Yoshihiko

So last Monday I decided to take a walk to the local shrine. This shrine isn't a normal shrine it's one of the great shrines of Japan. It also houses one of the three sacred treasures of Japan: the Grass Cutting Sword. Oh, the name of the shrine is Atsuta Shrine.

I get there and wander about for a bit and then a very friendly looking Japanese man approached me and cheerfully said "Good morning!". I responded in kind and we began talking. Very soon he asked if he could lead me around the shrine. Of course I couldn't pass up this opportunity for knowledge so I gratefully accepted his offer. I'm glad I did. He took me around the entire shrine and I learned about Shinto and other aspects of Japanese culture and lifestyle. It was a very fascinating experience. Especially when he began discussing his philosophy on life and how it is intertwined with Shinto and Buddhist thought. It was great. It was probably the best conversation I had with a Japanese person in probably 3 or 4 years. I'm very happy to meet him and I hope to meet him again in the future when I again wander about the grounds of Atsuta shrine. His name is Yoshihiko and is one of the coolest Japanese people I've ever met.

It is experiences like this that makes being a foreigner such a great thing. Sometimes people really want to share their culture with you and are very happy when you listen. This is one of the reasons why I encourage every college student I meet to do a study abroad. You get to meet people like Yoshihiko and you get to learn about your host country in more depth.