Musings from Japan 4 (Kamakura)

Visited many temples again today in Kamakura (less than an hour on the subway south of Tokyo city centre) some many hundreds of years old. It was really hot so walking around and up various stairs was unpleasant but still worth having a look.

Today's discoveries:
1. Yesterday morning, I got on the train Tokyo commuters. It was an interesting experience. Today, Tokyo commuters got on the train that I was in. Talk about feeling claustrophobic. But they do it so politely. Just turn around to face the doors as they get in and shuffle everyone else along.

2. How wonderful to have vending machines dotted everywhere on the street! I was feeling really hot and dehydrated but there was an abundance of choice of cold drinks with many vending machines everywhere! Yay!

3. How wonderful to be able point at things when you can't speak the language. I discovered a kaiten zushi place (place where the various types of sushi goes round on a conveyor belt and you pick what you want and they add up the bill by seeing what plates you got). I pointed to a "special dish" cos I didn't see it go around - thin pieces of raw beef on sushi rice. It was very good. The beef was nicely marbled and tender. I had 3 different plates (6 pieces of sushi) which came to 890 yen. Just over 10NZD.

Musings from Japan 3 (Nikko)

Nikko is about a 2 hour train ride north of Tokyo. And old town with many shrines. The shrines are beautifully constructed and are all working shrines. I was very disturbed by the number of people, tourists included, who prayed in front of the many many statues. There was also a vast amount of lucky charms - from good luck charms to warding of evil spirits forever charms - that were being sold a large number of people buying them!

Today's discoveries:
1. Very importantly, how to figure out the shinkansen system and get to the right platform. They will have English information but some words (like "platform") is always in Japanese so one has to guess that was what the number referred to). The challenge will be to be early enough for the Nagoya train that leaves Tokyo at 8.33am so that I can grab a seat on the non-reserved cars (thats the only leg of the journey that I don't have a reserved seat).

2. There is an interesting mix of Shintoism and Buddhism here and I don't think I can tell the difference. But both are equally disturbing because they lead to false worship of graven images. As I walked through the shrines today, I felt more strongly about the futility of worship human carved images. Especially the last shrine today as it was set in a beautiful and old cedar forest. In the midst of God's fantastic creation, God's creatures were worshipping their own creation.

3. Always charge my batteries fully. I had 2 bars on my camera battery this morning but it died just before the 2nd last temple which were the ones set in the forest. In one of them there was some sort of ceremony happening in a room next to the temple (we could see into it) with the priest (?) i full ceremonial garb! I missed out on a fantastic (tourist) photo opportunity.

ps. From now on I probably won't upload photos till I get back to NZ because it takes a lot of time to upload from my memory card and internet access from when I begin to head south of Tokyo on Wednesday will be very sparse. Sorry, you'll just have to wait.

Musings from Japan 2 (Tokyo)

Saw my first shrine, Meiji Jingu, today. It was really beautiful. There were many people praying and putting prayers on the prayer wall. I hope that as I get a picture of Shinto-ism and Buddhism in Japan I will be deeply disturbed as Paul was in Acts 17.

left: patrons praying at the shrine right: one of the prayer walls in the courtyard

Today's discoveries:

1. Well actually discovered this last night but realised today how wonderfully refreshing it is! Its going to be my new favourite refreshment while I am here.

You basically get a bowl of crush ice and then you get to add your own coloured, sweetened, flavours. I'm sure they are full of nasty food colouring but your feeling hot and exhausted - its really GOOD!

2.

Just next to Harajuku station are teenage girls (mostly) are gathered dressed in outrageous clothes or as manga characters. Then nearby at the entrance to Yoyo-gi Park we discovered a group of men (ages ranging from early 20s to early 50s) mostly wearing leather pants and dancing to what sounded like 50's music as if there was no tomorrow. They really looked like they were having a good time and were oblivious to the crowd gathered to watch them.

The cos-play (costume play) kids are usually kids that have been bullied at school and regularly do this as an outlet before they get back on the trains to go back into a life where they remain largely faceless. My theory of the Elvis guys as we called them, is that this is one outrageous expression they have that doesn't conform to a rule-bound culture. I am pretty certain they go back to mundane desk jobs.

Whatever it is, its certainly given tourists like me something to take photos of to remember and to be pleasantly surprised by the new culture I am in.

Musings from Japan 1 (Tokyo)

Konichiwa.

First full day in Japan and I am amazed by this country and culture. They take politeness and rule-keeping to a whole new higher playing field. Everyone is so friendly and helpful, even the Japanese speaking guards who helpfully (I think) sought to point me to the right exit at the Metro station in Japanese. I didn't understand a single word and ended up asking 3 guards to get to the right exit (there are about 20 or so different exits at the Shibuya station).

Today's "discoveries":

1. I expected this but was still blown away by the sheer number of vending machines everywhere selling all kinds of things.

1 of the apparent 6 million vending machines in Tokyo (thats more than the population of NZ!!)

2. It is not uncommon for Japanese workers to work from 8am till about midnight and also o Saturdays and Sundays. It is a culture that values the group culture so workers will try to all be there together and usually will try to get there before the boss and leave after the boss does.

3. How absolutely amazingly wonderful fresh sushi is! The fish just melts in your mouth. But I have also discovered that I do not raw squid as much I like cooked squid.

Its that time of year again

Its Lent again (lent started on Feb 6th). Its quite early this year and I almost forgot about it. I decided that I wanted to observe lent again this year but at the same time I didn't really want to. I thought that because I had done it once before would make it easier. But to be honest it made it harder. The thought (and memory) of giving up something that I like was not appealing. I like that I have control over the fact I can eat what I want whenever I want. Basically, I didn't want to obeserve lent because I am self-centred. Which is all the more why I need to obeserve lent. I decided to abstain from beer and liqour and chocolate, this means I can't have tiramisu, a nice bottle of cold beer with a curry, no hot chocolates or ice chocolates, or cookies and cream ice cream, or chocolate chips cookies.

But every time I deny myself the pleasure of these things that I enjoy, I hope I am made more aware of Christ's sacrifice. Of Jesus' willingness to give up equality with God and to move into our neighbourhood of selfishness, of sin. To go through immense suffering and a humiliating death. All this to demonstrate God's love for us in a way that we can truly understand so that we may be reconciled to God. I really hope that lent gives me a fresh and much needed gratefulness for Jesus' sacrifice.

have the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had:

⁶ Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

⁷ rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.

⁸ And being found in appearance as a human being,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

Philippians 2:5b-8

Do I sing like a bird released?

My anticipated event of the year for 2007 was the Crowded House concert (though understandably not quite as eagerly anticipated as last year's event of the year). I managed to get near enough seats to the stage in the TSB arena (row H).

The first act was a Pluto. The usual rock kinda band. Nothing majorly memorable. The hidden gem of the night was Supergroove. They are a 7 piece NZ band that re-grouped just to be the opening act for Crowded House and they were just fantastic! There was great chemistry between the band members which led to an amazing performance and the guys just looked like they were having a good time up there! Its not always that you don't mind listening to more of the opening act. In fact, I almost felt like I was paying for 2 concerts for the price of 1!

Crowded House was great as well. They interspersed their new stuff with their old stuff. You could easliy tell when they were playing songs from the new album - no one sang along. In the middle of the concert it started to seem like a bit of a drag as they were playing a number of songs from their new album. I kinda of expected them to do that but I guess its not easy when you are such a iconic band that most people know the lyrics to your songs as well as the band did. And that was precisely what happened with the old stuff. It felt like a ginormous sing-a-long session at points. They played many old favourites like Don't dream its over, Take the weather and Pineapple head. They had 2 encores and finally ended the night with You better be home soon.

All in all, a great concert and a fantastic night of amazing music and enjoying the talents of other people. Hmm... I wonder what's playing in 2008 thats worth going to?