December 2013 Highlights

Clair was able to bless the baby of our friend from Mongolia.  Her mother is here with her.  They were good friends when we were in Mongolia.

Risa came over to show us how to make "Okonomiyaki," one of our  favorite Japanese foods.  It is shaped like a pancake but is full of cabbage, other vegetables and some pork.  It has its own special sauce.

Two dear Japanese friends.

Chinzorik (2nd from left) was a "golden contact" having heard about the church by his family in Mongolia.  When he came to Japan he couldn't speak English or Japanese.  We helped him find a translator and were happy to be at his baptism!  We wished we could remember more Mongolian.

Sekuba's baptism

Christmas season has arrived.  The Maetanis (on left)left just before Christmas to return home.  We just decorated the office Christmas tree.

Christmas Sisters' luncheon.  There are always beautiful decorations!

Cute little Kaede with Santa.

I apologize that the rest of this post will be sort of a "travel log"--not much about our mission, because  Anne and Paul came to visit us just after Christmas.  We had two weeks with them and they were able to see many of  the sights of Japan.  It was wonderful to see family again!

Around Tokyo:

We bought this fish at the fishmarket (one of the largest in the world) and had it for dinner.  It was a goldeneye fish.

Anne and I visited the "Doctor Fish."  These little fish eat the dead skin off your feet.  At first the sensation made me feel like screaming and pulling my feet out of the water!  Anne was jealous because I had more fish eating on my feet (because I have more dead skin!)

At a "kaiten sushi" you can take whatever you like off the belt that goes around.  At the end you are charged by the number of plates you have.  We have come to enjoy sushi here!

 
This monument is to remember the children who died in the great Kanto Earthquake of 1923.


Tokyo has museums of all types.  This was a museum of "snow globes."


Harajuku Street is a popular place for young people to parade the latest fashions.  Some are really strange!


On New Year's Eve people visit the temples.  At the temple they ring a bell 108 times to get rid of the 108 human sins and start the new year fresh.  At this temple they people ring the bell.  I wonder what the 108 sins are?

 The view from Shinjiku government building tower.

Enjoying a sunny day with friends and Paul at "Sky Park" where there is a lovely view of the city.

Senso-ji temple in Asakusa, Tokyo's oldest temple.  

Meiji Jinja.  A "temple" is Buddhist, while a "shrine (or jinja)" is Shinto.  A shrine always has gates like these called "Tori."  This is the crowd going to the Meiji Jinja on New Year's Day.  People go to the shrines or temples as soon as possible in the new year to start out the new year right.  

This is a purifying place where people wash before entering a temple or shrine.  There is a set pattern to the ritual of washing.

This is a New Year's parade featuring these interesting characters.  

Twice a year the Emperor of Japan greets the people.  We lined up with thousands of others, walked through many security check points, and finally arrived at the castle.  Everyone was given an Japanese flag to wave.  

Walking through the castle grounds.

When the Emperor appeared, all the flags were waving and we could only see flags!

When the Emperor briefly spoke, we caught a glimpse of the Emperor and his family as the flags were brought down.

Anne and Paul on the Castle grounds.

This picture shows the old style of the castle and, just across the moat, the modern city.

Kamakura

View of the coastline in Kamakura

Daibutsu (or large Buddha) was built in 1252 and is hollow bronze.  You can go inside the statue.

Hasedera temple

A happy Buddha

11-faced statue of Kannon (goddess of mercy and compassion)

Washing money at Zeniarai Benton (Money-making shrine) makes money of the faithful double in value.

 
Colorful koi (fish).



There are myriads of statues like these in Japan.

Enoshima Island

We were finally able to catch a view of Mt. Fuji from here.

NOKOGIRIYAMA

This is a Buddhist temple, Nihon-ji,  built on a mountain top overlooking Tokyo Bay.


This large Buddha is carved out of the mountainside.


1,553 rakan Arhat stone statues were carved during a period of 20 years.    An Arhat is a "perfected person" who has attained nirvana.


Each Arhat is distinctive.  Many have suffered from vandelism, especially during anti-Buddhist time periods.



This is the other large Buddha cut out of the mountain.

We were able to take a 3 day trip to Nara, Kyoto, and Hiroshima with Paul and Anne.

KYOTO 
Kyoto became the capitol of Japan during the Heian Period beginning in 794 and remained the capital until 1869 (although military rulers had their headquarters in other cities part of that time).

Tori gates similar to  these are found at all Shinto shrines.

Fushimi-Inari Shrine is built on a hill and has thousands of these tori gates along the paths around the hillside.

Kinkakuji temple or the golden pavilion is in a beautiful garden setting.  The gold leafing on the building is striking.



All four of us at the golden pavilion.

Ginkakuji—the silver pavilion--surprised me by not being silver-plated.  However it did have beautiful gardens and amazing sand sculptures.

This sand sculpture represents Mt. Fuji.

 NARA

Nara was the capitol during the Nara Period (710–784).  It was a stronghold of Buddhism.

  Today there are sacred deer wandering freely (which will pick your pocket if you are not careful).

Here in Nara we saw a large Buddha in the largest wooden building in Japan.  The Buddha is 16 miters tall.  

The Large Buddha is flanked by two smaller Buddhas.

 

Outside sits a wooden status of Pindora.  Pindora had special powers of healing but was being prideful of his powers, so Buddha punished him by making him sit outside.  People believe that if they rub a certain part of his statue, then rub the same part on themselves, it will be healed. 

HIROSHIMA
Inside Hiroshima is a "Peace Park" and museum which tells about the bombing of Hirosima.  It is very sobering and reminds us all of the horrors of war and particularly of nuclear weapons.  (No pictures were allowed inside)

Here is Paul dressed as a samurai in the Hiroshima Castle, which is basically a museum now.

View from Hiroshima Castle.

MIYAJIMA 

Miyajima is an Island near Hiroshima, reached by a ferry.  

A five-storied Pagoda (the five levels represent earth, water, fire, wind, and heaven).

 

Ikutsuka Shrine has “floating tori gates.”  When the tide comes in they are standing in the water.  I have heard that it was built this way so people could worship at the shrine without leaving their boat.