If you want to read the full story, start here: Koyasan story - Part 1 The day after a night's rest in the Buddhist monastery was Kobo Daishi's birthday which this year coincided with the 1,200th anniversary where he introduced esoteric buddhism to Japan. There were festivities and cultural demonstrations on every corner and at every temple. At the monastery where we stayed one of the monks told us that we should head to the main temple around noon because that was where the Kobo Daishi birthday celebration/ceremony was to take place.
When we got there we saw a lot of monks dressed in really nice robes heading to the temple and within we could hear chanting. It was loud chanting. I was imagining the whole hall to be very full of monks in prayer. I was sort of tip-toeing, trying to get a better look from afar because I felt there was no way we would be allowed inside. This was when Chase, a 25-year-old guy from California who was traveling alone, noticed me and introduced himself. He said he ran into a Japanese lady who was giving tours for free today because of the special occasion and asked if my friends and I would be interested. SHE. WAS. AWESOME. She was incredibly engaging and knowledgable about everything. I think she was excited to show foreigners around since they do not get too many tourists in Koya-san. But most importantly, she got us into the birthday celebration in the main temple. =) I don't know how to even describe it. There must have been about 200 monks all sitting together towards the middle. There was one monk seated towards the end that was leading the prayer and here and there the whole hall would join in when it was their turn. The further away you got from the center, there would be young kids not older than us that looked like they were in the process of becoming monks, and then travel groups of Japanese people from all over Japan, and then us. Chase, Una, Tehilah and I were the only non-Japanese people there. I was able to sneak a video of the experience:
Now for the Kanji!
気 Kunyomi:いき - "iki" Onyomi:キ - "ki", ケ - "ke" Meaning: spirit, mind, air, atmosphere, mood Jōyō Kanji taught in grade 1 JLPT level N5 113 of 2500 most common used kanji in newspapers.
Lorayne and Jake are the two people from
the right. Here we were playing a
Japanese game at the festival that night!
I won.. ahem... :D
Besides Una, Tehilah and I staying at the monastery, we also met a really nice girl from Singapore named Lorayne and a really kind yet introverted guy named Jake from California. Each of them had been traveling with others but came to Koyasan on their own. Jake was trying to enjoy his last week in Japan because he was to start Medical School soon. I think this was mostly occupying his mind then. Other than us, we were staying at the monastery with a group of old ladies that danced with folding fans. They were going to perform the next day so they were practicing that evening. One lady in particular, though she did not speak one bit of English, became my friend! Haha. When I was peaking through the sliding doors to catch a glimpse at the rehearsal, she was very insisting that I come inside and sit down to get a better look. =) We even exchanged numbers and email and I told her (through Google Translate) that I would email her as soon as I learned Japanese. =)
My new Japanese friend was this old and incredibly nice lady!
Here some videos of the ladies practicing their fan dance at the monastery:
Now for the Kanji!
扇 Kunyomi:おうぎ - "ōgi" Onyomi:セン - "sen" Meaning: fan, folding fan Jōyō Kanji taught in junior high JLPT level N1 1805 of 2500 most common used kanji in newspapers.
This is an unusual post today because it is not related to travel necessarily but I recently saw an incredible film that I feel the need to share.
Last Friday night I went to the Coral Gables Art Cinema here in Miami to see the film "Playing Lecuona". If you are living in the Miami area and are of Cuban descent, or you appreciate good music, you must absolutely go check it out. The movie follows pianists Chucho Valdés (son of Bebo Valdés, was also a well-known pianist), Michel Camilo, and Gonzalo Rubalcaba as they write their own interpretations of Ernesto Lecuona's masterpieces and preform them. This film will be playing through this Thursday, July 7th, at the Coral Gables Art Cinema. If you are not in Miami, check your local theater listings.
Who was Ernesto Lecuona?
Ernesto Lecuona was a Cuban pianist and composer who was famous worldwide for his incredible talent in songwriting and exceptional skill on the piano. He is the author of more than 600 pieces and is often said that he was as influential in Latin American music as George Gershwin was in the United States.
The song that appears on the film that I loved the most was Gonzalo Rubalcaba's interpretation of Lecuona's "Andalucía", performed with the master Spanish guitarist Raimundo Amador. It's so beautiful. Check it out:
Now for the Kanji!
楽 Kunyomi:たのしい - "tanoshii" Onyomi:ガク - "gaku", ラク - "raku" Meaning: music, comfort, ease Jōyō Kanji taught in grade 2 JLPT level N4 373 of 2500 most common used kanji in newspapers.
Common Kun compound(s): 楽しい- たのしい - "tanoshii" - enjoyable, fun 楽しい思い出- たのしおもいで - "tanoshiimoiide" - happy (sweet) memory Common On compound(s): 音楽- オンガク - "ongaku" - music, musical movement Where:
音 Kunyomi:おと - "oto" Onyomi:オン - "on", イン - "in" Meaning: sound, noise Jōyō Kanji taught in grade 1 JLPT level N4 491 of 2500 most common used kanji in newspapers.
For my study abroad program to Japan, China, and S. Korea with the University of Miami School of Architecture, I had the opportunity of living in Kyoto, Japan for a little over a month.
A very kind waitress taught my friend Miguel and I how
to make origami!
I loved Kyoto. It is a very traditional city as it is the center of Japanese culture and of Buddhism in Japan. This is where all Japanese people travel to in order to learn about their traditional culture, with almost a third of the entire Japanese population visiting there annually. Kyoto is also the city where the oldest people in the world reside, where there are people over 110 years old. There are also a number of universities in Kyoto. I found this mix of really old traditional people and a lot of college students to be very interesting. Along with the presence of many universities is the presence of many college students from all over the world studying abroad here. I met people from all over including Canada, Austria, Switzerland, France, Finland, Mexico, Venezuela, Singapore, China, Sweden, Australia and more.
Awesome nights hanging out at the Kamogawa with
my friends Una from China and David from Mexico
I met most of them at the KAWA (Kamogawa river)! =) Kawa means river in Japanese. In Kyoto, most young people at night will buy drinks from a nearby convenience store and then head to the Kamogawa and just sit with their friends on the river bank and drink, talk, and be silly. This is where I made lots of new friends in Kyoto! Including this one Venezuelan guy named Jorge Eduardo, who had been living in Japan for over 9 years and spoke perfect Japanese. This guy was hilarious! He had a very latin, friendly personality which I think amuses the Japanese a lot hahaha... He called our nightly visits to the kawa, "kawagando" (this joke may only make sense if you know some Spanish, sorry about that!).
"Vamos a kawagar!" - Jorge Eduardo Padrón
Part of the "kawa" group from Left to Right: Jorge Eduardo (Venezuela), Tyler (New Jersey, USA),
Shimaa (Saudi Arabia & China), ME! =), Lucas (Austria), Philip (Switzerland), Una (China), David (Mexico),
Sofi (Finland), Aky (Venezuela). In the very back: Luis Miguel (Mexico), Priya (Canada & India),
Alexandra (Romania), Ashley (New Jersey, USA)
Now for the Kanji!
川 Kunyomi:かわ - "kawa" Onyomi:セン - "sen" Meaning: river, stream Jōyō Kanji taught in grade 1 JLPT level N5 181 of 2500 most common used kanji in newspapers.
The other day I stumbled upon this video which gives you a sort of crash course on the entire history of Japan in a humorous and entertaining way. Check it out:
Thanks Bill Wurtz for this awesome and hilarious video! I've seen it way more times than I care to admit. =)
I've always found Japan's name in Japanese to be very beautiful. Japan is commonly referred to as the "land of the rising sun".
In Kanji, Japan is written as: 日本 - にほん - "nihon" Breaking the name down: 日 - に - "ni" - sun (in this case, but can also mean day) 本 - ほん - "hon" - source, origin (in this case, but can also mean book) The sun plays an important role in Japanese mythology and religion as the Emperor is believed to be the direct descendent of the sun goddess Amaterasu. The name of the country as well as the design of their flag reflect the importance of the sun for the Japanese.
日 Kunyomi:ひ - "hi", -び - "-bi" Onyomi:ニチ - "nichi", ジツ - "jitsu" Meaning: sun, day Jōyō Kanji taught in grade 1 JLPT level N5 1 of 2500 most common used kanji in newspapers.
In Kanji, the common name for the Japanese flag is written as: 日の丸 - ひのまる - "hinomaru" Where: 丸 - まる - "maru" - means circle (in this case, but can also mean correct)
A photo I took while on a hike in the mountains in the outskirts of Kyoto, Japan
Koya-san was like a dream. It was as if we walked right into a movie set because it was so picturesque. It seemed practically untouched from the outside, modern world. The best part of this experience was having the opportunity to stay a night at a Buddhist monastery.
When we had originally planned this trip, staying the night was not part of our itinerary. We had only planned to make this a day trip since Sunday was our only day off from class. When we arrived and saw that we just so happened to be in Koya-san for Kobo Daishi's birthday celebration, my Chinese friend Una, whom is Buddhist herself, was the first to tell me "Kami... I am not leaving here today. Screw class. This is bigger." I took a leap of faith and followed her plan. I will never regret this decision for as long as I live.
"Kami... I am not leaving here today. Screw class. This is bigger." - Una Wang
We found ourselves finding one of the last few vacancies in one of the more secluded monasteries of the town. Koya-san was completely full of devout Japanese buddhists who had traveled there for the festivities. We were so excited that we went into the first tiny store we could find and purchased ourselves traditional Japanese yukatas (casual/everyday kimonos). The monks we were staying with were very friendly and some could speak English and a few others could speak Mandarin with my friend Una. When entering the temple/monastery you had to take off your shoes and put on the sandals they provided.
Our room while staying at the monastery!
Then we were led to our room which was behind some sliding door screens and was completely covered in tatami mat (traditional Japanese straw mat). There was one short table in the center and to one side there was a small shrine and a statue of the Buddha. Our beds were futon mats that we rolled out on the floor. It was so cool!!! And surprisingly comfortable.
While at the monastery, there was a scheduled time for everything. This entailed meals (which we would share with the monks and other guests in a big room), time for bath (which was communal and divided by gender), and group meditations. The first meditation session everyone did together in the meditation room was around the time the sun was setting and was to last for one hour. Everyone walked in and took a pillow if they desired and sat down. Every five minutes or so a monk would ring a bell that would hold a vibration/sound for a long time. I remember at first feeling a great discomfort in my knees which quickly spread to my entire body. I was really having a hard time concentrating and trying to reach a meditative state. That was until... it started to rain. I could hear the light padding from the rain that fell on the wooden building we were in as well as on the sand and plants in the rock garden outside and surrounding gardens. It was incredibly relaxing. All of a sudden and without even realizing it I fell into a deep meditative state. I completely lost track of time and space. The pain in my body vanished, or I did not notice it anymore. It was the deepest I have ever meditated in my life. The remaining time flew by so fast and when one of the monks rang the gong signaling meditation time was over, I felt like a new person. Its funny how something so simple as rain can have such a powerful effect under these circumstances.
Pensive Kamilah overlooking the rock garden in the Buddhist monastery - so grateful for the once-in-a-lifetime
experience I had in Koyasan!
Now for the Kanji!
雨 Kunyomi:あめ - "ame" Onyomi:ウ - "u" Meaning: rain Jōyō Kanji taught in grade 1 950 of 2500 most common used kanji in newspapers.
Some common compounds in Japanese using the ame character (following the hiragana spelling, the romanji spelling and then the English meaning): Common Kun Compound(s): 大雨 - おおあめ - "ōame" - heavy rain
小雨 -こさめ - "kosame" - light rain, drizzle
Common On Compound(s): 雨天- ウテン - "uten" - rainy weather 雨期- ウキ - "uki" - rainy season Where:
大 Kunyomi:おお - "ō-", おお.きい - "ōkii" [大きい] Onyomi:ダイ - "dai", タイ - "tai" Meaning: large, big Jōyō Kanji taught in grade 1 7 of 2500 most common used kanji in newspapers.
小 Kunyomi:ちい.さい - "chiisai" [小さい] こ - "ko-" Onyomi:シヨウ - "shiyō" Meaning: little, small Jōyō Kanji taught in grade 1 114 of 2500 most common used kanji in newspapers.
天 Kunyomi:あまつ - "amatsu" あめ - "ame" あま - "ama-" Onyomi:テン - "ten" Meaning: heavens, sky, imperial Jōyō Kanji taught in grade 1 512 of 2500 most common used kanji in newspapers.
期 Kunyomi:-- Onyomi:キ - "ki" ゴ - "go" Meaning: period, time, date, term Jōyō Kanji taught in grade 3 117 of 2500 most common used kanji in newspapers.
What is this symbol and why do I keep running into it everywhere? This is what I would commonly ask myself while in Japan and China. When I finally learned what it meant, I was like.. "oh... DUH." Hito is the symbol for "people". It can also mean human being, person, man or personality. It kind of looks like a person with two legs doesn't it?
The first thing that was hit me while I was walking through the streets of Shanghai in my first night in China was "WOW CHINA HAS A LOT OF PEOPLE.." Never had I seen such crowded streets, not even around Times Square in New York City.
My first night EVER in Asia - letting the crowd take me
through Nanjing Road in Shanghai, China
It was almost impossible not to hit someone, and out of custom I would always utter "excuse me", or "I'm sorry". The Chinese people that felt the mild blows of my body hitting them payed no mind, this was completely normal for them. Also, if someone was in a hurry, they did not care who was walking in front of them. They would not be reluctant to hit past you or shove you to the side. It never bothered me, though. I think if I were raised in a city with these kind of street conditions I would have to do the same thing to get to where I need to. There were times that I felt as though the sea of people was literally taking me away and guiding me through the city. Maybe I was also on automatic partly from the exhaustion of the 12-hour flight. Eventually I found myself stunned as I reached the end of what I realized was the pedestrian Nanjing Road, all the way to the Huangpu River. The site was breathtaking!
Shanghai Skyline from across the Huangpu River
Now for the Kanji!
人 Kunyomi:ひと - "hito" Onyomi:ジン - "jin", ニン - "nin" Meaning: people Jōyō Kanji taught in grade 1 JLPT level N5 5 of 2500 most common used kanji in newspapers.
Some common compounds in Japanese using the hito character (followed by the hiragana spelling, the romanji spelling and then English meaning): 個人 - こじん - "kojin" - individual 人生 - じんせぃ - "jinsei" - life 日本人 - にほんじん - "nihonjin" - Japanese people 人柄 - ひとがら - "hitogara" - personality Previous KanjiNext Kanji
Happy summer! It's BEACH TIME! This year was particularly stressful and hectic for me for various reasons but I am finally glad that it is summer and I can relax a bit on a nice, warm beach with a Corona in one hand. Raised in a Puerto Rican household in Key Biscayne (just off the city of Miami), it isn't hard to imagine that I spent the majority of my childhood on a beach. I don't think I will ever be able to live far from a beach. Well... at least not for too long. :)
This is my sister and I when we were little (my sister, Catalina, is the blonde one): ------->
I am almost done with college, finally. I have one more class to complete my minor in engineering which I am taking in the first summer term, so I will be done with my studies in late June. In the meantime I am searching for job opportunities in various architecture offices around Miami, the US, and also abroad and hopefully I will find something so that I can start working in August or September!
But for now I want to enjoy the beach as much as possible since I have a lot more time on my hands.
This past weekend my family and I spent time in my uncle's condo which is situated right on South Pointe in Miami Beach. His building is the Continuum - fun fact, Lil' Wayne owns the penthouse.
Sadly my uncle passed away from an accident while eating at Smith and Wollensky about a year and a half ago... Long story short, his untimely passing left us (mostly my mom) scrambling to try and sell his apartment so that we could pay off all of his debts with the hope that there will be enough money leftover for my grandmother in the end. I can't wait until the apartment is finally sold so that my family can have some peace of mind and finally be able to fully move on from this.
Last week we finally got an offer. It is not what we had hoped to sell it for but it is good enough and my mom is yearning to get this out of her hair. The deal is set to close by the end of the month. In the meantime, my family has been trying to enjoy the high-end beach, pool, and spa facilities of the Continuum.
A good friend and I at the balcony of my uncle's apartment
It is definitely bitter-sweet. You are pampered and treated very well at the Continuum from the moment you step out of your car as if you were in a luxurious hotel. My uncle's apartment (on the 36th floor) has arguably the best view in all of Miami. The building is also arguably on the best spot of the best beach in Miami. Still... it is very hard for my family. As soon as we stepped into my uncle's old flat, tears started streaming down my grandmother's eyes. My mom, dad and I tried to console her but it is hard to see the apartment so empty now. You almost half-expect my Tio Jorge to walk around the corner and hear his thunderous laugh bounce off those walls again.
I hope he is at peace in the sky with his father, grandfathers and everyone else in the family up there that he adored and admired so dearly.
Join me on my journey as I try to learn one Japanese kanji character at a time! Each post dedicates itself to a new character which is then connected to a personal anecdote of my life and travels!
