Kyoto is home to many temples and shrines, and interestingly, the Japanese pronunciation of "temple" is quite similar to that of "teller." There is a term known as "fortune teller," which adds to the intrigue of this phonetic resemblance. In Japanese, temples are often referred to with the honorific prefix "o," making the pronunciation sound like "Oh, teller." Additionally, the closest pronunciation of "shrine" resembles "ginger." One might wonder, does God have a fondness for ginger?
Waking up early in the morning to visit temples and shrines is a refreshing experience. If you happen to meet someone there, it's customary to greet them in Japanese. While saying "Good morning" is perfectly acceptable, I encourage you to try the Japanese phrase. In Japanese, we say "Ohayo Gozaimasu," which can be a bit challenging to pronounce. A simpler way to say it is "Ohio goes eye mars," which is quite close. You can also keep it short by simply saying "Ohio." Most Japanese people will respond with a smile.
If you're looking to greet someone in the afternoon, you would say "Konnichiwa." If you prefer to use English sounds, you might pronounce it as "Corn niche word," but there's no need to pronounce the "d" at the end.
When it's time to part ways, you can say "Sayonara," which can be playfully pronounced as "Sir your Nara." Nara is a prefecture located south of Kyoto. I'm sure that every Japanese person will understand you, even if you say "Sir your Norah," reminiscent of the singer Norah Jones.
