Do not know whether i am at right place for an introduction but anyway; Konnichiwa!

Great to have discovered your site as I recently (early March 2010) visited Japan and have nobody at home to share the experience really. Live in Johannesburg South Africa (except for sushi bars and Chinese restaurants there is only one Japanese restaurant i know about).

Have been to Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, Mount Koya (Koyasan) and Hiroshima. Share your love of Japanese culture, language and religion. Since age 12 interested in it. Currently practicing Chan/Pure Land (Taiwanese teacher), which is perhaps closer to Honen’s version than Shinran’s.

Looking forward to share and learn from everybody. Also interested in Shinto (do not know to much about it), tea and sake. Experienced Japanese food great (at home i try to follow a macrobiotic diet).

Keep well.

Namu Amida Butsu

Namu Amitofo

Far be it from me to offer advice, but for Japanese, it’s like any other skill in that it’s an investment, and quite an involved one if you don’t live in a foreign country. Living in a foreign is an even bigger adventure, and not one to take lightly. But at the same time it’s quite an amazing experience, but you have go in with both eyes open. Other than that, I can’t offer much else. Sorry I can’t be of more help.

But anyway, how do I subscribe to your blog? And, if you have the time, could you check on mine? I’ve written many thoughts about Buddhism, and have been trying to figure out if studying Japanese is a wise thing to do. Thanks!

I actually was secretly working on this, so if you can wait a few weeks, I’ll have something up at least for the first few lines. In the meantime you’re welcome to use whatever you like off the blog, as it’s fairly open. I’ve added a Creative Commons license for reference to the right. But anyway, go nuts.

I write, and am developing a scene that takes place during a Japanese Buddhist funeral. I’d like to convey the sound and rhythm of the chanting. I’ve been looking for a romaji translation of the Amida Kyo Sutra without luck. Would it be appropriate to use three lines from your translation of the amida dhrani? Would you agree to this use of it?

Do you have the romaji translation of the beautiful lines in the beginning of the Amida Kyo Sutra that talk of the Land of Ultimate Bliss, the treasures and the golden sands?

Thanks! Lee

InCultureParent is an online magazine dedicated to global parent culture and traditions. We will feature articles about raising multicultural and multilingual children coinciding with traditions and holidays around the world. Mainstream parenting websites are largely from the perspective of one dominant cultural framework. InCultureParent seeks to challenge the dominant culture of parenting information and present viewpoints from around the world. (For example, in many non-Western cultures children are potty-trained as infants. Or first foods vary greatly across cultures – Japanese babies eat fish as a first protein before they are one year old). Different cultures have diverse ways of parenting and differing priorities. Additionally, tradition and religion become more relevant when you have children and mainstream parenting websites are also silent when it comes to this area. Websites that do cover the realm of tradition and religion tend to be religious websites which we are not. InCultureParent blends culture, language and tradition and presents research-based and anecdotal articles on everything related to these areas.

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Long time no see. Good to hear from another temple member. Lately a lot of people have been visiting here, so word must be spreading or something. As for the website, I know Mas had wanted to talk to me about some stuff, so that might come up when the time is right.

Glad to hear of your switch. I stopped using Windows a while ago (Mac actually, with virtual instances of Linux or BSD), and it’s been nice. We should catch up when I get back in mid-September. See you then!