I'm going to start this one out with a pretty bold statement. I think today (11/5) will be the best day of my trip. Its probably too early to say that, but here's my reason: Today I met my friend Haruka Imai, who I originally met on a penpal site and then later became friends on Facebook. I will go more in depth when I get to that part of my day. I like to do these posts mostly chronologically.
I awoke around 5:30AM. I watched TV for a bit, because it became apparent that I was not going to fall back asleep. I saw a commercial, and I forget what it was for, but it had Nohomi Kawasumi in it. She is on the Japanese National Soccer team, Nadeshiko Japan. She helped Nadeshiko Japan win the Women's World Cup. Then I watched 3 different weather channels and they all said (or rather from the pictures it seemed as if they said) that it might rain tomorrow (11/6). I really hope it doesn't, because there is a lot that I want to do tomorrow. Uncharacteristically, I took a bath instead of a shower. When in Rome...or Japan rather. The tub is made for a smaller person than I am, so my knees were not submerged. It was nice though; the water was crystal blue.
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| In my complimentary yukata (bathrobe). |
In the morning after we were all ready, we went to Shinagawa Station and wandered around a bit. I bought some gum and Oba bought a postcard at a convenience store. We went to a Lawson store a bit later and I was going to buy tickets to see Clammbon and a few other bands at Shibuya East, but it was sold out. I am disappointed, but its okay. We then went to the JR Ticket Office and bought tickets to go to Kamakura. Also I bought the December issue of FRUiTS Magazine in a bookstore in the station. On a completely off note, there are a disturbing lack of trash bins in Japan. They seem to be placed few and far between. Another side note: I love the way money works here. The lowest paper denomination is 1000yen, which is about $13 USD. Everything below that is in coins. Perhaps it seems inefficient as I explain it, but I can't stress enough how nice I find it. Also, everything in Japan seems to be the price listed on the product, i.e. there is no tax or additional fees. Anyway, Kamakura is about 45 minutes outside of Tokyo in the Kanagawa Prefecture. I made plans to meet my penpal/Facebook friend there. Haruka Imai, or Haru-chan, really showed us a good time. She was very helpful and she took us to a few different places in Kamakura. There 9 stops in between Shinagawa Station and Kamakura Station, and I had to stand the entire time on the way there. We only had to stand for about half the way back. Haru-chan took us through a shopping street first, and recommended we try a rice cracker called "Becchari sen" or more generically "Senbei." We then went by train to Tsurugaoka hachimanguu temple where I prayed and then Hase-dera temple. Haru-chan meant to take us to the Great Buddha (Daibutsu) but she mistakenly brought us to Hase-dera. It was nice still though because the scenery was beautiful. We went to the Great Buddha afterward and it was HUGE. I'm not going to go into a lot of detail because I'm using the internet in Okaa and Oba's room and they want to go to bed soon. For more details on this day trip with Haru-chan, I recommend you read her blog post about it. Its really rather touching. The whole event was really rewarding and thus I say it might just be the highlight of this trip. On our way back to the hotel, before she transferred at Ofuna Sta., I practiced my Japanese by telling her I was 18 years old, and she was in disbelief. She was surprised and kept saying "hontou? hontou?" which means "really?." It was really funny. Follow the link below to see her post on our day trip.
http://haruharuharumyu.blogspot.com/2011/11/in-kamakura.html?showComment=1320496381012#c8728378665041785010
I have a lot more pictures that I'd like to share, but I can't upload them right now. Maybe I'll do a post with a lot of pictures and little text.
Until then,
Daniel
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| Haru-chan and I in the shopping street outside of Kamakura Sta. |
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| Praying at Tsurugaoka Hachimanguu Temple. |
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| Haru-chan and I next to the Great Buddha at Kamakura (Daibutsu). |
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