Hase-dera, Engaku-ji, Tokeiji

18th June 2015

Today was my day off and I was starting to get a little stir-crazy, so I got myself ready and headed out for the day. A couple of the students at the school had recommended Kamakura Temple to me because I enjoyed Daiyuzan so much, but instead I went with my boss' suggestion of Hasedera.

To get to the Kamakura area by train is simple enough. My route was...

• Kamonomiya to Ofuna - Tokaido Line 580円
• Ofuna to Kamakura - Yokosuko Line 160円

Hasedera Temple  鎌倉長谷寺

Hasedera Temple was my first stop of the day, and it was horrendously busy. I counted at least 3 different school groups and 4 coaches, plus two entirely full trains of people. It's an easy walk from the station, though I had to weave through endless people who were ambling in and out of the road. The whole thing was quite an ordeal...

Anyway, the temple itself is pretty enough. Entry is 300円, and I was given a number for the Hydrangea Path as well. I decided to follow the route that was laid out, because that seemed like a sensible idea - no point going against the tide, so to speak. The route takes you up to the main buildings via some distinctly wonky steps, where I got to see a group of monks chanting.

The main building - Kannon-do Hall - houses a huge gold statue of Hase Kannon, usually referred to as the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy, though is in fact neither masculine nor feminine. According to the leaflet, it is 9.18m tall and has 12 heads in total. Each face has a different expression, which represents the deity listening to all people.

Next, I went to the Amida-do Hall which is just next door to Kannon-do Hall and is far smaller and quieter. The statue here is also covered in gold-leaf, and is of the seated Yakuyoke Amida Buddha, the Protector From Evil Spirits. The figure measures 2.8m, though the halo means it is far taller than that.

On my way around, I came to the Hydrangea Path waiting area and promptly decided that I am much less dedicated to hydrangeas than everyone else. My ticket was number 610, meaning I had at least 45 minutes to wait before I'd be allowed entry. As much as I like hydrangeas, I am really not that patient and the noise from the crowds was starting to grate.

I bought a charm for good luck in exams (I really want my final year of university to go well) and carried on wandering around the temple for a while before heading back to the station. I was planning on going to the giant buddha statue, but I really wasn't feeling it at the time. Anyway, here's a load of photos from Hasedera Temple.

Engaku-ji 円覚寺

Engaku-ji is about 50m from Kita-Kamakura train station, and admission is 300円 and it is generally OK to take photographs (rules are on their website). I hadn't originally planned to go there, but on the way through to Hase it looked nice and peaceful so I figured it was worth a go. I definitely made the right decision. 

The temple complex is pretty big, and there's lots of open space so it's easy to get away from people and enjoy the surroundings.

The buildings are beautiful and there are hydrangeas everywhere. It was very quiet and very calming, which I really appreciated after the hustle and bustle of Hasedera. There are loads of trees and cliff faces, so it has a really wonderful atmosphere despite the weather being somewhat poor. If you're brave and/or fit enough, you can climb the steps to the Great Bell 大金 which is 2.5m tall. From there, you can get a really good view across the valley, as well as see the roofs at Tokeiji Temple.

I spent a good few hours wandering around and enjoying the quiet, and I felt a lot better as a result. I will definitely be going back on a day with better weather! There are so many little paths to explore, so it's easy to spend most of an afternoon there.

Shokozan Tokei-ji Temple 松岡山東慶寺

Tokei-ji Temple (they even have a Facebook page) was my last stop for the day. It's really close to Engaku-ji and admission is only 200円, so it seemed silly not to go. It's quite small and feels very overgrown compared to the other temples from today, but in the rain it made it feel like being in a Ghibli film. As you would expect at this time of year, there are lots of hydrangeas which attract a lot of people. Despite that, it didn't feel particularly crowded.

Whilst I might not visit this one again (I think I saw everything), I can say that it has a very charming and mysterious atmosphere, and the people in charge of maintaining the gardens are really friendly and pleased that people enjoy their hard work. 

I really enjoy seeing so many people of every age enjoying the temples, even if it's just to see flowers or to be a tourist (like me). These buildings are so wonderful and the people are so kind, that I really do find them incredibly calming. Every time I've left a temple (well, perhaps not Hasedera), I have felt considerably better. No matter how many I see, I still find the architecture and the gardens to be incredibly beautiful. It's safe to say that I'll be seeing a fair number of temples and shrines over the next three months.

The Only Gaijin in the Village

Today marks the start of my third week living here, so I'd thought I write a quick post on some of my experiences of being one of very few foreigners in the area whilst I take a break from writing up lesson plans.

The main thing I noticed (and one of the first) is that a lot of people stare. I've gotten used to it now, but it was really disconcerting for the first week or so. I've had some people cycle really slowly past me, some stop walking, and some sit on the other side of Starbucks or the train and watch really closely. Just yesterday, I got the joy of witnessing a young man nearly cycle into a lamp-post because he was too busy staring at me as I walked home - it was incredibly hard not to laugh.

I don't notice it as much now, though sometimes it is difficult not to. A lot of students at the school stared at me during the first two weeks, but the novelty of a new teacher has worn off now so things are back to normal.

Sometimes, people come up to talk to me rather than just watch me from a distance. I really don't mind it when they do, and so far they have all been very patient with my near non-existent Japanese. Usually, they want to know where I'm from and how old I am. How old I am is probably the most common question I get at the school as well, so now I make people guess. So far, only one person has correctly guessed 21. Most say 24, with the oldest being 27. I'm not sure how I feel about that.

In the area where I live (Nakazato 中里), a lot of the more elderly residents are the friendliest and say hello to me as I walk past. One gentleman who was working in the rice paddy stopped me for a short conversation, and always asks if I'm having a nice time in Japan whenever I see him now. When I went to Odawara Castle, an older lady stopped me to ask where I was from because I was very tall (she didn't even come close to my shoulder) and asked me a few simple questions that even I could understand in Japanese, and attempt to answer in the same language. A lot of the older people also say I'm cute when I walk past, which is a nice little boost to my self-esteem on the way to work or wherever I'm going.

All in all, it's really not so bad being (very obviously) a foreigner here. Everyone is incredibly accommodating and sweet, and mostly just curious as to where I'm from and why I'm in Japan. I don't feel particularly uncomfortable when people stare now, and any awkwardness is usually quickly dispersed by wishing them a good day. It takes a little while to get used to things, but I'm glad I live in an area where it is easy to adjust.

Daiyuzan Saijo-ji - Yuhinotaki - Kaisei Hydrangea Festival

11th June 2015

I'm back in Starbucks this afternoon to email my family, upload photos, and update the blog. Free wifi is a wonderful thing. Anyway, today was my day off so I was taken on a trip around the area by my boss, Steve. Although it wasn't sunny, I had a really good day out and will definitely go back to some of the places we went to today.

Daiyuzan Saijo-ji 大雄山最乗寺

Daiyuzan Saijo-ji is a Buddhist temple in Minami-ashigara famous for the giant geta, and is located in a mountain-side cedar grove. You can access it by train + bus, but today we went by car. The first thing that hit me was how big the trees are! It's a very different environment from the one I've been in recently, and it's incredibly relaxing. There are lots of streams, pools and waterfalls in the temple grounds, which makes for an almost ethereal atmosphere.

The temple is pretty big (at least compared to the ones I've been to before), and we were lucky enough to see a group of firemen performing a chant as they walked through the temple on their way to be blessed.

Steve taught me how to correctly pay my respects (which earned an approving nod from an elderly gentleman), and I bought a charm to bring my luck on my travels for 400円. It certainly won't do any harm!

I really love temples and shrines, and I think this one is my favourite. I must admit that I felt much better and calmer by the time we left.

Yuhinotaki 優緋の滝

Our next stop was Yuhinotaki waterfall, which wasn't too far from Daiyuzan Saiso-ji. It's a short walk from the carpark to the waterfall itself, and feels very secluded thanks to the trees. Apparently, it's popular with photographers although none were there today.

Steve demonstrated that you can in fact get behind the waterfall, though it's nearly impossible to get back out without getting wet.

Kaisei Hydrangea Festival 開成町あじさい祭り

Our final stop today was the Kaisei Hydrangea Festival (Kaisei-machi Ajisai Matsuri). Hydrangeas are one of my favourite flowers, so I really enjoyed seeing such a wide range of colours and so many flowerheads (the hydrangeas at home are somewhat sickly...). The flowers grow along the tracks between rice paddies and along the roads, and even though today wasn't the main festival day there were lots of people going to view the flowers. One lady said I was cute as I walked past (one of the few phrases I have come to recognise with confidence). I also saw an older Japanese gentleman with a glorious handlebar moustache.

There are lots of stalls set up, although I didn't buy anything. If I wasn't working, I'd go for the main event and watch the drumming. At the very least, I'll try and go for a wander around next week when the crowds and stalls have gone, and enjoy the flowers again. Hopefully I can get there on a clearer day so that I can see Fuji as well. 

This evening, I'm going for drinks with my co-workers (we're British + 1 bonus Australian, and drinking is what we do) at a bar near the station. It should be good fun, so I'll make sure to eat something before I go. Tomorrow, I'm off to Shibuya to see Hito and Kaori again, as well as spending more money on lovely vintage clothes and assorted antiques that I probably don't need. What I do need is a watch and a light for my bicycle.

Earthquakes!

On the 30th of May at 20:24, I experienced my first earthquake. Well, two of them (one offshore, one on land). I first thought it was my neighbour moving around, then I realised what was happening. Once I had, I must admit that I thought that I was going to die for a brief moment. Nothing bad happened, though (at least in Odawara).

I was surprised by how much movement there was. I didn't expect the building to physically sway, but it did. My neighbour was still talking on the phone throughout the whole thing, so I figured that it couldn't be too bad even though my heart was pounding.

Japan Meteorological Agency

In Odawara, it measured at around magnitude 4, but was a magnitude 8.5 at the source. I don't have a TV in my apartment,  nor internet, so I went to bed when nobody nearby started to panic. According to my colleagues in Kaisei, tsunami warnings were issued (and retracted). There weren't any announcements over the speakers in my area (Nakazato), but there were in Kaisei and other places. When they told me that it kind of struck me how serious this is. I live 8m above sea level.

Basic facts...

• M = 8.5
• Depth of focus = 590km (subduction interface)
• No tsunami risk
• Nothing my apartment fell over

So, as first experiences go it was OK for me. Nothing broke, and I wasn't reduced to a quivering wreck rushing to the airport to buy a ticket home. Part of me is glad that my first earthquake was somewhat large because the chances are that any others won't be as bad.

I'm actually really pleased that I got to experience an earthquake so quickly, though it would have been nice to know at the time what to listen out for in the announcements, if there were any. Still, I'm prepared now and I now where to go if there is a tsunami warning in the future.