Watching the ceremony was like nothing that I have ever experienced before. The service, if you will, is much different than that of most Western religions. The priests lead the entire worship, without any participation from us (the spectators) or the practicing Buddhists in attendance. Later we found out that although we went on Sunday, these rituals are held every morning. The worship began with a half hour chant by the priests. It was all in Japanese, but when we asked for a translation later from Dr. Londo (a MSU professor who is interpreting for us among other things), he said that he really couldn’t understand it and that many of the Japanese in the temple probably did not understand it either. We were able to gather that the chanting had to do with praising both Buddha and the founder of the temple.
After the chanting, the ritual continued with a monk speaking about the history of the temple, which was translated for us later over breakfast. At this point, my legs began to fall asleep, since everyone had to sit Indian-style. This is done out of respect for Buddha, because facing the priests with your feet is disrespectful. I was able to make it through the history part without too much trouble though.
After the history of the temple was told, my legs hoped that we might be done. Instead, a message was shared. After the fact, we were told that the message had to do with speaking the truth and remaining positive despite tough times. The message lasted long enough for my legs to succumb to sleep.
After the ceremony ended, we were allowed to take a brief look around the temple. The contents of the temple were very interesting to me. In Japanese culture and Buddhism alike, there is a greater emphasis placed on remembering one’s ancestors, and the temple reflects that. Visitors can bring gifts to their departed loved ones, such as fruit, sake (Japanese rice wine), or burn incense. Loved ones are often remembered at the temple instead of their actual grave sites. Individual homes have altars where these offerings can be made to their ancestors.
After the ceremony, we had a traditional breakfast and ate it while sitting on the floor. We had planned to explore more cultural sites on the mountain, but the weather was extremely uncooperative, with high winds and pouring rain all morning. We waited for an hour to see what would happen with the weather, and then we decided to journey back to the Japan Center for Michigan Universities (JCMU), where we will be staying for the remainder of the trip.
(Breakfast on the floor)
The traveling to JCMU involved backtracking through many of the steps that we took yesterday. I will spare you the details, but it made for another long day, and I am glad that we aren’t flying out tomorrow or that would be altogether too much traveling in three days. 
(Front of a Bullet Train)
When we arrived at JCMU, we checked into our new rooms. They are very similar to what one would expect in a college dorm room, and will be a fine place to live until we leave in a few days. Now that I have regular internet access, I should be updating my blog daily.
(My humble abode)
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