Sorry, in advance, for the long delays between updates. The last few weeks have been very busy as we gear up to leave our second home, Tokyo. It would be ideal to complete posting our adventures of Japan, before we actually leave the country, though I doubt it very much. With only a little over a month left of our stay, we continue to take advantage of the time enjoying our journey in Japan.
On the weekend of April 19, we travelled by express train to Kamakura. My mom was eager to see the bronze statue of Daibutsu - The Great Buddha of Kamakura, as well as one of our favourite temples, Hasedera Temple. There were many festivals occuring during the weekend, which drew in more visitors than usual. We were able to witness a traditional tea ceremony, known as chanoyu, being performed by elementary-age girls with skilled practioners seated beside them. I've been told that the study of the tradtional tea ceremony can take years to master. It's no wonder that they start at such a young age.
PEACE!
Markus offering a donation toward the Kotokuin Temple, home of the Daibutsu of Kamakura
Cheers to happy days!
Being a great helper to Lola at the purifying station
Sentai jizo statues represent the souls of unborn children
It is customary to pour the flowing water over the statue while offering a prayer to the children.
I'm allured by the gardens of Hasedera Temple. They are truly my most favoured gardens of all temples I've been to in Japan simply because it encompasses all the stunning elements of the traditional Japanese design. Amidst are tall bamboo, stone touro (lanterns), koi-filled ponds, rock zen gardens, lush exotic plants and flowers blooming, several varieties of Japanese maple trees, and so on. Now if I could only duplicate this look at my own home...
Inside the main temple, is the statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy. Standing at over 9 metres tall, it is known to be the largest wooden statue in Japan. We have no photos taken within the sacred space of the temple, as visitors are asked NOT to take photos.
Wagasa - Traditional Japanese umbrellas are made of bamboo and washi (Japanese paper).
During the festival, the temple was eloquently decorated with wagasa throughout the main lower level of the garden.
Our little shy guy was happy to pose with the pretty Japanese lady
Seeing the tall bamboo reminded my mom of her childhood back in the Philippines.
Within the Bentenkutsu cave, a small statue of Benten, the goddess of feminine beauty and wealth, is displayed.
Another stunning view!
Meguro Gajoen
in Meguro, is another place we enjoy taking our visitors to. This visit was also a first for Rodney since our previous outings to the convention center have occurred during his work hours. As I expected, he was impressed by the facility and all its beauty.
It was Markus' idea to pose as if holding the geisha woman's hand...funny guy!
Markus just loves the koi pond and happened to be more excited on this visit to show his daddy and lola something new!
It was wonderful having my mom visit us in Tokyo to get a glimpse of how our life has been like over the last couple of years. She enjoyed riding the trains, touring the many great places and tasting authentic Japanese cuisine. Though she's not much of a sushi or sashimi eater, she did had fun experimenting the delicasies and eating with chopsticks for a change. Her favourite Japanese meal was shabu-shabu (like mother, like daughter). 
It was also nice to have her around to sit for Markus as Rodney and I enjoyed a date night to a live concert in Aoyama featuring Kenta Ebara's . My mom especially enjoyed meeting our friends, whom I refer to as our Japanese family. As always, they were very welcoming and were happy to accommodate us for dinner parties and afternoon teas. I feel very blessed to have such great Japanese friends!
Below are a couple of snapshots from the Live concert in Aoyama featuring Kenta Ebara and Ryoko
No comments:
Post a Comment