The last part of my day yesterday was hysterical. During my Shinto class we were talking about the things that are in Shinto shrines and ended up laughing our buts off about an ema that had Colonel Sanders, a rooster, and the kanji characters that stood for lots of happpiness and cunningly when read said "Kin-ta-ki" aka KENTUCKY. Get it? Kentucky Fried Chicken y'all. Good ole Colonel Sanders was on a religious ema because it was the year of the Rooster. HAHAH. In class we came to the conclusion that Shinto responds to the people's needs....and if the people need Kentucky Fried Chicken well.....Shinto has the answer. So as a result of this need, I have been told that there is a surplus of Kentucky Fried Chicken's here in Japan (although I have not seen one) and on Christmas Day some Japanese families even go buy a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner. Only in Japan, people... only in Japan. To add to the hilarity of yesterday's Shinto class, my professor showed us slides of certain objects known in Shinto as omamori (an amulet or charm, usually a kind of small cloth bag that might protect its owner from various dangers, bring success in love and tests, or help in childbirth - Thank you Professor). Now, like every religion there has to be some commercial part right? They have to find some way to make a buck-although this point is quite arguable. However, when there is a magazine full of omamori that a person can buy for various reasons...it becomes quite peculiar.
Low and behold, our professor showed us a particular slide and after 3 seconds pause said "Yes....It's a golden poo". Immediately everyone burst into laughter and applause. That probably made my day....it was just....too funny. A golden lump of poo on a nice little green blanket = LUCK. Pay for this piece of golden poop and you will have luck for a certain period of time. My professor then proceeded to ask "So then does anyone want to buy this?" SHOUT OUT TO TED: I immediately replied "YES! I want that for my brother!" If I visit a Shinto Shrine and they are selling golden poos, you bet I will by Ted one. Best present EVER.On a more serious note, I started my Japanese Sign Language Study Group last night. There were 37 people in attendance which from what I hear is a huge amount. It was really cool and we went over a lot of the basics. And something freaky happened this morning.....I was riding on the densha and I noticed a woman signing and talking to her hearing friend. She was old and at first I couldn't tell she was deaf but as I listened to her she definitely sounded deaf. I got all excited and was like "Oh my god! I'm going to sign ohayou gozaimasu (good morning) to her!". Well, I eventually worked up the courage to do so when she finally looked my way and she looked directly at me and then turned away. I was like um.....woops....? It's not that big of a deal though because sometimes older deaf people in Japan might not know Japanese Sign Language because they never learned it since they might have just become deaf through old age. So I wasn't really offended in any way...just a bit surprised that's all.
It's been pretty funny. I'm sure there is more to come! Now I have to go do some research for Tokyo....
Jyane!~
Ashlee
Ashlee,
ReplyDeleteI like your blog. It makes me laugh a lot. One note on KFC, American fast food chains are popular in many countries throughout Asia, including China and India. Because these restaurants try to main almost universal prices throughout their stores, they are very expensive compared to local restaurants. Thus, they are seen as upscale (as in I'm rich and can afford to eat here) and trendy so it is not uncommon for families to go to KFC or Pizza Hut on special occasions, such as Christmas or Valentines Day.