Learn Japanese Culture - How to Visit a Shrine in Japan

[crzynomi]

arigato gozaimasu. i found this really helpful. i am going to be visitng alot of shrines this summer!

[Limastudent]

I lived in Japan for two years and no one explained all this as well as you have. Good teaching!

[Clearie552]

誰がさいせん箱を盗んでいった？！

[kipkayify]

I've always been far more interested in traditional Japanese culture, language, and music than anime and visiting the more modern areas.

Rest assured, when I visit Japan eventually, I'd like to experience both modern and traditional culture. But I'm definitely going to enjoy visiting the smaller towns and shrines more...

[GhillieMan482]

A couple of my best friends are Japanese, so they kinda sucked me into loving the Japanese culture! I really want to visit this incredible country one day :D

[MsBabbi]

I'm so envious of japanese people, I mean, their culture is unique, the people is a beautiful people with ages of tradition... It's all there! And they have such a beautiful language <3 I really want to go to Japan!!!! :D

[Hikikomori013]

Thank you for the clear lesson.

I thought the desks faced the same way for some feng shui reason, or maybe because they faced Mecca. The last was just a fun thought rather than a serious guess.

[Tenki09]

あしからずけどなんでニッポンジン男がこんなに人女々しいだろう­なぁｗｗ

[Chandler259]

Excellent detail! I've only just learned what shinto is and I'm eager to learn more! It won't be easy to practice here in Canada. The nearest shrine is two hours away!

Any suggestions?

[Incanta2]

From all the videos i've seen this 1 explains all the best way and in details.

Thank you a lot for it. ^ ^

[nomickok2]

i live in greece....i want to live in japan where politics are never heard because there is nothing to hear....everywhere...excelense

[sawabojo]

im english but regard japan as home number 2 my wife is from tochigi at least once a year we visit thax for this a truly wonderful country

[nicetubex]

All the desks face the same direction... maybe to see the beautiful Hiroko ?

[WaffleBanisher]

I thought you were supposed to walk backwards from the hoden facing it?

[boxcarmystery]

Cool. I now have another source of information! :)

[DarkIP992]

YEHAW! I'll be in Japan for 3 weeks starting August 1st

[kenbear2725]

you don't have to ring a bell to get God's attention :)

[blooddevilfox]

is okay stand outside right next to the shrine and draw the shrine. Good video

[KAMAERUE]

is there any all you can eat restaurent in japan with fish and dips :)

[PtokBentoniczny]

So what's the answer for the question at the end? Or where's the video?

[TheKingKem]

thak you for uploading this video

[MiyaviSama96]

Is it because facing North is bad luck? (o_o)

[nicoleta123marin]

so they should not fight with each other

[misuruchan]

thats interesting...

[GarugaXXX]

played a lot of persona 3& 4 back that day..it's so great too see the culture etc....

[GaarasTrueFriend]

The hand washing part is called Temizu not misogi.

[ribesnero]

*__________* すごいいいいいい！！

[rosamundwo]

i think i know why. The national flag of Japan is a white flag with a large red disc (representing the rising sun) in the center. Therefore, the office desk direction must face where the sun rises in the east

[xxjacobxx3]

from a technical aspect i would say that they face one direction, so they can all focus on the same thing at once. For example: a manager, team leader, projector screen.

I feel like its a trick question though.

[cv45fg56hg83sd91]

Sugoi desu.

[Peekingduck]

He screwed up the washing part (misogi) when he rinsed his hands over the little 'tub'.

The dirt goes outside so that the next person doesn't have to use dirty water.

[sorcress18]

No one posted the answer to the question...why do they face one direction?

[ToLokyo]

It was posted on the website. It's because all the desks in the office face toward this shrine, which is just outside the window. ^^

[3moirai]

Is there a dress code for visiting a shrine?

I'll be visiting Tokyo in August and hear it's very hot. So I was gonna wear shorts most of the time. When I visited Thailand, some temples were ok with shorts while others required pants.

It'd be good to learn about any dress code pointers here.

[Peekingduck]

no dress code. Just don't arrive with a bare upper body in the summer. Put a t-shirt on and you're just fine..

Also, don't enter the shrine after coming from a funeral since you would be considered un-clean and there would be a lot of salt sprinkling to do for the people that work there.

[RyuSakiRyuu14]

it kinda be hard Remebering this

when I move to Japan but don't I

have to take a test first to move there

[rphinks]

if you have a problem remembering this then good luck learning japanese. I would say if you don't worship their gods then all you need to remember is the purification at the entrance.

[PolarisDawn]

such a rich culture! i hope one day i will be able to visit that spectacular country

[lobber85]

i am doing a longer recearch for collage about shinto, it is very facenating... only problem is the explanation of the term "kami". in this video did he prey to a kami of sound?

[TiaraSakurai]

That was so cool, I always wanted to know what to do at a shrine. I really want to go to Japan, but I won't be able to go for financial reasons, but the thing that makes me less depressed about it is wanting to learn Japanese for when I do go ^^ Thank you for this video. :D

[japanesepod101]

Hope you can get to Japan soon Tiara!

In the meantime - we'll keep making great materials to help you study! ^_^

[TiaraSakurai]

:D Domo arigato gozaimasu! I look forward to seeing new videos ^^

[ilovejapan888]

i always want to go to japan too but we cant go theres hardly no japanese stuff here in connecticut...just chinese so yeah my biggest dream is to live or visit japan someday

[TiaraSakurai]

ah I see. Yeah, the good thing for me is that I live about a half hour away from this Japanese market, and every year around my birthday, they have a Japanese festival.

[ilovejapan888]

my state dont have nothing for the japanese...not even a japan town

[ABCsensei]

Why do all the desks in the office face in the same direction? Is there a meaning behind that?

Recommendations for a video: I would like to know at which places it is expected to take off your shoes. Some places I have visited, you can leave your shoes on while others - you have to take your shoes off. Sometimes I find this a bit confusing on when to leave them on or take them off.

[japanesepod101]

Hey ABC - the reason is because all the desks face the direction of the shrine. The president of the parent company likes it that way.

Thanks for the recommendation. We'll keep that in consideration. :)

The basic rule for when to take shoes off is when there's a special entrance. If you walk in, and there's a small area to take shoes off and then a slightly raised floor just after that, you should always take your shoes off there.

[sorcress18]

Ohhh... lol.

Do all offices face the nearest shrine?

[Leatootskirootsboot]

the guy's funny when he climbed all the stairs ad he got tired., his face was funny hhaha thanks for the info this is a useful video!!!

[japanesepod101]

Thanks Leatootskirootsboot~

That's one of my favorite parts too. :)

Glad you liked it!

[DanielR305]

that cleaned the toilet instead lol so it soaked the bathroom lol what would be useful is a basic quick guide in which buttons to press like the dry air to use the bidet to which button heats the toilet up, which connector to put on the toilet to clean and wipe your bum proberly with lol or any machine that u any everyday person in japan would use that we dont use in the west would be useful I think too. cheers brill video though do more please!!!!!!

[japanesepod101]

Sounds like a funny experience Daneil!

I've never seen one with a button to clean the toilet...

Guess there's all kinds!

I've got one at home. Maybe I should bring my camera with me next time to the toilet? :P

That's a good idea though - how to use unique Japanese machines. We'll keep it in consideration! Thanks for the suggestion~

[DanielR305]

I would love to learn what are acceptable manners to use in public or visiting friends or family's for example I have heard and seen years ago that certain habits that we use in the west are considered rude and not acceptable in Japanese culture which ones are these and why so its just out of curiosity really also I have heard extremely funny stories of people using the japanese computerised toilet and press the wrong buttons so instead of the bidet pressed they pressed the button con't

[animeangela227]

wait..... if you wash your hands, then wash your mouth, people's hand bacteria are in your mouth!!!!

don't people get sick from that????

[ToLokyo]

Good point~

Actually, the washing mouth/wrists part is not so well known, even among Japanese people.

And if you'll notice, he puts it in his hand, then in his mouth, then spits it out in a separate place. Then washes his hand again to purify it from having been by his mouth. And just in case something remains, then you wash the ladle handle and your wrists at then end.

All bacteria accounted for! :)

[allgoo19]

Good info.

I won't be embarrassed when I visit there.

[japanesepod101]

There's plenty of times when young Japanese people get embarrassed at trying to pray at a shrine - a lot of them don't know the correct etiquette.

You'll really shock them if you can do it perfectly the first time!

[invaliderin]

Thank you for posting this video, Japanesepod101! I study Japanese Art History in the U.S., and I know how important it is to preserve one's culture while sharing it with others. Hopefully I can visit Japan someday when I have the money. Thanks again!

[japanesepod101]

Thanks for watching invaliderin.

I hope your studies will prove useful for preserving valuable art and history!

Best of luck with your studies~

[Ultra44]

I swear to god, practically every sentence that guy spoke ended in "mas". How is that possible?? I'm watching the translation and a lot of the words are not at all the same from sentence to sentence!! I don't get it. I just started learning Japanese so I'm picking up a noun here and there and I know verbs go at the end of the sentence, but I still don't get how he is using it that much.

[japanesepod101]

Hey Ultra44,

"mas" is used to end formal verbs in Japanese. As you said, most sentences end in a verb, and because Jun is speaking in formal Japanese, most of his sentences either end in "mas" or "desu".

In natural friendly conversation, it's not used so much, but in this kind of presentation, you'll hear a lot of "mas/desu".

Good job picking it out!

[turbotibo]

ha, that's a nice vid, always wondered what the actual rituals were when visiting a temple. now i know, haha learned something today;) thanks for posting

[japanesepod101]

Glad you found it useful turbotibo!

Keep checking back for more great videos!

[turbotibo]

yes thanks for posting, keep it up;)

[japanesepod101]

Thanks a lot~

By the way, if you have any suggestions for a kind of video like this, you'd like to see, feel free to let us know. No guarantees, but we'll do what we can! :)

[japanesepod101]

That's right locomoteTV!

[locomoteTV]

I think it's because that shrine is just outside the office - so the desks all face the shrine?

[davidvasta]

Someone needs to post why, I want to know and then I will force my Swedish company to change all the desk. Thanks for the great video. I lived in Japan for 3 years and was always afraid to visit a local temple, I didn't want to show disrespect. Now I think I could visit it. Domo!

[uzay1999aslan]

hei akasaka ward ,,i am moslem and ilove japan bye bye you tube nic name uzay1999aslan

[greob]

Great video, very instructive!

Hope to see more like this one!

[japanesepod101]

JeanMichelAbrassart-san, thanks for the comment as always and for being with us so long! This year we're going to have lots of videos, so please keep the comments coming. Also, great job on the trivia question. It is something we have to explain to new people when they first start. (lol)

BTW, A revised version of the video vocab is now up. Thx!

Liz-san、あけおめ！ことよろ！ :)

You don't know the answer? Really?

Check out the site. The video is now up. :)

[erexford]

あけましておめでとうございます！

Wow, I'm one of the first to see this!  It's very nice . thanks! I don't know the answer to this question!

[JeanMichelAbrassart]

Nice video. Hope to see more like that!

PS: I know the answer to the question, because Peter said it on one episode of the podcast (btw, I've been listening to JP101 for 3 years now...). So I won't spoil the fun for the others. :p

Keep up the good work,