Tag: New Year

Meander Meets the New Year

by Stephen Benfey The temple bell rang long and loud that night. Dogs howled. Cats like Meander played. At Shinto Shrines across Japan worshippers pitched cash into slotted boxes, praying for prosperity, health, and success. When Meander got home he found an empty house. When Helene got home she found a peeved Meander waiting to …Read More

A Kyoto New Year

“”””””””””””””””””””””” A KYOTO NEW YEAR The true soul of Japan is neither Shinto nor Buddhist. It’s Shinto-Buddhist. Until the artificial split of early Meiji times, the country had more than 1000 years of happy syncretism. Born Shinto, die Buddhist is the Japanese way. Shinto is this-worldly, concerned with rites of passage and social well-being. Buddhism …Read More

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