye. I do not remember the name of these but, if you crush them, they give off a terrible smell. I was surprised that it was still alive.

This was the view out another window. On a clear day, you could see mountains through the trees.