春の武士[haru no bushi] - part 12

For my last full day in Japan, I wanted to do something unique. So, I requested to do TWO things:

1) eat more Taiyaki (fish shaped snack) and.. 

2) visit a temple to receive prayers.

Samurai was happy to meet me after work and we headed out to fulfill my wishes.

First up, that yummy fish snack! I introduced Taiyaki to my readers in Part 9 of my Bushi series. Check HERE to see the explanation. We headed to a famous Taiyaki shop on the way to the temple. Custard flavor was sold out, so I got the traditional red bean paste filled fish sweet. I snapped photos of the shop:

They had also a map of shops located throughout Japan. Hmm.My next goal: to visit each shop? (laugh)
Map:

Close up of the fishy fish! ^_^

(and the fish tasted very sweet!) 

We moved on to the temple, which is a very famous one in Kanagawa, called Samuigawa (meaning: "cold river"). The walkway to the main gate is quite romantic...with Japanese lanterns lining either side of the path.

Lanterns: 

I was told the path is actually the road for God, so when walking, you must walk along the edge. After washing our hands (common etiquette at Japanese temples), we emerged at the main gate. It was so impressive!!
Gate:

To the left of the gate, were thousands of paper fortunes, tied to ropes. I loved the sight of the papers slightly blowing in the wind...

The real purpose for my visit was to receive a special prayer. Why? In Japan, there are certain ages which are considered "unlucky". This year, I am at the age for women which is unlucky -- %$# years old. (I'm not telling you my age!!!) But here is the sign that shows the "unlucky ages", so readers can take a guess if you like. ^_^

If you guessed "19", I would say you're right!! (laugh)

Samurai helped me fill out the paperwork. I thought: "Shouldn't God already know my address?" but I shrugged it off and let him fill in the form. (laugh) My wishes were: a safe move to Japan and, prayers for protection during my unlucky age year. 

Filling out paperwork: 

I'll explain more about the ceremony and show further photos from this famous temple tomorrow. Please be sure to visit again. ^_^/

*** Special Bonus! *** 

I found a You Tube video of the temple featured in this post. Please enjoy!

General information about Japanese Buddhist temples can be found HERE.