Back to Japan

[rick]

So we are going back on Sunday and its pretty exciting to say the least!
Ive realised since that this was the coop (one of many) for the sacred chickens at Ise but there was a bird flu thing going on and they were all being kept undercover until it passed

We wont be going to Ise this time (but what a coop and run!)(would loved to have seen them)
This time we will be going back to Shinjuku in Tokyo to recover from flying and hopefully finding the tiny real ale bar in the basement and saying hello to the big beaked crows in the park before taking the train to Okayama, Kurashiki to stay with our lad who has been teaching English over there for the past year. Its going to be really funny meeting up on the other side of the world.
Its only a short hop from Hiroshima, which I'm sure we will visit but there and everywhere else I am really looking forward to hitting the music shops with a list as long as both arms for CDs and DVDs that are so expensive to order by export. Well, its something to do isn't it!
Last time we went it might as well have been to Mars as it was all unknown. This time its more exciting somehow!

 

[bigyetiman]

Have a fantastic time, shame you didn't get to see the sacred chickens.

 

[Hen-Gen]

Sounds exciting. Such an impressive culture.
Enjoy the whale sushi.?

 

[rick]

They are messengers for the sun goddess Omikami Amaterasu (Cock-a-doodle-doooooo!)
OMG! Is whale sushi a thing! It probably exists but seeing as last time we walked miles and miles for every meal until Carol was tentatively comfortable with a somewhat vaguely vegetarian option, then - who knows!

 

[bigyetiman]

I love this forum, you learn new things all the time. The sun goddess is new to both of us

 

[Hen-Gen]

They are messengers for the sun goddess Omikami Amaterasu (Cock-a-doodle-doooooo!)
OMG! Is whale sushi a thing! It probably exists but seeing as last time we walked miles and miles for every meal until Carol was tentatively comfortable with a somewhat vaguely vegetarian option, then - who knows!

Fear not I made it up. Though they have been whaling for ‘scientific reasons’ and are threatening to restart commercial whaling I don’t imagine it goes into sushi.

 

[Tweetypie]

Have an amazing time, Rick. Must be exciting to see your Son and you must be proud of him. That photo is stunning, the trees are impressive and the coop - well, what can one say. Makes mine look like a pea on a drum

 

[Marigold]

Looks like yours have got a better dustbath though, Tweetipie. I can't see those sacred chickens being allowed to make the gravel untidy.

 

[Tweetypie]

Marigold- ??? that made me smile

 

[rick]

They have to rake the gravel every morning before they get their mash.
They are practically a wild population that forages in the woodland margins across the whole upper shrine site. I'm not sure how much they actually use their coops and, presumably, they are often visited by nine tailed kitsune!

I didn't take this picture