Tenrikyo

-Photo of Outside of Main Sanctuary, Tenri, Nara, Japan-

In Japan, there are many new religions. One of the 'old' new religions is Tenrikyo (天理教). It was founded by Nakayama Miki in 1838. The religion believes she was possessed by Tenri-ou-no-mikoto, or the creator of the universe, while being a medium for a healer who was healing her son.

Nakayama Miki was believed to have powers to heal people, and was famous for having the ability to grant safe childbirth. She believed safe childbirth could be granted by only having faith that God would make you safe, rather than following old-wives tales. She is said to have lived a model life, and is considered to be a living God. They refer to her as ‘oya-sama.’

It is believed that Nakayama Miki did not die, but rather ‘withdrew from her body.’ Members of Tenrikyo still take care of her place of birth today, and believe her spirit resides there. People have experienced sightings of Nakayama Miki in various situations, and take it as proof that her spirit is still around today.

The city of Tenri, in Nara Prefecture, Japan, it a sacred ground of the religion. They believed that life began at a certain spot inside the main sanctuary there, the Jiba. It is marked by a pillar, the Kanrodai, in the middle of the room. There are also several alters inside the main sanctuary, and people often go there to pray. Members of Tenrikyo pray with set songs and hand motions, te-odori.

-Another Photo of the Main Sanctuary-

Stitch!

-Two Stitch Crane-Game Machines-

Japan is big on Disney. If you walk around a big enough train station, someone will be carrying around a Disney Store bag, and there is Disney merchandise everywhere. What is popular between America and Japan is very different though. There is very little focus on the Disney Princesses that monopolize the brand in America. Instead the focus is on cute, and hardly mentioned overseas, characters such as Marie from the Aristocats, a female rabbit from Bambi, and, most notably, Stitch and Angel.

Stitch and Angel are from the Lilo and Stitch movie and spin offs respectfully. Japan even has its own Stitch anime. The anime is called “Stitch!” and takes place in Japan. Lilo has been left behind for Japanese girl, Yuuna (who was named Hanako during production). A preview of the show can be viewed here. Even that tiny clip shows the cultural changes that come with the new show being made in Japan.

Stitch merchandise is sold almost at every store, and is usually grouped with the classic Disney characters such as Mickey and Donald. As seen in the two pictures in this post, Disney merchandise can be as simple as a stuffed animal in a crane game to a miniature kitchen set. It’s not common to see this much variety in merchandising with any other Disney characters. It’s interesting to see the differences in popularity between the two countries.

-A Stitch Themed Mini-Kitchen Set-