Goodbye to friends in Yamanashi

We made some good friends in Yamanashi, and we hope to see them again someday.

鎌倉の大仏 Kamakura no Daibustu (the Great Buddha at Kamakura)

On a recent trip to Tokyo we took a side trip to see the famous bronze Amita Buddha statue at Kamakura. It was cast in 1252 and housed in a large temple. In 1498 a tidal wave swept away the temple, and the statue has been exposed to the elements ever since. The statue is about 44ft. tall and weighs about 121 tons. Seeing it in person inspired a sense of awe and admiration for the artists' skill.

東京で in Tokyo

In Tokyo we continue to see many facinating things. Here are some paper animal sculptures we saw in a stationary store. I don't think they qualify as true origami because of the apparent cutting and gluing, but they are fun to look at all the same.



Presumably a sales demonstration, a woman is making stamps to decorate postcards. It is difficult to see the cards in this picture, but they look realy nice.

歌舞伎座 Kabuki-za (traditional Japanese theater)

We went to Tokyo to see a form of traditional Japanese theater called "Kabuki." We stood in line to get tickets for standing in the back. Lukily some seats opened up, but we couldn't sit together.

The performance we saw was probably the most famous in Kabuki, "Kanadehon Chushingura" (The Treasure of 47 Loyal Retainers). As with all Kabuki, it was based on true historical events. The story was about a samurai who is provoked to draw his sword in the shogun's palace, which results in a death sentence for which he is allowed the dignity of suicide. His 47 retainers proceed to avenge his death.

I must admit that I found the show to be a bit slow. There wasn't much movement on stage. I suspect that if I could have seen the actors' subtle movements up close it may have been more interesting.

Since there was no photography allowed in the theater these pictures are from the outside of the theater. The artwork depicts scenes from the show.

五味先生 Gomi-sensei

Mrs. Gomi has been my Japanese teacher since April, 2006. We found each other through the International Center’s Japanese teaching volunteer program. We meet for two hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays to read out of the textbook and study grammar, etc. She has been so nice to Beth and I. Every time she comes over she brings a new culinary delight for us to try. She often helps by explaining bills or other letters we get in the mail. She has even taken us out on short trips in the area. I know that I could never have passed my Japanese language proficiency test without her. She is very energetic, and has a great sense of humor. She has been our closest Japanese friend in Yamanashi. She doesn’t like the camera very much, so the only decent picture I have is the one below at the Jizo festival.

厄地蔵尊祭 yaku-jizou-son matsuri (god for small children festival)

My Japanese teacher Gomi-sensei took Beth and I to an annual local festival. The festival was in honor of "Jizo" the god who looks after small children. Jizo is a cute little god that everyone loves, but he also has another purpose; women who have trouble becoming pregnant or those who have stillbirths or abortions will often pray to Jizo. You may have seen his image before; he is often depicted by small doll-like statues with colored garments. First we walked up to the temple and threw some money in the donation box. I bought a decorated arrow that is supposed to keep bad things out of the house. Then we joined the crowd perusing the food being sold in shop stalls lining the street. Oishikatta! (it was delicious!)

七面山本社 Shichimenzan Honsha (temple on the seven-sided mountain)

This is the tale of our winter hiking day-trip adventure to Shichimen-zan, a mountain temple nearby and affiliated with the Nichiren Temple at Minobu-san. We had been thinking of hiking up this mountain since we learned about it during our visit to Minobu-san. At 6503 ft. the mountain is considerably higher than its neighbor Minobu-san. As always, our access to good maps is limited; getting to a point of departure and determining if our plan is feasible often involves untold variables. The night before we planned to go, we decided to call our friends and neighbors Matt and Julie with whom we climbed Fuji-san. Luckily, they decided to go and offered to drive. In retrospect, I don’t think we could ever have made it without them because the trailhead was too far from the nearest train station.

On the way, my navigation skills managed to get us up the wrong canyon. Matt and Julie drive a “K-car.” A K-car is the small Japanese cars that are usually a bit smaller than a Honda Civic and run on 3 cylinders. The wrong turn I led us up was very steep with tight switchbacks. We were all very worried that the four of us were too much for the car to carry up such a grade. When we were about to park and start walking, I realized my error and informed the group. Everyone was surprisingly forgiving, and we proceeded to go back down the road and up the much better road to our intended destination.

After an inspection of the cartoon map at the trailhead, we began our ascent. It was a little cloudy, but otherwise a nice crisp early spring day. As we climbed, the intermittent patches of ice became more and more frequent until the whole trail became covered with snow. Close to the summit, we reached a large gateway and then climbed some snow-covered stairs that led up to a bell house. We then made a short descent into what seemed like an old crater where we found the main temple complex sitting next to a large pond. It seemed as though we were the only people there. A large visitor’s center at the far end of the complex (where we had hoped to eat) was closed for the winter. As we came closer to the main temple building we noticed a small plume of smoke rising from an adjacent building. We later saw a monk quickly scurry by from that building to the main temple. It was strange to explore such a large and beautiful temple without the usual throngs of visitors. I suppose that was the reward for having trudged through the snow.

The summit was clearly visible and just a short distance, but we all opted to return to the vehicle and seek out some warm food.

長野へスキーに行きました。We Went Skiing in Nagano

We went on a ski trip with the local “JET” group to a resort called “Hakuba.” The name “Nagano” may sound familiar, it was the site of the 1998 winter Olympics. Nagano is home to Japan’s highest mountains, although the snow is best in Hokkaido. On the drive there it began to snow, which was very exciting because we had heard the snow hadn’t been so good in previous weeks. The weather was in our favor, and as long as human error was limited, it looked like the makings for a good weekend. We were a little worried that the JET crew would be heavier on the drunken debauchery and lighter on the winter sports, but it was no problem getting our tickets on Saturday morning and hitting the slopes. The snow was great and a good time was had by all.

衛臨時 Erinji Temple

Halloween

Beth went out to an event where she read a story for some kids. She also met some guys dressed up in the train station.

Beth Conducts the Tokyo Philharmonic. . . . . . . . (for real!)

One of the elementary schools I work with had the opportunity to listen to this world renouned orchestra. I discovered another reason why it pays to be visibly different. Out of a crowd of about 500 people, the conductor chose me to be guest conductor. Truly a memorable experience!

身延山 Mt. Minobu

This weekend we went on an adventure to a nearby Buddhist monastery mountain complex called 身延山 “Minobu-san.” It was founded by Nichiren Shonin (1222-1282) on June 17th, 1274, when he was forced to conceal himself in the mountains by the ruling government. There he dedicated himself to the recitation of the Lotus Sutra and the education of his disciples. His teachings have survived to the present day by means of an uninterrupted lineage, and the monastery continues to thrive.

Below is a small statue of Nichiren


The main entry gate is built in such an impressive fashion, the way only the Japanese can build a gate. After passing through the gate, there is a set of 287 stone steps dating to the 17th century. These steps lead to the main temple complex.


There are many different styles of buildings in the main complex, all with a different function. The buildings were bridged together, presumably to make going from one to the next easier when the mountain is covered with a thick blanket of snow. Below is an assortment of pictures from those buildings.


This bell tower shows off some Japanese carpentry techniques.


As always the case in Japan, the gardens are incredible. It is often difficult to distinguish where building, garden, and forest end or begin.






This drum is larger than life. It’s mallet looked like a large baseball bat!


Intricate painted carvings adorn the porch ceiling.







This building manages to combine traditional and modern styles quite nicely.


I think this screen painting depicts Bodhi Dharma, the first Chinese patriarch.


I like how the camera’s flash reflected off the glass.


Behind the main temple, a path leads up the mountain. Most people prefer to take a sky tram to the top, but we chose the more arduous route. Along the way we saw many more small shrines and enormous cedars.


Beth poses for perspective.


Here a large Buddha statue stands behind the glass, with the tall trees reflecting.


We finally made it to the summit (3765 ft.), where the views of Mt. Fuji and the Fuji river made for a good sense of accomplishment.




There are some smaller shrines at the top.