"Hoi An's old town reminds me of the French Quarter in New Orleans". I grew up in Louisiana. Loved French Quarter especially during Mardi Gras. I am here in TX now, but will never forget Louisiana and its rich French heritage. Geaux Saints!
Indeed! These old, beautiful and slightly haunted places leave such a lasting impression. The buildings, even the street names, seem to whisper many lifetimes' worth of memories and stories and secrets! I was missing beignets, but the tasty eats in Hoi An were definitely memorable. I know it's very hard for the locals and the economy, but I have to say...it was very nice to be there without the intense crowds.
A soothing stroll. Seems so languid there. Like ease is part of Hoi An itself. I love the night vendor scene. The photo you close up on around 2:15, I assume that is of the Japanese bridge that it segues into? Just wondering why it is called a Japanese bridge? And then during the shot at 4:34, I was thinking the branch reminded me of the sakura, now blossoming here. And then I noticed it is called the Sakura Roof Lounge. So it seems the area you were in had some kind of connection to Japanese culture? Love the lingering light afloat all by itself. Another great video. Thank You! : )
Hi Mark! Yes, the Japanese Covered Bridge...it's a famous landmark here. It's quite small, as it just spans a little canal, but it's so ornate and beautifully preserved. It's an 18th c bridge built by the Japanese inhabitants of Hoi An. What I've read is that they built it so they could more easily cross into the Chinese Quarter. I guess there was a canal separating the two quarters. On each end (not in the video) there is a shrine -- one to the Dog and one to Monkey, as these were the most common years that Japanese emperors were born. In the center, which I do show briefly, is a large shrine to a local weather deity, where people also come to pray for protection against earthquakes. "Sakura" is universally loved and recognized in VN, and used in marketing everywhere. Lots of things are named so...from cafes to shampoo. I'm sure the Vietnamese have their own word for this, but Sakura is favored. The light and the colors and the darkness -- the interplay of these create such a rich night tapestry in Hoi An.
@@FabulousNomad Ahh. So it was built to connect to the Chinese quarter. That could explain then why the language on the bridge are is Chinese. That was slightly confusing at first. But now it makes sense. You mention a local weather deity. As you may know, though Zen Buddhism is prominent in Japan, the underlying core tradition is the animism of Shintō. My limited understanding of Vietnamese culture is that Buddhism is prominent there as well. Is there a specific name for the local animistic tradition? Indeed, cherry blossoms have a universal appeal to most cultures these days. Thanks in large part to the Japanese symbolism around them, I believe. Nice that in Vietnam they enjoy them as well. I would think it challenging to grow and nurture though, as the climate seems quite different from Japan.
@@markshveima It's a communist country so religion, per se, isn't as robust as in other Asian countries. What is interesting is that practices here are HIGHLY animist. But when I ask locals about it, they refer to it as their Buddhist practice, indicating they do not consider the animism to be separate. It seems to be very culturally merged with what they consider Buddhism. The name of the weather god whose shrine is in the Japanese Bridge is Tran Vo Bac De. Hoi An was a thriving port city: weather and the vagaries of nature were especially potent to sailors, as you can imagine!
@@FabulousNomad That is fascinating that Buddhism is merged into the indigenous tradition. In Japan, modern day Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples each have there own spaces, but until the 1868 Meiji Restoration, they were merged together, with Shinto gods serving as protectors of Buddhist temples, thus shrines and temples were built together. The Restoration was a nationalistic movement, fueled by the government and anti-Buddhist sentiments, that re-established the Emperor as the #1 power, stripped the shogunate of their power, dissolved the samurai class, and actively launched Japan into industrialization and pursuit of Western ideas. So, soon after the Restoration began, temples and shrines were separated, causing mass relocation of both. However, some temples still retain small shrines, and have a Shinto god 'housed' there. Ultimately, this forced separation failed, and created a rather confusing mess of lineages as well, as some of the syncretism that had been created required the after the fact creation of lineages that had never before existed in Japan, to be able to justify physical materials (statues, etc.) that under the new rules demanded all those materials be returned to their 'proper' traditional places. A main reason for the failure to separate the two was that funerals, graves, and ancestral rights were always the domain of Buddhism. Which is why many of the Buddhist temples in Japan are wealthy. There is quite a long list of services rendered during the whole dying process that they provide, for a fee.
Enjoying the simplest things in life. Nice, very nice.😊
Exactly so. Thanks for coming along!
I love your slow life style videos!
Thanks Keith, so nice to have you along.
I enjoyed seeing the Japanese bridge when I was there. Thanks for the memories and the contrasting light and shadows of the evening.
Glad you enjoyed it Earl, nice to have you along for my Hoi An adventures.
@@FabulousNomad Always! Be well.
Are you Japanese? You voice is so calm and gentle.
No, I'm American:)
"Hoi An's old town reminds me of the French Quarter in New Orleans". I grew up in Louisiana. Loved French Quarter especially during Mardi Gras. I am here in TX now, but will never forget Louisiana and its rich French heritage. Geaux Saints!
Indeed! These old, beautiful and slightly haunted places leave such a lasting impression. The buildings, even the street names, seem to whisper many lifetimes' worth of memories and stories and secrets! I was missing beignets, but the tasty eats in Hoi An were definitely memorable. I know it's very hard for the locals and the economy, but I have to say...it was very nice to be there without the intense crowds.
@@FabulousNomad cafe Aulait and beignets in French Quarter. Crawfishes boil . Ahhhh.
@@dcduong2632 Do NOT get me started! When I get back to the States (at some point...who knows?) I want to spend some months there to eat and film!
A soothing stroll. Seems so languid there. Like ease is part of Hoi An itself. I love the night vendor scene. The photo you close up on around 2:15, I assume that is of the Japanese bridge that it segues into? Just wondering why it is called a Japanese bridge? And then during the shot at 4:34, I was thinking the branch reminded me of the sakura, now blossoming here. And then I noticed it is called the Sakura Roof Lounge. So it seems the area you were in had some kind of connection to Japanese culture? Love the lingering light afloat all by itself. Another great video. Thank You! : )
Hi Mark! Yes, the Japanese Covered Bridge...it's a famous landmark here. It's quite small, as it just spans a little canal, but it's so ornate and beautifully preserved. It's an 18th c bridge built by the Japanese inhabitants of Hoi An. What I've read is that they built it so they could more easily cross into the Chinese Quarter. I guess there was a canal separating the two quarters. On each end (not in the video) there is a shrine -- one to the Dog and one to Monkey, as these were the most common years that Japanese emperors were born. In the center, which I do show briefly, is a large shrine to a local weather deity, where people also come to pray for protection against earthquakes.
"Sakura" is universally loved and recognized in VN, and used in marketing everywhere. Lots of things are named so...from cafes to shampoo. I'm sure the Vietnamese have their own word for this, but Sakura is favored.
The light and the colors and the darkness -- the interplay of these create such a rich night tapestry in Hoi An.
@@FabulousNomad Ahh. So it was built to connect to the Chinese quarter. That could explain then why the language on the bridge are is Chinese. That was slightly confusing at first. But now it makes sense.
You mention a local weather deity. As you may know, though Zen Buddhism is prominent in Japan, the underlying core tradition is the animism of Shintō. My limited understanding of Vietnamese culture is that Buddhism is prominent there as well. Is there a specific name for the local animistic tradition?
Indeed, cherry blossoms have a universal appeal to most cultures these days. Thanks in large part to the Japanese symbolism around them, I believe. Nice that in Vietnam they enjoy them as well. I would think it challenging to grow and nurture though, as the climate seems quite different from Japan.
@@markshveima It's a communist country so religion, per se, isn't as robust as in other Asian countries. What is interesting is that practices here are HIGHLY animist. But when I ask locals about it, they refer to it as their Buddhist practice, indicating they do not consider the animism to be separate. It seems to be very culturally merged with what they consider Buddhism.
The name of the weather god whose shrine is in the Japanese Bridge is Tran Vo Bac De. Hoi An was a thriving port city: weather and the vagaries of nature were especially potent to sailors, as you can imagine!
@@FabulousNomad That is fascinating that Buddhism is merged into the indigenous tradition. In Japan, modern day Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples each have there own spaces, but until the 1868 Meiji Restoration, they were merged together, with Shinto gods serving as protectors of Buddhist temples, thus shrines and temples were built together.
The Restoration was a nationalistic movement, fueled by the government and anti-Buddhist sentiments, that re-established the Emperor as the #1 power, stripped the shogunate of their power, dissolved the samurai class, and actively launched Japan into industrialization and pursuit of Western ideas.
So, soon after the Restoration began, temples and shrines were separated, causing mass relocation of both. However, some temples still retain small shrines, and have a Shinto god 'housed' there. Ultimately, this forced separation failed, and created a rather confusing mess of lineages as well, as some of the syncretism that had been created required the after the fact creation of lineages that had never before existed in Japan, to be able to justify physical materials (statues, etc.) that under the new rules demanded all those materials be returned to their 'proper' traditional places.
A main reason for the failure to separate the two was that funerals, graves, and ancestral rights were always the domain of Buddhism. Which is why many of the Buddhist temples in Japan are wealthy. There is quite a long list of services rendered during the whole dying process that they provide, for a fee.
@@markshveima Ah yes, I've had many Buddhist relatives who required those priestly services. It was quite extensive.