Attending a Buddhist teaching

In Hungary the vast majority of the population have a relagion. According to a survey which was carried out in 2011, 54.2% of the poplulation declared to believe in Christianity, of whom 38.9% were Catholics 13.8% were protestants  0.1% were Orthodox Christians, and 1.3% were members of other Christian groups. At the same time, 27.2% of the Hungarians did not declare a religious affiliation

In Japan, on the other hand, According to 2006 and 2008 data, less than 40% of the population of Japan identifies with a religious group. Approximately, 35% are Buddhists, 3% to 4% are members of Shinto sects and derived religions, and from fewer than 1% to 2.3% are Christians.

My family is Chatolics so I was raised to be a christian as well. Yet, I was curious about Asian religions so I was thankful that I could attend a buddhist teaching a couple of months ago. In school we are learning about world religions of course, but it was really interesting to experince it in first hand. Moreover, I also wanted to find out how the overall meassge of a buddhist teaching would be differtent from a christian one

The monk who delivered the speech, talked about humanity and patience which revolve around compassion. This type of compassionate desire teaches to cause no harm to all beings including animals, plants, and the world in general. He emphasized how important it is to respect the nature because it will have the same attitude towards us as we have for it. So if we continue contaminate the waters with plastic than it will directly affect the fish popultion of the sea which would mean that it will eventually get back to us as we will eat those fishes.

There are differences between relaigion and religion of course but i cam to relalize that the fundmental principles are not that different after all. Both Buddhists and Christians agree that it is best to respond to everyone with peace, love, and joy - regardless of others’ behavior.

Winter Dusk →

Yesterday, when I was walking home from school, I saw the sky was very clear and beautiful in Nakano area. I took a photo of it with my phone, and fortunately, in turned out to be amazing. Since it’s entering winter, the dusk starts at around 4 to 5 PM, in which it usually starts around 6 in summer. Not only that I was able to see the sunset, the sky was also very clear that the unique shapes of clouds were enjoyable. Walking doesn’t feel tiring at all if you have a good time like this, especially also because the wind is refreshing.

Tapioca Fever →

Recently, in Japan, there has been a trend that goes around the society involving not only teenagers, but also adults and children. Tapioca, or bubble tea, or boba tea - whichever you would like to call it - is a drink that has edible chewy black balls in it. The drink can be in any form: milk tea, chocolate, coffee, tea, etc. Tapioca has actually been in Japan and many other countries for many years now, but for some reason, the trend is suddenly high these days. A week ago, I tried a new tapioca in Nakano. It was just open not long ago, and since I live near there, I felt like I have to try it. It tastes pretty good, and it costs around 400-600 yen. I tried the chocolate flavor, and my friend tried the seasonal pineapple flavor.

Halloween Like None Other →

Happy Halloween, everyone! It has only been a day after the actual Halloween day, but Halloween celebrations has been done in many places since weeks ago. To be honest, we don’t really celebrate Halloween in my country so this is my second time celebrating Halloween in Japan! My friend and I went to Ikebukuro on the 26th of October, the first day of 池ハロ (IkeHaro = Ikebukuro Halloween). IkeHaro is an annual event that is held usually during the weekend before Halloween. Since Ikebukuro is a famous place for Japanese pop culture like anime, manga, games, and many more, the costumes people wear are usually not scary costumes but cosplays of certain characters - very different than the Halloween parties in the Western, or even other cities in Japan. As a fan of Japanese pop culture myself, I recognize some of the characters and took pictures with them. Even though it was super crowded, we had so much fun! If you have any interest in Japanese pop culture or even cosplaying itself, IkeHaro is a must-visit annual event.

First Time in Yokohama

On May 2019, I went to Yokohama for the first time with my church friends. We had a teen camp where we learn about the bible together as well as having fun. The weather during that time was still pretty cold, so some of us wore our winter coat. Yokohama is located near the beach, and it is also my first time going to a beach in Japan. From the building where we stayed, it only took 5 minutes of walking towards the sea area. We can also see the amusement park located at the opposite side of the beach. It was a very beautiful scenery, especially during sunset.

Sunset

The sunset is so beautiful. I like watching sunset.

-Jane-

WHY THE SKY IN JAPAN LOOKS SO BEAUTIFUL?

I have watched many animes before I came to Japan. The sky in those animations was beautiful. I thought it was just art. However, when I got here, I was really surprised. The sky in Japan looks so blue and so stunning. Sometimes I feel as if I'm living in an anime world.

HOMESICK

I came to Japan as an international student. I love Japan and enjoy living here, but sometimes I miss my hometown. Ramen and Takoyaki are delicious, but I miss Pho and Banh Mi. "Densha" are convenient, but I miss my motorbike. Japanese green tea is fantastic, but I miss the smell of our coffee. Have you ever missed your Ramen, Takoyaki, densha or green tea?