Nishiwaki walk

The orchestra tends to have rehearsals from 10:30 am- 4:30 pm.  This may seem like a lot but with a 75 minute lunch break and two 20 minute breaks, it's only slightly over four hours of actual rehearsal.  The rest of our time is ours.  This leaves time for exploratory walks.

Close-up of rice, growing in its flooded field

Guard of the shrine- ready for a meal?

Japanese Cemetery

Shinto shrine in Nishiwaki; this is the hondon where the spirit is enshrined;  according to wikipedia, shrines often exist in networks which share the same spirit, and according to descriptions of shrines on wikipedia, I think this one might be to Inari (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinto_shrine)

entrance to walk up the mountain; most likely this is a shrine whose spirit is contained within the mountain and there are likely other shrines along the path; it was getting dark so I didn't go up all the way

right outside the hondon

these two pictures leading up to the shrine reminded me of the Creation Museum in Kentucky, but a little bit different; perhaps it is in their suggestive rationale; I think it's more fun not knowing what the Japanese means and I encourage you to find your own explanation

A car, a broken guardrail, a happy man emerging from the car in the tree.....and a flaming god;  apparently, according to a friend this is a shrine for drivers. Fudo-myoo is a Buddhist deity (wisdom king) who cuts through delusion, and is often the focal point in many shrines and temples

I almost bought this but think I will give my stomach a few more weeks to become slightly more adjusted

I came home and watched Japanese baseball while eating "seafood noodles,"  and renken chips.  Japanese baseball appears to be far less polished than American baseball.  Pop-up balls fall to the field and batters swing at balls that hit the dirt.  But it makes for a great game.  They even have cheerleaders and when someone gets a home run they are greeted with a giant stuffed animal (?) as they cross the plate.  Hoping to get to a live game before the season ends.

Tomorrow we have a performance of Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings and Dvorak's Symphony from the New World.  It's been fun to rehearse and to hear the colors of the orchestra.  And it's been nice to explore another corner of Japan.