| After I spent the
morning working on my homepage, Tom and Yuka and I headed into Kamakura.
This ancient capital of the first shogunate--the Minamoto, or
Genji, family's rule--has long been my favorite place in Japan. I
came here once or twice a month in my first year in Japan! So
being here with good friends is a real treat.
Our first stop
was Engakuji, very near T&Y's house. I came here with my buddy
Wendy over four years ago. It's one of the largest Zen temples in
Kamakura, and I said my prayers today in front of a magnificent Buddha
image. See the Words and Pictures
page, which includes one shot of The Temple Guy at prayer!
We went on to a couple of small
temples. One is a charming place where women pray for childbirth.
There is a large red phallic rock standing in the sidewalk outside.
Touch it, they say, and you're sure to become pregnant. I've
touched it a dozen times, and--nothing.
The next temple was the site where the
Hojo family--the true power behind the Kamakura shoguns--committed
suicide by disembowelment (harakiri) rather than face defeat at
the hands of the invading forces of Yoshisada Nitta. You can read
more about Hokaiji
here.
The last place
we went (before dinner) was the great shrine Tsurugaoka Hachimangu.
Here's a Words and Pictures
page. To me, this, the Hasedera, and the Daibutsu (Great
Buddha)--whom I missed this trip--are Kamakura.
After dinner, Tom and Yuka took me to buy
a keitai--a cell phone--at a convenience store! It really
IS convenient!
You can buy the phone without
registering for any service (because THAT'S how they usually get you.)
Then you buy prepaid cards, and use them instead of billed service.
Meanwhile, friends can call you anytime. (In Japan, the caller,
not the receiver, pays the airtime for cell phone calls.)
So now it's easier than ever for me to
reach out and touch someone--with no hassle.
Finally,
a funny e-mail. Remember the man who took my
picture on September 5th? Well, he sent it to me today.
Thanks, Mr. Kawahara!
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