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In November we went
down to Tokyo to spend time with friends and share
Thanksgiving with them. After spending a superb holiday
at Evergreen Chapel with Pastor Yoshii's family and the
Mellans (a missionary family there) our friends Taka and
Mako (from Northwest College) were kind enough to take
Aimee, Nika (another college friend who's teaching out in
Nagano) and me to Kamakura, one time seat of the emperor,
located just outside of Tokyo. |
| Kamakura is a historic
district filled with fabulous shops and restaurants. But
the real treat is the fantastic temples and shrines.
Diabutsu (the great Buddha of Kamakura) is a sight to
behold. Made entirely of copper, this hollow statue has
survived war, fire (which destroyed his home) and even a
tidal wave! The dot on his forehead is sixty pounds of
solid silver. We were even allowed to walk inside him for
60 yen (forty cents). It was really something else. |
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This is us in front of
Diabuttsu. In Aomori it was c-c-c-cold. But in Tokyo it
was tee-shirt time! It's hard to believe that the weather
can be sooo different in a country that is only slightly
longer than California. |
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| While
visiting one of the most famous shinto shrines around, we
were lucky enough to watch a traditional Japanese
wedding. It was very beautiful. The rental of the silk
Kimono, the wig, and the trimmings can often times cost
more than an entire American wedding. At a Japanese
wedding the guests all receive gifts, but they usually
give about 150 bucks each to attend. At a shinto
ceremony, only the immediate family attends. The guests
go to a very elaborate reception. |
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