We decided to go out for dinner the other night. When we showed up to the restaurant, it was at capacity. After putting our name on the list, we stood outside and waited for our turn.
As we looked around, we noticed there was a orange cone next door in the middle of the walkway into the train station. It was decorated in white and black dots. We spotted a bird nest up above the cone.
Although it was now filled with baby birds (cute!!!), I was surprised that they left it when it was just a nest. But then my husband explained that having a swallow's nest is considered lucky in Japan. People go out of their way to accommodate the little birds.
In Fung Shui, having a door facing the northwest is considered bad luck. In fact it opens the door to demons. But swallows never make a nest facing northwest, which adds to the adoration of these birds. Another aspect has to do with their poop. Baby birds poop a lot and require a lot of cleaning. Having a clean entrance, brings good luck!
Another reason Japanese people admire and appreciate swallows is that they eat bugs that do damage to rice crops. A cherished crop, any animal that aids in its production is beloved.
Our son was super interested in the baby birds. He especially enjoyed watching the momma bird flying around, catching bugs, and returning to feed her babies.
It was a nice little piece of nature in a crazy cement city.
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