Submitted by Adam Sallade on the 2016 summer session program in Kobe, Japan sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…
This week, I went to the Inari Shrine located in Kyoto, Japan. The shrine was different for me because the way the Japanese people begin their talk with their god is different from that of the way we pray in Christianity. When you begin your prayer to the god at the Inari Shrine, you ring the bell twice, clap twice, bow twice, pray, bow once, and then you are finished. In Christianity, when in Church, depending on the denomination, you either stand and pray, or kneel before the altar and pray. I found this contrast to be very interesting because of the many necessary steps required to even begin your prayer at the shrine, whereas in Christianity you can start your prayer almost right away. The whole process necessary to talk with god is really interesting because it feels like the Japanese give more reverence to their god than we do by the many steps they take.
