Akasaka - Hie Shrine day 2/3

Among other things, I've found that the shrine is a place of many juxtapositions of old and modern Tokyo. While it's sort of a pocket of tranquility in the middle of a huge city, there's small reminders everywhere that I'm still in Tokyo, and it's still 2009, despite what the general atmosphere leads one to believe. The huge stone steps to one entrance have a parallel escalator. The wooden gate at the entrance to the center is fitted with electric lights and security cameras. Walking around, one notices cars parked up on the small hill. A person reaching the shrine by means of a smaller set of steps near the back, shaded by a multitude of banners and wooden gates, will be greeted by a vending machine at the end of the path. When I wen to wash my hands and mouth in a basin, I almost jumped back, surprised that the archaic device had been fitted with a motion sensor to refill the water supply whenever someone used it.

Sounds as well, are juxtaposed. Sitting on one of six benches, one hears the timeless sound of cicadas and the occasional ringing of bells by the offertory, along with the sound of hammers, cranes, large trucks, and all the other sounds of new buildings going up in Akasaka. Hie shrine is a bubble of old Tokyo, the space around it constantly modernizing.

People seem to come to the shrine for a variety of reasons, but it seems like most of them are on lunch breaks, either from school or a job at one of the huge corporate buildings located nearby. Some of them are tourists snapping pictures of the old structures, sculptures, and scenery, but most seem to be enjoying one of the few relatively quiet spots in afternoon Tokyo. In a way, it makes talking seem a bit unnatural. Even those who come here to share a meal neglect to share a conversation. Every time I opened my mouth, I felt the subtle sensation of breaking some unwritten rule.

That, of course, made talking to or interviewing someone fairly difficult. I might not have been able to complete that part of the exercise if I hadn't shown up late and thought or some reason shrines had a closing time, and that I was absolutely screwed if I didn't strike up a conversation/interview with the next person available. I brought my housemate along as a translator, since he knows more Japanese than I do, and I was unsure of the odds of anyone at this place knowing a substantial amount of English. We ended up speaking to a woman who was enjoying her first time to Hie shrine, as part of a work requirement or something similar. Getting specifics was difficult, myself and my housemate asking questions in broken Japanese mixed with English, her trying to decode our questions and provide and answer we were capable of understanding. The record of the interview is somewhat broken as well, since the camera I used limits audio notes to one minute, and went through batteries like a Bavarian Beer Garden goes through kegs of Augustina beer. The whole exchange came out better than I expected though, everyone was speaking quietly because we were in a shrine, and I was surprised that the audio came out with any clarity at all.

Next time I go somewhere to do an interview, I need to be more prepared. My camera is fairly decent at recording video, but I need to bring more batteries. Also, I need to buy a cord or card reader so I can actually edit the footage I get. It seems I left both back in the states, and the cord for my housemate's camera is too fancy to deign to cooperate with my own. Also, bringing another translator would probably produce better responses, rather than awkward attempts to phrase a suitable question in Japanese.

Overall, the experience of going to Hie was worth the effort. I may end up going back there periodically, just for a change of pace from the general atmosphere of Tokyo.