Sometimes, because I work at home, I’ll go all day before I realize I haven’t left the house. Recently I’ve been trying to drag myself outside more often, and I found this place, Tanukidani Fudoin, just a short walk down the street and up the hill.
Tanukidani Fudoin (website in Japanese) apparently has an annual firewalk, and you car have your car blessed nearby.
Tanuki are racoon-like dog relatives native to Asia that I’ve only seen in person in statue form. They often stand outside restaurants wearing a hat and a smile, with their impossibly large balls resting on the ground between their legs. There’s an interesting Studio Ghibli anime called Pom Poko about tanuki fighting against land development. I watched an unsubtitled VHS copy a few years ago, and, not understanding the dialog, I could hardly figure out what was going on — all the references to Japanese folktales, the tanuki shape-shifting into people and faceless ghosts, and a bizarre finale like a supernatural Macy’s Day parade.
Anyway, it was a pleasant walk. I’ll do more of this — exploring the neighborhood without a map or translator, finding information later on the Internet.