So, now...our first month....
We actually have been fairly busy since we arrived. Right away, the Navy had us take cultural-relations classes. The classes were time consuming but helpful. We left the class knowing a bit more about our host country, speaking some Japanese, and with our Japanese driver's license! Also, during our class you are required to do some traveling to get you acquainted with the trains and buses. Our first big outing was to Kamakura. 
Kamakura is to the south of us along the coast. There are numerous temples and shrines to explore. We visited four temples but the highlights were Hasedera Temple and Daibutsu (Great Buddha). The Great Buddha was quite remarkable, it's over 11 meters high. 
It was cast in bronze in 1252 and originally located inside a temple hall. However, the temple buildings were washed away by a tsunami tidal wave. They took it to be a sign that the Buddha wanted to be in the open air, so that is where he now sits.
Kamakura is to the south of us along the coast. There are numerous temples and shrines to explore. We visited four temples but the highlights were Hasedera Temple and Daibutsu (Great Buddha). The Great Buddha was quite remarkable, it's over 11 meters high. 
It was cast in bronze in 1252 and originally located inside a temple hall. However, the temple buildings were washed away by a tsunami tidal wave. They took it to be a sign that the Buddha wanted to be in the open air, so that is where he now sits. Last weekend we went to our first bazaar. At these bazaars different vendors from all over China, Korea, Vietnam, and Japan bring many different goodies to buy. They have everything from furniture to dishes to candleholders. We actually bought two pieces. The first is a Tibetan alter table, well over 100 years old. The second is a chest from southeast-China. We have no idea how old it is, but we love it. Both are hand-carved.
(That's our suitcase underneath).
Then on Sunday, we went on a navy sponsored tour to go Strawberry Picking and to Mt. Kunozan Toshogu Shrine. We left the base early in the morning, it was a three hour bus ride to the strawberry fields. Thankfully, there were gorgeous views of Mt. Fuji almost the entire way. Once we got to the fields they give you an hour to eat as many strawberries as you can. 
I can't explain to you how good the berries were. They were huge, red, and juicy. I actually had strawberry juice running down my face after biting into them! YUM! Final count : Rachel 27, Colby 18! After the strawberries, we got back on the bus and headed to the 375 year old Toshogu shrine. The shrine holds the remains of Japan's first shogun, Ieyasu. This is one of the most important shrines in all of Japan. 
This past weekend was also an interesting one, but not because of traveling. 
We actually saw Michael Jackson. Yes, the King of Pop. He is in Japan doing who knows what, and he came to Camp Zama to support the troops. While neither Colby or I are huge fans and have mixed feeling about him, we decided we couldn't pass on this opportunity. Since Colby and John wore their flight suits we got priority seating up close. It was a very surreal experience. He walked in, said a few words thanking the troops, walked around again, and then left. The whole thing lasted less than 10 minutes. Still a neat experience.
We actually saw Michael Jackson. Yes, the King of Pop. He is in Japan doing who knows what, and he came to Camp Zama to support the troops. While neither Colby or I are huge fans and have mixed feeling about him, we decided we couldn't pass on this opportunity. Since Colby and John wore their flight suits we got priority seating up close. It was a very surreal experience. He walked in, said a few words thanking the troops, walked around again, and then left. The whole thing lasted less than 10 minutes. Still a neat experience. We have already had so much fun. It still feels like an extended vacation instead of home.
No comments:
Post a Comment