Readers’ Corner: It Happened at Kiyomizu Temple

This story happened when I visited Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto. When I got to the Otowa Waterfall, there was a line of people waiting. There are three waterfalls, but people go one at a time. I thought it would be okay for three people to go together since there were three waterfalls. I suggested this to a foreign woman in front of me, but she told me that each waterfall had a different benefit, so people should go one at a time. It’s funny that a foreigner told me about a Japanese custom that I, a Japanese person, didn’t know. This kind of thing happens sometimes. People tend to be indifferent to their own culture whereas foreigners are keen on learning about foreign cultures.   (124 words)


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