Clap, Bow Clap, Pray?
Another Aizu story
What is the sequence of actions to ask for a blessing when we ring a bell at a Shinto shrine? Chris and I have forgotten about the sequence from our last trip to Japan and we've been observing other people paying their respects. However, when it came to our turn, a generous term would be, "we tried our best".
On the penultimate day in Aizu, we were taking our time to walk to the Samurai residences when we serendipitously arrived at Kufukuji Temple. We planned to visit this temple on our way back but one step off the Google Map route to explore a few side streets saw us at the front of the shrine.
There was a young chap using one of Chris' favourite garden tool, leaf blower, to tidy the steps leading to the shrine. Chris was pleased with the good job the chap was doing and he promptly told the chap, "Good Job". The guy was equally pleased with the compliment and returned with a beaming smile stretching from ear to ear.
Chris then stepped up to the bell and rang it to ask for a blessing. Unfortunately he could not get the bell to ring and he shrugged his shoulders. However, before he could leave, the young attendant came up and guided Chris through the process. He spoke very little English but you can feel the generosity of spirit to guide us. The people of Aizu made our trip so special.
That's a lovely story! Spirit and generosity are definitely not bound by language ❤️