Just wanted to add a picture from yesterday that didn't download properly.
If you have seen the movie "Hachi" with Richard Gere, you'll understand this photo of us standing in front of the Hachi memorial at the Shibuya station. If you haven't seen it yet, see it so you'll understand the Japanese obsession with devotion and duty.
Hachi waiting for his master at the train station:
Ok, moving on. We had Kamakura today on our schedule.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/shogunate
It was the first military capital of Japan, founded by Minamoto Yoritomo in 1187. The story is sordid, bloody, and nasty. But, in a real way, he is responsible for the modern Japanese mentality of focus on personal perfection, duty, devotion, and hard work.
He also brought Buddhism to Japan which evolved into Zen.
My darling in front of the first Buddhist temple in Japan, founded by Torimoto after he came to power. He put it in his hometown of Kamakura.
A map of the grounds
The second gate that worshipers had to pass through...
An enormous bronze bell used for many purposes...
A cedar tree that is hundreds of years old.
The main shrine of the Amida Buddha
The halo over the Buddha, indicating his full enlightenment.
One of the saints of Buddhism who did forgo all his desires and starved in order to achieve his full enlightenment...
The ornate main gate to the priests quarters and school area.
The gardens behind the main study area.
My Darling catching a bit of a rest.
My beautiful lady making the local flora look good!
We then went to the "perfect" shrine, the Hachi shrine which is also in Kamakura.
The steps leading up to the main Shinto shrine... Again, this is old and amazing. We kept on moving and tried to experience as much as possible.
There may seem to have been so many people, but it was a light crowd. The heavy numbers of pilgrims come each day, but we came during "off time" so there weren't too many people at these shrines. Can't even imagine how crowded these must be in the Spring with the cherry blossoms.
It's a long climb up steep stairs... And then you get to the main shrine... same protocols at all temples... purify your body and mind, come with high expectations, offer prayers and believe in the power of your faith and beliefs.
Looking down from the top the stairs. Can you see my Darling down there? She wasn't feeling 100% in her hips and back, so she waited for me...
The beautiful, exotic architecture of the temple shrine,
The beautiful temple grounds and buildings and other aspects create a quiet retreat for the people.
After the quick tour of the Hachi temple, we went out into Kamakura for lunch... an interesting thing is that most restaurants have plastic replicas of their items displayed in their windows. They look so realistic and nearly edible themselves!
After lunch, we all met at the tour bus and went on to the Great Buddha of Kamakura. It was a small compound but had many interesting things.
The LOTUS is revered and cultivated because it represents the human spirit. Humans are stuck in the mud of desires and wrong thinking, yet with hard work, worship, and more their souls can achieve enlightenment and enter nirvana.
The entrance to the Great Buddha shrine
My Darling and the Great Buddha.
The Great Buddha is hundreds of years old. The one in Kamakura is second to the one located in the western Japan city of Nara. Still, most impressive. I first saw this 48 years ago as a young middie on Youngster cruise. I had signed up for an MWR tour and they took me here. I have kept that memory dear to me all these years. Didn't think I would be able to make it back there again, but here we are!
My darling getting some of the holy smoke from the incense burner.
You can go INSIDE the Great Buddha for a mere 20 yen (20 cents). You climb through a short tunnel and, bam, there you are in the heart of the Buddha.
My darling inside the Buddha.
And, now outside again!
A small stupa that I put together... for luck and blessings,
Two young Japanese ladies wearing bright kimonos... not too many about but they are beautiful,
The two guradian spirits at the entrance/exit of the shrine... the open mouth one starts the "oooo" and the closed mouthed one finishes with "mmmm"... therefore, "OOOMMM"
A beautiful, modern suspension bridge to and from Kamakura.
Lots and lots of traffic,
And we're back, afer another neat day of exploring and learning about an ancient culture.
Tomorrow will be a long day, we start earlier and finish later... we are going to Lake Hakone and the Mount Fuji area. We're supposed to climb to the first station if the weather permits, and then we'll get to ride the "Bullet Train" back to Tokyo!
Should be most illuminating and entertaining.
That's the final escorted part of th Japanese portion of our tour.
Saturday is another "free day" for us to choose our own activity. We're researching on the best course of action and activity. We may just rest and investigate around here. We have lots of things coming up in Seoul, Korea.
We leave for Seoul on Sunday.
We are praying for God's protection for the millions of people drastically affected by Hurricane Florence. There will be hell to pay with this super hurricane, especially with the storm surge and flooding. I pray that no one is hurt or lost.
God bless America!
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