JAPAN
1998 & 2000In 1998 I went back to Japan to visit old friends and remind myself why I loved Japan so much to begin with. I now live and Hong Kong and am very attached to that city too, but there are some things I prefer about Japan. These two crowded places have made different cultural decisions about how to handle the pressure of so many human bodies - I have to say that Japan's orderliness is very appealing. Japan also has a strong desire to keep its physical culture preserved and during this trip I went on some great day trips around Tokyo to see it. Highlights of this trip were Kamakura and Mt. Fuji. Although modern Japan is not an outwardly religious place, many of the most beautiful places to visit are sacred so you'll see a lot of those pictures here. I only wish I wasn't so shy of taking pictures of people on the streets - then you would see some of the bizarre characters running around Tokyo.
And I went back yet again in 2000! Unfortunately only for a weekend...
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June 1999
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As always, I made sure to visit old friends from college in Seattle. Hideaki looks the same as he did then - not bad!
August 2000 |
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Kayo has been getting more cultural since I last saw her. She has been studying Okinawa's answer to the samisen.
August 2000 |
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While in Tokyo I stayed with my friend Kayo in the Nakano-ku area. Each year all neighborhoods in Japan have their own mikoshi festival. Mikoshi are the miniature wooden Shinto shrines which these people are carrying. A much larger version was carried around the entire neighborhood all day on the backs of about 30 people. The day ends with sections of the neighborhood carrying miniatures to a central area where everyone attends a fair with music, games, food and especially beer and sake.
September 1998 |
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About an hour and half by train from Tokyo is the old city of Kamakura. It was once the seat of the first Samurai government. In fact this long wide street with its many tori (Shinto gates) was built by the first for his wife. At the end of the road is Hachimangu Shrine perched a hill.
September 1998 |
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This is the Kamakura's famous Dai Butsu (Great Buddha). The beautiful scene is only slightly marred by the fact that you can go on a little tour inside the Buddha's head!
September 1998 |
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Another great spot in Kamakura is the Hase-deru Temple. Here sits the awesome, more than life size, Kannon.
September 1998 |
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Kayo and I took a road trip to Mt. Fuji for several days. This was my first road trip in Japan and now I know why. Tolls are huge in Japan and during our 6 hour round trip we spent about US$200 on freeway, bridge and tunnel tolls! On our way we stopped overnight in Nagano to visit our friend Miki. She took us to see Matsumoto Castle while we were there.
September 1998 |
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We stayed in Kayo's family cabin at the foot of Mt. Fuji and had a great time despite an attack of wasps. Near the peak of the mountain is a shrine to the god Tembu (he's the red faced one with a long cruel nose). The day we were there the whole place was wreathed in fog and I had a distinct impression that I knew where Kurosawa got his inspiration.
September 1998 |
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On my way to the airport in Narita my friends introduced me to a wonderful temple called Narita-san. It is on a large grounds with several huge buildings and a full park. It is one of the few temples in Japan that one can sit in and listen to the monks read sutras and dispense with other religious functions. However, what I was really impressed with was the fact that there are express alters for those who do not wish to sit through ceremony. There are several located on the outside walls all around the main temple!
September 1998 |