I Am A Celebrity!: Cruising in Japan

AOMORI CITY, with a population of just over 365,000, sits in between Kanazawa and Sakata in terms of size. In a not toward local autonomy, Aomori City is designated by the national government as one of Japan's "core" cities. This means they have been delegated numerous powers and authority that might otherwise rest with either the prefectural government or the national government. In order to technically qualify, the city must have a population of more than 300,000 and land area of at least 100 square kilometers. The study and structure of Japanese government is historically complex and well beyond the scope of this (presumably "fun") blog about cruising, so I'll leave it at that. 😐

THE EXCURSION here was one of our "comped" cruise-line excursions. Once again, we boarded a bus on shore, first for a very short trip to the Nebuta Museum, which was within easy walking distance of the ship, but on the way to a destination further away.

HAL "Aomori Highlights" Excursion - Aomori, Japan
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

THE WA-RASSE Nebuta Museum houses many floats and parts of floats from former parades during the annual Amori Nebuta Festival. The most popular explanation of this festival is that it was done every year to ward off the "sleep" spirits during the harvest. The festival runs from August 2 - 7, and it is said that during this period, the small city can swell to over 2 million visitors. The museum building can be seen as the reddish-orange building just below the rather distinctive bridge in the opening photo.

OUR NEXT stop was Seiryu-Ji Temple, just outside of the city. Interestingly, unlike many of the impressive temples and shrines in Japan, Seiryu-Ji is relatively new, completed in the early 1980s. However, traditional architecture, materials and techniques makes this Buddhist Shrine nearly indistinguishable from most of the older places we have seen elsewhere in Japan. The grounds feature several impressive structures, but its most famous component is surely the Showa Daibatsu (great Buddha). Just under 70 feet tall (21 meters), the bronze statue is the largest seated Buddha statue in Japan. It is big.

NOT TO be overshadowed, however, there are several more remarkable feats of architecture at this shrine.

SAID TO be the 4th largest 5-storied Pagoda in Japan, the pagoda here has been placed in a rather idyllic setting, surrounded by beautiful garden - style foliage, including many flowering trees and shrubs. We arrived in time for the cherry blossoms in this more northern part of Honshu. There are a lot of these 5-storied pagodas throughout Japan. The 5 stories represent the "five elements" of Buddhism consisting of earth, water, fire, wind and sky.

THE GROUNDS of Seiryu-ji Temple are peaceful as well as beautiful. There are numerous walkways, including the walkway up to the Buddha, and separate walkways to the other buildings (all traditional Japanese architecture) on the grounds. Along these walkways are numerous, separate structures, each with some meaning to the shrine.

THE COLOR red is considered an important symbolic color in Japan. I have commented before that the many so-called "red" structures I have seen look more orange than red to me. I may have finally discovered the reason for this in the literature we collected from Seiryu-ji. The color is actually vermillion (or in Japanese: "shuiro"), which is red-orange. It is my understanding that up until the early 20th century, vermillion was the most widely-used such pigment and the brightest "red" available. Vermillion was also the most expensive pigment and using it signified wealth in some instances. In the 20th century, a purer "red" pigment (cadmium) red was developed.

THE VERMILLION temple at Seiryu-ji, known as Daishido, enshrines Kobo-Daishi-do, the founder of the Shingon sect of Buddhism.

I REALLY like the vermillion color used so widely in Japan. It does seem orange to me, but a very rich, bright and colorful orange. In keeping, perhaps, with my photographic attraction to bright colors, I am usually drawn to the vermillion painted architecture I see in Japan. I also like the way it contrasts with certain other bright colors. Maybe one of my favorite "looks" at the shrine was the entry walkway to Daishido, contrasted with the colorful pennants on each side.

WE HEADED back for the ship, to rest and relax, though we could probably have gone back ashore to the market area. I think by this time in the trip, we get kind of "shopped out." It was a sunny and reasonably warm day, and it was nice to relax on the back deck with a cocktail and watch the sunset. Next up was Otaru

I Am A Celebrity!

Sunday, July 7, 2024

Cruising in Japan - Aomori City

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