A kappa is a yōkai in Japanese folklore. The oldest writing about Kappa appears in a dictionary that was first made in 1444. It’s supposed to have a child-sized body and look like a frog or a turtle with a plate on its head. It lives in a river or a swamp and it likes wrestling with people who pass by. If you win against a kappa, then the kappa will always be compliant to you, but if the kappa wins, he may pull you under the water. It keeps water in the plate on its head, and it is said that it will die if the plate gets broken or dried out. The kappa is said to be especially fond of cucumbers, so the sushi roll with cucumber is known as a Kappa Roll because of this fact.
Kyoto is well-known for its riverbed restaurants. These are restaurants that build zashiki or a tatami-covered platforms on the river and serve food and drinks. This service normally runs from May until September. However, Kyoto gets very hot in the summer, so there is no service at lunch time between June and August due to the danger that food might spoil in the heat.
About 500 years ago, Goshuin already existed. It is believed that back then a Goshuin was an official stamp that was used at shinto shrines and temples, and that it was also an official stamp used by the shogun and daimyo. By sometime during the edo era the system had changed though, and common visitors can now receive goshuin for a small fee. To those visitors a goshuin was like an amulet blessed by the holy spirit that they received and treated with gratitude and respect. In Japan today, there are many people especially women who collect goshuin. Here are some things that you should keep in mind if you want to receive goshuin. 1. You should purchase a goshuin-cho. This is a notebook to receive a goshuin. 2. If you are planning on receiving goshuin from both shrines and temples, you should have a separate goshuin-cho for each. You should not mix shrines and temples. 3. You should properly pray first before you ask for a goshuin. 4. This is not just a hobby or pastime. It is believed that the spirit of god or Buddha is always present in Goshuin. So treat them with respect. There are some shrines and temples that no longer give away goshuin due to the bad manners of the visitors. Some goshuin look so cute, and I can understand that people want to collect them as a hobby, but please understand the true meaning of goshuin.
