July 13th // Shitenno-ji (Culture) & Todai-ji (Culture)

We woke up around 5:30. Rohan went around to everyone and woke them up. I woke up slowly, and it took even more time to wake up Tristan. We took turns going into the showers and getting dressed. After we ate breakfast, we called a cab to take us to Shitenno-ji.

Shitenno-ji / Culture

Senso-ji Temple

The cab driver got us as close as he could to the temple, but we still had a fifteen minute walk.  Nolan and Tristen weren't interested in the temple, but Rohan and I were excited to see how the Japanese would have worshiped Buddhism. When we got to the temple, we saw a sign and Rohan read it out loud so we could understand what Shitenno-ji actually was. Shitenno-ji is a Buddhist temple. It is sometimes regarded as the first Buddhist and oldest officially administrated in Japan, although the temple has been rebuilt over time.The Shitennō are believed to be four heavenly kings. The temple Prince Shōtoku built to honor them had four institutions, each to help the Japanese attain a higher level of civilization. We took another hour walking in and out of the temple and going to the other building next to it. When we finally finished, we took a picture next to the tallest building of the temple.

 But for now it was lunchtime and we were starving but mostly sirrvad, we were planning on heading to the neon-laden Dotonbori district were it was said that if you wanted Osaka's food culture that this was the place to go. So we were on our way we called another cab because it would take to long to walk, Me and Tristen had an argument in the cab about why we had to go to all of these temples I had said "so that we can experience the history of this new place that we are in".

We went to a place with a bunch of food stands and we took our time going through the area and finding things that we would like to eat after we ate we got in another cab and drove to the buddhist temple. 

Todai-ji / Culture

We called another cab but Sirvaad had to go use the bathroom which we all had told him to go before we ate after five minutes or so we were in our cab and off to the buddhist temple. After about twenty minutes of a cab ride we arrived at the Today-ji temple this time we walked around for a bit first we saved the history lesson for last. it took almost another hour soon the temple would be closed so we found another sign and I read out the history this time.The beginning of building a  temple where the Tōdai-ji complex sits today can be dated to 728, when Emperor Shōmu established Kinshōsen-ji as an appeasement for Prince Motoi  his first son with his Fujiwara clan consort Kōmyōshi. Prince Motoi died a year after his birth. After a brief lesson Sirrvad was ready to get out and return to his bed and take a long rest we all needed it after this long day. 

Todai-ji Main Hall

Written By Malachi