Shrine

Zさん："This Japanese shrine is pretty cool. What are these two dog-lion-thing statues at the entrance?"

Aさん：「狛犬です。They are said to ward off evil spirits.」

Zさん："Wait... why does one have its mouth open and the other have its mouth closed?"

Aさん：「One is saying 'あ' which is the first character in the Japanese syllabary, and the other is saying 'ん' which is the last character.」

Zさん："So another way to look at it is ... the alpha and the omega?"

Aさん：「... you just blew my mind ...」