Foxes (kitsune) are the guardians at Inari shrines. Not only guardians, but messengers. Some sources say they are also considered forms of Inari, but I like the messenger angle better and this does seem the more common one. If you treat them well3, they will deliver your message (or prayer) to Inari for consideration.

I’m not sure what is in his mouth in the photo, but it seems like it is a scroll, no doubt a message to be given to his boss. If you are a fan of Conan O’Brien you undoubtedly know of Triumph the Insult Comic dog. When I look at the kitsune in this photo, Triumph’s voice pops into my head. “You have a message for Inari, do you? You think it’s a good message, do you? Let me see… oh nice, nice, I like what you said here. You want me to deliver your message? I EAT YOUR MESSAGE!!”4

Maybe that’s just me…

(see Triumph insulting Shanter and Tom Arnold)

See other Kitsune photos.

The above post was republished from JapanDave.com, home of the most beautiful daily photos of Japan on the Internet. See the original post: I Eat Your Message for Inari!

Today’s photo is looking back towards the entrance of a Shinto shrine from within it.

About

The title for this shot comes from The Wheel of Time. Looking at the photo, for some reason I’m reminded of a line from the second book: The Way out will come but once. Be steadfast.

If Shinto is to be believed, the shrine grounds where I took this photo may well be in a place of “overlap” with another reality, where our world and the kami (kah-me / gods or spirits) world meets. I say when entering another world, it’s a good idea to remember where the exits are.

Another older image below taken from the opposite viewpoint, this time looking into the shrine.

The above post was republished from JapanDave.com, home of the most beautiful daily photos of Japan on the Internet. See the original post: The Way Out

Today’s photo is an underfed dragon. Poor guy is so hungry he’s trying to eat that lightbulb.

About

If you think this dragon looks more Chinese than Japanese, you’d be right. I’m not sure if it’s the art style or the color, but something about it says China. This is actually the sign to a chinese restaurant.

For those not familiar with the East, that is indeed a dragon. Dragons in Chinese/Japanese myth more resemble giant snakes than dinosaurs as they do in European myth. They also tend to be nicer.

The above post was republished from JapanDave.com, home of the most beautiful daily photos of Japan on the Internet. See the original post: Hungry Dragon

Today’s photo is of a shachihoko (shah-chee-ho-ko). Ugly guy, isn’t he? You can find these on the tops of Japanese castles everywhere. With their magical dragon fish powers, they protect the castle from harm!

About

Well, from fire anyways. Or so the story goes. A shachihoko is a mythical beast with the head of a dragon and the body of a carp. It has the power to cause rain to fall. Because of this, the old Japanese stuck this guy on castles and other important structures to protect them from fire.

It’s a rather indirect way to protect from fire, but you can see the reasoning here. Unfortunately, it didn’t work very well. Lots of castles in the past burned up. But how can you stay mad at a face like that, huh?

If you want to read more on these guys, my friend Daniel O’Grady wrote a bit about Shachihoko at his blog.

I took this shachi’s photo in Matsuyama Castle in Ehime, Japan. It’s a beautiful castle and I recommend anyone in the area go see it. I believe parts of it are original. The main Keep burned down in 1784 (nice going there, Shachi; good work, buddy) and was rebuilt about 75 years later. It was damaged more by WW2 bombings and was subsequently fixed up some more. They did a wonderful job with all the restorations. It feels like a real castle, like Himeji, inside and out.

I happened to stumble across some maiko in the area, having lunch with a customer. But that photo will have to wait for another time…

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The above post was republished from JapanDave.com, home of the most beautiful daily photos of Japan on the Internet. See the original post: Shachihoko, Castle Guardian

This date in Japan is called Tanabata, also know as the Star Festival, and these days is celebrated as a festive time to make wishes. The two lovers are Orihime, OH-REE-HE-MEH, (Vega) and Hikoboshi, HE-KO-BO-SHE, (Altair), and they are normally on opposite sides of the milky way, but on this one day they intersect.

There are many versions of the story, but there have a few things in common. Basically Orihime is the daughter of the Sky King and somehow she falls in love with Hikoboshi, a mere mortal. One or both of them then do something to piss her dad off and so in anger he separates them across the great river of Heaven and forbids them from ever meeting again. Orihime is so sad that her dad has a small change of heart and allows them to meet one day a year. Nice guy, eh?

Many places celebrate this event on July 7th, but a few hold to the old Japanese calendar (a lunar calendar) and so don’t celebrate it until August (the day changes every year, but always in August. Check wikipedia for more details than you could ever want). I have no idea when the actual intersection of Vega and Altair happens. Anyone know? Is it really on July 7th?

People generally celebrate this day by writing their wishes on small pieces of paper and hanging them on bamboo. The bamboo is sometimes set afloat on the a river or burned after the festival, tho this varies with each area.

Some pics from wikipedia:

The above post was republished from JapanDave.com, home of the most beautiful daily photos of Japan on the Internet. See the original post: Star Festival