Shwedagon Impressions

by Robert George, Mar 13, 2003 | Destinations: Myanmar / Yangon

Image © 2002 Robert George

A story told with photos.

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Every year on November 15, Japan celebrates Shichi-Go-San--Children's Day. Dressed in their very finest garments, girls and boys aged three, boys aged five, and girls aged seven, go with their families to nearby shrines, where they line up, sometimes for hours, to await their turn to be blessed by the presiding priest. After the blessing, the child is presented with a gift of long sticks of candy called chitose-ame, "thousand year sweets," wrapped in ornate bags decorated with cranes and turtles, both symbols of longevity.

Japan

Robert George

The water is coldGive me strength to endure itAs I purge myselfOn the second Sunday of the New Year, wearing nothing more than loincloths called shitaobi and headbands called hachimaki, many Japanese men brave the icy waters of Teppozu Inari Jinja, a Shinto shrine in central Tokyo, to practice a yearly purification ritual.

Japanese Expressions II

Japan

Robert George<br>Haiku by Celeste Heiter

Japan

Robert George<br>Text by Celeste Heiter

Rural life in Gunma Prefecture moves at a much slower pace than the typical urban existence in Tokyo.

Japan

Robert George

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