Hasedera Temple is Simply Stunning

Today I visited Hasedera Temple.  It is located one train stop away from Haibara and I have been there once before – but it was even more stunning than I remembered.  The Cherry Blossoms were in bloom and the grounds were  captivating.  After a long climb up many stonework steps, we arrived at the top of the valley complex.  The views within and from the Temple overlook were unbelievable…

To add to the experience, monks inside the Temple were chanting prayers as devotees offered their own silent prayers.  I cannot express how moving it was to stand amid this devotion and offer my own prayers.

As we toured the rest of the complex, snapping photographs and simply enjoying the sunny Spring day, I began to hear an unfamiliar noise.  When I asked my Host Family, they were not positive – but suggested that the monks at the Temple were using large conch shells to signal mid-day.

Hasedera Temple is truly one of my favorite places to visit.

 

Photos from Hasedera Temple

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Sayonara Party :-)

Well, our trip is winding up. We had our Sayonara Party today and it began to sink in that we are leaving soon. Our Host Families planned a fun get-together and our kids had a lot of fun – but there were some mixed emotions… Don’t take this the wrong way parents, but our students are just beginning to feel really comfortable and many are not quite ready to come home 🙂

Beginning around 11 am, we began. After a Welcome and a few words from Mrs. Yamamoto (The Haibara Exchange Club – President), Mrs. Delia and I took a few moments to express our gratitude for the care and hospitality shown to all of our students. We also encouraged everyone to come to Cleveland for a visit! Then each Hawken student took a moment to Thank their Host Family and the community for making them feel so Welcome and to share a favorite memory. After we had all expressed our Thanks – Felicity, Sasha, and Berkeley performed a song.  They sounded great and everyone was very impressed.
Thank You to Kazuyoshi for loaning the guitar 🙂

At this point, we all went outside to ‘fish’. One of our Host Families had prepared a large fish tank with fresh fish. We used small fishing poles to hook and catch the fish – which were prepared right then and there as fresh sushi! A few students were alarmed at the ‘near-ness’ of their food source.  The sushi/sashimi was just part of a huge lunch our Host Families prepared – so we all went inside to eat and visit.

After lunch, we played a game called Ninin Bowri. 2 participants – one behind the other – don a large rain poncho. The person in back threads their arms through the sleeves of the poncho and without being able to see, feeds the person in front some kind of food – preferably a messy food. It was quite funny…

We also played a huge game of Musical Chairs – with a neat twist. We had 33 participants and as each person got out, the sat in a row of chairs. After a winner was declared, each person got to choose a prize. We chose prizes in order of when you got out. The winner went first and had 33 options, the person who got out first only had one present left to choose.  All of the prizes were wrapped – but it was still a lot of fun.

Not to suggest that Hawken students are competitive, but we were 10 of the 33 participants and when the shrinking circle was down to 10 players, 8 of them were Hawken students. The final two players were Jack B and Jack S. When the music stopped in this final round, those two staged a 3 minute wrestling match in the middle of the room to see who could occupy the chair…. So funny!

At the end of the party, we had a quick huddle-up meeting with Hawken students about how to prepare for the return home and then everyone headed out to various activities. Thursday is our last Family Day – last chance to buy souvenirs – (BTW – we stressed the importance of buying your parents something nice…) – and we begin the return on Friday.

More Later…

Photos from Sayonara Party…

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Cherry Blossoms are in Bloom

In the short week or so that we have been here, the Cherry Blossoms have really burst.  Last week, the trees were clearly ready, loaded with buds – but few trees were showing flowers.  In fact, on my first night with the Kawamoto Family, there was a news update about the first bloom sited at Osaka River Park – an individual bloom!

Now, just a week later, most trees are bursting with color.  The trees are not at 100% full bloom yet – but close.  Like Western North Carolina with Fall Foliage updates, the TV news here shares an Cherry Blossoms updates each evening.  This is the most Springtime blooming that I have been able to during my visits to Haibara.

Beautiful.  The pic below is my favorite so far…  (It think :-))

 

Cherry Blossom Photos

 

Atop the Tallest Building in Osaka!

Today was a ‘Family Day’ on our visit schedule and I spent it in Osaka! The Kawamoto Family and I met up with Jack S. and his Host Family around mid-morning for the train ride into Osaka. We had an appointment with a tradition Japanese Paper Lantern maker. He explained the process of lantern construction, gave a small lantern as a souvenir, and then challenged us to paint our names onto the lanterns – using Japanese characters. It was a cool visit and our lanterns turned out quite well.

Afterward, we shopped, found some food, and caught some of the sites. The main attraction in the area we were exploring was the river. Osaka is a port town with rivers and canals winding throughout several neighborhoods. We took a river boat tour to better see the city. The open-air ride, the sunshine, and cherry blossoms in bloom on both sides of the river was perfect.

Next up? The tallest building in Osaka! After an elevator ride to the 60th floor, we jumped into bright red jump suits, strapped on safety harnesses, and clipped ourselves into the safety rail. All of this prep allowed us to walk OUTSIDE on the 60th floor – along the perimeter edge. It was very windy but thrilling. The views were simply stunning.

After some quick errands, we headed back home on the train.

What a perfect Family Day!

Take a look at the photos below…

Photos from Osaka…

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Visit to Beautiful Nara

Today was a Whole Group day and we used it to visit the ancient city of Nara, Japan.  Sites around the world of significant global and cultural importance are designated as “World Heritage Sites”. There are 18 in the entire United States, there are 8 in the small city of Nara!

Recognized as the original unified Capital of Japan, the city is simply amazing. A medium-sized city of approximately 350,000 people, Nara is a pilgrimage and tourist destination for 1,000s daily. Nara Park is home to most of the ancient sites, but the streets around are also an incredible place for people watching, souvenir shopping, and food.

We arrived by train in the late morning, and after a quick lunch, headed out. The first thing that students were captured by were the Nara Deer. 1,000s of deer live freely and roam Nara Park. Vendors sell thin wafer cookies to feed them and the deer are quite brazen with their begging.  Approach with a cookie, bow to the deer, and the deer with return the bow – then you feed them the cookie. No Kidding!

We visited many different sites on this visit – too many to detail. Please take a look at the photos below…. However, probably the most impressive was Todaiji Temple. Home to the largest Buddha statue in Japan, the building is simply massive. I shared with students that it actually burned 300 or so years ago. It’s current form is only 2/3 the original size!  I also helped them recognize that a 300 year old building is older than our country and that there other building in the city that are 4 times older than the United States!

As you mount the steps to Todaiji Temple, light an incense stick, place it in a large bowl, pull some of the incense smoke toward you, and then offer a prayer. The massive Buddha dominates the entrance. Wait there in silence for a few moments and then move around the interior to your left. The Buddha sits in the middle of the room and the crowd cycles around him. The perimeter of the room holds several interesting displays to view…

Near the back right corner of the building is a huge column that has a small rectangular hole carved out. A line forms ( maybe 30 people deep) to have a turn crawling through the “Buddha’s Nostril”. If you crawl through, you have ‘Good Luck’! I have phots of all the good luck coming home to Hawken School 

It was a perfect, sunshine filled day. Our kids enjoyed the city of Nara and they enjoyed getting to see each other, hearing about all of the cool experience that each other are having…

Today is another “Family Day” with students doing a variety of different things. I’ll share more later.

Photos from Nara

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