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Japan and is one of the most beloved historical kimono from her mother’s family.
figures in that country. We ended our day with a Stop two was the Ohatsu Tenjn Shrine
trip to the local mall, where we enjoyed shopping dedicated to a young girl, Ohatsu, who, with her
and dinner. boyfriend Tokubei, committed suicide in a most
On Tuesday morning, we bid our farewell to moving story. Our third stop of the day was to the
JSO members with hugs and tears—not saying Namba Yasaka Shrine, famous for its impressive
“goodbye” but rather “until we meet again.” lion-head-shaped building called Ema-Den. The
Approaching the end of our visit, on Tuesday huge lion’s mouth is believed to swallow evil
night we stayed right in the heart of the Dotonbori spirits and bring good luck, especially for those
District, filled with theaters, restaurants, cafes, looking to do well in school and business matters.
arcades (shopping), and nightclubs. Everyone At another stop, the Kamigata Ukiyoe Museum of
explored for a bit and then settled in for our final Art, we learned about making pictures with layers
night in Japan. of ink on four different wood blocks to give color
Our last day in Japan was filled with more to a picture. The pictures on display in the museum
Japanese culture and sightseeing. Our first stop were made in the early 1800s. Around the corner
was the Osaka Tenmangu Shrine, a popular spot from this museum, we stopped at a small shrine in
for students to pray for good results in their exams the center of the Dotonbori District. Temples and
or studies. It was quite busy, with many people shrines are everywhere, and it is quite something
stopping by to drop coins and pray. We saw the to see person after person stop by, drop a coin,
workers inside the shrine kneeling in rows, bowing bow twice, clap twice, bow twice again, light
for their prayers. This shrine is also a place for incense, and go on his or her way. Worshiping is
Omiyamairi, a traditional ritual for newborn babies part of every single day—most likely multiple
in Japan. Omiyamairi is the first visit to a shrine times per day. At this shrine, when worshipers
for a baby, brought by parents to express gratitude finished praying, they poured ladles of water
for the child’s birth over the bushes shaped
and pray for his or her like figures. Our final
healthy growth and destination for this day
happiness. The babies was the airport for our
are traditionally draped trip back home.
in a family kimono and At the end of
tied to the back of the this trip, participants
baby’s carrier. They also left each other with
get a Japanese character memories that will
(Kanji) drawn on their forever influence their
foreheads. This shrine is DKG lives. We hope
also where the Shichi- this article has helped
Go-San takes place— readers to “come
the Japanese custom along” to celebrate this
celebrating the healthy memorable event—
growth of 3-year-old and, more importantly,
boys and girls, 5-year- to recognize the
old boys, and 7-year- remarkable cultural
old girls. We were appreciation and
fortunate to see a family networking that can
bring a baby girl here result from membership
for blessings. She was Kanidoraku Dotombori Nakamise in a truly international
draped in a beautiful organization.

12 · Volume 89-4
12 · Volume 89-4