It all started when Bailey and I sparked a conversation about girls body types in Japan. We have been living in Japan now for a month and we are no longer in tourist mode expecting to stand out, but now want to blend in. This idea lead us to Japanese body standards compared to those in America. I mentioned how I think it is interesting that the body structure of Japanese girls is naturally more petite, and that from being here, I have been lead to question my figure: am I fat just because I am in Japan and the beauty norm is thinner than that in America? Both of us admitted that we were feeling this way. We were putting our bodies, personalities and everything about how we live next to a culture that we have just entered, feeling inadequate as we reviewed the comparisons. After a few minutes of brain work that crushed our self-esteem, we quickly turned things around. We discussed how each culture and its body standards are extremely different. We imagined how exhausting it would be to physically mold ourselves to each as we travel. Spending ample time in Japan has helped us realize that as we visit different countries, we should be proud of our physique, because somewhere in the world each body type, each smile, each laugh and each way to eat a sandwich is going to be accepted and rejected. We understand that it is one thing to respect a culture, and another to conform to it. We chose the embrace the former and decided that we do not fit in to the social and beauty standards of the Japanese or American, but the Bailanese and Olivian. Even with this understanding, it is still a constant struggle to be in a culture where there is a certain form that most people fit into but you totally break the mold. Every day just walking to class is an adventure because people are constantly reacting to the alien-ness of your presence in their culture. Your physicality will always stand out even if your mind does not. On occasion, this can create some uncomfortable situations. For example, when Olivia and I were walking down the street last night, there was a couple walking in front of us, and we were laughing loudly. They proceeded to turn and stare at us, and then awkwardly and cautiously move to the side so that we had to walk in front of them. We didn't understand what social cues we had missed in this situation, but it felt alienating. However, we have found that it is better to embrace these situations and be proud of who we are and our attempts to understand and interact. An example of this is an old woman who rode up to us on her bike on our walk home from school and asked where we were from. She proceeded to teach us some Kansai dialect Japanese and had the opportunity to practice her English. So many interactions provide these opportunities to share culture and knowledge, and when both sides dive in unafraid of messing up and with an intent to learn, that's where the magic happens. It's a beautiful thing to be able to share ourselves and become something greater by learning through our differences and connecting in our humanness.
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The town of Koyasan takes over Mt. Koya. Long ago it was bare, yet graced with temples. Now paved streets swerve between the temples, which are lined with candy, kimono, convenient, food and coffee shops. Trails are embroidered on the edges of Koyasan. These paths that travel through green hills and pole like trees were created for women to walk before they were allowed to enter the actual town of Koyasan. Like a sitting Buddha, the town sits in a Lotus Flower shaped valley.
During our 6 day stay in Koyasan we meditated the Shingon Buddhist way every morning at 6:00am and every evening at 5:00pm. To compliment the meditation we took a class each day discussing the specifics of Shingon Buddhism and the technicalities of meditation. The classes were taught by a Shingon Buddhist monk named Eijo. In our free time we explored the many temples throughout the quaint town, observed spiritual ceremonies and explored the hiking trails. One meditation technique that we learned in class is called moon disk meditation. I attempted this technique during multiple meditation sesshins. My results of one sitting are as follows:
I didn't leave my heart in Koyasan, I left the spirit of Koyasan in my heart. Click on the pictures below to view captions. |
Kyoto, JapanArchives |