Takachiho Gorge

A couple of weeks ago, we took a little trip to Takachiho Gorge with some friends here in Miyazaki. They are an awesome couple here with the Jet program (which teaches English to students in public schools in Japan) from Colorado. Patrick has lived here for a year already, but this is Hailey's first year. She got here just a couple of months before we did. I cannot even begin to describe how happy I was to meet her and learn that someone else was in our same "boat."

And now for Takachiho Gorge.

We were planning to do some canoeing in the gorge. However, when we arrived, we found ourselves in the stinky situation of getting there just a bit too late. So you know what that means: We'll just have to make our way back that way sometime within the next year.

Anyway, we ended up having a great time anyway. We took tons of pictures (poor Hailey and Patrick! Casey and I are a little bit attached to the camera...) We just couldn't help it though. Japan is so green and lush. Utah is going to look like a big dirt hill when we return after being used to all this bright vegetation (not that it didn't before. Although I am a fan of that dirt hill.)

When we were done walking along the trail for visitors, we visited Takachiho Shrine. We've been to just a few shrines at this point, but they seem to all be pretty much the same (and that makes sense.) There is a place where a person can wash his or her hands in a certain ritual to enter the grounds. There is the shrine where believers come to make an offering. I need to do some research on exactly what is done and why, but from what I have observed, it's a simple ritual of throwing money into the shrine, stepping away, and clapping. It's fascinating to see different cultures worship in different ways, according to their own beliefs. We are seriously enjoying the opportunity to learn about the Japanese culture in this way.

On our way back to Miyazaki, we stopped by a lantern festival. Well, that's not completely true, as we discovered later. In fact, the lantern festival was in the next town over. Yeah...things just weren't quite on our side that day...but no matter. We really enjoyed it. Got some fun pics (once again, sorry Patrick and Hailey!) and even got to watch a bit of a traditional Japanese dance that was being performed. The dance is another thing I need to study up on. We watched for about 10 minutes, and it was simply of a woman walking slowly and steadily around the stage and pausing at certain points, all to the beat of a drum behind her.

All in all, it was a pretty awesome day. (It's nice to know that you can have a great time, even when things don't quite work out the way you had expected!)

Sorry in advance for the incredible amount of pictureage (yes, pictureage) that comes along with this particular post.