ŌGI ("SEN")

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.

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HI

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

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AME ("U")

If you want to read the full story, start here: 

That's me wearing a yukata in front of the
Buddhist monastery where I stayed while
in Koyasan

Part 1 - Koyasan Story 
Part 2 - Koyasan Story


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.

See post on instagram!

#TBT to that time a spontaneous day trip to the center of the Kii Peninsula led us to Koyasan a very secluded town in the heart of mountains in Japan, where I decided last minute to stay the night at a Buddhist monastery (where this pic was taken). I'm writing about this amazing experience in my blog where I felt so fortunate to be there as my two friends and I were practically the only foreigners in the whole town. We were also lucky enough that there were huge festivities celebrating Kobo Daishi's birthday (the father of esoteric Buddhism in Japan, Koyasan is where he founded his school 1200 years prior). Reminiscing.. #icaughtthetravelbug #Koyasan #japan #travel #travelgram #instatravel #reminiscing #buddhism #zen #instamood #instagood #traveling

A photo posted by Kami (@thekamipov) on Jun 30, 2016 at 11:56pm PDT

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HITO ("JIN")

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



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UN

If you want to read the full story, start here: Koyasan story - Part 1

When we arrived to Koya-san we were not expecting what we found.  When we got there we realized that the next day (a Monday) was the birthday of Kobo Daishi, the man who introduced Esoteric Buddhism in Japan from China over a thousand years ago.  Also, we soon discovered  that this was the year that they celebrate exactly 1200 years of Esoteric Buddhism in Japan. We were amazed at how lucky we were to just so happen to be in Koya-san while they were celebrating such an important holiday for them on a very special year. It was fate.

Group of monks headed to the main temple where the Kobo Daishi
birthday celebration and prayers were to take place.

There were festivities going on everywhere and they would continue on to the next day.  Monks were roaming around the small religious town and were all in very beautiful celebratory clothes.  The place felt very lively and happy.  There was a lot of people packed in the small town.  It seemed as if all the religious Buddhists of Japan were in Koya-san that weekend.  I also felt very humbled to have that opportunity to see get a glimpse of this aspect of Japanese culture, as there were very few foreigners there with us.  

We ended up deciding to stay the night at a temple with monks and skipped class the next day.  We felt that this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that we could not miss.. and we were right.

The character "un" means luck or fortune but it could also mean to carry or motion. For instance, 運動 (undou) means exercise.

It can be paired with the character "inochi" which is also used in words and pronounced as "mei":

INOCHI

Inochi or mei, can represent things like destiny, life and decree, as in something that has "ordered" for stuff to happen to you throughout your existence. 

Together, these characters form the word UNMEI.

UNMEI

Unmei is the word for fate/destiny.

Whew, with two characters we knocked out so many different words :)

Continue this story HERE


OR

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YAMA

We were on our way to Koya-san (高野山), which is where I finally decided that the three of us should go for a day trip on our day off.  There was not much said in my book about the place except that this is where esoteric Buddhism was founded in Japan back in 800-something A.D.  We had considered going to a few major cities like Kobē, Nagoya, and Ōsaka but we were having trouble making a final decision.  Finally I hastily decided at the last minute that we were going to "off-road" and have an adventure: we were going to the remotely-located town of Koya-san.  

On the last train headed to Koyasan.  I was reading "The
Samurai Banner of Furin Kazan" by Yasushi Inoue

It was pretty complicated to get there.  We had to take three different trains and then a cable car up the mountain. While in the third train, until then I had not payed much attention to the outside of the train until I was engulfed by mountains all of a sudden.

There is something about mountains that make a place feel so spiritual.  I had never thought of mountains in that way before traveling to Japan.  Koya-san is nestled in the mountains in the center of the Kii Peninsula.  It had one main street and a few minor streets where more than one-hundred temples were right next to one another.  Other than that there was the prevailing presence of the mountains and the nature.  It was extremely breath-taking and it felt like a very sacred place.

Looking out of my window on the train and suddenly being
engulfed in mountains!

Continue this story HERE

Now for the Kani!

山
Kunyomi:  やま - "yama"
Onyomi: サン - "san", セン "sen"
Meaning: mountain

Jōyō Kanji taught in grade 1
JLPT level N5
131 of 2500 most common used kanji in newspapers.

                      

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KAMI

Happy middle of summer everyone.  I am digging up this blog from the grave and turning it into my next project: each new post from now on will be somewhat related to a new Kanji character that I will write about and meanwhile try to learn.  I thought this could be a creative way to learn Japanese Kanji for myself and perhaps other people out there as well that stumble upon this blog some day.

My first name is Kamilah but most people call me "Kami" for short.  Earlier this summer I set out on one of the most amazing adventures of my life: I travelled to Japan.  When I was asked for my name over there, I would simply reply "Kami" thinking "Kamilah" was too long and complicated a name.  The reactions of the Japanese people were mostly either surprised, impressed, or they would laugh.  During my first week, I picked up this book called "Shinto: The Kami Way" by Sokyo Ono that I found in a bookstore outside the Kyoto National Museum.

Book I picked up in the Kyoto National
Museum bookstore

I then realized my name in Japanese is the word for "god" or "spirit" or "deity".  It comes from the Shinto religion, which is the indigenous faith of the Japanese people.  Shintō is composed of two ideographs.  The kanji above can also be called "shin", or "kami", and then 道 (dō or tō) meaning "way".  In other words, "Shinto" implies faith in the kami or spiritual life and harmony attained through worship and in communion with the kami.  It is an all-inclusive term embracing the various faiths which have the kami-idea (including Buddhism and Christianity).

So I decided to learn this Kanji character first because I found it interesting how my nickname had a deeper meaning in Japanese culture and spirituality.  

Now for the Kanji!

神
Kunyomi:  かみ - "kami"
Onyomi: シン - "shin", ジン - "jin"
Meaning: god(s), spirit(s), mind, soul

Jōyō Kanji taught in grade 3
JLPT level N3
347 of 2500 most common used kanji in newspapers.

神社 - "jinja" means Shinto Shrine

神主 - "Kan'nushi" means Shinto priest

神風 - "Kamikaze" means Kamikaze (in WWII a Japanese aircraft loaded with 

explosives that would make a deliberate suicidal crash on enemy targets),

or it means mysterious wind.

神隠し - "Kamikakoshi" means mysterious disappearance. 

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