The area around Haibara is full of interesting historical sites. My Japanese hosts are very knowledgable about Japanese history and take pride in showing me around. On Monday, I got to see a fabulous mix of historical locations, interesting cultural items, and good food.
First – if you are under the age of 30, you have probably never been to a full service gas station. As we left out for our day of travel and adventure, we stopped for fuel. As we pulled into the station, an attendant waved us in to a pump, spoke with Mr.Ogawara, and then filled the tank. He and another attendant both washed all of our windows and offered to check the oil. After we had paid, they walked to the edge of the lot, stopped traffic and waved us out into our day. I wonder if any of the kids will stop for gas…
Mr. Ogawara shared that full service stations are becoming more and more uncommon. They only comprise about 50% of stations in Japan now.
We went to a Temple in the area, located high upon a mountainside. Murou Temple was the first Buddhist temple in Japan and is very ancient. Some of the bulidings on the site are well over 1000 years old. ( I touched wood that had been harvested and worked over 1000 years ago!)
The small town at the base of the mountain supports a steady stream of sightseers and guest with small shops and restaurants. Entering the Temple Complex in the valley beside a small river, we wound our way up and through the grounds. Moving ever upward, we finally arrived (after a very steep climb – Mr. Ogawara`s phone counted over 2500 steps 🙂 at the top of the Temple Sight where two Temple Building are situated. The views are stunning!
In Japan, when people visit Temples and other historic sites, they will often stamp a journal as a momento of the visit. Most sites have a stamping station and many visitors keep a journal with many stamps from many locations. Some site also employ a person who will sign your book using calligraphy. At the Murou Temple, a gentleman was in an office at the top of the mountain and this was his job. He has worked at the temple for 56 years! Mr. and Mrs. Ogawara were speaking with him an explaned that I was a teacher visiting from the United States. Upon hearing this, he wrote a large calligraphy poem for me which he gifted – accepting no payment. It was pretty special. I will have it framed when I get home.
Next we went for a traditional meal at a restaurant located nearby. As we entered, we were escourted to a private room that was pretty large. The room had a sliding glass door that looked out onto the passing river. We had already removed our shoes, the floor was covered with tatami mats. In the middle of the room was a sitting well with a table in the middle. We sat on the floor with our feet in the well – the table right in front of us. A gentleman came in with a metal basket of coals which were placed into the center of the table. After a grilling grate was placed atop, we were given a large variety of foods to prepare on the open grill. The meal was a parade of small morsels – vegetables, meats, seafood. We even heated a soy milk concotion – making our own tofu. It was very cool.
Throughout the meal we were able to talk and laugh. Mr. Ogawara shared that the building that the restaurant was housed in was about 300 or 400 years old and had originally been the home of a very famous ninja. The house had been taken apart, moved to it`s current location, and reassembled. It was a very fabulous lunch.
After lunch, we visited Asuka. The area was the home of a very powerful fuedal leader. In addition to a beautiful temple, and there are several other sites to visit. We toured a very old rectangular burial mound, the interior of which is open to enter. The stones making the walls and capstones were huge. The main capstone weighs 77 tons! There was a great description of the likely construction process.
As we made our way to Aeon Mall for some shopping, we stopped at a shrine in Sakurai. There was a 13 story pagoda on the site! Historically,the shrine was the location of an very important peace conference long ago. It is now visited in the spring during Cherry Blossom season. Beatiful!
At the mall, we shopped for a bit and then made our way to the grocery. I bought some things to bring home and Mrs. Ogawara bought some items for the week.
To end the night, we stopped at a sushi restaurant. Like several of the kids, this restaurant had a conveyor belt onto which the kitchen placed small sushi plates. As you helped yourself to what you wanted (or special ordered), you placed the plates on the counter in front of your seat. After your meal, attendants tallied the number of plates and then charged you accordingly. It was fun 🙂
Today – I am going to Kyoto. We leave in just a few minutes in fact. They have rented a bus for our travel. i am looking forward to catching up with all of the kids.
Stay Tuned!
Hawken-Haibara Exchange 