1. Haguro Mountain

I forgot where this mountain is. I don’t remember whether it’s really a small mountain or not. I don’t think there are any monk-built shrines on it.

2. Foreigners in Japan

Most of the time when a Japanese person sees a western-looking person, they’ll assume the “foreigner” is from America.

Then the second assumption is, “they’re American.” Now, this happens to be true with some foreigners (like me), but it really annoys people who are from Australia, the Netherlands, Germany, etc.

As the grandma demonstrates, Japanese people don’t really expect anyone who looks like a foreigner to be Japanese…and “half” (ha-ru-fu) is a word for people of mixed ethnicity. Americans think of it as deragatory. Japanese people don't seem to. 

Some parts of Japan really aren’t as open towards people of mixed ethnicities as other places…especially in rural areas. Unfortunately, some Japanese tend to assume that if you look like you’re American, you speak English.

And if someone can’t, sometimes one tends to assume that it’s that person’s fault…not that their assumption was faulty.

However, please remember that not all Japanese people are like this. ^_^

3. Shrines in Japan

Well, there are a variety of shrines in Japan. Most of them are in temple-areas, and most of those that people go visit are tended by monks—and large. The kind of shrine I’m describing probably has a name…I just don’t know it. *Shrugs* I didn’t really study Japanese religion very well.

In any case, below are a few pictures of (mostly bigger) shrines found in Japan.

4. A Tale of Kitsune

I didn’t really make this one up. ^_^ I retold it…with a few major differences. I first read a telling of the old Japanese tale from Mr. Neil Gaiman—author of The Sandman: The Dream Hunters, as well as various other works. He, in turn, read a telling of the tale called “The Fox, the Monk, and the Mikado of All Night’s Dreaming.” The story can be found in the rev. B. W. Ashton’s Fairy Tales of Old Japan.

I haven’t read Ashton’s version. Gaiman’s is astoundingly good, and has beautiful pictures by one Yoshitaka Amano (known for his character designs of Final Fantasy, among other things). If you find Ashton’s version of the tale—please tell me, and I’ll politely ask you about the differences, similarities, and possibly write you a present in return (…limit of 10 pages, please…).

Gaiman’s telling of the story is longer than mine—and it’s more detailed, thusly. Also, try to read his version to get a concrete ending vs. my “plot device” finale.

5. Kitsune (in general)

Foxes, alongside badgers/raccoons and weasels, are known as trouble makers in Japan. They appear in many Japanese stories—but unlike the Western counterpart, the fox isn’t always the bad guy.

I don’t know everything about kitsune. Half of what I know I heard in Japanese—so I’m not too sure I got the connotations down. I’ve also, like most of you, I’m sure, read manga and doujinshi with kitsune in the stories. I browsed on the internet a little, and found out a few things… Namely, a kitsune can have many tails. They serve Inari. They’re not really good or evil. They’re usually black or white. The “leader” changes in mythologies—nothing’s concrete.

In any case, I tried to explain my version of kitsune enough to get you through the story. I think I made a lot up…*shrugs* but that’s more fun, isn’t it?

6. The haiku by Issa.

I was really, really tempted to be unprofessional and break the feel of the story by being spiteful. But I didn't. ^_^ ; barely.

In any case, the haiku is as follows:

At dawn

the homeless cat, too

cries for love.

有明や

家なし猫も

恋を鳴く

Ariyake ya

Ie nashi neko mo

koi wo naku

According to Haiku of Kobayashi Issa, this poem was written in 1809. The translation I used is © 2000-05 by David G. Lanoue, 'cause I figure he's got more practice at translating haiku than me.

7. Japanese Sound Effects

I like sound effects. They illustrate things really well, and add a cool little effect…but I translated them for you, ‘cause I don’t really know most of those off the top of my head. Also, not all of them are Japanese. *Holds up artistic license* some of them are from my head.

8. Sign of the top of the mountain.

I think most mountains have these…I don’t really remember what they look like…so it might be a bit of artistic license again for a white toori to be there. ^_^ ; (Toori, by the way, are red gates that mark the entrance to a holly area).